Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Influence Of Strength In Load-Velocity Relationships In The Back Squat, Thaddeus Light

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Load-velocity relationships may vary between people of different strength levels and across different loads. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate how external loads influence the velocity characteristics of the back squat exercise, and the influence of strength on these variables. Healthy male students with a history of resistance training completed repetitions at specified intensities of their estimated one-repetition maximum (1RM) until they reached 1RM. Back squat 3D motion analysis was captured using four Vicon T010 cameras (Vicon Motion Systems Ltd.; Oxford, UK) and Vicon Nexus 1.8.5 software. Data were transported into R custom coding statistical analysis software (version …

The Effects Of Branched Chained Amino Acid Supplementation On Acute Markers Of Fatigue And Performance, Joseph Walters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this dissertation were to investigate the acute effects of branched-chain amino acids on psychological, physiological, and subsequent performance changes following high volume resistance training. The rationale for this study design was based on abrupt or contiguous training/ competitions that specific athletes encounter in a competitive season. This study design also sought to fill some gaps in the scientific literature concerning the efficacy of BCAAs for subjective fatigue in a resistance training paradigm. To address the purposes of this dissertation, a one-week study was conducted on resistance trained males, in which half of the subjects were randomly selected …

The Influence Of Chronic Branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementation On Measures Of Central And Peripheral Fatigue In Training Athletes, Tara K. Whiton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation may improve recovery from competitive endurance training by reducing symptoms of central and peripheral fatigue. The purpose of this dissertation was to provide evidence for the use of BCAAs as a training nutrition strategy in order to improve recovery from training and further drive adaptive processes to training by increasing readiness to train. Collegiate distance runners undergoing intense competitive endurance training were monitored for symptoms of muscular soreness and psychological stress through a rated soreness chart and the Daily Analysis of Life Demands for Athletes Survey (DALDA) while taking either a BCAA supplement or a …

Exploring The Role Of Social Capital In The Implementation Of Fruit And Vegetable Incentive Programs: A Case Study Of The Appalachian Farmacy Program, Kiriinya Mwirigi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study was conducted to explore the role of social capital in the implementation of Fruit and Vegetable Incentive Programs (FVIP) through a case study of the Appalachian Farmacy (AF) program and to fill a gap in literature on social capital utility in the implementation and evaluation of FVIPs. The study was guided by a conceptual model adopted from Berkman et al. (2000) to identify the mechanisms through which social networks can impact health. A qualitative content analysis was conducted retrospectively on secondary data from the evaluation of AF program to identify social capital attributes. In addition, the study conducted …

Barbell Trajectory And Kinematics During Two International Weightlifting Championships, Aaron J. Cunanan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Several methods have been used in the scientific literature to study the weightlifting pull. Broadly, these methods are used to measure kinematic or kinetic variables exhibited by the lifter, the barbell, or the lifter-barbell system. However, there is an apparent disconnect between weightlifting research and coaching practice that may reduce the perceived benefits of technique analysis among coaches and present some challenges for coaches who seek to incorporate technique analysis into their coaching practice. Differences and trends in the technique of competitive weightlifting performances are apparent from the available literature. However, there are also gaps in the literature due to …

Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Mental Health Outcomes And Related Prescription Practices In A Psychiatric Inpatient Sample, Carrie Lemay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A definitive association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and negative physical and mental health outcomes has been established. There is evidence that individuals in forensic psychiatric facilities are disproportionately exposed to ACEs, which may impact severity, prognosis, and age of onset of psychiatric symptoms, including behavioral concerns of institutional aggression, self-harm behaviors, and suicide attempts. Such psychiatric and behavioral concerns are often managed through multiple psychotropic prescriptions, leading to psychotropic polypharmacy. This study evaluated the relationship between ACEs, mental health and behavioral concerns, and psychotropic polypharmacy through analysis of archival data from a forensic inpatient psychiatric facility. A total of …

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Speech-Language Pathologists’ Perceptions Of Infants With Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Lauren Fabrize

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics, assessment, and treatment of infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) as perceived by Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) and whether it differed from those of other Neonatal Intensive Care Unit populations.

Methods: A secure web-based questionnaire with 62 questions collected information on NAS, caseloads, treatment environment, and demographics. Twenty-six respondents initiated the survey; 42% completed most or all questions. Response analyses included descriptive and nonparametric inferential statistics.

