Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Physical Activity Among Preschool-Aged Children: Considerations For Waking Activity Patterns And Health, Erin Dooley

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

With nearly one-quarter (23%) of U.S. preschool children (ages 3-5 years) having overweight or obesity, supporting healthy growth and development is paramount. Hispanic children have the highest prevalence within this age group (15.6%) and a large projected population growth. Energy expenditure through physical activity is one way to combat excess development of obesity and poor health outcomes. Yet there is limited evidence about the correlates associated with physical activity and health within this population. The three studies of this dissertation examined sociodemographic-, cultural-, and context-related factors related to waking activity patterns and the subsequent impact on health indicators. The overall …

Quantifying The Financial & Clinical Impact Of Annual Vs. Biennial Mammography Screening, Danmeng Huang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Current guidelines for screening mammography recommend different start ages and intervals for women with average cancer risk. Longer intervals between mammograms allow more time for a tumor to grow, to become symptomatic and clinically detectable, and more likely to be at advanced stage. Existing literature on the associations between mammography screening frequency and risk of more advanced breast cancer have mixed results. Studies have showed that advanced breast cancer costs more to treat, but real-world cost estimates following different mammography screening frequencies are unavailable. To fill the gaps, this dissertation aimed to quantify the clinical and financial impact following annual …

Epidemiological Evaluation Of The National Sickle Cell Screening Program In The Republic Of Uganda, Arielle G. Hernandez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Sickle cell anemia contributes substantially to childhood morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, where there are scarce health resources and inadequate awareness among healthcare providers and the community. Without early diagnosis and initiation of preventive treatments, most infants will die of acute complications before their fifth birthday. Information on the mortality associated with sickle cell anemia is excluded from global statistical summaries due to the lack of accurate data, making sickle cell anemia an invisible killer of children on the African continent. Information from long-term large-scale sickle cell screening efforts is not yet available in Africa; therefore, a mixed-methods study …

The Associations Between Fat And Clinical Outcomes Among Lung Cancer Patients: Dietary Intake And Genetic Determinants, Fang Yu Lin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Higher dietary fat intake and alterations in fatty acid metabolism may affect cancer development and progression. This dissertation conducted a series of studies examining whether dietary fat intake and genetic variants in fatty acid metabolism genes have an impact on clinical outcomes among non-Hispanic whites newly diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). First, a cohort of 2,262 NSCLC patients was prospectively examined for intakes of total, saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fat in relation to overall survival and recurrence. Dietary fat intake at diagnosis was assessed with a previously validated food frequency questionnaire and categorized by Dietary Reference Intakes. Multivariable …

External Environmental Dimensions And Financial Performance Of Major Teaching Hospitals In The U.S, Karima Lalani

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Teaching hospitals have a unique mission to not only deliver graduate medical education, but to also provide both inpatient and ambulatory care, and to conduct clinical and medical research; therefore, they are under constant financial pressure, and it is important to find out what types of external environmental components affect their financial performance. No recent studies have been comprehensively conducted for all major teaching hospitals in the U.S. to examine if there is an association between the external environmental dimensions based upon Resource Dependence Theory (Munificence, Uncertainty, Complexity) and the short-term financial performance, measured by days cash on hand …

Access To Antibiotics Without Prescription For Travelers And Colombian Citizens At Community Pharmacies In Bogota, Colombia, Marie Kasbaum

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The misuse of antibiotics has been shown to exacerbate the global antibiotic resistance crisis, which could have major consequences on public health worldwide (Auta et al., 2018). In Bogotá, Colombia, the non-prescription sale of antibiotics still occurs in pharmacies despite national regulations requiring a prescription from a physician or health agency before dispensing antibiotics to a patient (Vacca et al., 2011). The purpose of this study was to investigate the non-prescription sale of antibiotics in community pharmacies to foreign travelers and Colombian citizens in Bogotá, Colombia. Trained Simulated Clients (SCs) gathered experimental data in pharmacies distributed throughout 20 geographic districts …

