Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Leisure Computer Usage And Perceived Body Weight, Diet, And Physical Activity, Santina Jaronko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Screened media platforms have been blamed for contributing to the childhood obesity epidemic. The purpose of this study was to determine if leisure computer usage, such as engaging in social media, impacted perceived body weight, dietary habits, and physical activity. The social network theory and the social cognitive theory were the theoretical frameworks of this cross-sectional study using secondary data. The data set used was the 2015 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey including a sample size of 8,241 youths between Grades 9 and 12. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression analysis were performed to …

Patient Awareness And Knowledge Of Medically Induced Radiation Exposure, Travis L. Mann

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The level of knowledge and awareness among patients about the concepts and implications of medical radiation is unknown. The purpose of this qualitative, case study was to explore patients' awareness and knowledge of information regarding this topic from their perspectives. The health belief model provided the framework for the study. A total of 20 individuals were recruited using purposive sampling. All participants were above the age of 18 in central North Carolina and had undergone or are currently undergoing medical radiation exams. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and analyzed using Yin's 5-phased cycle, which involved compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, …

Staff Education For Providers In An Outpatient Hemodialysis Center, Ibijoke Owolabi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The impact of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on healthcare costs is significant. In 2013, the cost of providing care for the ESRD patient population was 7.1% of total Medicare expenses. ESRD patients' non-adherence with the medical plan is a reason for the high cost of care and poor patient outcomes. Staff education can have a positive impact on patient adherence in terms of the management of chronic illnesses, such as ESRD. This DNP project was an education program for hemodialysis (HD) staff regarding empowering patients to learn about self-care strategies aimed at improving ESRD patients' adherence to fluid restriction and …

Director Of Nursing Role Conflict And Ambiguity, Commitment, And Intent To Stay, Amy Elizabeth Thiesse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High rates of turnover and the limited tenure of directors of nursing (DONs) in long-term care creates instability in the nursing workforce and the quality of care provided. Organizations, industry, and stakeholders have made little progress to change this turnover crisis. The purpose of this quantitative study, guided by organizational role and social exchange theories, was to determine if there was a difference in levels of affective organizational commitment and intent to stay mediated by leader-member exchange in long-term care DONs with different levels of role conflict and role ambiguity. The key variables were measured with the Role Questionnaire, Leader-Member …

Goal Orientations And Beliefs About Success In Age Group Swimmers, Nathan Alexander Rhea

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to expand on goal orientation theory and its relationship with beliefs about the causes of sport success by differentiating by age group in youth USA Swimming registered swimmers, ages 11-18. 80 swimmers from six different USA Swimming clubs completed the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ) and the Beliefs About the Causes of Sport Success Questionnaire (BACSSQ) after providing parent consent and child assent to take part in the study. Similar to previous research, the ego orientation was found to have a significant positive relationship with ability and deception as beliefs about …

Predictors Of Morbidity And Mortality Among Thoracic Trauma Patients, Jeremy Patrick Mcconnell

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Background. There are roughly 300,000 rib fractures treated for in the United States each year. These represent 10-26% of thoracic trauma injuries and have about a 10% mortality rate. There is a common belief that mortality in rib fracture patients can be contributed to the diagnosis of pneumonia, but this study does not support that claim. Purpose. To determine the predictors of morbidity and mortality in rib fracture patients. Methods. Using a level 1 trauma center patient registry, we retrospectively analyzed all patients that were admitted with at least one rib fracture (n=1,344). All predictors were analyzed with linear regressions. …

The Role Of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (Ahr) In Drug-Drug Interaction And The Expression Of Ahr In Pichia Pastoris, Yujuan Zheng

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor is a ligand-activated transcription factor that is involved in many important functions in the body. To study the role and function of AHR, an abundant amount of in vitro expressed and purified protein is needed. A baculovirus insect expression system is commonly employed to express AHR, however, there are several drawbacks with this method, such as mutation potential and high cost. A better in overexpression system is needed and we hypothesize that Pichia pastoris, a yeast expression system, could stably express AHR and ARNT (aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator) in sufficient amount with reasonable cost. Codon …

