Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Small Individual Loans And Mental Health: A Randomized Controlled Trial Among South African Adults, Lia C. H. Fernald, Rita Hamad, Dean Karlan, Emily J. Ozer, Jonathan Zinman

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: In the developing world, access to small, individual loans has been variously hailed as a poverty-alleviation tool – in the context of "microcredit" – but has also been criticized as "usury" and harmful to vulnerable borrowers. Prior studies have assessed effects of access to credit on traditional economic outcomes for poor borrowers, but effects on mental health have been largely ignored.

Methods: Applicants who had previously been rejected (n = 257) for a loan (200% annual percentage rate – APR) from a lender in South Africa were randomly assigned to a "second-look" that encouraged loan officers to approve their …

Incentives For Orphan Drug Research And Development In The United States, Enrique Seoane-Vazquez, Rosa Rodriguez-Monguio, Sheryl L. Szeinbach, Jay Visaria

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background: The Orphan Drug Act (1983) established several incentives to encourage the development of orphan drugs (ODs) to treat rare diseases and conditions. This study analyzed the characteristics of OD designations, approvals, sponsors, and evaluated the effective patent and market exclusivity life of orphan new molecular entities (NMEs) approved in the US between 1983 and 2007.

Methods: Primary data sources were the FDA Orange Book, the FDA Office of Orphan Drugs Development, and the US Patent and Trademark Office. Data included all orphan designations and approvals listed by the FDA and all NMEs approved by the FDA during …

A Small Sample Correction For Estimating Attributable Risk In Case-Control Studies, Daniel B. Rubin

U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

The attributable risk, often called the population attributable risk, is in many epidemiological contexts a more relevant measure of exposure-disease association than the excess risk, relative risk, or odds ratio. When estimating attributable risk with case-control data and a rare disease, we present a simple correction to the standard approach making it essentially unbiased, and also less noisy. As with analogous corrections given in Jewell (1986) for other measures of association, the adjustment often won't make a substantial difference unless the sample size is very small or point estimates are desired within fine strata, but we discuss the possible utility …

Denaturation And Unfolding Of Human Anaphylatoxin C3a: An Unusually Low Covalent Stability Of Its Native Disulfide Bonds, Jui-Yoa Chang, Curtis C-J Lin, Silvia Salamanca, Michael K Pangburn, Rick A Wetsel

Journal Articles

The complement C3a anaphylatoxin is a major molecular mediator of innate immunity. It is a potent activator of mast cells, basophils and eosinophils and causes smooth muscle contraction. Structurally, C3a is a relatively small protein (77 amino acids) comprising a N-terminal domain connected by 3 native disulfide bonds and a helical C-terminal segment. The structural stability of C3a has been investigated here using three different methods: Disulfide scrambling; Differential CD spectroscopy; and Reductive unfolding. Two uncommon features regarding the stability of C3a and the structure of denatured C3a have been observed in this study. (a) There is an unusual disconnection …

Synthesis Of Marine Chemicals And Derivatives As Potential Anti-Cancer Drugs., Laude Bannerman-Akwei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two natural marine compounds, 3-bromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzaldehyde 2 and 2,3-dibromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzaldehyde 5 together with two novel derivatives, 3-bromo-5-(tert-butyl-dimethyl-silanyloxy)-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde 3 and 1-bromo-2,3-dimethoxy-5-nitrooxy-methylbenzene 9, were synthesized. Compounds 2, 3, and 5 were evaluated for their biological activity towards the inhibition of prostate cancer cell growth using staurosporine a a positive control. All three compounds have shown significant inhibition of prostate cancer cell growth. Compound 9 is yet to be evaluated.

Elucidating The Role Of The Α7 Nicotinic Receptor In The Etiology Of Schizophrenia., Michelle Johnson Chandley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The α7 subunit of the nicotinic receptor, a ligand gated ion channel with an affinity for nicotine, has long been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia due to the extremely high rate of smoking within the patient population. However, the exact role of the receptor has never fully been determined. In the following studies, various functions the receptor may assume in disease state are evaluated. There is a strong relationship between the immune system and schizophrenia, with the α7 subunit possibly serving as the link between the two. One of the following studies looks at the possibility of the receptor …

Cytotoxic Effects Of Ruthenium Compounds On Human Cancer Cell Lines., Katie Beth Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chemotherapy is the most common cancer treatment. Traditionally, platinum-based drugs are used in chemotherapy. More recently, researchers have focused on ruthenium based compounds as a substitute for the platinum compounds. Ruthenium-based compounds appear to be less toxic to healthy cells than traditional platinum-based compounds. In this study, 7 ruthenium-based compounds were tested on HT-29 (colon) and MCF-7 (breast) human cancer cell lines with the specific aim of determining whether or not any of the ruthenium-based compounds exhibited cytotoxic properties. In addition, levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production were tested in supernate from the cancer cells treated with various …

Characterization Of The Genes Involved In Biosynthesis And Transport Of Schizokinen, A Siderophore Produced By Rhizobium Leguminosarum Iari 917., David Jack Hammond