Results: Infants with NAS were on the caseloads of 73% of respondents. The majority (79%) only saw infants with NAS and feeding problems. Primary …

Sugammadex Versus Neostigmine: Operating Room Time And Cost, Annie Benscheidt, Kenn B Daratha

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Background The choice of neuromuscular blockade reversal agents impacts cost and operating room time. Currently, the two medications used to reverse neuromuscular blockade are Neostigmine and Sugammadex. These medications differ in both cost and pharmacologic profiles which effect the time and predictability of reversal (Carron, Zarantonello, Tellaroli, & Ori, 2016). Evaluating cost and time differences in reversal using Sugammadex and Neostigmine helps anesthesia providers select the appropriate medication. This evidence based practice project examined the difference in case length and operating room and reversal agent costs in cases using Sugammadex and Neostigmine at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center.

Methods • …

Differential Placing Of Flexion Creases Contributes To Sex Differences In The Second-To-Fourth Digit Ratio (2d:4d), Sanjay Kumar, Martin Voracek, Maharaj Singh

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

The present research examined whether differential placing of the basal flexion creases contributes to the occurrence of sex differences in digit ratio (2D:4D) derived from palmar digit lengths. The ratio of palmar-to-dorsal digit length, a measure of the placing of the basal flexion crease in the finger, was derived for the digits 2 and 4 of the right hand in two independent samples (Study I: N = 100; Study II: N = 200), in accordance with discovery-replication sample approach. The results show that men have lower palmar-to-dorsal digit ratios than women, and this effect is significantly stronger for digit 2 …

Acute Cardiovascular Response To Low-Load Unilateral, Bilateral, And Alternating Resistance Exercise With Blood Flow Restriction In The Lower Body, Daphney Stanford

Master's Theses

Resistance exercise with blood flow restriction (BFR) has been suggested to exaggerate the exercise pressor response over traditional non-BFR exercise. While applying BFR relative to an individual’s arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) and exercising at low-loads seems to produce a comparable cardiovascular response to traditional moderate or high-load training, it is beneficial to identify modifications for reducing the cardiovascular response to BFR exercise. PURPOSE: To determine if unilateral (UNI), bilateral (BI), or alternating (ALT) exercise modalities elicit different cardiovascular responses during BFR exercise. METHODS: 18 participants (13 male and 5 female) performed four sets of UNI, BI, and ALT knee-extensions at …

Exploring Neighborhood Level Variation In Incidence And Secondary Transmission Of Seasonal Influenza, Melissa Freeland

Masters Theses

Influenza epidemics in the United States, are major causes of morbidity and mortality, and cause serious economic disruption on an annual basis. Evidence has begun to accumulate linking neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage to higher rates of hospitalization and mortality related to influenza (Cordoba & Aiello, 2016; Jung, Lin, & Viswanath, 2013). Some studies suggest that this may be due to lower rates of vaccination, higher rates of comorbidities in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities (Cordoba & Aiello, 2016; Jung, Lin, & Viswanath, 2013; Ross & Mirowsky, 2001). However, few studies have evaluated the effects of neighborhood level socioeconomic disadvantage and structural features on …

Influence Of Child Feeding Practices And Selected Basic Conditioning Factors On Stunting In Children Between 6 And 24 Months Of Age In Myanmar, Khine-Wai-Wai Phu, Jariya Wittayasooporn, Chuanruedee Kongsaktrakul

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: A cross-sectional predictive study was carried out to examine the influence of child feeding practices on stunting status of children between 6–24 months in Yangon Children Hospital, Myanmar. This study aimed to assess if dependent-care can influence stunting. Methods: Data were collected by anthropometric measurement from a total of 216 children between 6 and 24 months of age. For mothers, structured interview, demographic form, and infant child feeding index were used. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and logistic regression were carried out. Results: One-fourth of participants exhibited a low score of infant child-feeding practices, whereas median and high score practice accounted …

Effect Of Coral Goniopora Sp Scaffold Application On Human Osteoblast-Like Mg-63 Cell Activity In Vitro, Vera Julia, Basril Abbas, Endang W. Bachtiar, Benny S. Latief, Anne M. Kuijpers-Jagtman

