Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Factors Limiting Effective Coverage Of Indoor Residual Spraying Campaigns In Luapula Province, Zambia, Madeline Mackowski

Theses - ALL

Background.

Malaria transmission control in endemic areas is dependent on both individual

and community level protective measures. Indoor residual spray (IRS) campaigns work to reduce transmission of malaria illness by covering the walls of houses in areas at risk with an insecticide that kills mosquitoes landing there. The World Health Organization recommends IRS campaigns successfully spray at least 80% of structures to maximize impact of the campaigns against malaria vectors.

Methods.

Programmatic data from the 2016 IRS campaign conducted in Luapula Province, Zambia was used to examine the spatial distribution of houses missed during spray campaigns. Additionally, Poisson regression methods …

Developing Training To Address Neonatal Nurse Knowledge, Practice, And Perceived Attitude For Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Rebekah Draper

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Abstract

Background: Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is increasing in the United States as a result of increased opioid-use disorder among women of childbearing age. NAS affects three out of four babies who are exposed to chronic use of opioids during the mother’s pregnancy. Caring for infants with NAS is challenging. Researchers have identified a deficit of knowledge and skills, and have discovered judgmental attitude of nurses caring for babies with NAS. Globally, nurses caring for infants with NAS need education on current evidence-based practice to improve quality of care. The purpose of this project was to create an educational …

Swimming Past The Pandemic: Importance Of Evidence-Based Science, Stephen J. Langendorfer Ph.D.

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Swimming Past the Pandemic - URL included

The Partial Immersion Aquatic Approach Using Adjustable Weight Bearing To Improve Posture And Sitting Balance Adaptation For Children With Severe Cerebral Palsy, Niv Shelef

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

The innovative ‟Partial Immersion” Aquatic Therapy Approach was developed to enhance balance and posture during sitting adaptation for children with severe cerebral palsy who exhibit deficiency in those skills on land. Stable balance during sitting posture is one of the preconditions for hands function in activities of daily living. Aquatic skills learned during aquatic therapy were then transferred to a land environment. Therapy included the use of a treatment chair that enabled adjustable weight bearing in a series of 30 mm steps. A mixed-methods design employing a multiple case study approach (n=5) including quantitative and qualitative methods investigated the effectiveness …

2020-05-09_Michiganoverview_Covidsymptoms, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Syndromic Surveillance System Data

The Syndromic Surveillance System Data report was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 dashboard, from under the link "​Coronavirus Symptoms": https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated daily.

Syndromic Surveillance System data is obtained from approximately 183 facilities participating in syndromic surveillance (132 Emergency Departments (ED), 51 Urgent Cares) across the State of Michigan. The reporting is based on individuals who present at EDs and may not be representative of the overall population. The coronavirus-like symptoms query searches visit free-text (chief complaint, triage notes, and clinical impression) for fever or …

2020-05-09_Michigandaily_Covidmap, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Daily Michigan COVID-19 Update

The "WHERE WE STAND WITH COVID-19" map was obtained from Michigan's main COVID-19 page: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated daily at 3p.m., Monday - Saturday.

The State of Michigan is working around the clock to test and treat COVID-19 patients. Below is the most recent data healthcare experts across the state have compiled.

The image contained a map, indicating total cases by county, and also provides statistics on Total Confirmed Cases, Total COVID-19 Deaths, Daily Confirmed Cases, and Daily COVID-19 Deaths. There …

2020-05-09_Michiganoverview_Covidstats, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Cumulative Michigan COVID-19 Data

The COVID Overview page was obtained from Michigan's main COVID-19 page: https:/www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-98163-520743--,00.html. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated daily at 3p.m., with COVID-19 results included as of 10 a.m.

