Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Age-Related Changes To The Production Of Linguistic Prosody, Daniel Richard Barnes

Open Access Theses

The production of speech prosody (the rhythm, pausing, and intonation associated with natural speech) is critical to effective communication. The current study investigated the impact of age-related changes to physiology and cognition in relation to the production of two types of linguistic prosody: lexical stress and the disambiguation of syntactically ambiguous utterances. Analyses of the acoustic correlates of stress: speech intensity (or sound-pressure level; SPL), fundamental frequency (F0), key word/phrase duration, and pause duration revealed that both young and older adults effectively use these acoustic features to signal linguistic prosody, although the relative weighting of cues differed by group. Differences …

Decision Support For Reducing 30-Day Readmissions: General Medicine Patients In Community Hospitals, Ramez Labib Ayoub

Open Access Theses

Health expenditures in United States have experienced a gradual increase in spending with no indication of slowing down. Addressing this problem has been a major area of concern for policy makers, and as a result more consideration has been placed on decreasing health spending and increasing affordability. One major area recognized as being effective in decreasing these financial burdens has been inpatient thirty-day adult readmissions, currently costing $26 billion annually. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have determined readmissions to be an indicator of the quality and efficiency of patient care.

This research provides a prediction model for patients …

Implementation And Model To Model Intercomparison Of 12 Heat Stress Metrics, Jonathan Robert Buzan

Open Access Theses

Earth system models simulate the dynamics of the most complex systems on our planet with some success. Despite the overwhelming sophistication of these models, which include dynamical interactions of ocean, atmosphere, vegetation, ice, and land-surface properties, they fail to include the most important element. People. Humans are also a complex physical-biological system and coupling of human physiology within an Earth Systems Modeling framework is challenging. This thesis presents results that tackle one particular component of human physiological climate interaction--a representation of heat stress on human physiology. Twelve different metrics were implemented and analyzed. These metrics represent a variety of philosophical …

Preschool Language And Phonological Proficiencies In Predicting Stuttering Recovery Or Persistence, Caroline E. Spencer

Open Access Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between expressive and receptive language, phonological, and verbal working memory proficiencies in the preschool years and eventual recovery from or persistence in stuttering. Participants included 40 children who stutter (CWS). At ages 3-5 years, participants were administered the Test of Auditory Comprehension of Language, 3rd edition (TACL-3), the Structured Photographic Expressive Language Test, 3rd edition (SPELT-3), Bankson-Bernthal Test of Phonology--Consonant Inventory subtest (BBTOP--CI), Test of Auditory Perceptual Skills--Revised (TAPS--R) auditory number memory and auditory word memory subtests, and the Dollaghan & Campbell Nonword Repetition Test (NRT). Stuttering behaviors were tracked …

Scheduling In Mohs Micrographic Surgery Clinics, Stephen Vincent Steidle

Open Access Theses

Mohs Micrographic Surgery (MMS) is a surgical method used for the excision of aggressive skin cancers in areas of high cosmetic importance, such as the face and hands. The practice has been gaining popularity worldwide for its low recurrence rates and cosmetic results. Current clinics though are plagued by extreme wait times and an overall poor patient experience. In this paper we look to explore this problem by applying systems engineering principles including optimization and scheduling with the goal of improving the patient experience. Currently, little literature exists exploring the difficulties associated with scheduling for MMS clinic which primarily revolve …

Sanitation Infrastructure, Medicinal Plant Use And Diarrhea In Rural Costa Rican Communities, Travis Clifford Sondgerath

Open Access Theses

Diarrhea is estimated to be responsible for 3.3 million deaths a year and is particularly problematic in the developing world among children. The Millennium Development Goals established by the United Nations has set a goal of reducing mortality among children by two thirds during the new millennium. However due to the nature of diarrhea it is often difficult to study its patterns, distribution, and determinants.

This study presents an analysis of the relationship between diarrhea and sanitation infrastructure and medicinal plant use in 4 rural Costa Rican communities. Over the past few decades' access to clean drinking water and municipal …

Content Analysis Concerning State Green Lodging Certification Programs In The United States, Yue Yu

Open Access Theses

The present thesis reports a content analysis study of state green lodging certification programs (SGLCPs) in the United States. The study explores how the government and industry associations operate and maintain SGLCPs. Through online research, the researcher found that 20 states have SGLCP. There are total 21 programs in operation currently. The study focused on the textual content of the 21 programs' websites.