Examining Differences In Physical Activity By Socio-Demographics, Employment, And Social Support Among U.S. Adolescents, Ashleigh Marie Johnson

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The overall decline in physical activity levels during adolescence supports the examination of intrapersonal-, interpersonal-, and behavior-level factors that may influence physical activity behavior among this population. The three papers within this dissertation aimed to examine associations of socio-demographics and socio-environmental factors with physical activity among U.S. adolescents. Papers 1 and 3 used data from the Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) Study. Paper 1 examined differences in adolescent physical activity by gender and race/ethnicity, and examined modification by grade and socioeconomic status (SES). Paper 3 examined the association of parent- and adolescent-reported parental social support with adolescent …

Nonlinear Functional Models On Causal Inference, Rong Jiao

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Statistical analysis has experienced significant progress on association study, but it remains elusive to understand the etiology and mechanism of complex phenotypes. As a major analytical platform, association analysis may hamper the theoretic development of biomedical science and its application. Thus, many researchers suggest making the transition from association to causation. The mainstream of research in genetics and epigenetics data analysis focuses on statistical association or exploring statistical dependence between variables. Despite significant progress in dissecting the genetic architecture of complex diseases by genome-wide association studies (GWAS), the signals identified by association analysis can only explain a small proportion of …

Understanding The Relatlonships Between Survivorship Care Plans And Survivor Level Outcomes Among Breast And Colorectal Cancer Survivors, Jessica Danielle Austin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

PURPOSE: Cancer survivors have complex journeys following the completion of active treatment. The Institute of Medicine and other high-profile organizations have recommended and mandated the use of a survivorship care plan (SCP) despite mixed evidence supporting the impact of SCPs on key survivor-level outcomes. The purpose of this dissertation was to understand the complex relationship linking the delivery of SCPs and to relevant survivorlevel outcomes. STUDY GROUP: This dissertation focuses on breast and colorectal cancer survivors because they comprise nearly 30% of the entire cancer survivor population in the US and are the two most prevalent cancers in men and …

Using Information Practices Of Nurses To Reform Information Literacy Instruction In Baccalaureate Nursing Programs, Anne R. Diekema, Betsy S. Hopkins, Brandon Patterson, Nena Schvaneveldt

Faculty Publications

Objective - Seeking information is a key element of evidence based practice and successful healthcare delivery. Significant literature exists on both the information seeking behaviour of professional nurses and information literacy teaching methods, but scarce evidence connects nurses’ information behaviour and environments with their education. This study sought to use data from nursing alumni to answer the following research questions: What are the current information practices of professional bachelor’s-prepared nurses? How do recently-graduated nurses suggest that their education could have better prepared them to find and evaluate information in the workplace?

Methods - The researchers conducted a descriptive study using …

Expert Search For "Antibiotics For The Urgent Management Of Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis, Symptomatic Apical Periodontitis, And Localized Acute Apical Abscess", Kelly K. O'Brien

Expert Search Strategies

This search strategy was constructed to support the research for the peer reviewed article listed above. Full article abstract:

Background

Patients with pulpal and periapical conditions often seek treatment for pain, intraoral swelling, or both. Even when definitive, conservative dental treatment (DCDT) is an option, antibiotics are often prescribed. The purpose of this review was to summarize available evidence regarding the effect of antibiotics, either alone or as adjuncts to DCDT, to treat immunocompetent adults with pulpal and periapical conditions, as well as additional population-level harms associated with antibiotic use.

Type of Studies Reviewed

The authors updated 2 preexisting systematic …

It's A Hard Nacht Life: Understanding How Nlrp12 Ticks, Abbigale Julia Brown

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The protein NOD- like receptor pyrin domain containing 12 (NLRP12) comes from a family of protein receptors with a wide range of functions including fertility as well as anti-inflammatory properties. The biological role of NLRP12 is poorly understood: research on the mechanisms behind its function and/or activation remains contradictory between different cell models. Current research suggests its involvement in a multi-protein complex named the inflammasome. The alternative hypothesis that has also been proposed is that NLRP12 is not a part of the inflammasome, rather it negatively regulates a transcription factor known as NF-��B down stream of Toll-like receptors. NLRP12 is …