Note on cumulative counts: This report is provisional and subject to change. As public health investigations of individual cases continue, there will be corrections to the status and details of referred cases that result in changes to this report.
Note on the deaths: Deaths must be reported by health care providers, medical examiners/coroners, and recorded by local health departments …

Evaluation Of A New Nurse Mentor Program, Corinne Romano, Diane Whitehead

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

Novice nurses in a 160-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital had a turnover rate of 32% in 2017 and 2018, despite participation in a novice nurse residency program. This quality improvement project was a 3-month process evaluation of a 1-year mentor program designed for novice nurses. The purpose of the process evaluation was to explore whether the organization had (a) successfully implemented the program as identified, (b) successfully recruited and retained participants to date, (c) maintained projected timelines, and (d) provided all participants the opportunity to provide feedback at the 3-month mark of the program. The process evaluation provided an opportunity for …

The Health Literacy Knowledge And Skills Among Undergraduate Students, Madelaine Grygo

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Health literacy is defined as the knowledge and skills individuals need to acquire and understand related to health information and services in order to create the best health outcomes for themselves. Those with low health literacy struggle to successfully follow medical instructions, obtain and comprehend health information, and communicate health complications. Low health literacy is correlated with preventable negative health outcomes, such as sexually transmitted infections, obesity, diabetes, lung cancer, and heart disease, which are conditions experienced by a majority of the U.S. population. The most recent estimates suggest that over 75 million U.S. adults are health illiterate, which indicates …

Primary Pediatric Cerebellar Gliosarcoma, Syed Sarmad Bukhari, Muhammad Junaid, Ali Afzal, Anisa Kulsoom

Section of Neurosurgery

Background: Primary gliosarcomas of the central nervous are rare and very few have been reported in the infratentorial compartment. Here, we describe such a lesion in a 12-year-old male.
Case description: A 12-year-old male presented with headache, ataxia, and vomiting. When Magnetic resonance studies documented a posterior fossa lesion, he underwent placement of a right ventriculoperitoneal shunt followed by a suboccipital craniectomy. The lesion proved to be a primary gliosarcoma. Unfortunately, it recurred 2 years later and required repeated resection.
Conclusion: Here, we reviewed the rare case of a 12-year-old male requiring shunt placement and suboccipital craniectomy for a primary …

2020-05-09_Michiganoverview_Covidcounts, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Confirmed Cases by Date of Onset Data

Data was captured from the Cumulative Data link of Michigan's Coronavirus webpage, under the url https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-98163_98173_99207---,00.html.

The website contained the table Count of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases by Date of Onset , sorted by Michigan Preparedness Region. It also contained 18 charts, including the count of confirmed Covid-19 cases by date of onset in the state overall as well as in each preparedness region,and the normalized rate of Covid-19 cases per 1,000,000 residents in both the state and in each preparedness region.

Ml-Medic: A Preliminary Study Of An Interactive Visual Analysis Tool Facilitating Clinical Applications Of Machine Learning For Precision Medicine, Laura Stevens, David Kao, Jennifer Hall, Carsten Görg, Kaitlyn Abdo, Erik Linstead

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Accessible interactive tools that integrate machine learning methods with clinical research and reduce the programming experience required are needed to move science forward. Here, we present Machine Learning for Medical Exploration and Data-Inspired Care (ML-MEDIC), a point-and-click, interactive tool with a visual interface for facilitating machine learning and statistical analyses in clinical research. We deployed ML-MEDIC in the American Heart Association (AHA) Precision Medicine Platform to provide secure internet access and facilitate collaboration. ML-MEDIC’s efficacy for facilitating the adoption of machine learning was evaluated through two case studies in collaboration with clinical domain experts. A domain expert review was also …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Manganese Porphyrin Compounds In The Prevention Of Radiation-Induced Fibrosis, Shashank Shrishrimal

Theses & Dissertations

Radiation therapy is frequently used as a treatment strategy for prostate cancer patients, which leads to several side effects due to damage to health tissue around the tumor and the development of radiation-induced fibrosis (RIF). Manganese (III) meso-tetrakis (N-ethylpyridinium-2-yl) porphyrin (MnTE-2-PyP or T2E or BMX-010) and other similar manganese porphyrin compounds that scavenge superoxide molecules have been demonstrated to be effective radioprotectors and prevent the development of RIF. However, understanding of the radioprotective molecular pathway associated with these compounds remains limited. Recent RNA-sequencing data from our laboratory revealed that MnTE-2-PyP treatment may activate the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 …