The study determined the rationale of SGLCPs adoption through analyzing program purposes and certification bodies. The application procedure, assessment process, participation rate, certification levels, recertification process of programs were discussed to figure out whether SGLCPs implement the …

The Relationship Between Bullying And Weight Management Behaviors In High School Aged Youth, Lindsey Simpson-Pedigo

Open Access Theses

Purpose: Examined whether high-school students' body mass index (BMI) classification was related to being bullied, and whether being bullied mediates the student's likelihood of practicing unhealthy weight management and weight loss behaviors.

Methods: This study was a secondary data analysis of cross-sectional data obtained by the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) 2011. Mediation analyses were used to assess relationships between weight status, being bullied and use of unhealthy weight management and weight loss behaviors.

Results: The sample consisted of 15,425 high-school students in the United States drawn from a nationally representative survey. In this sample, 15.8% were overweight and …

Perception And Attitude About Breast And Cervical Cancer Screening Among Muslim Women In A Midwest University Campus, Tahira Yeasmeen

Open Access Theses

Early detection of breast and cervical cancer through mammograms and Pap smears can improve survival rates. Muslim women in the United States are faced with traditional beliefs and diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds that may affect their knowledge and perceptions about these cancer screening practices. The objective of this study is to determine the overall health status and participation rates, knowledge, and perceptions about, and barriers to, breast and cervical cancer screening among a controlled population of Muslim women. Data were collected from Muslim women residing at or near Purdue University and the Greater Lafayette area via an online questionnaire …

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation In The Management Of Chronic Lower Airway Inflammatory Conditions In Horses, Nora Nogradi

Open Access Theses

Chronic lower airway inflammatory diseases, such as recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and inflammatory airway disease (IAD) are common in horses. RAO and IAD present many similarities with asthma in people. Based on studies in human asthma, omega - 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation has been proposed to improve clinical signs in horses with chronic lower airway inflammatory disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of an omega-3 PUFA containing equine feed supplement (Aleira^TM) in horses with chronic lower airway disease. The study consisted of two separate experiments. First, a pilot study was …

Stroke And The Younger Adult: Recommendations For Occupational Therapy, Kara Black, Callie Schneider

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Occupational therapy (OT) is an integral component of the rehabilitation process for individuals who have sustained stroke. As the number of individuals sustaining and surviving stroke in the United States has consistently risen over the past decades (Bartels, 2011), it is anticipated that stroke prevalence from 2010 will have a 25% increase by the year 2030 (American Heart Association (AHA), 2011). In addition, a current trend in research has been found, indicating an increase in the incidence of stroke within the young and middle-aged, or younger, adult population between the ages of 18 and 55 years (AHA, 2011).

An extensive …

The Experiences Of Occupational Therapists In Natural Disasters: A Qualitative Study, Samantha L. Becker, Emily Reiter

Occupational Therapy Capstones

OBJECTIVE. This study explored the experiences of occupational therapists who have lived through a natural disaster within the last five years.

METHOD. Researchers conducted a literature review and developed a semi-structured interview using the Person Environment Occupation Performance (PEOP) model as a guide. Six occupational therapists (1 male and 5 females) were selected using convenience and purposive snowball sampling. Each participant was interviewed one time. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and data was analyzed using an open coding system.

FINDINGS. Following the data analysis process, four categories were identifies. These categories included personal experience, environmental influence, social experience, and professional …

A Guide To Seasonal Migration: Increasing Snowbirds' Longevity, Stephanie Haselkamp, Jenny Styles

Occupational Therapy Capstones

With the demographic shift of the aging population within the United States, and the push for preventative healthcare measures, occupational therapy (OT) practitioners need to adjust the way they are delivering their services to best meet this growing population's needs. Falls prevention is a method for occupational therapists to get involved in preventative care. The need for preventing falls is further supported by the concept of aging-in-place. Aging-in-place is popular amongst the older population, as older adults often wish to remain in their homes and natural contexts for as long as possible. Homes can come in many different forms; and …

