Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Rural Opioid And Other Drug Use Disorder Diagnosis: Assessing Measurement Invariance And Latent Classification Of Dsm-Iv Abuse And Dependence Criteria, Billy Brooks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rates of non-medical prescription drug use in the United States (U.S.) have increased dramatically in the last two decades, leading to a more than 300% increase in deaths from overdose, surpassing motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of injury deaths. In rural areas, deaths from unintentional overdose have increased by more than 250% since 1999 while urban deaths have increased at a fraction of this rate. The objective of this research was to test the hypothesis that cultural, economic, and environmental factors prevalent in rural America affect the rate of substance use disorder (SUD) in that population, and …

Correlation Of Periodontal Pathogens In Concurrent Endodontic-Periodontal Diseases, Amela Lačević, Federico Foschi, Lejla Pojskić, Naris Pojskić, Kasim Bajrović, Jacques Izard

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Objectives: This study investigated the correlation between Tannerella forsythia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans at dual sites in concurrent endodonticperiodontal diseases.

Material and methods: Samples were collected from endodontium and periodontium in cases of concurrent endodontic-periodontal diseases from thirty participants. The sensitivity and specificity of SYBR Green real-time PCR was used to identify the targeted species. Absolute number of targeted genome copies in tested samples were extrapolated from respective calibration curve.

Results: No statistical difference was found in the number of detected endodontic-periodontal pathogens between the endodontium and periodontium. The Pearson test …

Attitudes And Behaviours Of Maternal Health Care Providers In Interactions With Clients: A Systematic Review, P. Mannava, K. Durrant, J. Fisher, M. Chersich, Stanley Luchters

Population Health, East Africa

Background: High maternal mortality and morbidity persist, in large part due to inadequate access to timely and quality health care. Attitudes and behaviours of maternal health care providers (MHCPs) influence health care seeking and quality of care.

Methods: Five electronic databases were searched for studies from January 1990 to December 2014. Included studies report on types or impacts of MHCP attitudes and behaviours towards their clients, or the factors influencing these attitudes and behaviours. Attitudes and behaviours mentioned in relation to HIV infection, and studies of health providers outside the formal health system, such as traditional birth attendants, were excluded. …

Examining The Role Of Antisocial Personality Disorder In Intimate Partner Violence Among Substance Use Disorder Treatment Seekers With Clinically Significant Trauma Histories, Rita E. Dykstra, Julie A. Schumacher, Natalie Mota, Scott F. Coffey

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study examined the associations among posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity, antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) diagnosis, and intimate partner violence (IPV) in a sample of 145 substance abuse treatment-seeking men and women with positive trauma histories; sex was examined as a moderator. ASPD diagnosis significantly predicted both verbal and physical aggression; sex moderated the association between ASPD diagnosis and physical violence. PTSD symptom severity significantly predicted engaging in verbal, but not physical, aggression. Overall, these results suggest that an ASPD diagnosis may be an important risk factor for engaging in IPV among women seeking treatment for a substance use …

Gating Mechanisms Of The Canonical Trp Channel Isoform Trpc4, Dhananjay P. Thakur

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Non-selective cation channels formed by Transient Receptor Potential Canonical (TRPC) proteins play important roles in regulatory and pathophysiological processes. These channels are known to be activated downstream from phospholipase C (PLC) signaling. However, the mechanism by which the PLC pathway activates TRPC4/C5 remains unclear. Uniquely, TRPC4 is maximally activated only when two separate G protein pathways, G_q/11 and G_i/o, are co-stimulated, making it a coincidence detector of G_q/11- and G_i/o -coupled receptor activation. Using HEK293 cells co-expressing mouse TRPC4β and selected G protein-coupled receptors, I observed that coincident stimulation of G_i/o proteins and …

Don't Bring Me Down: A Study Of The Perceived Emotional Impact Of Positive, Negative, And Neutral Content On Facebook, Isis Lopez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The present study seeks to examine the influence of viewing pages that are categorized as positive, negative, or neutral on the social network (SN) Facebook in relation to college students’ levels of happiness and self-esteem. Viewers were predicted to spend more time viewing the Facebook pages that have been coded as negative compared to positive or neutral pages because of cognitive saliency, and they were predicted to show lower levels of self-esteem and happiness. In addition, participants who view the positive pages were predicted show higher levels of selfesteem and happiness. The results suggested no significant difference in emotion on …

