Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Blocking Behavior In Brass Players: Connections Between Fluency In Speech And Music, Marissa Gonzales

McNair Scholars Manuscripts

Many professional brass musicians deal with an under-studied performance issue with no official term. Some labels are the Valsalva maneuver, musical stuttering, blocking, or task-specific dystonia. When a brass musician attempts to play, their core may tighten up, airflow stops in the larynx or oral cavity, and the note gets “stuck.” A similar physical reaction is seen when people stutter in speech. The goal of this study was to determine how similar blocking in brass musicians and speech stuttering are in four areas: physical symptoms, emotional connections, onset descriptions, and environments that can cause fluency or disfluency. A survey was …

Concomitant Essential Thrombocythemia And Mature B -Lymphoproliferative Disorder In A Patient, Ayesha Butt, Ruhul Quddus, Natasha Bahadur Ali

Section of Haematology/Oncology

A-64-year old male presented with cough, weight loss, and maculopapular rash for 15-20 days. On examination, he was found to have cervical lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly. His leukocyte count was 62.1x109/L, platelets were 1169x109/L and LDH was 816 IU/L. Peripheral blood film showed a leukoerythroblastic picture with thrombocytosis. He was started on hydroxyurea and allopurinol. Subsequently, bone marrow evaluation was done which depicted increased lymphoid cells with an M:E ratio of 4:1. Cellular areas exhibited an increase in myeloid precursors along with prominent lymphoid cells and abundant megakaryocytes. Immunohistochemistry showed an increase in B-lymphocytes. Grade MF-2 reticulin fibrosis was noted. Overall …

Parents Raising Children With Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities In Jamaica: A Grounded Theory Approach, Maureen Lowers-Roach

Theses & Dissertations

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and/or challenges of parents or guardians of school-aged children who have intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) and are living in Jamaica. Background Raising a child with IDD can be overwhelming for parents and families, as it may drain them financially, emotionally, psychologically, and socially. Due to the relative poverty and scarcity of adequate resources in Jamaica, the burden of caring for a child with special needs may be challenging. Attitudes toward persons with disabilities are negative in Jamaica. Although several laws are designed to protect children with disabilities, there …

Aadej Comm 7 1 2021

AADEJ - The Communicator

The Communicator is the official journal of the American Association of Dental Editors and Journalists (AADEJ). It is published quarterly, distributed digitally via email to members, and posted on the Association's website, AADEJ.org. Each issue includes regular updates from the editorial team and AADEJ board, as well as feature articles on current issues in the field.

Iat-Times: Intra-Arterial Thrombectomy Transfer Metric Study In Texas, Tzu-Ching Wu, Christy Ankrom, Michele Joseph, Alyssa Trevino, Liang Zhu, Steven Warach, Roberta R. Novakovic, Mark P. Goldberg, Lee A. Birnbaum, Ameer E. Hassan

School of Medicine Publications

Objective: We aim to report intra-arterial thrombectomy transfer metrics for ischemic stroke patients that were transferred to hub hospitals for possible intra-arterial thrombectomy in multiple geographic regions throughout the state of Texas and to identify potential barriers and delays in the intra-arterial thrombectomy transfer process.

Method: We prospectively collected data from 8 participating Texas comprehensive stroke/thrombectomy capable centers from 7 major regions in the State of Texas. We collected baseline clinical and imaging data related to the pre-transfer evaluation, transfer metrics, and post-transfer clinical and imaging data.

Results: A total of 103 acute ischemic stroke patients suspected/confirmed to have …

New Dithiocarbamates As A Possible Human Serum Albumin Metal Carrier In Drug Delivery Systems And Their Antioxidant And Antiproliferative Activities, Saadi M.D. Al-Nuzal, Azhar M. Haleem, Ken Czerwinski, Salah M. Haleem

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research

New mono- and bis-dithiocarbamates were prepared from the reaction of organic dihydrazides -NHNH-(C=O)(CH2)x-(C=O)NHNH- (where x = 0, 2, 4) and basic carbon disulfide with varying chain length 10-14 atom as a human serum metal carrier. The products were characterized by various spectrophotometric such as 1H and 13C NMR and elemental analysis. Their antiproliferative activities were examined on two species of the standard strains of the Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Gram-negative Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 by following the procedure of broth micro-dilution method (BMM), which was applied at the concentrations: 0.0, 100, 200, and 300 ppm for each compound. …

Effect Of Whole Fruit Based Anthocyanins On Systemic Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, And Waist Circumference In Women, Anastasiya Yudinova

