Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Elimination Of Listeria Monocytogenes Biofilms From Stainless Steel Deli Meat Slicer Components By The Use Of Hurdle Technologies, Alexandria Wynne Mertz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Listeria monocytogenes growth is of the greatest concern amongst ready-to-eat foods. The United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Services determined that deli luncheon meats pose the greatest risk of contamination from L. monocytogenes Industrial meat slicers have many removable parts that are connected with sealers and gaskets, which can become worn over time. These spaces cannot be cleaned adequately, therefore are susceptible to bacterial growth. Planktonic cells form biofilms in order to protect the cell from adverse conditions, like during routine cleaning and sanitation. Once a biofilm is formed, the bacteria are much more difficult to eradicate …

Studies To Characterize Heavy Metal Content And Migration From Recycled Polyethyleneterephthalate, Michael John-Ross Whitt

Master's Theses

Packaging Materials account for 31% of the world’s municipal solid waste. Agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) are pushing for the increased use of recycled thermoplastic materials. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a commonly recycled thermoplastic which is used to package ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables. Most recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET) packaging materials contain heavy metal catalysts, the most common being antimony. The recent increased use of recycled plastic materials has been suspected as the source of increased human heavy metal exposure. In this study, cadmium, chromium, nickel, lead and antimony …

What Do Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Experience In Receiving Care In Appalachia, Brittany L. Thomas

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This qualitative research study explores what veterans living in the Appalachian region experience in receiving care for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder through personal interviews. These interviews will give insight into how veterans in Appalachia perceive their care through specific questions pertaining to healthcare for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

A convenient sample of veterans attending the specific study site was used for this study. An email, which contained information about the background and nature of the study was used for participant recruitment of veterans. In addition, flyers with the same information were posted throughout the study site. This study will highlight specific details …

Comprehensive Management Of The Paranasal Sinuses In Patients Undergoing Endoscopic Endonasal Skull Base Surgery., Gurston G Nyquist, Md, Marc R Rosen, Md, Mark E. Friedel, Md, D David Beahm, Md, Christopher J Farrell, Md, James J. Evans, Md

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: The endonasal route often provides the most direct and safe approach to skull base pathology. In this article we review the literature with regard to management of the paranasal sinuses in the setting of skull base surgery.

METHODS: We describe our institutional experience and review the literature of concurrent management of the sinusitis in patients undergoing endoscopic skull base surgery.

RESULTS: Patients should be optimized preoperatively to ensure the endonasal route is a safe corridor to enter the intracranial cavity. Often the paranasal sinuses can be surgically addressed at the same time as endoscopic skull base surgery. We describe …

Utilizing Landsat Tm And Oli In Predicting Oncomelania Hupensis Habitats Around Poyang Lake Before And After Three Gorges Dam Completion, Stephanie L. Mccracken

Honors Theses

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by the Schistomsoma japonicum flatworm that utilizes the Oncomelania hupensis snail as an intermediate agent. In the People’s Republic of China, these amphibious snails contaminate freshwater systems infecting humans, bovines, and other mammals and have caused significant morbidity for over two thousand years (Wertheim, et al. 2012; Zhang, et al. 2012.) The gravity of this disease prompted the national government to initiate sizable public health programs, such as the World Bank Loan Project (WBLP.) In spite of WBLP's achievements, in 2004, after this program ended, a national survey acknowledged a resurgence of schistosomiasis in …

Physical Fitness And Body Mass Index As Predictors Of Academic Achievement, Kristin V. Sumrall

Honors Theses

In the United States, a significant portion of the population is overweight or obese. In addition to this, there are very low levels of physical fitness amongst the general population. However, in numerous studies healthy body weight and moderate to high levels of physical fitness have been linked with many benefits, including improved academic performance. This study focused on the relationship between physical fitness, body mass index, and academic achievement in college students at the University of Southern Mississippi. The aim of this study was to conduct a quantitative correlational analysis of these three factors in order to determine if …