A Pilot Study On A Mindfulness Intervention For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Meredith Obaytek

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

This project explores the effects of a mindfulness intervention on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in an occupational therapy setting, as well as explores the attitudes of student occupational therapists on the treatment acceptability for mindfulness interventions in occupational therapy. This paper discusses the current research in mindfulness and explores how it may have an impact on children with ASD, and in particular, within the field of occupational therapy. This project was made up of two components and took place at James Madison University’s Inter-Professional Autism Clinic (IPAC) over the course of three weeks. The first component was an …

The Evolving Management Of Aortic Valve Disease: Trends In The Utilization And Cost Of Savr, Tavr, And Medical Therapy, Andrew Goldsweig

Theses & Dissertations

Aortic stenosis (AS) and regurgitation (AR) may be treated with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), transcatheter AVR (TAVR), or medical therapy (MT). Data are lacking regarding usage and cost of SAVR, TAVR, and MT for patients hospitalized with aortic valve disease. From the Nationwide Readmissions Database, we determined utilization and cost trends for SAVR, TAVR, and MT in patients with aortic valve disease admitted 2012-2016 for valve replacement, heart failure, unstable angina, non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction, or syncope. From 2012 through 2016, there was a 48.1% increase in the number of patients hospitalized for aortic valve disease annually. Overall, 19.9%, 6.7%, …

Effects Of Liquid Viscosity And Food Texture On Swallowing Sounds, Chun Feng

Theses & Dissertations

Cervical auscultation (CA) is a technique of monitoring swallowing performance according to swallowing acoustic signals utilizing a stethoscope or other measurement devices such as a microphone and an accelerometer. In the past few years, doctors have utilized the stethoscope to identify the swallowing sounds, which resulted in an inability to accurately diagnose the aspiration/penetration in patients with dysphagia when compared to the gold standard. A digital CA assessment records swallowing acoustic signals and extracts the specific features from the recordings. It has been proven that digital CA as a promising portable and low-cost tool can be used for identifying patients …

The Neural Oscillatory Dynamics Underlying Motor And Cognitive Abilities In Children And Adults With Cerebral Palsy, Rashelle M. Hoffman

Theses & Dissertations

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common neuromotor developmental diagnosis that can result in a myriad of activity impairments. The literature has primarily explored motor impairments in children with CP. Additionally, there is evidence of CP impacting several cognitive domains in children and adults with CP. Very little literature has explored if these impairments persist into adulthood, and the underlying neurophysiology serving these functions in individuals with CP is unknown.

The first purpose of this dissertation was to quantify the cortical oscillations serving hand movement with magnetoencephalography (MEG) and determine if differences were present as a function of age between …

Effects Of Acute Intracranial Pressure Changes On Optic Nerve Head Morphology In Humnans And Pig Model, Sachin Kedar

Theses & Dissertations

The optic nerve head (ONH) is located at the interface of intracranial and intraocular compartments. It is comprised of lamina cribrosa (LC), a fenestrated connective tissue tethered to the posterior sclera across the scleral canal. Since LC is exposed to intraocular pressure (IOP) anteriorly and intracranial pressure (ICP) posteriorly, it is an ideal site for noninvasively detecting intracranial pressure (ICP) fluctuation. We hypothesized that the pressure differential between IOP and ICP across LC, will determine LC position and meridional diameter of scleral canal (also called Bruch’s membrane opening- BMOD). We tested our hypothesis in 19 human subjects undergoing medically necessary …

Ocular, Neural, And Cellular Biodistribution Of Multifunctional Antioxidants, Damian Daszynski

Theses & Dissertations

Aging is a complex biological process which stems from a growing imbalance between the regenerative capacity of an organism and endogenous as well as exogenous damaging factors. This imbalance leads to the slow deterioration of individual cells, organs, and eventually the entire organism. The free radical theory of aging combines the evolutionary and mechanistic aspects of aging, postulating that the innate process is caused by deleterious, irreversible, and inevitable changes in biological systems caused by oxidative damage that accumulates over the lifespan. Evidence of this phenomenon is supported by the pathogenesis of age-related diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration and …