From Clinical Phenotype To Genotypic Modelling: Incidence And Prevalence Of Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (Rdeb), Shaundra Eichstadt, Jean Y. Tang, Daniel C. Solis, M. Peter Marinkovich, Nedra Whitehead, Fang Fang, Stephen W. Erickson, Mary E. Ritchey, Max Colao, Kaye Spratt, Amir Shaygan, Mark Ahn, Kavita Y. Sarin

Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is an inherited genetic disorder characterized by recurrent and chronic open wounds with significant morbidity, impaired quality of life, and early mortality. RDEB patients demonstrate reduction or structural alteration type VII collagen (C7) owing to mutations in the gene COL7A1, the main component of anchoring fibrils (AF) necessary to maintain epidermal-dermal cohesion. While over 700 alterations in COL7A1 have been reported to cause dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB), which may be inherited in an autosomal dominant (DDEB) or autosomal recessive pattern (RDEB), the incidence and prevalence of RDEB is not well defined. To date, the …

Determining Whether A Spot Urine Sample Is An Accurate Indication Of A Person's Hydration Status, Hannah Glidewell

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine what technique would be an accurate measurement of an individual’s hydration status. According to current research on hydration assessment, the “gold standard” to assess the hydration of an individual is by measuring their total body water (Armstrong, Lawrence 2007). This is the most accurate measurement in a laboratory setting, but finding a measurement that works during a real time setting has been a challenge. It was proposed that a spot urine sample would provide more accurate results than a first- morning urine sample when compared to a 24-hour urine sample set as …

Cardiology Student Nurse Internship, Chimdera Nzelu

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This past summer and into my final semester in the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing, I became a student nurse intern at Washington Regional Medical Center in the Cardiology department. Heart disease and other heart-related morbidities are on the rise within our population, especially as the baby-boomer generation continues to age – and healthcare must follow suit. The Cardiology department combined with the Walker Heart Institute of Washington Regional is a champion within Northwest Arkansas for the best care related to the heart, and I had the incredible opportunity to serve and learn from their talented healthcare team. Through my …

Willow Creek Women's Hospital Internship, Destinee Ross

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

While the use of midwifery is proven to improve outcomes for low-risk mothers and infants, many healthcare providers, nurses, and patients in Northwest Arkansas continue to be skeptical about utilizing midwifery care. During my internship, I worked directly with labor and delivery nurses, physicians, and a midwife at Willow Creek Women’s Hospital and provided high-quality care to women during their birthing process. This hospital focuses entirely on women and infant care and provides gynecological, obstetric, and newborn services. Willow Creek Women’s Hospital is also one of the few hospitals in Arkansas to implement a certified nurse-midwife (CNM) and has two …

A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of Factors Associated With Detection Of Oncogenic Human Papillomavirus In Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected And Uninfected Kenyan Women, Aaron Ermel, P. Tonui, M. Titus, Y. Tong, N. Wong, J. Ong’Echa, Kapten Muthoka, Stephen Kiptoo, A. Moormann, Elkanah Omenge

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: Cervical cancer is caused by oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HPV) and is one of the most common malignancies in women living in sub-Saharan Africa. Women infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have a higher incidence of cervical cancer, but the full impact on HPV detection is not well understood, and associations of biological and behavioral factors with oncogenic HPV detection have not been fully examined. Therefore, a study was initiated to investigate factors that are associated with oncogenic HPV detection in Kenyan women.