Effect Of Frontal Plane Foot Position On Lower Extremity Muscle Activation And Limb Positioning In A Single Leg Squat, Brady Stokes

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

PURPOSE: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries at the knee are quite common, especially in the athletic population involved in sports in which jumping, landing, and cutting activities occur frequently. Previous studies have suggested that lower extremity muscle control plays a role in preventing these injuries. This study set out to determine if foot position influences muscle activation in the lower extremity and, by extension, possibly contributes to the risk of ACL injury. This project examined the activity of lower extremity muscles and the kinematics (movement patterns) of the lower extremity in various foot positions during a single-leg body lowering action. …

Whiplash And Post-Concussion Syndrome Following Mva, Tyler Wegscheid

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Background and Purpose: Neck pain is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal conditions in today’s world affecting individuals of all ages. More specifically, Whiplash Associated Disorders (WAD) is a major classification of neck pain that is often caused by motor vehicle accidents (MVA). The purpose of this case report is to reflect and examine the available evidence relevant to the examination, evaluation, and treatment procedures that were used for a patient following a MVA.

Case Description: The patient was a 52 year old female with COPD that presented with whiplash, post-concussion syndrome, and various soft tissue injuries following a motor …

Cardioprotective Effects Of Mitochondrial-Targeted Antioxidants In Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion (I/R) Injury, Regina Ondrasik

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during myocardial I/R contribute to post-reperfused cardiac contractile dysfunction. Damaged cardiomyocyte mitochondria are major sites of excess ROS generation during reperfusion. We hypothesized that reducing mitochondrial ROS formation should attenuate myocardial I/R injury and thereby improve function of isolated perfused rat hearts subjected to I(30min)/R(45min) compared to untreated I/R hearts. Mitoquinone (MitoQ, MW=579g/mol; complexed with cyclodextrin (MW=1135g/mol) to improve water solubility, total MW=1714g/mol), a coenzyme Q derivative, and SS-31 (Szeto-Schiller) peptide ((D-Arg)-Dmt-Lys-Phe-Amide, MW=639g/mol, Genemed Synthesis, Inc., San Antonio, TX), an alternating cationic-aromatic peptide, are selective mitochondrial ROS inhibitors which significantly improved post-reperfused cardiac function compared …

Molecular Staging Of Node Negative Patients With Colorectal Cancer., Terry Hyslop, Scott A Waldman

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

Metastatic disease is the principle cause of death from colorectal cancer. In that context, the most significant indicator of overall survival and therapeutic response to adjuvant chemotherapy is the presence of metastatic tumor cells in regional lymph nodes. Although histopathologic analysis of lymph nodes is central to all colorectal cancer staging paradigms, its prognostic and predictive value is limited. Indeed, about 30% of patients with histopathology-negative lymph nodes (pN0) die from metastatic disease, reflected by microscopic lymph node metastases that are overlooked by standard techniques. These unrecognized tumor cells are especially important when considering racial disparities in outcomes in colorectal …

Understanding The Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Complex Cancer Genome Rearrangements, Robert Hedlund, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

In their recent paper, Malhotra et al. performed a comprehensive analysis of the structural variation breakpoints in 64 cancer genomes from 7 tumor types to find the prevalence and origins of complex genomic rearrangements.1 Since this work represents a breakthrough in understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying complex cancer genome rearrangements, we provide a brief overview of this outstanding study.

Extracting Structural Information From Charge-State Distributions Of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins By Non-Denaturing Electrospray-Ionization Mass Spectrometry, Lorenzo Testa, Stefania Brocca, Carlo Santambrogio, Annalisa D'Urzo, Johnny Habchi, Sonia Longhi, Vladimir N. Uversky, Rita Grandori

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) exert key biological functions but tend to escape identification and characterization due to their high structural dynamics and heterogeneity. The possibility to dissect conformational ensembles by electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) offers an attracting possibility to develop a signature for this class of proteins based on their peculiar ionization behavior. This review summarizes available data on charge-state distributions (CSDs) obtained for IDPs by non-denaturing ESI-MS, with reference to globular or chemically denatured proteins. The results illustrate the contributions that direct ESI-MS analysis can give to the identification of new putative IDPs and to their conformational investigation.

