Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Relationships Between Sleep Quality, Health-Related Quality Of Life, And Injury In High School Student Athletes, Karleigh Kirsch

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Various physiological and lifestyle factors make shorter sleep durations more prevalent in young people, leaving them at risk of sleep deprivation. In addition to overall poorer health outcomes and decreases in well-being, lack of sleep has known effects on performance, neurocognitive functioning, and recovery from exercise. This creates a greater potential for sport-related injury to occur. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between sleep quality, health-related quality of life, and injury in high school student athletes. The sample consisted of 100 high school athletes (M age = 15.86, SD = 1.25 years). Participants completed a …

The Effects Of Script Therapy In A Patient With Old Chronic Aphasia, Busra Ensar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There are some gaps in the literature regarding the efficacy of script therapy in patients with chronic aphasia, particularly chronic aphasia that lasts for several years post-onset, in terms of treatments to improve functional communication during daily activities. This study investigates the relationship between script therapy and communication effectiveness and communicative efficiency. In this context, communication effectiveness was measured by the percent script correct, and communicative efficiency was measured by the total duration to produce the script and the mean duration of pauses at the beginning of sentences.

The efficacy of intensive script training on discourse effectiveness and efficiency was …

Factors Associated With Service Utilization In Injured Workers In West Virginia, Brandy Brown

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: Minimal research has been conducted on healthcare utilization among injured workers residing in rural areas. These workers are often at high risk for work-related injury due to the industries in which they work and commonly experience barriers to accessing healthcare. The first study in this dissertation series explored general characteristics of injured workers receiving care at occupational medicine clinics in West Virginia (WV). The second and third studies explored the moderating effects of rurality, pain medication, and psychiatric medication on sociodemographic and health status factors and number of medical encounters.

Methods: Each study used a cross-sectional design with data …

Communicating Clinic Visit Information To Family Caregivers, Reed Wr Bratches

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Statement of the Problem: Information from clinic visits is critical to family caregivers, who are the family members or friends who provide at-home care for their loved ones. However, patient’s clinic visits are infrequently attended by caregivers. While methods exist to communicate information from visits to patients, little is known about the methods used to communicate with caregivers, or their effects on caregiver outcomes. I address this gap in this dissertation through three studies.

Methods: A systematic review was used synthesize the methods used to communicate information to family caregivers and their impact on caregivers. A national survey of family …

Clinical Implications Of Telemedicine For Surgical Care: An Evidence-To-Practice Review, Adam M. Hollien, Mary Catherine Avey, Zachary K. Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Telemedicine is a newer concept in medicine that utilizes technological devices to provide care to patients. In a society already greatly advanced with technology, telemedicine is the new frontier in healthcare. Implementing telemedicine into current practices will benefit both the patient and the provider. The technology utilized with telemedicine has demonstrated promise by decreasing patient travel time, decreasing lost time from work, increasing patient interactions, and increasing interprofessional collaboration. The cost of implementation is minimal compared to the cost savings that will be accrued from utilizing this technology. There are many specialty areas in healthcare where telemedicine can be implemented …

Stress, Stress Appraisal And Coping In Athletic Trainers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lawson Holton

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: There have been many studies conducted on the stress and mental health of frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) over the past months since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Very limited literature has examined the effect of the pandemic on athletic trainers (ATs). Objective: The aim of this investigation was to examine the stress, stress appraisal, and coping measures of ATs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Participants were recruited members from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA). The Perceived Stress Scale-10 was used to measure stress, the Stress Appraisal Measure was used to measure stress appraisal, and the Brief COPE was used …

Challenges In Evaluating Pediatric Fever And Rash In The Era Of Covid-19 And Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children (Mis-C)., Taylor Jarvill, Priyanka Lauber Do, Samuel Umaru Md, Tibisay Villalobos Md, Susan K. Yaeger Md

Department of Emergency Medicine

Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has challenged the medical community to characterize and treat a new illness. Now almost two years after the initial confirmed cases of COVID-19, medical teams are faced with another unique disease process temporally related to the pandemic-multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). The comparison of these patients’ presentations illustrates the new challenges of evaluating a pediatric rash and fever in the era of MIS-C. Case Reports: This report presents three cases with features of MIS-C, positivity for SARS-CoV-2, rashes, fevers, gastrointestinal involvement, and elevated inflammatory markers. The first case poses a diagnostic …

