Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Stress, Bullying, Cortisol, And Depresive Symptoms In 9th Grade Adolescents, Susan Gordon Williams

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT Stress and bullying are known contributors to depressive symptoms in adolescents. Prevalence of depressive symptoms in adolescents is estimated to range from13% to 34% in recent studies. Ninth graders are in a transitional period developmentally,biologically, physically, and psychosocially. Few studies have examined the relationship between stress, bullying, and depressive symptoms from a biobehavioral perspective in 9th graders. The purpose of this study was to examine stress, bullying, and depressive symptoms including a biomarker of stress, salivary cortisol diurnal rhythm, to determine if there is mediation between the individual variables of stressful life events, perceivedstress, bullying, and depressive symptoms. The …

Nonsense Suppression In A Cftr Mouse Model And Analysis Of Animo Acids Inserted At Cftr Premature Termination Codons In Mammalian Cells, Xiaojiao Xue

All ETDs from UAB

A nonsense mutation introduces a premature terminations codon (PTC) into an open reading frame (ORF) upstream of a normal stop codon and results in truncated protein production. In frame PTCs account for ~11% of all mutations that cause human genetic diseases. To treat PTC-associated disorders, one approach is to use drugs that facilitate the insertion of amino acids carried by near-cognate aminoacyl-tRNAs at PTCs. Aminoglycosides were shown to suppress nonsense mutations and restore full-length protein production. This process is also termed as readthrough. However, their low efficiency and their potential to induce ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity limits their long-term application for …

Impact Of Medicare Part D Coverage Gap On Medicare Beneficiaries With Copd: Adherence, Healthcare Resource Use, And Cost, Yanni Fan Yu

All ETDs from UAB

Medicare Part D provides prescription drug coverage for beneficiaries to support their pharmacological treatment; however, the complex deductible structure within benefit plans creates a major coverage gap and unexpected consequences. Some evidence has demonstrated reduced adherence resulting from the coverage gap; however, little research has evaluated the effect on healthcare resource use (HRU) and cost, and no studies have been conducted for beneficiaries with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study examined the impact of the coverage gap on medication adherence as well as healthcare resource use and medical cost among beneficiaries with COPD. Claims data based on a 5% …

Socs3 Deficiency In Myeloid Cells Promotes Tumor Development, Hao Yu

All ETDs from UAB

STAT3 signaling is a major intrinsic pathway for cancer inflammation owing to its frequent activation in malignant cells, and key role in regulating many genes crucial for inflammation in the tumor microenvironment. Persistently activated STAT3 increases tumor cell proliferation, survival, and invasion while suppressing anti-tumor immunity. Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling (SOCS) proteins are negative regulators of the JAK/STAT pathway, and generally function as tumor suppressors. The absence of SOCS3 in particular leads to heightened activation of the STAT3 transcription factor. In the present study, we demonstrate that genetic deletion of SOCS3 specifically in myeloid cells significantly enhances tumor growth, which …

Functional Role Of Mepe In Tooth Mineralization: Mediation By Tgf-Beta1, Angela Gullard

All ETDs from UAB

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is one of the most abundant cytokines of the dentin-pulp complex that regulates a broad range of biological processes related to matrix synthesis and ultimately tooth formation, including secretion and mineralization of the dentin extracellular matrix (DECM). TGF-β1 mediates odontoblast cytodifferentiation from precursor dental pulp cells, being up-regulated in odontoblasts and then incorporated into the DECM as a reservoir that can be utilized in times of mechanical, chemical, or bacterial insult. Formation of the DECM is modulated by the actions of small integrin-binding ligand N-linked glycoproteins (SIBLINGs), which include DMP-1, DSPP, BSP, SPP1, and MEPE, with …

Hospital-Based Skilled Nursing Facilities: Predictors Of Survival And Performance, Shivani Gupta