Effects Of A Group-Deposit Prize Draw On The Step Counts Of Adults, Alex J. Mccurdy

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The World Health Organization (WHO, 2016) reports that 3.2 million deaths per year are attributable to physical inactivity, making it the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. Physical inactivity is also a key risk factor for noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes (WHO, 2018). Globally, 1 in 4 adults is not active enough and, therefore, foregoes a myriad of health benefits associated with Physical Activity (PA; WHO, 2018). In the United States, only about 1 in 5 (21%) adults meet the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2018). …

The Potency Of Ag10 In Stabilizing Transthyretin Is Driven By Interactions Mimicking The Disease-Suppressing T119m Variant, Dengpan Liang

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Transthyretin (TTR) amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is a fatal disease with no available disease-modifying therapies. While destabilizing TTR mutations increase the risk of developing ATTR-CM, the naturally occurring Thr119Met (T119M) variant stabilizes TTR and prevent disease. The two Serine 117 and Serine 117’ (S117/S117’) side chain hydroxyl groups of monomers A and B in T119M variant TTR form direct hydrogen bonds with each other. AG10 is an orally available, small molecule TTR stabilizer in Phase 3 clinical development for ATTR-CM. Structural features that infer high potency of AG10 for stabilizing TTR remains incompletely characterized.

In order to investigate the contribution of …

Exercise And Patient Populations: A Community-Based Exercise Intervention On Cancer And Type 2 Diabetes, Cynthia Villalobos

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Cancer and diabetes are the second and seventh leading causes of death in the United States, respectively (Kochanek et al., 2017). When including prediabetes and the entire cancer continuum, both diseases affect over 150 million individuals in the United States each year (Bullard et al., 2018; Siegel et al., 2019). Furthermore, there exists an alarming rise in patients presenting with both type 2 diabetes and obesity-related cancers concurrently, as both diseases share similar risk factors (Vigneri et al., 2009). An aging adult population, physical inactivity and unhealthy eating habits are continuing to rise, and the prevalence of individuals with obesity-related …

The Influence Of Fatiguing Exercise On Power Output, Lena Kate Perry

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Physical fatigue impairs performance during high power, short duration activities. As technological developments permit new methods of measuring this effect, it is important to validate existing paradigms. The purpose was to determine if kinetic measurements from vertical jump (VJ) tests are influenced by fatigue based on explosive power outputs. A sample of athletes (9 men, 26 women) from a Division I NCAA sports program completed testing. To establish baseline VJ kinetics, athletes performed a controlled warm-up and then completed six jumps using Sparta Science technology, each separated by 15s rest. Sparta software computed three force outputs: Load, Explode and Drive. …

Strong Side, Weak Side: Goal Generating Tactics In Ncaa Men's Water Polo, Joey Gullikson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

In the game of water polo, it is generally accepted that the shooting position of the offensive player and the tactic employed are both important in generating goals. Despite their importance, little is known about the relationship between shooting position and offensive tactics and their impact on the probability of goal scoring. In this research, a sequence of hierarchical mixed logistic regression models is applied to a unique data set from 2016 and 2017 NCAA men’s water polo seasons to analyze the relationship between goal generating tactics and different shooting positions. The primary result reveals that the closer a player …

Development And Characterization Of Ldv Peptide Targeted Nanocarriers For Paclitaxel Delivery: A Comparative Study Of Micelles, Liposomes And Solid Lipid Nanoparticles, Poonam Dattani

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Nanocarriers have been established as delivery vehicles to target cancer tumors. However, premature drug leakage is one of the major reasons for inefficient drug delivery of nanocarriers to the tumor. Drug diffusion out of the nanocarriers or destabilization of drug loaded nanocarriers by physiological interactions with blood cells, serum proteins, and cell membranes upon systemic administration contribute to premature drug release. In this study, targeted micelles, liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) of similar composition were prepared and characterized to compare physicochemical characteristics, in vitro stability, in vitro release rates in release media and in vivo performance. Peptide Amphiphiles (PAs) …