Intrinsic Disorder In Pten And Its Interactome Confers Structural Plasticity And Functional Versatility, Prerna Malaney, Ravi Ramesh Pathak, Bin Xue, Vladimir N. Uversky, Vrushank Davé

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

IDPs, while structurally poor, are functionally rich by virtue of their flexibility and modularity. However, how mutations in IDPs elicit diseases, remain elusive. Herein, we have identified tumor suppressor PTEN as an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) and elucidated the molecular principles by which its intrinsically disordered region (IDR) at the carboxyl-terminus (C-tail) executes its functions. Post-translational modifications, conserved eukaryotic linear motifs and molecular recognition features present in the C-tail IDR enhance PTEN's protein-protein interactions that are required for its myriad cellular functions. PTEN primary and secondary interactomes are also enriched in IDPs, most being cancer related, revealing that PTEN functions …

Alpha 1-Antichymotrypsin, An Inflammatory Protein Overexpressed In The Brains Of Patients With Alzheimer’S Disease, Induces Tau Hyperphosphorylation Through C-Jun N-Terminal Kinase Activation, Ethika Tyagi, Tina Fiorelli, Michelle Norden, Jaya Padmanabhan

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

The association of inflammatory proteins with neuritic plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients has led to the hypothesis that inflammation plays a pivotal role in the development of pathology in AD. Earlier studies have shown that alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (ACT) enhances amyloid beta fibrillization and accelerated plaque formation in APP transgenic mice. Later studies from our laboratory have shown that purified ACT induces tau hyperphosphorylation and degeneration in neurons. In order to understand the mechanisms by which inflammatory proteins enhance tau hyperphosphorylation, we injected interleukin-1β (IL-1β) intracerebroventricularly into mice expressing human ACT, human tau, or …

Modulating The Intrinsic Disorder In The Cytoplasmic Domain Alters The Biological Activity Of The N-Methyl-D-Spartate-Sensitive Glutamate Receptor, Ucheor B. Choi, Rashek Kazi, Natalie Stenzoski, Lonnie P. Wollmuth, Vladimir N. Uversky, Mark E. Bowen

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

The NMDA-sensitive glutamate receptor is a ligand-gated ion channel that mediates excitatory synaptic transmission in the nervous system. Extracellular zinc allosterically regulates the NMDA receptor by binding to the extracellular N-terminal domain, which inhibits channel gating. Phosphorylation of the intrinsically disordered intracellular C-terminal domain alleviates inhibition by extracellular zinc. The mechanism for this functional effect is largely unknown. Proline is a hallmark of intrinsic disorder, so we used proline mutagenesis to modulate disorder in the cytoplasmic domain. Proline depletion selectively uncoupled zinc inhibition with little effect on receptor biogenesis, surface trafficking, or ligand-activated gating. Proline depletion also reduced the affinity …

Interplay Between Estrogen Receptor And Akt In Estradiol-Induced Alternative Splicing, Poornima Bhat-Nakshatri, Eun-Kyung Song, Nikail R. Collins, Vladimir N. Uversky, A. Keith Dunker, Bert W. O'Malley, Tim R. Geistlinger, Jason S. Carroll, Myles Brown, Harikrishna Nakshatri

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Alternative splicing is critical for generating complex proteomes in response to extracellular signals. Nuclear receptors including estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and their ligands promote alternative splicing. The endogenous targets of ERα:estradiol (E2)-mediated alternative splicing and the influence of extracellular kinases that phosphorylate ERα on E2-induced splicing are unknown.
Methods: MCF-7 and its anti-estrogen derivatives were used for the majority of the assays. CD44 mini gene was used to measure the effect of E2 and AKT on alternative splicing. ExonHit array analysis was performed to identify E2 and AKT-regulated endogenous alternatively spliced apoptosis-related genes. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction …

What’S In A Name? Why These Proteins Are Intrinsically Disordered, A. Keith Dunker, M. Madan Babu, Elisar Barbar, Martin Blackledge, Sarah E. Bondos, Zsuzsanna Dosztányi, H. Jane Dyson, Julie D. Forman-Kay, Monika Fuxreiter, Joerg Gsponer, Kyou-Hoon Han, David T. Jones, Sonia Longhi, Steven J. Metallo, Ken Nishikawa, Ruth Nussinov, Zoran Obradovic, Rohit V. Pappu, ,Burkhard Rost, Philipp Selenko, Vinod Subramaniam, Joel Sussman, Peter Tompa, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” From “Romeo and Juliet”, William Shakespeare (1594)

This article opens a series of publications on disambiguation of the basic terms used in the field of intrinsically disordered proteins. We start from the beginning, namely from the explanation of what the expression “intrinsically disordered protein” actually means and why this particular term has been chosen as the common denominator for this class of proteins characterized by broad structural, dynamic and functional characteristics.