Nurse Knowledge Of Clostridium Difficile, Ashley E. Frosch

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the amount of knowledge nurses have about Clostridium difficile. Seventy-five nurses participated in this study. A 25-question true/false survey was distributed via email to graduates of The University of Southern Mississippi. The survey consisted of a brief demographic section and 25 questions addressing Clostridium difficile knowledge. A total of 582 surveys were sent out with a total of 75 completed. Out of 25 questions in the survey, the majority of respondents (>50%) only answered 7 questions incorrectly. Overall, the nurses in this study possessed accurate knowledge about C. difficile; although, there …

It Is Time To Focus On An Underestimated Epidemic, Gladys E. Maestre, Ricardo Nitrini

School of Medicine Publications

Contemporary dementia research has spurred remarkable interest and endogenous efforts by clinical and research teams in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The combination of unprecedented high burden of dementia, low resource settings, and wide acceptance of age-related cognitive changes has put thousands of individuals and families in a vulnerable situation that requires immediate attention. This issue of Dementia & Neuropsychologia is dedicated to cognitive impairment and dementia in LAC, and presents a timely series of fourteen reviews and original articles from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Many of …

Building Capacity For Dementia Care In Latin America And The Caribbean, Francisco J. Gonzalez, Ciro Gaona, Marialcira Quintero, Carlos A. Chavez, Joyce Selga, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have limited facilities and professionals trained to diagnose, treat, and support people with dementia and other forms of cognitive impairment. The situation for people with dementia is poor, and worsening as the proportion of elderly in the general population is rapidly expanding. We reviewed existing initiatives and provided examples of actions taken to build capacity and improve the effectiveness of individuals, organizations, and national systems that provide treatment and support for people with dementia and their caregivers. Regional barriers to capacity building and the importance of public engagement are highlighted. Existing programs need to …

Interventions To Promote Adherence To Antiretroviral Therapy In Africa: A Network Meta-Analysis, Edward J. Mills, Richard Lester, Kristian Thorlund, Maria Lorenzi, Katherine Muldoon, Steve Kanters, Sebastian Linnemayr, Robert Gross, Yvette Calderon, K Rivet Amico, Harsha Thirumurthy, Cynthia Pearson, Robert H. Remien, Lawrence Mbuagbaw, Lehana Thabane, Michael Chung, Ira B. Wilson, Albert Liu, Olalekan A. Uthman, Jane Simoni, David Bangsberg, Sanni Yaya, Till Bärnighausen, Nathan Ford, Jean B. Nachega

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is necessary for the improvement of the health of patients and for public health. We sought to determine the comparative effectiveness of different interventions for improving ART adherence in HIV-infected people living in Africa.

Methods: We searched for randomised trials of interventions to promote antiretroviral adherence within adults in Africa. We searched AMED, CINAHL, Embase, Medline (via PubMed), and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to Oct 31, 2014, with the terms “HIV”, “ART”, “adherence”, and “Africa”. We created a network of the interventions by pooling the published and individual patients' data for comparable treatments and comparing …

Characterizing Thalamo-Cortical Disturbances In Schizophrenia And Bipolar Illness, Alan Anticevic, Michael W. Cole, Grega Repovs, John D. Murray, Margaret S. Brumbaugh, Anderson M. Winkler, Aleksandar Savic, John H. Krystal, Godfrey D. Pearlson, David Glahn

School of Medicine Publications

Schizophrenia is a devastating neuropsychiatric syndrome associated with distributed brain dysconnectivity that may involve large-scale thalamo-cortical systems. Incomplete characterization of thalamic connectivity in schizophrenia limits our understanding of its relationship to symptoms and to diagnoses with shared clinical presentation, such as bipolar illness, which may exist on a spectrum. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, we characterized thalamic connectivity in 90 schizophrenia patients versus 90 matched controls via: (1) Subject-specific anatomically defined thalamic seeds; (2) anatomical and data-driven clustering to assay within-thalamus dysconnectivity; and (3) machine learning to classify diagnostic membership via thalamic connectivity for schizophrenia and for 47 bipolar …

Grant Application: Visual Voices, An Arts-Based Assessment Of The Perceived Identity Of Aging Maine Residents, Collyn Baeder, Zoe Hull, Rebecca Masterjohn, Virginia Sedarski, Adrian Jung, Michaela A. Hoffman, Nicole O'Brien

Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment of the Perceived Identity of Aging Maine Residents

IPEC Mini-grant application for funding of UNE student project Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment Of The Perceived Identity Of Aging Maine Residents. This project was designed to investigate the topics of perception, identity, and aging. Between February and May 2015, over the course of twelve sessions, the UNE team met with six female residents of the Park Danforth senior living community in Portland to have conversations and create art about how the residents perceive themselves in contrast to how they feel perceived by important people in their lives, such as friends, family, and healthcare providers.

