Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Urease Is An Essential Component Of The Acid Response Network Of Staphylococcus Aureus And Is Required For A Persistent Murine Kidney Infection, Chunyi Zhou, Fatema Bhinderwala, Mckenzie K. Lehman, Vinai Chittezham Thomas, Sujata S. Chaudhari, Kelsey J. Yamada, Kirk W. Foster, Robert Powers, Tammy Kielian, Paul D. Fey

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

Staphylococcus aureus causes acute and chronic infections resulting in significant morbidity. Urease, an enzyme that generates NH3 and CO2 from urea, is key to pH homeostasis in bacterial pathogens under acidic stress and nitrogen limitation. However, the function of urease in S. aureus niche colonization and nitrogen metabolism has not been extensively studied. We discovered that urease is essential for pH homeostasis and viability in urea-rich environments under weak acid stress. The regulation of urease transcription by CcpA, Agr, and CodY was identified in this study, implying a complex network that controls urease expression in response to changes in metabolic …

Design And Characterization Of A Consensus Hemagglutinin Vaccine Immunogen Against H3 Influenza A Viruses Of Swine, Haiyan Sun, Jung-Hyang Sur, Sarah Vitosh-Sillman, David J. Steffen, Hiep Vu

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The substantial genetic diversity exhibited by influenza A viruses of swine (IAV-S) represents the main challenge for the development of a broadly protective vaccine against this important pathogen. The consensus vaccine immunogen has proven an effective vaccinology approach to overcome the extraordinary genetic diversity of RNA viruses. In this project, we sought to determine if a consensus IAV-S hemagglutinin (HA) immunogen would elicit broadly protective immunity in pigs. To address this question, a consensus HA gene (designated H3-CON.1) was generated from a set of 1,112 H3 sequences of IAV-S recorded in GenBank from 2011 to 2015. The consensus HA gene …

The Association Between Neonatal Death And Facility Birth In Regions Of India, Diane Coffey

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND Reducing neonatal mortality in India is critical to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of a global neonatal mortality rate (NNM) of no more than 12 per 1,000. Policy efforts to reduce India's NNM, including a large-scale conditional cash transfer program, have focused on promoting birth in health facilities, rather than at home. Between 2005 and 2015, the percentage of facility births doubled, from 40% to 80%. OBJECTIVE We assess evidence for the hypothesis that facility births reduce NNM by using new data from the National Family Health Survey, 2015-2016. METHODS We analyze the association between neonatal death and …

Characteristics Of Patients Experiencing Extrapyramidal Symptoms Or Other Movement Disorders Related To Dopamine Receptor Blocking Agent Therapy, Shaina Musco, Laura Ruekert, Jaclyn Myers, Dennis Anderson, Michael Welling, Elizabeth Ann Cunningham

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

Purpose/background: Dopamine receptor blocking agents (DRBAs), also known as antipsychotics, are medications widely used to treat a growing number of mental health diagnoses. However, their utility is limited by the potential to cause serious adverse movement reactions. Akathisia, dystonia, parkinsonism, and tardive dyskinesia (collectively known as extrapyramidal symptoms or EPSs) are associated with reduced social and occupational functioning, negative patient attitudes toward treatment, and nonadherence to pharmacotherapy. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome is a life-threatening reaction that can result from DRBA use and cause musculoskeletal dysfunction. The aim of this study is to profile patients who have developed DRBA-related movement adverse effects …

The Effect Of Integrative Medicine Practices On The Use Of Obstetric Intervention In Labor And Delivery, Rachel Cochran

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background/Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review scholarly writings to discern if the use of integrative medicine practices affects the use of obstetric intervention in labor and delivery. Theoretical Framework: The Theory of Human Caring by Jean Watson will be used as the theoretical structure of this literature review. Watson’s theory places caring at the center of all activities, decisions, and practices within the discipline of nursing and emphasizes a journey of caring for the whole person. Methods: Nineteen research articles were critically reviewed with the purpose of determining whether the use of specific integrative medicine practices affects …

Impact Of Work-Life Balance On Health-Related Quality Of Life Among College Students, Emily Vernet