Sex Specific Analysis Of Management And Disposition Of Patients With Venous Thromboembolism During The Covid Pandemic, Catherine V. Levitt, Matthew Mccambridge Md, Beatrice Oertner, Michael Young, Andrew C. Miller Do, Timlin Glaser Md, Amanda R. Stashin, Kira Galeano, Margaret A. Vido Do, Marna R. Greenberg Do, Mph, Facep

USF-LVHN SELECT

No abstract provided.

Exo-Sir: An Epidemiological Model To Analyze The Impact Of Exogenous Spread Of Infection, Nirmal Kumar Sivaraman, Manas Gaur, Shivansh Baijal, Sakthi Balan Muthiah, Amit Sheth

Publications

Epidemics like Covid-19 and Ebola have impacted people's lives significantly. The impact of mobility of people across the countries or states in the spread of epidemics has been significant. The spread of disease due to factors local to the population under consideration is termed the endogenous spread. The spread due to external factors like migration, mobility, etc. is called the exogenous spread. In this paper, we introduce the Exo-SIR model, an extension of the popular SIR model and a few variants of the model. The novelty in our model is that it captures both the exogenous and endogenous spread of …

Effect Of Saliva Contamination On Crown Retention Strengths Of Resin And Rmgi Cements, Bushra Nizami

All ETDs from UAB

Background: The most common contaminant in the oral cavity is saliva. Many studies have shown that contamination with saliva negatively affects the strength of the resin-dentin bond. A literature review by Nair et al reported that 64.6% of studies on the topic show a detrimental effect of salivary contamination on adhesive materials. No published studies were found that thoroughly studied the effects of saliva contamination on RMGIs and resin cements with regards to crown retention rates. Objective: To study the effect of salivary contamination on crown retention strengths of RMGI and resin cements at various stages of bonding and in …

The Effect Of Maxillary Sinus Anatomical Variations, Surgical Considerations, And Patient Factors On Volumetric Changes Following Lateral Wall Sinus Floor Elevation Technique For Up To 8 Years, Mengyi Shi

All ETDs from UAB

jectives: The aim of this retrospective study is to assess the long-term dimensional stability, or shrinkage, of the lateral window sinus grafts using cone beam computed tomography scans (CBCT) and radiographic software. Material and Methods: All patients from UAB Periodontal Graduate Clinic with available records of sinus augmentation via the lateral window approach with delayed implant placement between 2014 and 2019 were screened for having two follow up CBCT scans of diagnostic quality. The first scan must be completed within 6-9 months of lateral window sinus floor elevation (LWSFE) and prior to implant placement. The second CBCT must be taken …

A Comparison Of Growth Factor Release Between Platelet Rich Fibrin And Recombinant Human Platelet Derived Growth Factor Bb (Rhpdgf-Bb) And Beta-Tricalcium Phosphate: An In Vitro Analysis, Maggie Ann Misch

All ETDs from UAB

Patients presenting with significant alveolar bone loss can pose challenges for the clinician. Traditional bone augmentation techniques may be inadequate in achieving necessary gains to restore missing teeth with dental implants. The adjunctive use of growth factors may accelerate the healing process and enhance tissue regeneration. GEM21S is a product that includes a recombinant growth factor approved by the Federal Drug Administration for oral surgery. It is delivered as a two-component system: 1) recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor-BB (rhPDGF-BB) and 2) betatricalcium phosphate (β-TCP).[1] The research on GEM 21S for ridge augmentation is mostly limited to case studies.[2- 4] Biologically, …

Effect Of Etch Time On Sbs Of Machinable Lithium Disilicate Glass Ceramics Using Variolink Esthetic Lc, Mayur Chandrakant Nayee