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Cardiometabolic disease (CMD) remains the leading cause of death nationally. Intra-abdominal fat (IAF) is one of the primary risk factors for CMD. Women are particularly vulnerable to developing CMD due to hormonal changes during and after menopause that increase IAF. Excess IAF has deleterious effects on the body, increasing systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, leading to CMD. This systematic review and meta-analyses examined current research related to consumption of whole foods high in anthocyanins, their impact on oxidative stress and inflammation, and the medium and amount of anthocyanin delivery that yields the most benefits to women at risk for CMD. …

Associations Between Fruit Intake And Risk Of Diabetes In The Ausdiab Cohort: Supplementary Material, Nicola P. Bondonno, Raymond J. Davey, Kevin Murray, Simone Radavelli-Bagatini, Catherine P. Bondonno, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, Marc Sim, Dianna J. Magliano, Robin M. Daly, Jonathan E. Shaw, Joshua R. Lewis, Jonathan M. Hodgson

Research Datasets

Supplementary Material accompanying manuscript entitled ‘Associations between fruit intake and risk of diabetes in the AusDiab cohort’.

Data Supporting Development And Validation Of Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method For The Quantitative Determination Of Bile Acids In Feces, Armaghan Shafaei, Joanna Rees, Claus Christophersen, Amanda Devine, David Broadhurst, Mary C. Boyce

Research Datasets

The data presented here support the optimization of feces sample extraction for sensitive quantification of bile acids in human feces using LC-MS/MS. The dataset includes: Comparison between recovery of bile acids from (a) dried feces, (b) dried feces spiked with deuterated internal standards prior to drying, and (c) wet feces Short-term stability data for bile acids standard solutions and fecal extracts containing bile acids after 24 h storage at room temperature and at 6°C, Data for multiple freeze-thaw cycles on bile acids recovery in both standard solutions and fecal samples, Bile acids recovery from cold and warm extractions data.

Joint Modeling Of Rnaseq And Radiomics Data For Glioma Molecular Characterization And Prediction, Zeina A. Shboul, Norou Diawara, Arastoo Vossough, James Y. Chen, Khan M. Iftekharuddin

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

RNA sequencing (RNAseq) is a recent technology that profiles gene expression by measuring the relative frequency of the RNAseq reads. RNAseq read counts data is increasingly used in oncologic care and while radiology features (radiomics) have also been gaining utility in radiology practice such as disease diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment planning. However, contemporary literature lacks appropriate RNA-radiomics (henceforth, radiogenomics) joint modeling where RNAseq distribution is adaptive and also preserves the nature of RNAseq read counts data for glioma grading and prediction. The Negative Binomial (NB) distribution may be useful to model RNAseq read counts data that addresses potential shortcomings. …

Optimizing A Pediatric Dka Protocol In A Tertiary Care Hospital System In Northern West Virginia, Jennifer L. Burky

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious complication of diabetes that occurs when the body compensates for insufficient insulin, producing dangerously high levels of ketones. Without proper treatment, DKA can be fatal. For that reason, staff in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at a tertiary care hospital in northern West Virginia expressed concerns about the complexity of and lack of adherence to a poorly referenced and dated DKA treatment protocol.

Objective: The purpose of this project was to assess the feasibility and sustainability of optimizing the DKA protocol in the PICU. The primary objective was to implement an updated, …

Biocompatible And Multifunctional Trityl Spin Probes For Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Teresa D. Gluth

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The primary objective of my thesis was to develop and utilize a biocompatible multifunctional trityl spin probe for concurrent measurement of pO₂, pH_e, and [P_i] in vivo by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy (Chapter 2). My first goal was to synthesize the proposed probe we are terming HOPE71. Secondly, HOPE71 was characterized by X-band and L-band EPR spectroscopy. Next, the biocompatibility of HOPE71 was assessed through an albumin binding test, cytotoxicity assays, and in vivo intravenous tolerance. Then, the use of HOPE71 to measure the target parameters was demonstrated in a breast cancer …

A Short Film That Addresses Substance Use Disorders In Rural Communities And Strategies In Prevention And Treatment Of Addiction, Sarah R. Poteracki

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research paper and accompanying video (link to the short film is here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1etDnUmEvkOds8J0EKnq1gnFO79-GggjY) offer insight into the current state of research collaboration surrounding substance use disorders in West Virginia. This professional project explores the importance of collaboration both in a research and clinical setting and in the social realm. The film was shown at the 2nd annual meeting for the Appalachian Node of the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network on February 25, 2021. I interviewed 14 researchers and experts from a diverse range of disciplines who shared insights and strategies in the prevention and treatment of …