Assessing Pragmatic Language In Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Yale In Vivo Pragmatic Protocol, Elizabeth Schoen Simmons, Rhea Paul, Fred Volkmar

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

Purpose: This study compared pragmatic language in youths (9–17 years) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those with typical development (TD) on the Yale in vivo Pragmatic Protocol (YiPP), a semistructured, dynamic conversational assessment. Method: Participants (n = 118) were divided into groups based on age and diagnosis. Each completed the YiPP, which included 4 pragmatic domains (discourse management, communicative functions, conversational repair, presupposition). The participant’s response to each probe was scored correct or incorrect; incorrect scores elicited cues from the examiner, and level of cue required for a correction was also scored. Results: The YiPP showed high reliability and …

Pathogenic Role Of Acrolein In Alcoholic Liver Disease., Wei-Yang (Jeremy) Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol is the most socially accepted addictive drug, and it can cause alcoholic liver disease (ALD), which is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide. Animal and human studies demonstrate that chronic alcohol consumption causes a pro-oxidant environment in the liver and increases hepatic lipid peroxidation and the accumulation of by-products such as acrolein and 4-hydroxynonenal. Acrolein is the most reactive and toxic aldehyde generated through lipid peroxidation. Also, acrolein is a major component of cigarette smoke, and there is increasing evidence that smoking negatively impacts the incidence, severity, and clinical course of chronic …

Pathogenic Role Of Phosphodiesterase 4 (Pde4) In The Development Of Alcohol Induced Hepatic Steatosis., Diana Veronica Avila

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol induced hepatic steatosis is a significant risk factor for progressive liver disease. Steatotic hepatocytes have increased sensitivity to injury produced by inflammatory cytokines, particularly TNF. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) has been shown to play a significant role in the regulation of both TNF production and lipid metabolism. However, the role of altered cAMP homeostasis in alcohol mediated hepatic steatosis and injury has not been studied. cAMP levels are tightly regulated by phosphodiesterase family of enzymes. Our recent work demonstrated that increased expression of hepatic PDE4, which specifically hydrolyzes and decreases cAMP levels, plays a pathogenic role in the development …

The Impact Of Inflammatory And Immune Response-Related Genetic Variants On Prostate Cancer Risk Among Men Of African Descent., Dominique Zilpha Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: In the U.S., prostate cancer (PCA) metastasis is associated with a 5-yr survival rate of 29% and disproportionately affects men of African descent. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may serve as genetic markers to identify individuals at high risk of developing PCA. Methods: We examined main and joint effects of 119 inflammatory and immune response-associated SNPs among men of African descent (535 controls, 279 cases) via logistic regression (LR) and entropy-based-multi-factor dimensionality reduction (MDR) modeling. Results: MDR yielded highly synergistic [(TLR10, TLR6 and IRF3), (TLR2, IRAK4), (IL1R2, IL10, IL10RA)] interaction …

Lunasin Reduces The Melanoma Stem Cell Population In Vitro And Inhibits Tumor Proliferation In Vivo., Christopher Paul Shidal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lunasin is a 44 amino acid peptide derived from the soybean seed that has been shown to have cancer chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic properties. In this study, we investigated the potential utility of lunasin as a chemotherapeutic in a melanoma model. Initial studies showed that lunasin has little activity against established melanoma cell lines in vitro using adherent culture methods; however, lunasin’s in vitro activity was significantly higher in non-adherent colony-forming assays in soft agar and oncosphere assays. These results led us to investigate whether lunasin selectively affects cancer initiating cells (CIC) that are known to be present in these melanoma …