All ETDs from UAB

This three-paper dissertation examined the organizational and market factors predicting the response of hospital-based skilled nursing facilities (HBSNFs) to the changes in their environment such as the implementation of prospective payment system in 1998 and their role in coordination of care for patients in transition from acute care to home or a post-acute care facility. In the first study, population ecology of organizations framework was used to evaluate the organizational and market factors associated with HBSNFs’ closure after 1998. The event histories of all acute-care hospitals which had an open HBSNF in 1998 were examined across 15 years (1998-2012) to …

Drivers Of Inter-Organizational Network Participation, Kimberly S. Davey

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this dissertation was to study market and organizational drivers associated with inter-organizational network participation. Inter-organizational networks are increasingly emerging across industries as a strategy for adapting to fundamental changes in competitive market environments. Specifically, this study empirically examined the association between market and organizational drivers for a sample of U.S. hospitals relative to their participation or non-participation in Medicare ACOs as a newly emergent inter-organizational network in the healthcare sector. This was a cross-sectional study of U.S. hospitals participating in Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) designated ACOs as of January 1, 2014 and hospitals not …

G Protein-Coupled Inwardly-Rectifying Potassium (Girk) Chanels Mediate Entrainment Of Circadian Rhythms, Lauren Marie Hablitz

All ETDs from UAB

Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles in biological and behavioral processes. These cycles enable an organism to predict changes in its environment, like changes in food availability and seasonality. Although endogenously driven, these rhythms can entrain or synchronize to daily changes in the environment, allowing the animal to adapt. One way entrainment occurs is shifts in circadian phase following the presentation of nonphotic, or non-light, stimuli, such as exercise, arousal, or stress at certain times of day. The molecular mechanisms underlying nonphotic entrainment are poorly understood - specifically, how nonphotic cues alter excitability within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, …

The Investigation Of Quality Of Life, Perceived Disease Severity, And Adherence In Patients With The G551d Mutation Receiving Ivacaftor Therapy, Heather Young Hathorne

All ETDs from UAB

Cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disorder, is a chronic life threatening illness that affects 30,000 adults and children in the United States and 70,000 worldwide. Treatment for CF is complex and consuming, consisting of multiple time intensive regimens. The therapy regimen has been descried as extraordinary when compared even to therapy regimens for other chronic illnesses. Oral and nebulized medication therapy, airway clearance therapy, pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy and vitamin /nutritional supplements are all required for the multiorgan treatment regimen for CF. Daily prescribed therapy can include as many as 40-50 pills, breathing treatments lasting up to tow hours a …

Obesity And Mortality In Us-Residing Hispanic Adults, Carrie Howell

All ETDs from UAB

Previous epidemiological studies observed the lack of an association between increased body mass index (BMI: kg/m2) and all-cause mortality in US-residing Hispanic adults. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the validity of three hypothesized explanations for the absence of significant associations. Using data on Hispanic participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) [1988-1994 and 1999-2004] and the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), this dissertation examined whether: (1) BMI was associated with cause-specific mortality; (2) measures of body composition was associated with all-cause mortality; and (3) the BMI-all-cause mortality association differed as a function of Hispanic …

Infant Feeding Practices, Weight Gain, And Blood Pressure In Toddlers Born Very Preterm, Doris Rodriguez

All ETDs from UAB

Little is known about how weight gain in those born very preterm is associated with blood pressure and if cortisol, a stress biomarker, plays a mediating role. Also, the influence of infant feeding practices on weight gain has been only sporadically addressed. The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional study was to examine the relationships between infant feeding practices, weight gain, and blood pressure noting any mediating effect cortisol may have between weight gain and blood pressure in 18-to-24 month old corrected age toddlers born very preterm. A convenience sample of 36 18-to-24 month old corrected age toddlers were enrolled. …

Bcla As An Adjunct To Current Bacillus Anthracis Vaccination And Therapy Protocols, Juan Bosco Rodriguez Barrantes