Semantics Of The Black-Box: Can Knowledge Graphs Help Make Deep Learning Systems More Interpretable And Explainable?, Manas Gaur, Keyur Faldu, Amit Sheth

Publications

The recent series of innovations in deep learning (DL) have shown enormous potential to impact individuals and society, both positively and negatively. The DL models utilizing massive computing power and enormous datasets have significantly outperformed prior historical benchmarks on increasingly difficult, well-defined research tasks across technology domains such as computer vision, natural language processing, signal processing, and human-computer interactions. However, the Black-Box nature of DL models and their over-reliance on massive amounts of data condensed into labels and dense representations poses challenges for interpretability and explainability of the system. Furthermore, DLs have not yet been proven in their ability to …

Extending Animal Welfare Science To Include Wild Animals, Walter Veit, Heather Browning

Animal Sentience

Ng’s (2016) target article built on his earlier work advocating a science of welfare biology (Ng 1995). Although there were problems with the models proposed in Ng’s original paper regarding the balance of pleasure and suffering for wild animals, his call for a science of wild animal welfare was a sound one. This does not require a new discipline but just an extension of the existing frameworks and methods of animal welfare science to include wild animals.

“You Felt Like A Prisoner In Your Own Self, Trapped”: The Experiences Of Aboriginal People With Acquired Communication Disorders, Elizabeth Armstrong, Juli Coffin, Deborah Hersh, Judith M. Katzenellenbogen, Sandra C. Thompson, Natalie Ciccone, Leon Flicker, Deborah Woods, Colleen Hayward, Catelyn Dowell, Meaghan Mcallister

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose:

Aboriginal Australians are under-represented in brain injury rehabilitation services despite a high incidence of both stroke and traumatic brain injury in this population. This study aimed to explore the experiences of Aboriginal Australian adults with acquired communication disorders (ACDs) after brain injury for the first time to inform the development of accessible and culturally secure service delivery models.

Methods and materials:

Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 32 Aboriginal people who had experienced a brain injury resulting in ACDs (aged 35–79 years) and 18 family members/carers across Western Australia. Thematic analysis identified common themes across participants.

Results:

Overall themes related …

Prostate Cancer Survivorship Care: If Not Now, When?, Jeffrey Dunn, Peter Heathcote, Suzanne K. Chambers

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Australian men, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, and it is estimated that there are over 220 000 Australian men living with a diagnosis of prostate cancer [1]. Survival for men with prostate cancer is excellent in countries that have accessible screening and treatment services, and in Australia 5-year relative survival is over 95% [1]. High incidence, coupled with improving long-term survival, leads to a correspondingly high prevalence rate and high community disease burden. Many men with prostate cancer experience long-term decrements in their mental and physical quality of life, overall they have …

Communication Surrounding Initiation And Withdrawal Of Non-Invasive Ventilation In Adults With Motor Neuron(E) Disease: Clinicians’ And Family Members’ Perspectives, Charlotte Chapman, Sara Bayes, Moira Sim

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction: International guidelines recommend that health care clinicians communicate with people with MND and their family members about non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and percutaneous gastrostomy tube (PEG) prior to or at the onset of respiratory symptoms. This study sought to discover the degree to which these recommendations are followed in practice.

Methods: Interpretive Description methodology was employed. Nineteen clinicians experienced in caring for people with MND, six relatives of recently deceased people with MND and one person with MND participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews. Clinicians’ accounts of NIV and PEG related communications were compared to family member participants’ recollections of their …

Spon1 Is Associated With Amyloid-Β And Apoe Ε4-Related Cognitive Decline In Cognitively Normal Adults, Shane Fernandez, Samantha C. Burnham, Lidija Milicic, Greg Savage, Paul Maruff, Madeline Peretti, Hamid R. Sohrabi, Yen Ying Lim, Michael Weinborn, David Ames, Colin L. Masters, Ralph N. Martins, Stephanie Rainey-Smith, Christopher C. Rowe, Olivier Salvado, David Groth, Giuseppe Verdile, Victor L. Villemagne, Tenielle Porter, Simon M. Laws