Development Of Hyaluronic Acid-Derived Macromolecular Agents For Multimodal Imaging Probes And Nanomedicine, William M. Payne

Theses & Dissertations

Cancer, one of the most challenging maladies facing modern medicine, is a complex family of diseases that requires a multifaceted treatment regime. In recent years, increased research effort has been placed on the development of nanoscale formulations as a potential method to improve therapeutic efficacy and offer better treatment. Both drug formulation and biomedical imaging has benefitted from the development of new, nanoscale agents. Hyaluronic Acid (HA), a naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan, is a promising platform for the development of new drug delivery systems. Furthermore, hyaluronic acid is the principal ligand for the cell surface receptor CD44, which is overexpressed on …

Identifying Determinants Of Target Specificity In Two Related Bacterial Peptide Toxins, Andrew D. Holmes

Honors Thesis

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems were originally identified as two-component systems ensuring the stable inheritance of plasmids in bacterial populations. Recently, they have been identified on bacterial chromosomes where their functions remain mostly undefined. The par locus of E. faecalis plasmid pAD1 (par_pAD1) was the first TA system defined in a Gram-positive bacterium and a homolog encoded on the E. faecalis chromosome (par_EF0409) was later described. Related loci numbering in the hundreds have been identified throughout Gram-positive bacteria based on homology to the toxin of the system, Fst, and similarities in genetic organization and regulation. Despite …

Effect Of Sport-Specific Demands On Swimmer's Shoulder, Jordan A. Thielbar

Honors Thesis

Swimming is a unique sport in that the shoulders generate most of the propulsive force. Therefore, due to the large amounts of repetitive force, the shoulders generate during freestyle, swimmer’s shoulder is the most common injury among competitive swimmers. Freestyle biomechanics, muscular imbalances and posture all play a pertinent role in a swimmer’s risk for developing a shoulder injury during their swimming career. Swimmers typically develop large muscular imbalances between their dominant and nondominant shoulders due to several sport-specific demands including freestyle stroke mechanics, breathing, and body roll. These muscular imbalances alter a swimmer’s posture and freestyle biomechanics which eventually …

Delivery For Hydrophobic Drugs For Treating Pancreatic Cancer, Saud Almawash

Theses & Dissertations

Purpose The aim of this study was to determine whether coadministration of hedgehog (Hh) pathway inhibitor cyclopamine (CYP) and microtubule stabilizer docetaxel (DTX) as polymer-drug conjugates, methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(2-methyl-2-carboxyl-propylenecarbonategraft- dodecanol-graft-cyclopamine) (P-CYP) and methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(2-methyl-2-carboxyl-propylene carbonate-graft-dodecanol-graft-docetaxel) (P-DTX) could synergistically inhibit orthotopic pancreatic tumor growth in NSG mice.

Methods P-DTX and P-CYP were synthesized from mPEGb- PCC through carbodiimide coupling reaction and characterized by 1H–NMR. The micelles were prepared by film hydration and particle size was measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS). Cytotoxicity, apoptosis and cell cycle analysis of P-DTX and P-CYP were evaluated in MIA PaCa-2 cells. In vivo efficacy …

Smart Delivery Of Genes And Drugs For Treatment Of Cancer, Feng Lin

Theses & Dissertations

The ineffective delivery of genes and drugs have become a big obstacle for the treatment of cancer, due to either poor stability or low aqueous solubility. In the first part, A ROS responsive polymer named poly(ethylene glycol)–poly[aspartamidoethyl(p-boronobenzyl)diethylammonium bromide] (PEG-B-PAEBEA) was developed for codelivery miR-34a mimic and small molecule PLK1 inhibitor volasertib (BI6727) for the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), since tumor suppressor microRNA-34a (miR-34a), which targets many oncogenes related to proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion is significant downregulated while Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) closely associated with short survival rates of pancreatic cancer patients is remarkably upregulated . In part 2, …

Integrating Geriatric Assessment And Genetic Profiling To Personalize Therapy Selection In Older Adults With Acute Myeloid, Vijaya R. Bhatt