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Work-life balance involves the management of work and social responsibilities. Specifically, it describes the ability to meet the demands of multiple roles involving academics, social, personal, and professional life. Literature has shown that there is an increasing number of students who are working while taking classes at a university. Previous research has described how young adults balance working and going to school and how work hours influence student's mental, physical, and health behaviors. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between a student's ability to balance work demands, student and life responsibilities, and health outcomes. Using a …

Mapping Abnormal Subcortical Neurodevelopment In A Cohort Of Thai Children With Hiv, Benjamin Wade, Benjamin Wade, Benjamin Wade, Victor Valcour, Thanyawee Puthanakit, Arvin Saremi, Boris Gutman, Talia Nir, Christa Watson, Linda Aurpibul, Kosalaraksa, Pradthana Ounchanum, Stephen Kerr, Netsiri Dumrongpisutikul, Pannee Visrutaratna, Jiraporn Srinakarin, Monthana Pothisri, Katherine Narr, Paul Thompson, Jintanat Ananworanich, Robert Paul, Neda Jahanshad

Psychology Faculty Works

Alterations in subcortical brain structures have been reported in adults with HIV and, to a lesser extent, pediatric cohorts. The extent of longitudinal structural abnormalities in children with perinatal HIV infection (PaHIV) remains unclear. We modeled subcortical morphometry from whole brain structural magnetic resonance imaging (1.5 T) scans of 43 Thai children with PaHIV (baseline age = 11.09±2.36 years) and 50 HIV− children (11.26±2.80 years) using volumetric and surface-based shape analyses. The PaHIV sample were randomized to initiate combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) when CD4 counts were 15–24% (immediate: n = 22) or when CD4 < 15% (deferred: n = 21). Follow-up scans were acquired approximately 52 weeks after baseline. Volumetric and shape descriptors capturing local thickness and surface area dilation were defined for the bilateral accumbens, amygdala, putamen, pallidum, thalamus, caudate, and hippocampus. Regression models adjusting for clinical and demographic variables examined between and within group differences in morphometry associated with HIV. We assessed whether baseline CD4 count and cART status or timing associated with brain maturation within the PaHIV group. All models were adjusted for multiple comparisons using the false discovery rate. A pallidal subregion was significantly thinner in children with PaHIV. Regional thickness, surface area, and volume of the pallidum was associated with CD4 count in children with PaHIV. Longitudinal morphometry was not associated with HIV or cART status or timing, however, the trajectory of the left pallidum volume was positively associated with baseline CD4 count. Our findings corroborate reports in adult cohorts demonstrating a high predilection for HIV-mediated abnormalities in the basal ganglia, but suggest the effect of stable PaHIV infection on morphological aspects of brain development may be subtle.

Lights, Camera, Path Splitter: A New Approach For Truly Simultaneous Dual Optical Mapping Of The Heart With A Single Camera., Rafael Jaimes, Damon Mccullough, Bryan Siegel, Luther Swift, James Hiebert, Daniel Mclnerney, Nikki Gillum Posnack

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Background: Optical mapping of transmembrane voltage and intracellular calcium is a powerful tool for investigating cardiac physiology and pathophysiology. However, simultaneous dual mapping of two fluorescent probes remains technically challenging. We introduce a novel, easy-to-use approach that requires a path splitter, single camera and excitation light to simultaneously acquire voltage and calcium signals from whole heart preparations, which can be applied to other physiological models - including neurons and isolated cardiomyocytes.

Results: Complementary probes were selected that could be excited with a single wavelength light source. Langendorff-perfused hearts (rat, swine) were stained and imaged using a sCMOS camera outfitted with …

Deaf Education: The Past, Present, And Future, Diana Burke

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Back in the 1800's, sign language was banned from schools because of the prevailing view that sign language inhibited children who are deaf from interacting with the hearing society. Today, due to the growth of technology, children who are deaf can communicate using sign language and spoken language. These children can attend mainstream schools or schools for the Deaf. This paper will focus on the history of schools for the Deaf and my observations as a student observer at the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind (VSDB). VSDB is a residential school providing students who are deaf and blind …

Hearing Studies In Old Mice: The Effect Of Pre-Pulse Inhibition On The Acoustic Startle Response, Ashley B. Hillyard, Nicolette S. Chuss