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Coral is an osteo-conductive biomaterial that can act as an alternative scaffold for osteogenesis. In this in vitro study we analyzed the activity of osteoblast-like cells after treatment with the coral Goniopora. Methods: Human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells were incubated in α-minimal essential medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and 300 ng/mL amphotericin B plus 1% penicillin-streptomycin and stored in a 5% CO2 incubator at 37°C. The Goniopora were smashed into size A (20 mesh), B (1–2 mm), and C (200 mesh) particles, sterilized using gamma radiation and applied to cells. Protein and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) concentrations were evaluated …

Gene Expression Of Selected Apoptotic Markers In Human Oral Squamous Carcinoma Hsc-3 Cell Line Treated With Myrmecodia Pendans Plant Extract, Widya Lestari, Wan N A W Yusry, Siti H. Iskandar, Solachuddin J A Ichwan, Nining I. Irfan, Wastuti H. Suriyah

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Myrmecodia pendans (M. pendans), or Sarang Semut, is an epiphyte with anticancer potential. It was recently reported that it induces apoptotic activity in the human oral squamous carcinoma (HSC-3) cell line. This study aimed to investigate the effect of M. pendans treated samples on the expression of apoptotic markers, Bax and Bcl-2. Methods: M. pendans was purchased from West Papua, Indonesia. The hypocotyl was dried thoroughly and then extracted aqueously. The apoptotic activity was detected via flow cytometry. Bax and Bcl-2 expression was analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Results of our cell cycle analysis reveal that …

Contemporary Nursing In Rural Appalachia: A Hermeneutic Study, Evelyn Brewer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nurses make up a significant source of direct care for individuals, families, and communities. The problematic distribution of nurses and the potential to lose practicing nurses emphasizes the importance of retention and support of nursing professionals, especially in rural locations. One of the best ways to discover what is important to nurses is to ask and listen to the replies.

The focus for this dissertation is the lived experience of registered nurses in a six-county area in three adjoining states in rural South Central Appalachia. The purpose of this study is to interpret and understand the lived experience of contemporary …

Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Mothers’ Experiences Of Psychosocial Care And Communication By Midwives During Childbirth In Nairobi, Kenya, Jane Kabo, Eleanor Holroyd, Grace Edwards, Ahmed Sarki

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Purpose: To clarify sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors associated with mothers’ experiences of psychosocial care and communication by midwives during childbirth in Nairobi, Kenya.

Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in a government national referral hospital. Respondents were 109 systematically sampled mothers who delivered in the study hospital. Mothers’ experiences of intrapartum care were assessed using three subscales from the Experience of Psychosocial Care and Communication during Childbirth Questionnaire (effective communication; emotional support; and respect, care and dignity). Simple and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess associations between sociodemographic factors, socioeconomic factors and mothers’ experiences of intrapartum care.

Findings: …

Case-Based Insights: Arab Muslim Mothers’ Experiences Of Managing A Child Newly Diagnosed With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Rachel Cathrine Rossiter, Jennifer Louise Cooper, Suhad Issa Marjei, Sharon Brownie

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Mothers frequently fulfill the role of primary caregiver for children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). A T1DM diagnosis has a significant impact on the child and the wider family unit. The objective is to develop understanding of mothers’ experiences caring for children diagnosed with T1DM in the cultural context of the Middle East to facilitate enhanced health service provision and support. This study used a qualitative design. Data were collected in individual semistructured interviews. Participants were mothers of Arabic descent and Muslim belief who had a child diagnosed with T1DM within the last 12 months. All mothers were …

Biological Pathway Involvement In Melanoma Heterogeneity And Drug-Induced Resistance, Sarah V. Pack

STAR Program Research Presentations

Tumors develop resistance to numerous drug therapies, and this remains a major obstacle in treating many types of non-surgical cancers. Melanoma provides a good model system for studying drug resistance in cancer due to its high propensity to incur resistance after a significant initial response to a drug. Genes that are highly expressed in melanoma cancer cells have been studied, but in order to further understand the collective function of these highly expressed genes we must analyze gene sets, or pathways. A single gene’s function is rarely independent of other genes, and pathway analysis takes this into account.