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this study is to measure the shear bond strength between dental cement and four different machinable, lithium disilicate glass ceramics, under varied etch time with hydrofluoric acid. Ten specimens each of 4 different machinable blocks of lithium disilicate were mounted in cylinders of pink acrylic resin. Each specimen was subjected to etching with hydrofluoric acid, rinsing with water from an air / water nozzle, drying with compressed air, application of a silane primer (Monobond Plus, Ivoclar Vivadent) for at least 60 seconds, then mounted in an Ultradent jig and Variolink Esthetic LC (Ivoclar Vivadent) cement extruded through …

Regional Variations In The Incidence Of Brain Glioma In Adults In Alabama, Mina Lobbous

All ETDs from UAB

Purpose: Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumor in adults in the US with an annual age-adjusted incidence rate of 4.67 to 5.73 per 100,000 persons. Exposure to ioniz-ing radiation is the only established risk factor for non-hereditary glioma risk. There are several sources of carcinogenic contaminants in northeast Alabama and western Georgia with the Coosa River serving as the region’s primary water source. In this study, we aimed to examine the incidence rate of glioma in northeast Alabama compared to the rest of the state as well as the association of possible environmental exposure on disease risk and …

Measuement Of Translucency, Biaxial Flexural Strength, And Radiopacity Of Different Lithium Disilicate Materials, Preshtha Mangla

All ETDs from UAB

Objective: To measure translucency parameter, biaxial flexural strength, radiopacity and microstructure of various lithium disilicate materials used for dental restorations. Materials and Methods: CAD/CAM lithium disilicate glass-ceramic blocks: IPS e.max CAD (Ivoclar Vivadent), CerecTessera (Dentsply Sirona), and Amber Mill (Hassbio America) were used (shade A2, HT, and MT). Blocks of each material were milled (PrograMill PM7, Ivoclar Vivadent) into cylinders (diameter = 14 mm) and cut using circular sectioning saw (IsoMET 1000 Precision Saw, Buehler) into disc-shaped specimens (thickness = 1.00 ± 0.05 mm) (n=5/group). They were hand polished to 1200 grit with SiC paper under water lubrication. The translucency …

The Association Between Paraquat Exposure And Parkinson's Disease Mortality: A County-Level Ecological Study In The United States, Alexander Kozuch

All ETDs from UAB

Objectives: The current study reports the results of an ecological study regarding the association between PQ exposure and Parkinson’s disease mortality in the United States. Methods: The outcome of interest for this study was mortality due to Parkinson’s disease, obtained from CDC Wonder. The exposure of interest was PQ exposure at the county level which was obtained from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Statistical analysis was done using the mortality data, grouped into ten-year age groups, and focused on data from 2015-2019 to account for the lag time between initial Paraquat exposure and Parkinson’s Disease mortality. A Negative Binomial …

Diagnostic Electrophysiology Of The Eye, Brooke Nicole Conner-Tsang

All ETDs from UAB

Aging and age-related changes in the brain are known to parallel functional and anatomical changes in the eye, especially in certain degenerative diseases. This study explores the potential of combining ERG, specifically the Pattern Electroretinogram (PERG), which has a black and white checkerboard pattern, and OCT tests to monitor retinal ganglion cell health. We compared ERG and OCT findings from ten normal females, ages ranging from 18 to 30 years old to ascertain if ganglion cell layer volume is a reliable indicator of ganglion cell function as measured by ERG. Our results from these healthy subjects will serve as prelude …

Intracerebral Hemorrhage Hospitalizations And Outcomes: Comparisons Between Institutional And National Data, Zhuobin Huang

All ETDs from UAB

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is associated with a high risk of in-hospital mortality therefore we decided to define the effect of procedures and other risk factors on in-hospital mortality among different regions in the US. South and UAB Hospital. We used 2 datasets, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital data and the National Inpatient Sample (NIS). We included 425 patients with a diagnosis of intracerebral hemorrhage over 18 years of age from the UAB Hospital stroke registry between 2016 to 2019; in NIS between 2016 to 2018, 68525 patients age 18 or above met inclusion criteria selected by International Classification …

A 15-Year Retrospective Analysis On After-Hours Dental Emergencies In A Children's Hospital Setting, Alexandra An-Yen Chen