All ETDs from UAB

Bacillus anthracis (Ba) is a Gram,-positive zoonotic bacterium that causes inhala- tional, cutaneous and intestinal Anthrax Disease. Although the infectious form of Ba is its endospore (spore), only the tripartite toxin-producing vegetative bacteria causes disease pathology. While current vaccination strategies target the Protective Antigen (PA) com- ponent of this toxin, vaccine-elicited immunity to the spore form of Ba is lacking. How- ever, vaccines targeting spore components of Ba have the potential to neutralize the in- fectious form of Ba. We sought to determine if antibodies elicited through immunization with the main antigenic component of the spore surface- Bacillus collagen-like protein …

Investigating The Role Of Myristoylated Alanine Rich C Kinase Substrate's (Marcks's) Effector Domain In Lung And Brain Cancer Biology, Timothy D. Rohrbach

All ETDs from UAB

In this study, we investigated the role MARCKS's Effector Domain plays in lung and brain cancer biology. Initially, we identified that MARCKS was present in a range of lung cancer histologies including: squamous cell, adenocarcinoma, and normal lung tissues among others. In addition, lung adenocarcinoma patients with a mutation in the MARCKS gene correlated with decreased survival as determined by The Cancer Genome Atlas. In vitro studies identified that the phosphorylation status of MARCKS's Effector Domain was able to influence lung cancer radiation sensitivity. When MARCKS's Effector Domain was in a non-phosphorylated state, A549 lung cancer cell lines experienced increased …

Practical Extensions Of The Continual Reassessment Method, Amber Salter

All ETDs from UAB

This dissertation considers the presence of patient heterogeneity in dose finding studies using the likelihood-based time to event continual reassessment method (TITE-CRM). First, assuming group membership is known and the groups share some information regarding their maximum tolerated dose (MTD), we extend the two-group two-parameter CRM to the TITE-CRM. We examine the performance of the two-group two-parameter TITE-CRM for various scenarios where the true MTD for each group is different. We also consider the situation where the groups are truly homogeneous but a heterogeneous model is employed. Our simulations show that the method has some loss in accuracy compared to …

Role Of Vapb/Als8 Signaling Through Lar Receptor, Jessica Lindsey Winek Schultz

All ETDs from UAB

In humans, a P56S point mutation in the VAPB/ALS8 MSP domain is associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and late-onset spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The N-terminal MSP domain is cleaved from the C-terminus, and secreted through an unknown, nonconventional manner. The P56S mutation inhibits secretion of the MSP domain. We use Caenorhabditis elegans to study live secretion of VPR-1, as well as to understand vMSP receptor signaling in muscle and gonad. To study the secretion mechanism of VPR-1 we created a transgenic line of C. elegans with a fluorescently tagged VPR-1. Using this model, we were able to visualize live …

Within Session Repeatability Of The Tear Lab Osmolarity Test And Correlation With Other Clinical Tests For Dry Eye, Pearl Shin

All ETDs from UAB

WITHIN SESSION REPEATABILITY OF THE TEAR LAB OSMOLARITY TEST AND CORRELATION WITH OTHER CLINICAL TESTS FOR DRY EYE PEARL SHIN DEPARTMENT OF VISION SCIENCES ABSTRACT Background The human tear film consists of three primary layers that work in conjunction to provide protection and nutrition to the cornea. When a layer is disrupted, the entire tear film loses its integrity and fails to function normally. Dry eye is the most common cause of tear film disruption. Among several methods to characterize dry eye is measurement of tear osmolarity. The TearLab Osmometer is commonly used clinically for this purpose. Previous studies in …

Gaba(A) Receptor Trafficking And Localization In Schizophrenia, Toni Marie Mueller

All ETDs from UAB

Mechanisms underlying the complex etiology of schizophrenia have long been a subject of scientific inquiry. Early investigations focused on identifying functional deficits in dopaminergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission, but evidence for disrupted GABAergic signaling has also emerged. Recent studies from our lab have identified disrupted N-glycosylation of glutamate receptor and transporter subunits and abnormal subcellular distribution of glutamate receptor subunits, suggesting a potential functional consequence of perturbed N-glycosylation in schizophrenia. N-glycosylation is the posttranslational enzymatic attachment of an oligosaccharide precursor to a protein. This modification plays a significant role in protein processing in the ER and Golgi, and is known to …