Lipid-Coated Magnesium Phosphate Nanoparticles For Intrapulmonary Protein Delivery In Mice, Mallika Vadlamudi

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Proteins are a diverse category of biomolecules with great therapeutic potential. Intracellular delivery of proteins can augment the deficient activities of dysfunctional or poorly expressed innate proteins and therefore represents a promising strategy to treat the associated diseases. One major barrier to intracellular protein delivery is the translocation of the protein across the cellular membrane. Endocytosis provides an important pathway for protein nanocarriers to enter cells across the plasma membrane. However, the cargo protein must then promptly escape from the endosomes to avoid degradation in the lysosome and to exert its cellular function.

Previously, we reported a cationic lipid-coated magnesium …

The Effects Of Mindfulness Practice With Music Listening On Working Memory, Emily Irene Messick

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate mindfulness strategies and their influence on working memory. The potential role of music in facilitating mindfulness practice is explored. Various listening exercises were investigated along with their influence on working memory (i.e. attention control). Thirty-four individuals were randomly assigned to participate in one of four listening groups: 1) mindfulness with music, 2) mindfulness without music, 3) music only, and 4) silence. Thirty-four participants engaged in a computerized digit-span task before and after the listening exercise to assess pre- and post-test working memory performance. Thirty participants were included in data-analysis due to …

The Effect Of Energy Drinks On Cardiovascular Variables: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Cynthia Lee

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Many studies have investigated the effects of energy drinks on cardiovascular parameters. These studies were typically conducted with high volume (32 ounces) energy drinks and have demonstrated association with QT prolongation and blood pressure elevation after consumption. Currently, there is inconclusive evidence with lower volume energy drinks. This study intends to evaluate the effects of the largest commercially available energy drink can (24 ounces) in the United States on cardiovascular parameters compared with placebo arm. A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover trial was conducted over 2 separate days with a minimum of 6-day wash out period. Healthy volunteers between the age …

Oral Health Care: An Autoethnography Reflecting On Dentistry's Collective Neglect And Changes In Professional Education Resulting In The Dental Hygienist Being The Prevention-Focused Primary Oral Health Care Provider, Maureen Patricia Mcweeney Harrington

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Many factors influence poor oral health among disadvantaged populations including socioeconomic circumstances, knowledge of disease prevention strategies and ability to implement those strategies, public policies, insurance status, insurance policies, dental providers and other challenges to accessing dental care. Often these issues converge and result in early disadvantages to achieving good oral health (Horton & Barker, 2010). Addressing even some of the factors that contribute to poor oral health may provide ways to change the dental health status of historically underserved populations. The purpose of this research is to explore my role as a practitioner and researcher in the creation of …

Development Of A New Class Of Ligand-Targeted Chemotherapeutics With Enhanced Safety And Efficacy Profile, Arindom Pal

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The hydrophobicity of many chemotherapeutic agents usually results in their nonselective passive distribution into healthy cells and organs causing collateral toxicity. Ligand-targeted drugs (LTDs) are a promising class of targeted anticancer agents. The hydrophilicity of the targeting ligands in LTDs limits its nonselective passive tissue distribution and toxicity to healthy cells. In addition, the small size of LTDs allows for better tumor penetration, especially in the case of solid tumors. However, the short circulation half-life of LTDs, due to their hydrophilicity and small size, remains a significant challenge for achieving their full therapeutic potential. Therefore, extending the circulation half-life of …

Investigating The Effect Of Rutaecarpine On The Benzo[A]Pyrene-Induced Dna Damage In Vitro, You Li

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), is one of the most potent mutagens and carcinogens known. It requires metabolic activation through cytochrome P450 (CYP)1A1 to yield the ultimate carcinogenic metabolite, benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide (BPDE). BPDE can bind to DNA and form predominantly covalent (+) trans adducts at the N2 position of guanine causing DNA damage. Rutaecarpine (RTC) is an herbal medicine that has been used to treat several diseases such as headache, hypertension, gastrointestinal disorders, amenorrhea, and anti-inflammation. It has also been reported as a potent inducer of CYP enzymes, including CYP1A1, and CYP1A2. The mechanisms underlying up-regulation of CYP1A1 by RTC is dependent on aryl …