D2P2: Database Of Disordered Protein Predictions, Matt E. Oates, Pedro R. Romero, Takashi Ishida, Mohamed Ghalwash, Marcin J. Mizianty, Bin Xue, Zsuzsanna Dosztányi, Vladimir N. Uversky, Zoran Obradovic, Lukasz Kurgan, A. Keith Dunker, Julian Gough

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

We present the Database of Disordered Protein Prediction (D2P2), available at http://d2p2.pro (including website source code). A battery of disorder predictors and their variants, VL-XT, VSL2b, PrDOS, PV2, Espritz and IUPred, were run on all protein sequences from 1765 complete proteomes (to be updated as more genomes are completed). Integrated with these results are all of the predicted (mostly structured) SCOP domains using the SUPERFAMILY predictor. These disorder/structure annotations together enable comparison of the disorder predictors with each other and examination of the overlap between disordered predictions and SCOP domains on a large scale. D2P2 will increase our understanding of …

Dysregulated Alternative Splicing Pattern Of Pkc During Differentiation Of Human Preadipocytes Represents Distinct Differences Between Lean And Obese Adipocytes, Gay Carter, André Apostolatos, Rekha Patel, Abhishek Mathur, Denise Cooper, Michel Murr, Niketa A. Patel

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Obesity and its comorbidities affect millions of people. Here, we demonstrate that human preadipocytes are susceptible to programmed cell death (apoptosis) while mature adipocytes are resistant to apoptosis. The molecular mechanisms underlying the phenotype of apoptosis-resistant adipocytes are lesser known. To study the role of apoptosis and define molecular differences in the developmental process of adipogenesis, human preadipocytes were differentiated in vitro to mature adipocytes. Many genes in the apoptosis pathway are alternatively spliced. Our data demonstrates that during differentiation PKCδ, Bclx, and Caspase9 switch to their prosurvival splice variants along with an increase in Bcl2 expression when …

Discovering Protein Functions And Career Goals: The Suppressor Sike, Rebekah Rifareal

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Discovering IMSD was accidental. I was having a routine advising appointment and discussing future careers when the topic surfaced. At the time, I had no clue about what I wanted to do, so my advisor suggested that I explore research and encouraged me to apply for the program.

Examining The Relationship Between Particulate Matter, Nitrogen Oxide, Carbon Oxides, Sulfur Dioxide And Hypertension In Urban Areas In India: A Review, Hiren Kolli

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

While blood pressure may be decreasing around the world, it has been on the rise in India (Kounteya, 2012). According to the World Health Organization, the average blood pressure went down by 2.7mm Hg among women globally, while increasing by 2.4mm Hg in India. In men, blood pressure decreased by 2.3mm Hg globally in the past three decades but increased by 2.2mm Hg in India (Kounteya, 2012). Almost three-quarters of people with hypertension live in developing countries with limited health resources where there is very low awareness of hypertension, and India is one of these countries. Hypertension is the leading …

Professional Product Review Vol. 8 No. 1, American Dental Association, Council On Scientific Affairs

Professional Product Review

A user-friendly newsletter from the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs offering scientifically sound, unbiased, and clinically relevant information to member dentists about professional dental products tested by the ADA. This collection is historical and may not reflect current standards. For up-to-date information contact the ADA.

Professional Product Review Vol. 8 No. 2, American Dental Association, Council On Scientific Affairs

Professional Product Review

A user-friendly newsletter from the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs offering scientifically sound, unbiased, and clinically relevant information to member dentists about professional dental products tested by the ADA. This collection is historical and may not reflect current standards. For up-to-date information contact the ADA.