Our objective …

An Information Theory Model For Optimizing Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Acquisitions, Drew Mitchell

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) is a powerful group of imaging techniques with a growing number of clinical applications, including synthetic image generation in post-processing, automatic segmentation, and diagnosis of disease from quantitative parameter values. Currently, acquisition parameter selection is performed empirically for quantitative MRI. Tuning parameters for different scan times, tissues, and resolutions requires some measure of trial and error. There is an opportunity to quantitatively optimize these acquisition parameters in order to maximize image quality and the reliability of the previously mentioned methods which follow image acquisition.

The objective of this work is to introduce and evaluate a …

Modeling Proton Relative Biological Effectiveness Using Monte Carlo Simulations Of Microdosimetry, Mark A. Newpower

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Proton therapy is a radiotherapy modality that can offer a better physical dose distribution when compared to photon radiotherapy by taking advantage of the Bragg peak, a narrow region of rapid energy loss. Proton therapy is also known to offer an enhanced relative biological effectiveness (RBE) compared to photons. In the current clinical standard, RBE is fixed at 1.1 at all points along the proton beam, meaning protons are assumed to require 10% less dose than photons to achieve target coverage and organ at risk (OAR) sparing. However, there is mounting clinical evidence, and a significant number of in vitro …

Role Of C-Met And Egfr In Acquired Resistance To Parp Inhibitors In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Clinton Yam

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Triple-negative breast cancer is associated with a poor prognosis and treatment options are limited. The Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, olaparib and talazoparib, were recently approved for metastatic breast cancer (including triple-negative breast cancer) in patients with a germline BRCA1/2 mutation. Despite impressive response rates of ~60%, the prolongation in median progression-free survival with PARP inhibitors is modest, suggesting the emergence of resistance. We previously demonstrated that c-MET contributes to intrinsic resistance to PARP inhibitors in triple-negative breast cancer. However, whether c-MET plays a role in acquired resistance to PARP inhibitors in triple-negative breast cancer remains unclear. Here, we show …

Oxidative Phosphorylation: A Critical Feature And Novel Therapeutic Target In Melanoma Brain Metastases, Grant Fischer

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

We recently showed via RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of clinical samples that melanoma brain metastases (MBMs) have higher expression of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) genes (including PPARGC1A or PGC1α) than patient-matched extracranial metastases (ECMs). Thus, the central hypothesis of this dissertation is that OXPHOS plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of MBMs.

RNA-seq analysis identified increased expression of OXPHOS genes in intracranial (ICr) vs. subcutaneous (SQ) xenografts of 4 different human melanoma cell lines. Increased OXPHOS in the ICr xenografts was confirmed by direct metabolite analysis and [U-¹³C]-glucose tracing analysis. Together, these studies indicate that the brain TME …

The Influence Of The Pep-Pts And Other Metabolic Systems On The Master Virulence Regulator Atxa And To Xin Gene Expression In Bacillus Anthracis, Naomi Bier-Reizes

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

AtxA, the master virulence gene regulator in Bacillus anthracis, is a PRD-containing virulence regulator (PCVR) as indicated by the crystal structure, post-translational modifications, and activity of the protein. PCVRs are transcriptional regulators, named for the regulatory domains subject to phosphorylation by the phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system (PEP-PTS), termed PTS Regulatory Domains (PRD), and for their impact on virulence gene expression. Generally, the phosphorylation of a PCVR regulates protein activity and multimerization. AtxA is phosphorylated at two histidine residues - one in each of its two PRDs. Phosphorylation at position 199 allows for AtxA to positively affect expression of virulence genes, whereas …

Dhhc5 Regulates Beta-Adrenergic Signaling In The Heart Through Palmitoylation Of G Alpha Proteins, Jie Chen

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

S-palmitoylation is a reversible posttranslational modification that plays an important role in regulating protein localization, trafficking, and stability. Recent studies have shown that some proteins undergo extremely rapid palmitoylation/depalmitoylation cycles after cellular stimulation supporting a direct signaling role for this posttranslational modification. The work in this dissertation investigated whether β-adrenergic stimulation led to stimulus-dependent palmitoylation of downstream signaling proteins in immortalized and primary cell models. I found that β-adrenergic stimulation led to rapidly increased Gαs and Gαi palmitoylation only in primary cardiomyocytes. The kinetics of palmitoylation was temporally consistent with the downstream production of cAMP and contractile responses. I identified …

Tracking Treatment Response And Resistance To Parp Inhibition (Talazoparib) In Hereditary Pancreatic Cancer., Jennifer Goldstein

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

polyADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors are a class of drugs that block the PARP enzymes, involved in the repair of singe-stranded DNA breaks through the base excision repair pathway. PARP inhibition leads to replication-associated double stranded DNA breaks, which are repaired by homologous recombination (HR). In tumors with HR defects (i.e. BRCA mutants), there is a shift to error-prone DNA repair and subsequent genomic instability and cell death.