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Genetic variation in Spondin-1, specifically rs11023139, has been associated with reduced rates of cognitive decline in individuals with Alzheimer's disease. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess whether the association was present in cognitively normal older adults. Methods: Longitudinal cognitive decline was investigated using linear mixed modelling in a cohort of 590 cognitively normal older adults enrolled in the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle Study. Results: No independent effect of Spondin-1 rs11023139 on cognitive decline was observed. However, significant associations were observed for the interaction between Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ϵ4 and rs11023139 in individuals with high amyloid-β …

A Population-Specific Major Allele Reference Genome From The United Arab Emirates Population, Gihan Daw Elbait, Andreas Henschel, Guan K. Tay, Habiba S. Al Safar

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The ethnic composition of the population of a country contributes to the uniqueness of each national DNA sequencing project and, ideally, individual reference genomes are required to reduce the confounding nature of ethnic bias. This work represents a representative Whole Genome Sequencing effort of an understudied population. Specifically, high coverage consensus sequences from 120 whole genomes and 33 whole exomes were used to construct the first ever population specific major allele reference genome for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). When this was applied and compared to the archetype hg19 reference, assembly of local Emirati genomes was reduced by ∼19% (i.e., …

The Influence Of Sunlight Exposure And Sun Protecting Behaviours On Allergic Outcomes In Early Childhood, Kristina Rueter, Anderson P. Jones, Aris Siafarikas, Paola Chivers, Susan L. Prescott, Debra J. Palmer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The dramatic rise in allergic disease has occurred in tandem with recent environmental changes and increasing indoor lifestyle culture. While multifactorial, one consistent allergy risk factor has been reduced sunlight exposure. However, vitamin D supplementation studies have been disappointing in preventing allergy, raising possible independent effects of ultraviolet (UV) light exposure. The aim of this study was to examine whether UV light exposure influences the development of allergic disease in early childhood. Direct sunlight exposure (290–380 nm) in early infancy was measured via UV dosimeters. Outdoor exposure, sun protective behaviours, and allergy outcomes were assessed over the first 2.5 years …

Covid-19 Disease Severity And Death In Relation To Vitamin D Status Among Sars-Cov-2-Positive Uae Residents, Habiba Alsafar, William B. Grant, Rafiq Hijazi, Maimunah Uddin, Nawal Alkaabi, Guan Tay, Bassam Mahboub, Fatme Al Anouti

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Insufficient blood levels of the neurohormone vitamin D are associated with increased risk of COVID-19 severity and mortality. Despite the global rollout of vaccinations and promising preliminary results, the focus remains on additional preventive measures to manage COVID-19. Results conflict on vitamin D’s plausible role in preventing and treating COVID-19. We examined the relation between vitamin D status and COVID-19 severity and mortality among the multiethnic population of the United Arab Emirates. Our observational study used data for 522 participants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at one of the main hospitals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Only 464 of those …

Summary Of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (Fasd) Among Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People, Australian Indigenous Healthinfonet

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a condition caused by alcohol exposure before birth. During pregnancy, alcohol freely crosses the placenta. The baby cannot process the alcohol and this may result in damage to the baby’s brain and body. Not all babies exposed to alcohol during pregnancy will develop FASD, but there is no safe level of alcohol use during pregnancy. FASD is a lifelong condition that results in cognitive, physical and behavioural disabilities. FASD occurs everywhere in Australia where people drink alcohol. Many women drink during pregnancy before they know they are pregnant and there is a lack of …

Fathers’ Experiences Of Feeding Their Extremely Preterm Infants In Family-Centred Neonatal Intensive Care: A Qualitative Study, Evalotte Mörelius, Sofia Brogren, Sandra Andersson, Siw Alehagen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

Extremely preterm infants need advanced intensive care for survival and are usually not discharged before they reach the time of expected birth. In a family-centred neonatal intensive care unit both parents are involved at all levels of care including the feeding process. However, studies focusing on fathers in this situation are scarce. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of feeding extremely preterm infants in a neonatal intensive care unit from fathers’ perspectives.

Methods:

The study adopts a qualitative inductive method, reported according to the COREQ checklist. Seven fathers of extremely preterm infants (gestational age 24–27 …

The Effectiveness Of Nurse-Led Interventions To Prevent Childhood And Adolescent Overweight And Obesity: A Systematic Review Of Randomised Trials, Lisa Whitehead, Istvan (Ishti) Kabdebo, Melissa Dunham, Robyn Quinn, Jennifer Hummelshoj, Cobie George, Elizabeth Denney-Wilson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

Obesity among children and adolescents continues to rise worldwide. Despite the efforts of the healthcare workforce, limited high-quality evidence has been put forward demonstrating effective childhood obesity interventions. The role of nurses as primary actors in childhood obesity prevention has also been underresearched given the size of the workforce and their growing involvement in chronic disease prevention.