Modulation Of The Ovarian Cancer Humoral Response By Tumor-Derived Exosomes., Carolyn Denise Roberson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The pathogenesis of epithelial ovarian cancer is complicated by its diagnosis during the latter stages of the disease resulting from lack of symptoms or from presence of symptoms that mimic other conditions. Because of the often fatal prognosis by the time of actual detection, efforts are being made to better understand the host immune response to ovarian cancer. In this study, the contributions of the humoral immune response were investigated by focusing on the role of tumor-derived exosomes and their ability to modulate humoral immune responses. First, ovarian cancer patient-derived free circulating antibodies were investigated for immunoreactivity to patient antigen. …

Current Therapeutic Research Is Now Indexed On Pubmed., John N Van Den Anker, Karel Allegaert, Walter K. Kraft

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Modulation Of T Lymphocytes By Tumor-Released Survivin, Jessica Marie Jutzy

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The tumor microenvironment is an area of intense interaction between normal and malignant cells. Factors and cell types within this environment can play a crucial role in the progression or regression of the tumor. Of primary interest are tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes, which have been shown to have a key role in modifying the dynamics of the tumor microenvironment to promote or prevent tumor growth. While there is much in vitro and in vivo evidence for a modification of the tumor infiltrating T cell population toward a pro-tumor environment, what induces these changes within the tumor microenvironment has remained elusive. Our …

The Effect Of Root Canal Cleansing On The Retention Of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Posts, Faisal Dhaifallah Al-Qarni

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Esthetic glass fiber-reinforced posts are being used more often. The most commonly reported complication associated with these posts is debonding. Dentine conditioning with solutions such as EDTA or MTAD results in removal of smear layer and might improve the retention of posts to root canal dentin. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of cleansing the post space with MTAD or EDTA on the bond strength of glass fiber-reinforced posts, when cemented with self-adhesive resin cement. Forty-five (n=15) extracted human premolar teeth were sectioned at the cemento-enamel junction to obtain root length of fifteen millimeters. Endodontic …

Stereotypes About Healthcare Professionals, Emotions, And Mammography Compliance, Kayla M. Kinworthy

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Rates of mammography screening are particularly low for minority women, with only 42% of Latin American (Latino) women in the U.S. reporting having a mammogram in the last year as compared to 53% of non-Latino White (Anglo) women [1]. Minority patients are more likely to report negative healthcare encounters with their health professionals [2; 3], which may result in less favorable cultural stereotypes about healthcare professionals and more negative emotional reactions. Guided by Betancourt’s Integrative Model of Culture, Psychological Processes, and Health Behavior [4] and the Stereotype Content Model [5], the aim of the present research was to examine the …

What Does A Successful, Sustainable Telemedicine Program Look Like? An Inside View Of Six Telemedicine Programs In Maine, Edwina Ducker

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The purpose of this capstone is to better understand the successes and lessons learned in the development and implementation of successful programs to help guide future decision making when planning a new program. The study relies on semi-structured interviews with Telehealth forum members and staff from a select number of telemedicine programs for its primary data source. Initially, secondary data sources and members from the Maine Telehealth Forum were used to inform the development of the list of programs to be interviewed. The programs interviewed include; a behavioral health, two specialties, a home health, a primary care, and a hospital …

Aberrant Neurogenic And Epigenetic Processes Are Associated With Depression Induced By Developmental Arsenic Exposure, Christina René Tyler

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Arsenic is a pervasive environmental contaminant derived from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Epidemiological evidence supports a correlation between arsenic exposure in drinking water and increased rates of psychiatric disorders, including depression, in exposed populations. Previous studies have established that perinatal exposure to arsenic (through all three trimesters of fetal/neonatal development, DAE) has long-lasting consequences into adulthood including deficits in learning and memory, molecular aberrations in the hypothalamic-adrenal-pituitary (HPA) axis, and depressive-like symptoms in mice. The studies described in this dissertation were designed to assess the impact of DAE on adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) as a possible mechanism of action …