Methods: Women without cervical dysplasia were enrolled in a longitudinal study. Data from enrollment are presented …

Computational Model For Pedestrian Movement And Infectious Diseases Spread During Air Travel: A Molecular Dynamics-Like Numerical Approach, Pierrot Derjany

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

There is direct evidence of the transmission of fatal infectious pathogens in large human gatherings. Air transportation is no exception. The mixing of susceptible and infectious individuals in this high-density man-made environment involves pedestrian movement which is generally not taken into account in modeling studies of disease dynamics. This thesis addresses this problem through a multiscale model that combines pedestrian dynamics with stochastic infection spread models. This generic model is applicable to several directly transmitted diseases. Through this multiscale framework, the effectiveness of certain layout and strategies in suppressing the disease spread in highly crowded locations such as airplanes, airports …

An Analysis Of The Economic Barriers To Oral Healthcare Access In Omaha, Nebraska, Elias Witte

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Existing research regarding the analysis of the distribution of oral healthcare practitioners has been conducted across large metropolitan areas within the United States in order to determine the magnitude of healthcare resource deficits. Such research has demonstrated significant deficits in access to oral healthcare predominantly in lower-income urban areas. Consequently, patients in these socioeconomically disadvantaged areas have less access to routine oral care, which impacts their overall health and well-being. While there is an abundance of studies examining this issue in other localities across the country, there is a lack of information regarding the distribution of oral healthcare practitioners in …

Estimating Body Mass Through Bone Mineral Density Studies Using Dexa (Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry), Kaitlin Harstine

Master's Theses

Identification of a decedent is one of the primary goals of forensic anthropologists. In order to do this, one must build a biological profile based on the remains that are provided. Sex, age, ancestry, and stature are four of the most common, however a fifth addition piece of information that could be beneficial is body mass. The goal of this research is to explore the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and body mass, using data collected from dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans of 107 collegiate football athletes. Athletes are a good fit for this study because they have achieved …

Identifying The Risk Factors To Postpartum Depression, Jannica Bondoc Santos

Senior Theses

A woman’s life instantly changes after the birth of their child. Furthermore, culture influences the stigma that a mother is the primary caregiver of their children and are accountable for the health and upbringing of the child. Giving birth to a baby and taking up the responsibility of another human life is a great impact in a female’s existence. In addition to the new tasks that come with motherhood, women are also challenged to cope with their emotional and mental state after giving birth. The most chronic mental illness that can develop after labor is postpartum depression (PPD). Women who …

Flowers Or Flora?: Understanding The Effects Of Probiotics On Depression, Nicole Collopy

Senior Theses

The human gut is populated with hundreds of types of bacteria and fungi. In North America, both intestinal and mood disorders are prevalent, presenting health problems that challenge health care professionals and patients alike. A scholarly literature review was conducted to explore this important relationship.

The investigation of the literature revealed that there is an association between gut health disorders and mood disorders, mainly anxiety and depression. This is due to bi-directionality between the brain-gut pathways, meaning that gastrointestinal health may have an effect on mental health and vice versa.

This connection between gut and mood can have substantial implications …

Determining How Temperature Affects The Survival Of Salmonella And E. Coli Species In Sinking Creek: A Meta-Evaluation, Miranda Liner

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In recreational waters, pathogen pollution is a major concern for the USEPA. The USEPA is responsible for initiating the National 303(d) List of Impaired Surface Waters. Pathogen pollution from E. coli is a common reason why recreational waters are placed on the 303(d) list. E. coli O157 H:7 and other enteric pathogens can cause serious illness and even death. Sinking Creek is a part of the Watauga River watershed which runs through Carter and Washington county. Sinking Creek is currently listed on the 303(d) as impaired due to the presence of E. coli. Because of the known presence of …

Introducing Icm’S President – Author Of Editorial December, 2019, Rafat Jan, Franka Cadee

Journal of Asian Midwives (JAM)

No abstract provided.