A Cost Control Model For Inpatient Medications Among Adults With Mental And Behavioral Health Disorders, Huanan Li

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Pharmaceutical expenditures are an important part of the entire hospital operating budget, and inpatient pharmaceuticals denote one of the highest costs in hospital care. Predictions for medication budgets based on the types of patients have been largely undertaken in medical hospitals and not psychiatric facilities. According to several previous studies, gender, age, diagnosis, comorbidity and length of stay (LOS) affect the general inpatient treatment expenditures. However, whether or not the impact of these factors differs in psychiatric hospitals remains to be investigated. To that end, the current study examines medication costs for mental and behavioral health disorder as well as …

The Smile Attractiveness Of Patients Successfully Treated According To The Finishing Standards Of The American Board Of Orthodontics, Tayem Abou Saleh

All ETDs from UAB

Smiling is the most useful way people can use to express their emotions, therefore, it is critical to build our treatment plan not just around establishing a stable functional occlusion but also to achieve beautiful harmonious smile. It has been suggested that the smile may be made up of 3 components: Gingival component, soft tissue component, and dental component, and the ultimate smile beauty can be achieved by trying to find the balance in between these components. We collected 68 smiling photos for cases were taken to American board of orthodontics clinical exam and they were considered successfully treated, all …

Identifying Associated Risk With Exposure Ti Weapon Carrying Among Emerging Adults Living In Disadvantaged Urban Areas In Birmingham, Tolulope Aduroja

All ETDs from UAB

IDENTIFYING ASSOCIATED RISK WITH EXPOSURE TO WEAPON CARRYING AMONG EMERGING ADULTS LIVING IN DISADVANTAGED URBAN AREAS IN BIRMINGHAM TOLULOPE ADUROJA HEALTH EDUCATION/HEALTH PROMOTION ABSTRACT Weapon carrying is a public health concern due to its association with a serious injury, disability or death, and adverse health-related outcomes. Weapon carrying among youth is associated with both intrinsic or internalizing and extrinsic or externalizing factors (Stayton, 2011). Violence in youth and young adults is the 2nd leading cause of death (homicide) in Alabama. Health behavior theories posit that health-relevant attitudes, beliefs, and behavioral skills drive subsequent actions people take to protect themselves from …

Identification And Application Of Gingival Mesenchymal Stem Cells For Dental Tissue Regenration, Yousuf Al-Aboosi

All ETDs from UAB

Mesenchymal stem cells have been very attractive treatment modality in regenerative medicine, but not so much in regenerative dentistry. This can be attributed to the difficulty in obtaining dental origin stem cells without extracting a tooth or other invasive procedures. Autogenous gingival graft harvested from palatal tissue is used as the gold standard for treating single tooth recession. The healing of the gingival graft has been shown to be mostly depended on the recipient side more than the graft itself. This study is aiming to find if the palatal tissue has cells with mesenchymal characteristics that are helping in the …

[68ga] Labeled Radiopharmaceuticals For Diagnostic Applications Beyond Sstr And Psma Imaging, Abdullah Alosaimi

All ETDs from UAB

Imaging with radiolabelled peptides is an important technique used in medical imaging fields that can lead to significant advances in patient care. These tracers are utilized to target a variety of receptors, in particular, specific-receptors which are overexpressed on tumor cells. Recently, the application of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) radiotracers for medical imaging has grown significantly due to the high sensitivity and specificity of this technique. In particular, 68Ga is one of the most favorable PET radioisotopes, due to its short half-life, low radiation dose, generator production, and same day imaging procedures. [68Ga]-DOTATATE, which targets somatostatin receptors (SSTR) overexpressed on …