The Role Of Mir-137 In Schizophrenia, Carrie Leigh Wright

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

The genetic basis of schizophrenia is still largely unknown. Recent evidence suggests that a microRNA (miRNA), miR-137 may be involved. The first large schizophrenia genome wide association (GWAS) study, published in 2011, identified a variant within the host gene of this miRNA (MIR-137) as the top association. Since then, further evidence for the potential influence of this miRNA within the disorder has accumulated. These studies used a variety of methods from GWAS to neuroimaging. However, few studies have evaluated the mechanism for the association of the MIR-137 variant, nor how alterations in the miRNA may have downstream effects on its …

Investigation Into The Early Events Of Epithelial Wound Healing And Hpv16 Infection, Michael P. Kivitz

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

HPV16 infection evidently occurs within wounded epithelial tissue, but the cellular and molecular events that culminate in infection establishment remain poorly understood. While HPV is exposed to a multitude of cells in the wound environment, only hyperproliferative keratinocytes are believed to support productive infection. Keratinocytes acquire mobility during wound repair by undergoing prominent phenotypic alterations through an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In this study, cell- and tissue-based models were employed to characterize HPV infection during epithelial wound healing, using both physical injury and growth factor treatment to induce keratinocyte migration. In a tissue-based model of wounding and infection using NIKS-derived organotypic …

In Vivo Dosimetry Using Plastic Scintillation Detectors For External Beam Radiation Therapy, Landon S. Wootton

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

In vivo dosimetry, the direct measurement of dose delivered to patients during radiation therapy, has significant potential in ensuring safe and effective treatment in radiation therapy. It can serve as point-of-delivery, patient specific quality assurance and direct verification of treatment. Despite evidence that in vivo dosimetry can detect errors in patient treatment that would otherwise go undetected, it is not commonly practiced. This is due in part to a lack of available detectors ideally suited to perform in vivo dosimetry. Plastic scintillation detectors (PSDs) possess a number of dosimetric characteristics advantageous for in vivo dosimetry including water equivalence, real-time capability, …

Insulin Resistance And Muscle Insulin Receptor Substrate-1 Serine Hyperphosphorylation, Charles A. Stuart, Mary E. A. Howell, Brian M. Cartwright, Melanie P. Mccurry, Michelle L. Lee, Michael W. Ramsey, Michael H. Stone

ETSU Faculty Works

Insulin resistance in metabolic syndrome subjects is profound in spite of muscle insulin receptor and insulin-responsive glucose transporter (GLUT4) expression being nearly normal. Insulin receptor tyrosine kinase phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) at Tyr896 is a necessary step in insulin stimulation of translocation of GLUT4 to the cell surface. Serine phosphorylation of IRS-1 by some kinases diminishes insulin action in mice. We evaluated the phosphorylation status of muscle IRS-1 in 33 subjects with the metabolic syndrome and seventeen lean controls. Each underwent euglycemic insulin clamps and a thigh muscle biopsy before and after 8 weeks of either strength or …

An Exploratory Study On The Use Of Concentric Velocities In The Back Squat As A Monitoring Tool, Kevin M. Carroll, Josh D. Christovich, Caleb D. Bazyler, Nicholas J. Fiolo, George K. Beckham, Kimitake Sato

ETSU Faculty Works

Abstract available in the 9th Annual Coaches and Sport Science College .

Improving Community Case Management Of Diarrhoea And Pneumonia In District Badin, Pakistan Through A Cluster Randomised Study--The Nigraan Trial Protocol, Fauziah Rabbani, Aftab A. Ali Mukhi, Shagufta Perveen, Xaher Gul, Saleem Iqbal Perwaiz, Shamim Ahmed Qazi, Iqbal Azam Syed, Khalid Hussain Shaikh, Wafa Aftab

Community Health Sciences

BACKGROUND:

Diarrhoea and pneumonia contribute 30% of deaths in children under 5 in Pakistan. Pakistan's Lady Health Workers Programme (LHW-P) covers about 60% of the population but has had little impact in reducing morbidity and mortality related to these major childhood killers. An external evaluation of the LHW-P suggests that lack of supportive supervision of LHWs by lady health supervisors (LHSs) is a key determinant of this problem. Project NIGRAAN aims to improve knowledge and skills of LHWs and community caregivers through supervisory strategies employed by LHSs. Ultimately, community casemanagement (CCM) of childhood pneumonia and diarrhoea will improve.

METHODS/DESIGN:

NIGRAAN …