In 2014, Olaparib became the first FDA-approved PARP inhibitor for the treatment of BRCA-mutant ovarian cancer. In the phase III POLO (Pancreas cancer OLaparib Ongoing) trial presented at the American Society …

Bilirubin Nanoparticle As An Anti-Inflammatory Therapy For Graft Versus Host Disease, Sumedha Pareek

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Graft versus host disease (GvHD) caused by alloreactive donor lymphocytes is a fatal complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Myeloablative conditioning regimen, consisting of chemotherapy and/or radiation, given prior to HSCT can cause tissue damage. This non-specific tissue damage triggers cross-presentation of alloantigens to the donor immune cells, causing recruitment of leukocytes and production of inflammatory cytokines. Targeting this inflammation without affecting the anti-leukemia effects of HSCT, continues to be one of the biggest challenge in finding a therapy for GvHD. Bilirubin is a tetrapyrrole pigment, found in the blood, with natural anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. Using mouse models …

Role Of Nudt21 Mediated Alternative Polyadenylation And Hyaluronan In The Development Of Pulmonary Hypertension, Scott Dale Collum

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive disease with serious effects on quality of life and life expectancy of patients. PH is a complex disease that likely develops due to multiple influences, and no curative treatments exist for this disease. It has been shown that alternative polyadenylation (APA) due to depletion of Nudix Hydrolase 21(NUDT21) is involved in several disease states including the chronic lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Additionally, hyaluronan, an extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycan has been associated with PH. The role and mechanism of NUDT21 and hyaluronan have not yet been described in this disease. My results reveal that …

Investigations Of The Structure-Function Relationship In Kainate Receptors Using FöRster Resonance Energy Transfer, Douglas Litwin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Kainate receptors belong to the family of ion channels known as the ionotropic glutamate receptors. Ionotropic glutamate receptors mediate the majority of excitatory synaptic transmission, modulate the release of presynaptic glutamate, and facilitate dendrite formation. Kainate receptors are unique among the ionotropic glutamate receptors in being modulated by sodium ions. They have also been implicated in the development of higher learning and epilepsy. In recent years a wealth of structural data has become available for the AMPA and NMDA classes; however, the structural characterization of kainate receptors has been limited. The work in this dissertation utilizes luminescence resonance energy transfer …

Modeling Cancer Using Li-Fraumeni Syndrome Patient-Derived Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Ruoji Zhou

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by germline mutations in the gene TP53, which predispose individuals to a wide range of malignancies, including osteosarcoma and breast cancer. In the previous study, our group developed a novel disease model platform by reprograming LFS patients' fibroblasts to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and further differentiate these iPSCs into mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) then to osteoblasts (OBs), the cells from which osteosarcomas originate. Interestingly, LFS iPSC-derived osteoblasts recapitulated the osteosarcoma phenotype, creating “a bone tumor in a dish”. This “tumor in a dish” platform proved that LFS is an …

Quantifying Uncertainty In A Measurement-Based Assessment Of Relative Biological Effectiveness In Carbon Ion Radiotherapy, Shannon Hartzell

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

One of the largest inconsistencies in dose delivered during carbon ion therapy is due to uncertainties in relative biological effectiveness (RBE), a value that is calculated via one of several clinically implemented algorithms. This study investigates the uncertainty in measured microdosimetric parameters for RBE calculation by the Microdosimetric Kinetic Model (MKM), Repair Misrepair Fixation model (RMF), and Local Effect Model I (LEM) using a Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC).

Microdosimetric spectra, kinetic energy spectra, and dose fragment contributions were calculated using Monte Carlo (GEANT IV) for monoenergetic and SOBP carbon beams of clinical energy. From microdosimetric spectra, lineal energy values …