The Influence Of Contraception, Abortion, And Natural Family Planning On Divorce Rates As Found In The 2006–2010 National Survey Of Family Growth, Richard J. Fehring

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of contraception, abortion, and natural family planning (NFP) on divorce rates of US women of reproductive age. The variables of importance of religion and frequency of church attendance were also included in the analysis. The study involved 5,530 reproductive age women in the (2006–2010) National Survey of Family Growth who indicate that they were ever married. Among the women who ever used NFP only 9.6 percent were currently divorced compared with the 14.4 percent who were currently divorced among the women who never used NFP (x² = 5.34, …

Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Attitudes Toward Mental Health Nursing, Vipavee Thongpriwan, Susan E. Leuck, Rhonda L. Powell, Staci Young, Suzanne Schuler, Ronda G. Hughes

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe undergraduate nursing students’ attitudes toward mental health nursing and how these attitudes influenced their professional career choices in mental health nursing.

Design: A descriptive, online survey was utilized to examine students’ perceptions of mental health nursing. A total of 229 junior and senior nursing students were recruited from eight nursing colleges in Midwestern United States to participate in this survey.

Results: Students of different ages, genders, ethnicities, and nursing programs did not report significantly different perceptions of: (a) knowledge of mental illness; (b) negative stereotypes; (c) interest in mental health nursing …

Mechanisms Of Activation Of Nucleus Accumbens Neurons By Cocaine Via Sigma-1 Receptor-Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate-Transient Receptor Potential Canonical Channel Pathways., Jeffrey L. Barr, Elena Deliu, Gabriela Cristina Brailoiu, Pingwei Zhao, Guang Yan, Mary E. Abood, Ellen M. Unterwald, Eugen Brailoiu

College of Pharmacy Faculty Papers

Cocaine promotes addictive behavior primarily by blocking the dopamine transporter, thus increasing dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens (nAcc); however, additional mechanisms are continually emerging. Sigma-1 receptors (σ1Rs) are known targets for cocaine, yet the mechanisms underlying σ1R-mediated effects of cocaine are incompletely understood. The present study examined direct effects of cocaine on dissociated nAcc neurons expressing phosphatidylinositol-linked D1 receptors. Endoplasmic reticulum-located σ1Rs and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptors (IP3Rs) were targeted using intracellular microinjection. IP3 microinjection robustly elevated intracellular Ca(2+) concentration, [Ca(2+)]i. While cocaine alone was devoid of an effect, the IP3-induced response was σ1R-dependently enhanced by cocaine co-injection. Likewise, …

The Rise And Fall Of Poly(Adp-Ribose): An Enzymatic Perspective., John M. Pascal, Tom Ellenberger

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Human cells respond to DNA damage with an acute and transient burst in production of poly(ADP-ribose), a posttranslational modification that expedites damage repair and plays a pivotal role in cell fate decisions. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) and glycohydrolase (PARG) are the key set of enzymes that orchestrate the rise and fall in cellular levels of poly(ADP-ribose). In this perspective, we focus on recent structural and mechanistic insights into the enzymes involved in poly(ADP-ribose) production and turnover, and we highlight important questions that remain to be answered.

Optical Tracking System To Monitor Laparoscopic Training, William D. Rytlewski

Masters Theses

Laparoscopic Surgery, also known as Minimally Invasive Surgery, is a surgical technique where surgeons perform surgery through small incisions in the patient’s abdomen using a camera to monitor the movements of the instruments inside the patient. In order for the surgery to be performed, the surgeon must possess a unique set of skills obtained through training using a variety of techniques. Simulators are the preferred method of training for laparoscopic surgery since they provide medical residents with real world scenarios as well as a tremendous amount of feedback on what he/she did wrong or right. However, due to the high …

Partnering To Improve Patient Outcomes: A Qualitative Study Of Adult Patient Experiences With Orthopedic Surgical Care, Sacha L. Degraffenreid-Yates