All ETDs from UAB

Dental emergencies are one of the most common oral health complications and can exhibit a detrimental impact on a child’s physical and psychological development; additionally, it may impose economic challenges for the family. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the after-hours dental emergency visits in the past 15 years at the Children’s of Alabama (COA) Hospital Emergency Department. Methods: A retrospective chart review between January 2007 and December 2021 was conducted. Patients’ demographics, type of dental complaint, and management were evaluated for overall characteristics in the 15 years and trends in 5-year increments. The impact of the …

Nox2-Derived Superoxide And Mda5-Dependant Responses Contribute To Autoimmune Diabetes, Samuel Isaac Blum

All ETDs from UAB

NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2)-derived superoxide, a precursor for many reactive oxygen species (ROS), regulates cell signaling, cellular trafficking, melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5) responses, and Type 1 diabetes (T1D). Previously, we demonstrated that NOX2-derived superoxide promotes chemokine synthesis, spontaneous and virus-accelerated T1D, and MDA5 responses to coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), an associated environmental trigger for T1D. Yet, it remains unknown if ROS is necessary for diabetogenic T cell trafficking into islets or how MDA5 responses affect T1D. First, using non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice that contain an in-frame deletion within the helicase 1 domain of MDA5 (ΔHel1) or lack MDA5 expression (KO), …

Changes In Pain Intensity And Physical Activity Levels In Individuals With Acetabular Dysplasia Undergoing Periacetabular Osteotomy: A Longitudinal Cohort Study, Naif Z. Alrashdi

All ETDs from UAB

Acetabular dysplasia (AD) is a condition of the hip joint that is characterized by incomplete acetabulum development leading to lack of bony coverage of the femoral head. As a result of intra-articular injury from lack of bony congruency, often, individuals with AD report hip joint instability, pain, decreased hip-related function, and are at high risk for early development of hip osteoarthritis (OA). AD is primarily affects young-to-middle-aged adults, is more common in females and those with history of a breech birth position. Periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is the currently-recommended surgical treatment for AD that aims to reposition the acetabulum to increase …

A Pilot Mixed Methods Study Examining Factors Affecting Return To Work Among African American Stroke Survivors, Kristin D. Ashley

All ETDs from UAB

BACKGROUND: Stroke is a highly prevalent and disabling condition among African Americans. Although there is limited research regarding barriers and facilitators to return to work among stroke survivors, evidence suggests that African American stroke survivors return to work (RTW) less frequently than Caucasians. Most of the research on this topic has been conducted in European countries, leaving significant knowledge gaps on RTW among African Americans in the United States. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that affect RTW for African American stroke survivors and then build upon those results to better understand facilitators and barriers to RTW. …

The Relationship Between State Level Funding, Designated Trauma Centers, And Trauma Related Morbidity, Ginger Henry

All ETDs from UAB

This study examined the relationship of funding and the number of designated trauma centers and age-adjusted trauma mortality across the 50 states. State level funding was defined as monies that were paid to the designated trauma hospitals in aggregate by state and by year for the years 2008 to 2017. The number of designated trauma hospitals were considered in the categories of total number of state trauma hospitals and designation levels 1 through 4. Age-adjusted mortality included the ICD-10 codes for trauma from the WISQARS database. The strategic adaptation theory was used to inform the trauma hospital manager’s need to …

Spike-And-Slab Additive Models And Scalable Algorithms For High Dimensional Data Analysis, Boyi Guo

All ETDs from UAB

There are proposals that extend classical additive models (AMs) to accommodate high-dimensional data (p >> n) using group sparse regularization. However, the sparse regularization may induce excess shrinkage when estimating smooth functions, damaging predictive performance. Moreover, most of these AMs consider an “all-in-allout” approach for functional selection, rendering them difficult to answer if nonlinear effects are necessary. While some Bayesian models can address these shortcomings, model fitting can create a new challenge, scalability. In this dissertation, we propose Bayesian hierarchical additive models to address the previous shortcomings: we consider the smoothing penalty for proper shrinkage of curve interpolation via reparameterization. A …

Three Essays On Federally Qualified Health Centers: Competition, Patient-Centered Medical Home Adoption, Quality Quartiles Ranking And Financial Performance, Hani Al-Maliki