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The purpose of this study pertains to hearing in the species Peromyscus maniculatus (deer mice) — specifically their responses to a startling sound. Approximately seven mice were tested between four and five years of age, approaching the lifespan of this species. By means of an accelerometer, which measures a reflexive, motor response, the mice were presented with an acoustic startle-eliciting stimulus (SES) — that is a loud, startling, unexpected sound. During the study, the mice were also presented with a softer, less-intense stimulus — known as a pre-pulse — slightly before the more intense sound. This pre-pulse stimulus was in …

Speech Characteristics Of Conversational Speech Tasks, Ashley Cox

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Conversational speech tasks are utilized in research and clinical practice of speech and hearing sciences. Nonetheless, conversational speech is often defined and implemented differently across contexts, which poses a challenge for the interpretation and comparison of data gathered. The purpose of this pilot study is to compare speech characteristics elicited with different speech tasks that have been adopted to elicit conversational speech. Specifically, speech produced during an interview, a topic-driven free conversation, and a Diapix is compared. An interview is a task where one individual (the researcher) leads the conversation by asking the other individual questions. A topic-driven …

Perspectives Of Caregiver-Survivor Dyads Following Tbi: A Case Series, Shayleen Brennan

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is trauma to the brain triggered by an external force that causes the brain to crash violently against the skull and disrupt normal functioning. Following a TBI, the survivor often faces challenges that compromise independence. These can include challenges in communication, cognition, and overall physical functioning. Resultantly, reliance upon the individual’s loved ones as both advocates and caregivers is essential to functional recovery. This qualitative study investigates the experiences reported between both survivors and their primary caregivers. Using a qualitative approach, exploration of the convergent and divergent perspectives between survivors and caregivers post-TBI were researched. …

What Does Anxiety Look Like? Prevalence Among Ed Patients, Justin B. Anderson

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

The prevalence of mental illness in the US population is common, with an estimated value of 8%. The emergency department patient population is especially vulnerable to mental illness. Previous studies from 2012 and 2017 estimated the rate of undiagnosed mental illness in the Emergency Department (ED) at 41-42%.1,2 According to the studies, only a minority of these were identified by the physician.

DSM-5 defines the criteria for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) as “excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, about a number of events or activities (such as work or school …

Academic Success In Medical School For Prematriculation Program Students—A Retrospective Analysis Of Year 1 Course Exams At Boonshoft School Of Medicine At Wright State University, James E. Elliott

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

As medical schools are striving to enroll the most diverse candidates to their schools, the medical schools have developed enriching prematriculation programs to their diverse candidates to ensure that all students are prepared for the first year of medical school. The prematriculation programs attempt to build in academic content with study techniques to help students become confident in their learning in the first weeks of school but also in the last months of their first year when they can still employ various study tools learned in the summer from the prematriculation program. However, with the implementation of these programs, there …

The Relationship Between Generalized Anxiety Disorder And Self-Reported Pain Scores Among Emergency Department Patients, Nicholas Seitz

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Anxiety is common among Emergency Department (ED) patients. Self-reported pain scores have been associated with a variety of physical and psychological factors. However, the relationship between pain and anxiety in ED patients has not been previously reported. This study aims to identify a relationship between self-reported pain scores and the diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder among ED patients.

This prospective patient survey study was conducted at Miami Valley Hospital, an urban ED in Dayton, Ohio. Eligible participants included ED patients age 18 or over, with a self-reported pain score ranging from 1-10 on the verbal numeric rating pain scale (VNRS). …

Carbon Dioxide Measurement In Irish Blanket Peatlands: An Assessment Of Pool-Soil Flux Variability, Mariya Radomski, Alan Gilmer, Vivienne Byers, Eugene Mcgovern

Articles

Peatlands have been recognised as having a significant role in the mediation of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels with direct implications for global climate change. Longitudinal in situ measurement systems for CO2 concentrations in blanket peatland ecosystems are difficult to implement where the nature of terrestrial–aquatic connectivity and hydrodynamics have a significant effect on the carbon cycle. The need for greater data on CO2 concentrations and flux monitoring in these settings has been well recognised. However, applying the most appropriate monitoring approach presents a special challenge. This paper sets out the development of a direct method for field based longitudinal …