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore adult orthopedic surgical patient experiences during their preoperative, perioperative and postoperative care; utilizing the results to discuss specific interactions in care that produced positive or negative outcomes. Partnering with patients to understand shared decision making and patient centered care has been previously researched in literature, and continued research is key to discover effective care practices. The Centers for Disease Control and National Center for Health Statistics (2015) reports total knee and hip joint replacement surgeries of more than one million yearly. The large patient population magnifies the need to understand patient experiences …

Mindless Feeding: Is Maternal Distraction During Bottle-Feeding Associated With Overfeeding?, Rebecca B. Golen, Alison K. Ventura

Kinesiology and Public Health

Mindless eating, or eating while distracted by surrounding stimuli, leads to overeating. The present study explored whether “mindless feeding,” or maternal distraction during bottle-feeding, is associated with greater infant formula/milk intakes and lower maternal sensitivity to infant cues. Mothers and their ≤24-week-old bottle-feeding infants (N = 28) visited our laboratory for a video-recorded feeding observation. Infant intake was assessed by weighing bottles before and after the feedings. Maternal sensitivity to infant cues was objectively assessed by behavioral coding of video-records using the Nursing Child Assessment Feeding Scale. Maternal distraction was defined as looking away from the infant >75% of the …

Investigating The Role Of Cholesterol Metabolism And Synthesis In Metastasis And Radiation Response In Aggressive Subtypes Of Breast Cancer, Adam Wolfe

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Aggressive breast cancers, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), metastasize at a high rate and are notoriously resistant to standard treatments. Research has shown diets high in cholesterol increase the incidence of aggressive breast cancers and pre-clinical research has shown cholesterol can fuel the growth of breast cancer in vivo. Studies at MD Anderson have shown that IBC patients taking cholesterol lowering drugs, statins, have improved survival outcomes, and also statins can improve the response to radiation in vitro. Furthermore, statins have been shown to target the cells with stem like-properties called cancer stem cells (CSCs) which …

Reduction Of Dose Calculation Errors For Patients With Metal Implants Receiving Photon Radiation Therapy, Jessie Huang-Vredevoogd

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Many patients receiving external beam radiation therapy have metal implants that can affect their treatment, and these metal implants can degrade the accuracy of dose calculations. Dose calculation errors result from limitations of modern dose calculation algorithms in modeling metal/tissue interface effects. Metals also cause streak artifacts in the computed tomography (CT) images that are used for treatment planning, and these artifacts can also degrade dose calculation accuracy. Metal based-energy deposition kernels are a potential solution for the calculation errors associated with the limitations of the convolution/superposition (C/S) dose calculation method as they better model photon interactions and scatter in …

New Insights On The Role Of Jmjd2a In Cancer Progression, Yuan Gao

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Changes in chromatin architecture are known to be one of the underlying causes of cancer because of its ability to alter gene transcription. Histone methylation is one of the most intricate epigenetic marks because it adds multiple layers of modification on the targeted sites. Therefore, many studies have brought histone methylases and demethylases into focus, hoping to decipher their roles in cancer progression. Among these enzymes, JMJD2A is the first to shown to have demethylation activity against trimethylation, and to regulate gene expression, development, and cancer progression. While many studies have mainly focused on its role in transcriptional regulation, only …

Feasibility Of Using Virtual Unenhanced Images To Replace Pre-Contrast Images In Multiphase Renal Ct Examinations, Dawn Olivia Popnoe

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Multiphase renal CT exams are a commonly used imaging technique for the diagnosis of renal masses. The pre-contrast, or true unenhanced (TUE), image provides a baseline for enhancement measurements which is an important criteria used to characterize renal lesions, consequently it is crucial that CT numbers measured in TUE images be accurate. The purpose of this work is to assess the feasibility of replacing TUE with virtual unenhanced (VUE) images derived from DECT data in renal CT exams. Eliminating TUE image acquisition would reduce patient dose and increase patient throughput, improving clinical efficiency.