Aim:

To examine the effectiveness of nurse-led interventions to prevent childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity.

Design:

A systematic review of randomised trials.

Data sources:

Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane (CENTRAL), ProQuest Central and SCOPUS were searched from inception to March 2020.

Review …

Developing A Comprehensive Testing Battery For Mixed Martial Arts, Matthew Plush, Stuart N. Guppy, Kazunori Nosaka, Oliver Barley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

International Journal of Exercise Science 14(4): 941-961, 2021. Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a combat sport that employs techniques from different combat disciplines. There are a multitude of technical and physiological characteristics that contribute to competitive success. Developing a single scientific assessment that can predict competitive outcomes poses great difficulty due to the complexity of MMA. While previous research has investigated some important physiological characteristics, there is no accepted best-practice for a comprehensive testing battery. As such, this study aimed to design and utilize a battery of physiological assessments to cover aerobic and anaerobic function, strength measures including explosive and …

Revealing Meaning From Story: The Application Of Narrative Inquiry To Explore The Factors That Influence Decision Making In Relation To The Withdrawal Of Life-Sustaining Treatment In The Intensive Care Unit, Fiona Foxall, Deborah Sundin, Amanda Towell-Barnard Phd, Mnursing, Beverly Ewens, Vivien Kemp, Davina Porock

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper considers the effectiveness of narrative inquiry as a research method in collecting and analyzing stories from a purposive sample of intensive care nurses and doctors, regarding their perceptions of the factors that influence decision-making in relation to the withdrawal of life sustaining treatment. Delaying the withdrawal of treatment when it is clearly indicated, may result in unnecessary patient suffering at the end of life, distress for the family as well as moral distress for staff. In narrative inquiry participants’ first-hand accounts of their experiences are told through story; the focus of analysis is the story, with the story …

Cdk5 Positively Regulates Notch1 Signaling In Pancreatic Cancer Cells By Phosphorylation, Qiaoyun Chu, Liyong Wang, Jie Zhang, Wei Wang, Youxin Wang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The marked overexpression of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) or Notch1 receptor, which plays critical roles in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) development, has been detected in numerous PDAC cell lines and tissues. Although, a previous study has demonstrated that CDK5 inhibition disrupts Notch1 functions in human umbilical vein endothelial cells, the mechanism underlying Notch1 activation regulated by CDK5 remains unclear. Herein, we identified a physical interaction between CDK5 and Notch1 in PDAC cells, with the Notch1 peptide phosphorylated by CDK5/p25 kinase. CDK5 blockade resulted in the profound inhibition of Notch signaling. Accordingly, CDK5 inhibition sensitized PDAC cell proliferation and migration following …

Learning Deficit In Cognitively Normal Apoe Ε4 Carriers With Low Β-Amyloid, Yen Ying Lim, Jenalle E. Baker, Andrea Mills, Loren Bruns, Christopher Fowler, Jurgen Fripp, Stephanie R. Rainey-Smith, David Ames, Colin L. Masters, Paul Maruff

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction: In cognitively normal (CN) adults, increased rates of amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulation can be detected in low Aβ (Aβ–) apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 carriers. We aimed to determine the effect of ε4 on the ability to benefit from experience (ie, learn) in Aβ–CNs. Methods: Aβ– CNs(n= 333) underwent episodic memory assessments every 18 months for 108 months. A subset (n = 48) completed the Online Repeatable Cognitive Assessment-Language Learning Test (ORCA-LLT) over 6 days. Results: Aβ– ε4 carriers showed significantly lower rates of improvement on episodic memory over 108 months compared to non-carriers (d = 0.3). Rates of learning …

Effects Of Spaceflight On Musculoskeletal Health: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Considerations For Interplanetary Travel, Paul Comfort, John J. Mcmahon, Paul A. Jones, Matthew Cuthbert, Kristina Kendall, Jason P. Lake, G. Gregory Haff

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: If interplanetary travel is to be successful over the coming decades, it is essential that countermeasures to minimize deterioration of the musculoskeletal system are as effective as possible, given the increased duration of spaceflight associated with such missions. The aim of this review, therefore, is to determine the magnitude of deconditioning of the musculoskeletal system during prolonged spaceflight and recommend possible methods to enhance the existing countermeasures. Methods: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Ovid and Scopus databases. 5541 studies were identified prior to the removal of duplicates and the application of the following inclusion criteria: (1) group …