Tgf-Β Induces A Heart Failure Phenotype Via Fibroblasts Exosome Signaling, Hesham Basma, Adelaide N. Johanson, Kajari Dhar, Daniel R. Anderson, Fang Qiu, Stephen I. Rennard, Brian D. Lowes

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

PURPOSE: The mechanisms for persistent and progressive loss of myocardial function in advanced heart failure (HF) remain incompletely characterized. In the current study, we sought to determine the impact of TGF-β on fibroblasts transcriptional profiles and assess if exosomes from TGF-β treated fibroblasts could induce a heart failure phenotype in co-cultured cardiomyocytes.

METHOD: Normal heart fibroblasts were treated with TGF-β with a final conc. of 2.5 ng/ml in serum free media. HF fibroblasts were also obtained from patients undergoing implantation of left ventricular assist devices. Exosomes were collected using three-step ultracentrifugation. Cardiomyocytes were co-cultured with exosomes from TGF-β-treated, HF and …

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid From Copd Patients Reveals More Compounds Associated With Disease Than Matched Plasma, Eitan Halper-Stromberg, Lucas Gillenwater, Charmion Cruickshank-Quinn, Wanda Kay O'Neal, Nichole Reisdorph, Irina Petrache, Yonghua Zhuang, Wassim W. Labaki, Jeffrey L. Curtis, James Wells, Stephen I. Rennard, Katherine A. Pratte, Prescott Woodruff, Kathleen A. Stringer, Katerina Kechris, Russell P. Bowler

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

Smoking causes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Though recent studies identified a COPD metabolomic signature in blood, no large studies examine the metabolome in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, a more direct representation of lung cell metabolism. We performed untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) on BAL and matched plasma from 115 subjects from the SPIROMICS cohort. Regression was performed with COPD phenotypes as the outcome and metabolites as the predictor, adjusted for clinical covariates and false discovery rate. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) grouped metabolites into modules which were then associated with phenotypes. K-means clustering grouped similar subjects. We detected …

It's More Than Low Bmi: Prevalence Of Cachexia And Associated Mortality In Copd, Merry-Lynn N. Mcdonald, Emiel F.M. Wouters, Erica Rutten, Richard Casaburi, Stephen I. Rennard, David A. Lomas, Marcas Bamman, Bartolome Celli, Alvar Agusti, Ruth Tal-Singer, Craig P. Hersh, Mark Dransfield, Edwin K. Silverman

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Cachexia is associated with increased mortality risk among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. However, low body mass index (BMI) as opposed to cachexia is often used, particularly when calculating the BODE (BMI, Obstruction, Dyspnea and Exercise) index. For this reason, we examined mortality using a consensus definition and a weight-loss definition of cachexia among COPD cases and compared two new COPD severity indices with BODE.

METHODS: In the current report, the consensus definition for cachexia incorporated weight-loss > 5% in 12-months or low BMI in addition to 3/5 of decreased muscle strength, fatigue, anorexia, low FFMI and inflammation. The …

Doctor Of Health Science 2019, Nova Southeastern University

Health Professions Divisions Course Catalogs and Course Descriptions

No abstract provided.

Social Determinants Of Health Theory: Policy Entry Points For Healthcare Providers, Kiah R. Vandergrift

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines a shifting paradigm in the U.S. healthcare system that will re-define the role that the healthcare provider plays in the production of health. It does this by first acknowledging two differing economic theories on the production of health: Human Capital Theory and Social Determinants of Health theory, and how both schools of thought have contributed to the paradigm that healthcare providers only play a role in the end stages of health production - to heal those who are already ill. However, policy, payment, and delivery system reforms have begun to force healthcare providers to re-think how they …

Tanglewood Trail Walking And Voucher Program, Kelci Marie Mchugh

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Rural Appalachian populations have greater rates of obesity and chronic diseases attributed to lesser consumption of fruits and vegetables (F/V) and physical inactivity. Barriers to F/V consumption and physical activity include poor access and affordability. To help overcome these barriers, a community-initiated walking and farmers market F/V voucher program was implemented.