A retrospective study was conducted for 60 …

Identification Of Familial Wilms Tumor Predisposition Genes Using Whole Genome Sequencing, Timothy B. Palculict

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Wilms tumor, a childhood tumor arising from undifferentiated renal mesenchyme, is diagnosed in North America at a frequency of 1 in 10,000 live births and accounts for 5% of all pediatric cancers. The etiology of Wilms tumor is heterogeneous with multiple genes known to have an effect on Wilms tumor development; however, these genes are rarely associated with familial Wilms tumor. Gene mutations in WT1, WTX, CTNNB1 and TP53 are observed in a third of sporadic tumors, while the causative gene(s) responsible for familial Wilms tumor are largely unknown. Approximately 2% of Wilms tumor patients have a family …

Merlin Mediated Regulation Of Hair Follicle Morphogenesis, Megan K. Fentress

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Epidermal homeostasis is paramount for the ongoing function of the skin as the primary barrier between a mammalian organism and the external environment. Homeostasis is achieved through a complex and delicate balance of cell death, cell proliferation and cell differentiation. Critical for regeneration and maintenance of the skin are epidermal stem cells. Within the epidermis two distinct stem cell compartments exist, the bulge and interfollicular/basal stem cell niches, which play a central role in the regeneration of the epidermis through self-renewal and contribution to the differentiated cells of the epidermis. The bulge stem cell niche is established early in epidermal …

Ex Vivo Expanded Cord Blood Natural Killer Cells As A Novel Therapeutic For Multiple Myeloma, Nina Shah

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematologic malignancy in adults and, to date, is incurable. Allogeneic natural killer (NK) cells are active in various hematologic malignancies and may have a role against MM. Umbilical cord blood is a potential source for allogeneic NK cells and ex vivo expanded umbilical cord blood-derived NK (CB-NK) cells demonstrate activity comparable to that of peripheral blood-derived NK cells. However, large-scale expansion of these cells is required for clinical translation. Here we studied a potential method for ex vivo expansion of NK cells from fresh and cryopreserved CB. Using artificial antigen presenting cells …

In Vivo Significance Of The Mdm4 And P73 Interaction During Development And Tumorigenesis, Mehrnoosh Tashakori

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The tumor suppressor protein p53 is negatively regulated by Mdm4 protein. The significance of such regulation was determined from mouse models. Mdm4-deficient mice are embryonic lethal at E7.5 in a p53-dependent manner. p73, a member of the p53-family, is a transcription factor with tumor suppressor activity. In vitro studies show that Mdm4 binds to p73 and, further, comprehensive biochemical studies revealed that Mdm4 has higher affinity for p73 than p53. However, little is known about the significance of the Mdm4 and p73 interaction in vivo. This study aimed to elucidate the biological consequences of this interaction during embryogenesis …

Methylation Of Egfr By Arginine Methyltransferase Prmt1 Enhances Egfr Signaling And Cetuximab Resistance, Hsin-Wei Liao

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Protein modifications of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) intracellular domain are well known regulators of EGFR functions whereas those of its extracellular domain remain relatively unexplored. Here, we report that methylation at R198 and R200 of EGFR extracellular domain by protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1) upregulates its binding to EGF and subsequent receptor dimerization and signaling activation. Methylation-defective EGFR mutant reduced tumor growth in mouse orthotopic xenograft model. Importantly, increased EGFR methylation sustains its signaling activation and cell proliferation in the presence of therapeutic EGFR monoclonal antibody, cetuximab. EGFR methylation level also correlates with higher recurrence rate after cetuximab treatment …

Investigating The Interaction Of Aurka And Ube2c In Colorectal Cancer Cells, Apurva M. Hegde

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US. Among the many genomic aberrations previously implicated in colorectal cancer, recurrent amplification of chromosome 20q is frequently associated with liver metastasis. Previous research in our lab identified a gene signature on chromosome 20q associated with colorectal cancer progression. In this study, one of the genes in the signature, the ubiquitin conjugating enzyme UBE2C, was identified through preliminary bioinformatics analysis as a candidate for further examination of its role in CRC progression. Co-expression analysis of UBE2C in tumor-normal datasets from the public database Oncomine revealed all the …

Quality Assurance Of Advanced Treatment Modalities Using Presage® Dosimeters, Ryan G. Lafratta

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Computer-controlled therapy machines allow for increasingly complex plans, as there are more variables that can be tuned to produce the ideal result. This makes it increasingly difficult to assure the intended calculated dose is being delivered correctly using current techniques that are 2D-based because the resultant dose distributions can differ markedly in various sections of the target. A measurement of composite dose from the entire plan should be included in patient-specific IMRT QA. A volumetric dosimeter such as PRESAGE^® is able to provide a complete 3D measured dosimetry dataset with one treatment plan delivery. It was hypothesized that a …

Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation Reduces The Incidence Of Brain Metastasis In A Mouse Model Of Metastatic Breast Cancer, Daniel L. Smith

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is a preventative whole-brain irradiation technique used to reduce the incidence of brain metastasis and improve overall survival in select patients with small cell lung cancer and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A population of breast cancer patients – stage IV, HER2+ or triple-negative – has emerged as having a high risk of developing brain metastases. Because only 10-20% of breast cancer patients diagnosed with brain metastases survive longer than one year, in this high-risk population the benefit of PCI – potential for reduced incidence of brain metastasis and improved overall survival – may outweigh the risks – …

Metabolic Profiling Of Prions In The Gastro-Intestinal Tract, Uffaf Khan

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Metabolic profiling of prions in the gastro-intestinal tract

Uffaf Khan, B.S.

Thesis Advisor: Claudio Soto, Ph.D.

Abstract

Prion diseases, also known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), are a group of debilitating neurodegenerative disorders that affect both humans and animals. They can be spread by horizontal transmission as seen in chronic wasting disease in deer and elk population. In addition, transmission to humans has also been documented which includes bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans due to consumption of contaminated meat. The most probable natural route of transmission is by oral consumption of infectious material. Even …

Ankyrin-B And Mtor Complex 1 In The Regulation Of Electrical Activities In The Heart, Henry C. Wu, Henry C. Wu

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) activity is paramount in the regulation of electrical activities in the brain and the heart. In the brain, the tumor suppressor gene TSC2 encodes the protein product tuberin that interacts with hamartin to form a heterodimer Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) that regulates mTORC1. When TSC2 is disrupted, mTORC1 activity becomes dysregulated resulting in abnormal electrical activities in the brain manifesting in the form of epileptic seizures. In the heart, mTORC1 activity is triggered by a sustained increase in hemodynamic pressure causing the heart to electrically remodel. A likely candidate serving as the …

Detection Of Genes Influencing Chronic And Mendelian Disease Via Loss-Of-Function Variation, Alexander H. Li

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

A typical human exome harbors dozens of loss-of-function (LOF) variants predicted to severely disrupt or abolish gene function. These variants are enriched at the extremely rare end of the allele frequency spectrum (< 0.1%), suggesting purifying selection against these sites. However, most previous population-based sequencing studies have not included analysis of genotype-phenotype relationships with LOF variants. Thus, the contribution of LOF variation to health and disease within the general population remains largely uncharacterized.

Using whole exome sequence from 8,554 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, we explored the impact of LOF variation on a broad spectrum of human phenotypes. First, we selected 20 common chronic disease risk factor phenotypes and performed gene-based association tests. Analysis of this sample verified two relationships in well-studied genes (PCSK9 and APOC3) and identified eight new loci. Novel relationships included …

Computational Modeling Of Rna-Small Molecule And Rna-Protein Interactions, Lu Chen

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The past decade has witnessed an era of RNA biology; despite the considerable discoveries nowadays, challenges still remain when one aims to screen RNA-interacting small molecule or RNA-interacting protein. These challenges imply an immediate need for cost-efficient while predictive computational tools capable of generating insightful hypotheses to discover novel RNA-interacting small molecule or RNA-interacting protein. Thus, we implemented novel computational models in this dissertation to predict RNA-ligand interactions (Chapter 1) and RNA-protein interactions (Chapter 2).

Targeting RNA has not garnered comparable interest as protein, and is restricted by lack of computational tools for structure-based drug design. To test the potential …

Regulation Of Autoimmune Germinal Center Reaction By Tfh Cells And Application Of Tfr-Like Cells For The Treatment Of Autoimmune B Cell Responses, Young Uk Kim

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Excessive follicular helper T (Tfh) cell responses to self-antigens are associated with antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases in humans including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Numeral and functional aberrations of T regulatory T (Treg) cells are common in patients with autoimmune diseases. Although different types of immunosuppressive agents have been used clinically to treat antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases, they generally have side effects due to the lack of target-specificity. To minimalize the adverse effects, there is a need to develop target-specific therapeutics which specifically control auto-reactive B cell responses and auto-reactive Tfh cell responses. Recent studies unveiled that Foxp3⁺ Treg cells expressing CXCR5 …