An Axisymmetric Finite Element Model To Study The Earplug Contribution To The Bone Conduction Occlusion Effect, Martin K. Brummund, Franck Sgard, Yvan Petit, Frédéric Laville, Hugues Nélisse

Études primaires

An axisymmetric linear elasto-acoustic finite element (FE) model of an occluded human external ear is proposed to simulate the bone conduction occlusion effect (OE). The model consists of a cylindrical ear canal cavity surrounded by layers of biological tissues (skin, cartilage and bone) in which an earplug is inserted. Geometrical and material properties are taken from the literature. OEs are predicted for foam and silicone earplug FE-models using COMSOL Multiphysics (COMSOL®, Sweden). The FE-model is shown to predict the experimental OE measured in two healthy human reference groups wearing foam or silicone earplugs, satisfactorily. Deviations between model and experiment are …

Identification Of Intrinsic And Reflexive Contributions To Low-Back Stiffness: Medium-Term Reliability And Construct Validity, Christian Lariviere, Daniel Ludvig, Robert Kearney, Hakim Mecheri, Jean-Maxime Caron, Richard Preuss

Études primaires

This study aimed at testing the reliability and construct validity of a trunk perturbation protocol (TPP) that estimates the intrinsic and reflexive contributions to low-back stiffness. The TPP consists of a series of pseudorandom position-controlled trunk perturbations in an apparatus measuring forces and displacements at the harness surrounding the thorax. Intrinsic and reflexive contributions to low-back stiffness were estimated using a system identification procedure, leading to 12 parameters. Study 1 methods (reliability): 30 subjects performed five 75- s trials, on each of two separate days (eight weeks apart). Reliability was assessed using the generalizability theory, which allowed computing indexes of …

Role Of Home Environment, Parental Care, Parents’ Personality And Their Relationship To Adolescent Mental Health, Sibnath Deb, Kevin Mcgirr, Banhisikah Bhattacharya, Jiandong Sun

Publications and Research

The study examined relationships among home environment, parents’ personality and mental health of adolescents with a focus on adjustment, anxiety, self-concept and self-confidence. A group of 370 adolescents were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire and three psychological tests; subjects were selected following a two-stage sampling technique. Participation of the adolescent students in the study was voluntary. Results indicate that parental care was associated with high self-confidence while parental pressure associated with high anxiety. Fathers’ “friendliness” associated with low emotional adjustment and high self-concept while mothers’ short-temper associated with high anxiety. Disturbed families contributed to adolescent anxiety, inability to share personal …

The Impact Of Implementing Bedside Report To Transition Patients Across Units, Tonya Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Evidence supports bedside report as a mechanism to improve communication, patient safety, quality of report, and nurse and patient satisfaction when implemented in a closed unit. The purpose of this project was to examine the impact of implementing a bedside report process to transition patients from the emergency department to a medical-surgical unit. Specifically, the goal was to analyze the impact of a bedside- reporting process on patient progression and on nurse and patient satisfaction. Lewin's change model provided the theoretical framework for this quasi-experimental study. Patient progression data consisted of 706 patient transitions from the emergency department to the …

Clinical Significance Of Response Shift In A Spine Interventional Clinical Trial, Robin Carlson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The effectiveness of treatments for degenerative spine conditions, where the primary symptom is back pain, is typically determined using patient-reported quality of life (QoL) measures. However, patients may adjust their internal standards when scoring QoL based on factors other than their health. This response shift phenomenon could confound the interpretation of study data and impact effectiveness conclusions. In the current study, response shift was examined using structural equation modeling (SEM) and previously collected clinical trial data comparing 2 minimally invasive medical devices in lumbar spinal stenosis patients through 1 year postintervention. In subject QoL results, reprioritization shift between 3 months …