Participants were encouraged to walk (1.2 miles roundtrip) to the local farmers market to redeem a $10 voucher which could only be spent on F/V. The 16-week program (June – Sept) included 121 participants. Data was analyzed by creating two groups, low-engagers and high-engagers that differed significantly in the …

Possible Pathologic Effect Of Hmgb1 On P. Gingivalis Induced Inflammatory Response By Macrophages, Michelle Marie Torres Santos

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease caused by poly-microbial infection that leads to destruction of connective tissue and alveolar bone. It is well documented that bacteria-derived virulent factors that can act on Toll-like receptors (TLRs), represented by Lipopolysaccharides (LPS), are engaged in the initiation of inflammatory responses. However, while LPS is also produced by the bacteria colonized in the healthy periodontal tissue, inflammation is not induced by LPS in those periodontal healthy subjects, suggesting the requirement of additional factor to upregulate the LPS-mediated inflammatory response in periodontal tissue. Recent studies revealed that novel class of endogenous proinflammatory mediator, high mobility …

Influence Of Clinical Instructor And Physical Therapist Student Characteristics On The Use Of Standardized Tests And Measures In Clinical Practice, Vicki Lafay

Department of Physical Therapy Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Problem Statement: Physical therapist (PT) students report discord between what they learn in the academic environment and what they experience in clinical practice. Despite increasing reporting requirements, standardized tests and measures (STMs) are not well integrated into routine clinical practice. The primary purposes of this study were to (1) examine clinical instructor (CI) and PT student characteristics and beliefs that influence the use of STMs in clinical practice, and (2) explore alignment between the STMs students learn during academic preparation to those commonly reported in clinical practice. Procedures/Methodology: In this mixed method sequential explanatory study, participant demographic characteristics, perceived STM …

Philippine-Based Filipino Women And Breast Cancer, Elizabeth S. Azutillo

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background. The rate of breast cancer incidence in the Philippines has increased in recent years. Three out of 100 Filipino women will contract breast cancer before age 75; one out of 100 will die before age 75. Purpose. The study was used to determine the level of knowledge of the respondents about breast cancer and breast cancer screening modalities, the relationship of the level of knowledge and frequency of breast self-examination (BSE) performance; the predictive ability of their health perceptions; modifying variables for their intent to perform BSE, submit to screening mammography, and engage in clinical breast exam (CBE); their …

Likability And Efficacy Of Gummy Oral Sedative By Pediatric Patients, Marisol Carbonell

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background: Behavior guidance of the pediatric patient remains a challenge in dentistry and may require pharmaceutical interventions. Midazolam and hydroxyzine oral syrups are predictable and frequently used for in-office sedations in pediatric dentistry. However, midazolam’s bitter taste and hydroxyzine’s large volume make administration problematic for uncooperative children. The purpose of this project was to compare the use of soft-chewable gummies containing sedatives to the oral syrups currently used in conscious sedation. The aim of this project was to administer midazolam and hydroxyzine in gummy form and determine if this alternative vessel is as effective and better liked by children undergoing …

Enhancing The Sublingual Permeability Of Atropine Sulfate: Effect Of Ph And Penetration Enhancers, Rawan Saeed Bafail

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Atropine Sulfate (AS) auto-injector (AtroPen®) is being used as an effective and safe antidote for the treatment of organophosphate (OP) pesticides or nerve gas poisoning. The use of AtroPen® is associated with several drawbacks including: bulky size, availability, affordability, invasiveness, and administration errors. Previously, AS fast disintegrating sublingual tablets (FDSTs) were developed and the feasibility of AS sublingual permeability were demonstrated. However, AS permeability was delayed due to the negative impact of higher doses of AS on FDST’s physical characteristics. Therefore, the aim in this research project was to optimize the previously developed AS FDSTs. It was hypothesized that optimizing …

Master Of Science In Anesthesia-Tampa, Nova Southeastern University

Health Professions Divisions Course Catalogs and Course Descriptions

No abstract provided.

Physician Assistant Jacksonville, Nova Southeastern University

Health Professions Divisions Course Catalogs and Course Descriptions

No abstract provided.

Physician Assistant Orlando, Nova Southeastern University

Health Professions Divisions Course Catalogs and Course Descriptions

No abstract provided.