Caesarean Section Rates In South Asian Cities: Can Midwifery Help Stem The Rise?, Sulochana Dhakal Rai, Amudha Poobalan, Rafat Jan, Malin Bogren, Juliet Wood, Ganesh Dangal, Pramod Regmi, Edwin Van Teijlingen, Keshar Bahadur Dhakal, Sahib Jan Badar, Farhana Shahid

Journal of Asian Midwives (JAM)

Introduction: Caesarean section (CS) is a life-saving surgical intervention for delivering a baby when complications arisein childbirth. World Health Organization recommends a rate of CS from 10% to 15%. However, CS rates increased steadily in recent decades and have almost doubled from 12.1% in 2000 to 21.1% in 2015. Therefore, this has become a global public health problem. The main purpose of the scoping review article is to give an overview and analysis of the rising CS use in four South Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.
Methods: A scoping review was carried-out using several bibliographic electronic databases (MEDLINE, …

Effect Of Target Controlled Propofol Infusion Versus Intermittent Boluses During Oesophagogastroduodenoscopy: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Catherine Ndosi, Vitalis Mung’Ayi, Ednah Gisore, Samina Mir

Anaesthesiology, East Africa

Background: Propofol is administered as intermittent boluses to achieve deep sedation to facilitate oesophagogastroduodenoscopy. Target controlled infusion (TCI) can be employed for this purpose.

Methods: 176 adults were randomly allocated into two groups of 88 patients. Control group: Received an initial bolus of propofol 1mg/kg, with repeat boluses of 0.25mg/kg. Intervention group: Received an initial target effect-site concentration of 4mcg/ml, followed by maintenance target effect-site concentration of 2.5mcg/ml, titrated by 0.5mcg/ml from baseline infusion rate as needed. Oxygen saturation, blood pressure and heart rate were evaluated immediately before administering the sedative and at 2.50, 5.00, 7.50 and 10.00 minutes. Oxygen …

Use Of >100,000 Nhlbi Trans-Omics For Precision Medicine (Topmed) Consortium Whole Genome Sequences Improves Imputation Quality And Detection Of Rare Variant Associations In Admixed African And Hispanic/Latino Populations, Madeline H. Kowalski, Huijun Qian, Ziyi Hou, Jonathan D. Rosen, Amanda L. Tapia, Yue Shan, Deepti Jain, Maria Argos, John Blangero, Juan M. Peralta

School of Medicine Publications

Most genome-wide association and fine-mapping studies to date have been conducted in individuals of European descent, and genetic studies of populations of Hispanic/Latino and African ancestry are limited. In addition, these populations have more complex linkage disequilibrium structure. In order to better define the genetic architecture of these understudied populations, we leveraged >100,000 phased sequences available from deep-coverage whole genome sequencing through the multi-ethnic NHLBI Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program to impute genotypes into admixed African and Hispanic/Latino samples with genome-wide genotyping array data. We demonstrated that using TOPMed sequencing data as the imputation reference panel improves genotype imputation …

Law Library Blog (December 2019): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

Genome-Wide Meta-Analysis Of Macronutrient Intake Of 91,114 European Ancestry Participants From The Cohorts For Heart And Aging Research In Genomic Epidemiology Consortium, Jordi Merino, Hassan S. Dashti, Sherly X. Li, Chloé Sarnowski, Anne E. Justice, Misa Graff, Constantina Papoutsakis, Caren E. Smith, George V. Dedoussis, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications

Macronutrient intake, the proportion of calories consumed from carbohydrate, fat, and protein, is an important risk factor for metabolic diseases with significant familial aggregation. Previous studies have identified two genetic loci for macronutrient intake, but incomplete coverage of genetic variation and modest sample sizes have hindered the discovery of additional loci. Here, we expanded the genetic landscape of macronutrient intake, identifying 12 suggestively significant loci (P < 1 × 10-6) associated with intake of any macronutrient in 91,114 European ancestry participants. Four loci replicated and reached genome-wide significance in a combined meta-analysis including 123,659 European descent participants, unraveling two novel loci; a common variant in RARB locus for carbohydrate intake and a rare variant in DRAM1 locus for protein intake, and corroborating earlier FGF21 and FTO findings. In additional analysis of 144,770 participants from the UK Biobank, all identified associations from the two-stage analysis were confirmed except for DRAM1. Identified loci might have implications in brain and adipose tissue biology and have clinical impact in obesity-related phenotypes. Our findings provide new insight into biological functions related to macronutrient intake.

Himmelfarb Library Liaison Letter - December 2019, The George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

Himmelfarb Library Liaison Letters

No abstract provided.