Predictors Of Obesity Among Nigerian Immigrants In The United States, Olawunmi Obisesan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity has been identified as a significant risk factor for chronic diseases, contributing to health disparities in minority and vulnerable populations. Though research has identified an increased risk for obesity in the Hispanic immigrant population, there is little or no research on the heterogeneity of obesity predictors in specific immigrant populations in the United States. This study examined the predictors of obesity in the Nigerian immigrant population in the United States. Guided by the social ecological model and the segmented assimilation theory, this cross-sectional study collected primary data from 205 Nigerian immigrants in the United States using the CDC's Behavioral …

Current Capacity Building Needs Of Occupational Therapists Related To Older Driver Screening, Assessment, And Intervention, Ranyouri Hines Senia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Older adult safe driving is a growing public health issue; however, the skill set of occupational therapists that provide services to these older clients is unclear. The extent to which occupational therapists possess the skills to evaluate an elderly person's ability to operate safely an automobile is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional survey was to determine the current capacity building needs of occupational therapists (OT) related to older driver screening, assessment, and intervention. The ecology of human performance framework was the theoretical base of the study. The independent variables were the OTs' training related to older drivers, …

Third-Degree Family Health History And Perception Of Disease Risk, Liana Carrasco Romero

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic diseases are a significant cause of illness and mortality in the United States. Hereditary predisposition to chronic diseases is a useful indicator for identifying people at risk for disease development. An ideal tool for determining this predisposition is the CDC, NIH, and AAFP recommended third-degree family health history (FHH). The aim of this quantitative, cross-sectional study, based on the theoretical frameworks of social constructivism and the health belief model, was to assess the possible influence between the completed third-degree FHH and the participant's perception of disease risk. Two-hundred seventy-three participants were recruited from health care facilities and from the …

Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Orthosis Augmented By Either Stretching Or Stretching And Strengthening For Stage Ii Tibialis Posterior Tendon Dysfunction, Jeff Houck, Christopher Neville, Josh Tome, Adolph Flemister

Faculty Publications - College of Physical Therapy

Background: The value of strengthening and stretching exercises combined with orthosis treatment in a home-based program has not been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of augmenting orthosis treatment with either stretching or a combination of stretching and strengthening in participants with stage II tibialis posterior tendon dysfunction (TPTD).

Methods: Participants included 39 patients with stage II TPTD who were recruited from a medical center and then randomly assigned to a strengthening or stretching treatment group. Excluding 3 dropouts, there were 19 participants in the strengthening group and 17 in the stretching group. The stretching …

Functional Performance Deficits Exist In Female Naia Collegiate Athletes With History Of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, Jason Brumitt

Faculty Publications - College of Physical Therapy

No abstract provided.

The Lower Extreminty Functional Test: Normative And Epidemiological Data In A Collegiate Female Athlete Population, Jason Brumitt, Bryan Heiderscheit, Robert C. Manske, Paul E. Niemuth, A. Mattocks

Faculty Publications - College of Physical Therapy

No abstract provided.

Social And Pragmatic Language In Autistic Children, Hannah Li

A with Honors Projects

Two research studies, one pinpointing difference in areas of the brain used in pragmatic language activities between neurotypical and autistic children, and the other examining pragmatic language development in children with autism over time are summarized and compared.

Renal And Hematological Effects Of Clcf-1, A B-Cell-Stimulating Cytokine Of The Il-6 Family., Virginia J. Savin, Mukut Sharma, Jianping Zhou, David Gennochi, Timothy Fields, Ram Sharma, Ellen T. Mccarthy, Tarak Srivastava, Jos Domen, Aurélie Tormo, Jean-François Gauchat

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

CLCF-1 is a cytokine known for B-cell stimulation and for neurotrophic properties. We have identified CLCF-1 as a potential injurious factor in the human renal disease focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). We investigated its effects on renal cells and renal function in in vitro and in vivo studies. Methods include measurement of the effect of CLCF-1 on phosphorylation of target molecules of the JAK/STAT pathway, on cytoskeleton and cell morphology in cultured podocytes, on albumin permeability of isolated rat glomeruli, and on tissue phosphorylation and urine albumin after acute or chronic CLCF-1 injection. In addition, cell sorting was performed to determine …