All ETDs from UAB

he following three essays examine the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) industry. The first essay attempts to provide a description on what constitutes a competitive environment for FQHCs located in California, the second explores the impact of FQHC market competition on Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) adoption, and the third essay aims to test the relationship between the adoption of PCMH and FQHCs’ performance. The first essay utilizes Porter's Five Forces model to identify competitive forces in the FQHCs environment to fill a gap in the literature. Building on the first essay, the second essay using Porter’s generic strategies explores …

The Relationship Between Nurse And Therapy Staffing Levels And The Medicare Patient-Driven Payment Model Reimbursement During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Roland T. Shapley

All ETDs from UAB

The Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) brought about a paradigm shift in the way skilled nursing facilities are reimbursed, by linking complexity of care to beneficiary need, expanding case-mix adjusted components by including a non-therapy ancillary and speech language pathology component, and limiting the volume of therapy services provided. The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc upon the nursing home industry that gave rise to high patient and staff infections and fatalities, declining occupancy rates, and nursing shortages, compelling the Department of Health and Human Services to provide $4.9 billion in CARES Funding to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Using Payroll Based Journal, …

Shared Savings Bonus In Mssp And Its Association With Length Of Participation, Terry D. Knight

All ETDs from UAB

Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are integrated groups of providers responsible for reducing cost and improving quality for a group of individuals. Medicare began using these organizations in 2012, after the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), to move away from traditional fee-for-service reimbursement. This alternative payment model is the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). MSSP affords ACOs the opportunity to receive a portion of the savings they achieve if specific cost targets and quality benchmarks are met. Length of participation time in the alternative payment model may increase the ACOs’ ability to achieve savings. The analysis of MSSP savings …

Applying The Hospitalist Model Of Care To Cardiovascular Acute Care Delivery, Ginger K. Biesbrock

All ETDs from UAB

The hospitalist model for managing patients in the hospital setting has been in existence for over 20 years. The hospitalist model for non-specialty care has been found to improve the efficiency of care, maintain quality of care, and support a higher degree of guideline adherence. However, there has been little research focusing on the use of the hospitalist model for specialty care. As cardiovascular programs have begun to adopt the hospitalist model, many are asking if this model is more effective than the traditional model. The main concern is the potential disruption to the patient-physician relationship that occurs with the …

Benzimidazole Derivatives As New Potential Nlrp3 Inflammasome Inhibitors That Provide Neuroprotection In A Rodent Model Of Neurodegeneration And Memory Impairment, Aman Ullah, Lina Tariq Al Kury, Yusuf S. Althobaiti, Tahir Ali, Fawad Ali Shah

All Works

Objective: The study investigated the effect of newly synthesized benzimidazole derivatives against ethanol-induced neurodegenera-tion. According to evidence, ethanol consumption may cause a severe insult to the central nervous system (CNS), resulting in mental retardation, neuronal degeneration, and oxidative stress. Targeting neuroinflammation and oxidative stress may be a useful strategy for preventing ethanol-induced neurodegeneration. Methodology: Firstly, the newly synthesized compounds were subjected to molecular simulation and docking in order to predict ligand binding status. Later, for in vivo observations, adult male Sprague Dawley rats were used for studying behavioral and oxidative stress markers. ELIZA kits were used to analyse tumour necrosis …

Analysing The Structural Dynamics Of Retinoid X Receptor Using Hydrogen Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry, Nathalia Melo

All ETDs from UAB

Nuclear receptors (NR) are ligand-activated transcription factors that are targets for drug discovery due to their ability to directly modulate gene expression. There are 48 NRs and approximately half of them require heterodimerization with retinoid X receptor (RXR) to function. Targretin (bexarotene) is an FDA-approved RXR specific (rexinoid) currently used to treat Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma (CTCL); however, it causes hyperlipidemia toxicities. A functionally similar rexinoid developed at UAB, 9-cis-UAB30 (UAB30), is non-toxic and weak agonist in the liver. While UAB30 shows promise as a low toxicity chemopreventative drug, the mechanism of UAB30 action at the molecular level is poorly understood. …