Coaches' Impact On Youth Athletes' Intentions To Continue Sport Participation: The Mediational Influence Of The Coach-Athlete Relationship, Meredith M. Wekesser

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Approximately 60 million youth participate in sports each year, however about 70% of these youth athletes drop out of sport by age 13 despite the numerous positive benefits of sport participation (National Alliance for Youth Sports, 2016; National Council for Youth Sports, 2008). Self-determination theory is a framework that has been utilized to investigate athletes’ motivations for behaviors including sport persistence and suggests that the coach can be an influence on such motivations (Rocchi, Pelletier, & Desmarais, 2017; Ryan & Deci, 2000). Coach-athlete relationship quality and interpersonal coaching behaviors that emphasize the satisfaction of basic needs have been found to …

Effects Of Four Years Of Collegiate Sport Participation On Non-Contact, Contact, And Collision Athletes During Gait, Kristen L. Neitz

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

College athletes are often exposed to many training sessions, stresses, and injuries throughout their collegiate career. They often experience pain, stiffness, swelling, reduced range of motion and many other feelings following participation.. Much research has focused on the acute effects of collegiate athletics, but the long term effect has not been well studied. Sports are often divided into groups based on the nature of play; the three main groups are non-contact, contact, and collision sports. Differences have not been observed between the three sport groups and their ability to complete activities of daily living such as walking following four years …

Player-Coach Perceptions Of Internal Load, Exertion, And Recovery In Collegiate Male Soccer Players, Michelle L. Eisenman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Periodization of athlete training load to improve performance and maximize recovery, while reducing injuries and overtraining, is essential in team sports. Understanding internal load responses and monitoring athlete exertion and recovery can help coaches during a competitive season. Recovery Status (PRS) and Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) are two subjective scales used to help quantify training load and recovery. These scales are more useful if there is an agreement between coaches (C) and players (P) assessment of intensity and recovery. PURPOSE: To assess subjective measures (PRS and RPE scores) from P and C during a 13-week competitive soccer season. Furthermore, …

Critical Physicochemical Properties For Nanoparticle Toxicity: Impact Of Surface Coating And Size On Particle-Induced Cell Transformation And Inflammatory Response, Tiffany Kornberg

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nanoparticles, which measure 100 nm in at least one dimension, have surged in development, production, and use for a wide range of applications. However, the rapid pace of development for these emerging materials with unclear/unknown toxicity profiles makes it difficult to adequately assess health risk associated with exposure. One critical obstacle which limits scientific research to fill these critical knowledge gaps is the lack of accurate and predictive models for nanotoxicology studies, particularly those which involve occupationally relevant exposure scenarios (pulmonary exposure to low dose of particles in the circulating air). Typically, animal models are used to assess potential systemic …

Older Adult Caregivers’ Lived Experiences With Debilitated Chronically Ill Relatives In A Rural Southern County, Nancy J. Dameron

Theses and Dissertations

By 2030, the last of the baby boomer generation will reach the age of 65, which will expand the older adult population to more than 70 million in the United States. Based on the inflated numbers of the older adult population and the noted decreased birth rate in the younger population, fewer health-care providers will be available to teach, prepare, train, and assist caregivers in the ongoing care of their ill relatives.

The problem investigated in the study involved the present upsurge of the older adult population living longer and contributing to a shortage of health-care providers for older adults. …

Best Practices In Patellar Tendinopathy Management: An Evidence To Practice Review, Christopher J. Burcal, Adam B. Rosen, Tony Taylor, Mike Nicola

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Patellar tendinopathy (PT) is a degenerative condition that is common in sporting populations due to the loads placed on the tendon during dynamic activity. PT often occurs in overtraining situations; however, it may also occur in conjunction with and/or worsen through poor biomechanics, persistent inflammation, and altered movement patterns. Although sports medicine practitioners have evidence to support the prevalence of this injury, we do not have a strong base of evidence surrounding the contributing factors and pathophysiology that lead the pain and disability reported in patients with PT. The purpose of this evidence to practice review was to summarize a …