Theses & Dissertations

Integrating geriatric assessment for patient profiling and genetic profiling of leukemic cells represents an innovative approach to personalize therapy selection in older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We report results of a pre-planned interim analysis of a pragmatic phase II trial that utilized this strategy to personalize therapy. Patients ≥60 years with a new diagnosis of AML underwent geriatric assessment prior to initiation of treatment. Geriatric assessment of physical function, cognitive function and comorbidity burden were used to determine fitness for chemotherapy. Patients with good or intermediate-risk AML received intensive chemotherapy such as anthracycline and cytarabine (7+3) if determined …

Planning And Facilitating The Training Of Emergency Medical Services On The Safe Transport Of Patients With Highly Infectious Diseases, Mohammed Alhallaf

Theses & Dissertations

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel are the first line of treatment and are the first exposed health care workers to infectious diseases (IDs). Consequently, the EMS setting is a relatively vulnerable environment for disease transmission and cross-contamination. Also, serious and emerging IDs, such as highly pathogenic viral hemorrhagic fevers and novel Coronaviruses, in a time of increased globalization, require comprehensive EMS training and preparedness. This project had the objective of identifying best practices for the EMS transport of patients with IDs. The methods for this project were done in two phases. In the first stage, we …

Characterization Of Novel Animal Models For Parkinson’S Disease, Mohannad Almikhlafi

Theses & Dissertations

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is neurodegenerative disorder characterized by dopaminergic neuronal loss in the substantia nigra (SN) pars compacta. Mutations in DJ-1, PINK1 and Parkin lead to PD in humans; however, in mice, mutations or knockout of these genes do not lead to disease. Development of small animal models mimicking PD pathogenesis would enable better understanding of the disease. Here, we examined two approaches using laboratory rats. First, DJ-1 knockout rats have been reported to develop movement disorders and loss of neurons similar to human PD. Comprehensive analysis of mitochondrial proteomic alteration in isolated synaptic mitochondria from DJ-1 knockout rats using …

The Role Of Central Ace2 And Nrf2 In Sympatho-Excitation: Responses To Central Angiotensin Ii, Anyun Ma

Theses & Dissertations

Sympatho-excitation is a key characteristic in cardiovascular diseases such as chronic heart failure (CHF) and primary Hypertension (HTN). Evidence suggests that increased sympathetic tone is closely related to activation of the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone system (RAAS) in the central nervous system. An underlying mechanism for sympatho-excitation is thought to be oxidative stress resulting from Angiotensin II (AngII) type 1 receptor (AT1R) activation. Over the past several decades, pharmacological targeting of components of the RAAS have been used as standard therapy in CHF and HTN. However, additional therapeutic strategies are necessary to control these diseases. Oxidative stress is regulated, in part, by the …

The Role Of Extracellular Vesicles In Cancer-Related Fatigue And Its Co-Occurring Symptoms, Dilorom M. Sass

Theses & Dissertations

Cancer survivors report many debilitating symptoms associated with cancer and its treatments. About 30% will report long-term cancer-related fatigue (CRF) which often co-occurs with depressive symptoms, sleep disturbances, cognitive fatigue, and poor overall health-related quality of life. The underlying causes of these co-occurring symptoms have been related to systemic processes such as inflammation. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain systemic markers such as genetic and protein materials that inform about cell-to-cell interactions that influence immune signaling and inflammatory processing. No study to date has explored the associations of EVs with cancer-related symptoms. So, the purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the …

Development Of Fluorescent Hyaluronic Acid Nanoparticles For Intraoperative Tumor Detection, Nicholas E. Wojtynek

Theses & Dissertations

Surgical resection remains to be the primary treatment for the majority of solid tumors, including breast cancer. The complete removal of the primary tumor, local metastases, and metastatic lymph nodes dramatically improve a patient’s treatment outcome and prognosis. Nevertheless, surgeons are limited to tactile and visual cues in distinguishing malignant and healthy tissue. This can result in a positive surgical margin (PSM), which occurs when tumor goes undetected and is left behind in the surgical cavity. PSMs decreases a patient’s prognosis and necessitate additional treatment in the form of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. An emerging imaging modality, known as fluorescence-guided …