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Iron is the 4th most abundant metal on the earth's crust and is required by most organisms as a cofactor for many enzymes; however, at physiological pH and aerobic conditions iron forms insoluble ferric oxyhydroxide polymers. Siderophores are low molecular weight compounds that scavenge ferric ions, bind with high affinity, and transport it into the cell via multicomponent transport systems. Rhizobia are soil dwelling organisms that form symbiotic relationships with host plants and fix atmospheric nitrogen, while the bacteria receive nutrients. R. leguminosarum IARI 917 produces a siderophore characterized as 'schizokinen'. In the present study, we have characterized the binding …

Characterization Of Murine Cardiac Cholinergic Innervation And Its Remodeling In Type 1 Diabetes., Abigail Marie Mabe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Murine models have become increasingly popular to study various aspects of cardiovascular diseases due to their ease of genetic manipulation. Unfortunately, there has been little effort put into describing the distribution of autonomic nerves in the mouse heart, making it difficult to compare current findings from clinical and experimental models related to cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, determination of the requirements for the development of this system and its maintenance in adult mice remains largely unexplored. This study represents the first detailed mapping of cholinergic neuroanatomy of the mouse heart based on immunohistochemical staining using true cholinergic markers. We found cholinergic innervation …

Kelly, Rita Helen Roberts (Fa 353), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 353. Paper: "Good Mothering through Breast Feeding: Observations of a Meeting of the La Leche League" written by Rita H. Kelly for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Medicaid Financing: How The Fmap Formula Works And Why It Falls Short, Christie Provost Peters

National Health Policy Forum

Medicaid costs for health and long-term care services for low-income individuals are substantial. As a result, each state’s “match rate,” or federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP), which determines the share of Medicaid benefit costs the federal government pays, has enormous implications for state budgets and state economies, as well as for Medicaid beneficiaries and providers. Shifts in the FMAP from year to year, even minor ones, can mean the gain or loss of tens or hundreds of millions of federal matching dollars, depending on the size of the state’s Medicaid program. This paper explains the FMAP formula, examines the limitations …

Social Support, Weight Loss Attempts And Satisfaction, Allison Drew

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the presence of social support correlates with attempts at weight loss in the past 12 months, attempts not to gain weight in the past 12 months, and participants’ satisfaction with their weight status. Methods: We used a cross-sectional study design using data collected by the 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) (CDC). For this study we included males and females, of multiple ethnicities, and a range of ages from 40 to 70 + years. Participants with missing data on height and weight were …

Neural Substrates Of Sound–Touch Synesthesia After A Thalamic Lesion, Michael S. Beauchamp, Tony Ro

Publications and Research

Neural plasticity induced by stroke can mediate positive outcomes, such as recovery of function, but can also result in the formation of abnormal connections with negative consequences for perception and cognition. In three experiments using blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined the neural substrates of acquired auditory-tactile synesthesia, in which certain sounds can produce an intense somatosensory tingling sensation in a patient with a thalamic lesion. Compared with nine normal controls, the first experiment showed that the patient had a threefold greater BOLD response to sounds in the parietal operculum, the location of secondary somatosensory cortex. …

Physicians' Experiences With Brca1/2 Testing In Community Settings., Nancy L. Keating, Kathryn A. Stoeckert, Meredith M. Regan, Lisa Digianni, Judy E. Garber

Kathryn Sabella

Today - December 8, 2008, Loma Linda University

TODAY

Inside this issue:

-- Loma Linda University Medical Center plastic surgeon gains national recognition
-- Spiritual care workshop planned for LLU students, faculty
-- BALL, BHPSA, BSA hold 25th annual spiritual retreat
-- Campus community internal newsletter available online
-- Center for Spiritual Life & Wholeness begins new television program on LLBN
-- Medical help wanted by Scheer Memorial Hospital in Nepal
-- Savannah Edwards receives philanthropy award
-- Compassion Alive: ‘La Escuelita’ gets a facelift
-- GIS Day 2008
-- INNERWEAVE: The Wholeness Story
-- Whirlwind of activities hits Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital
-- East Campus celebrates grand …

Gender Specific Differences In The Pros And Cons Of Smoking Among Current Smokers In Eastern Kentucky: Implications For Future Smoking Cessation Interventions, Dana A. Hazen, David M. Mannino, Richard Clayton

David M. Mannino

This study investigated gender differences in the perceived “pros” and “cons” of smoking using the constructs of decisional balance (DB) and stage of change from the Transtheoretical Model. The population distribution for stage of change among a population-based, cross-sectional survey of 155 current smokers over 40 years was: precontemplation (22.6%), contemplation (41.9%), preparation (35.5%). Results of stepwise regression models indicated significant gender differences in DB were in the preparation stage of change; scores on the DB measure increased 3.94 points (95% CI: 1.94, 5.93) for male smokers. Interventions targeting the “pros” and “cons” of smoking may need to be gender …

Bullying Of Medical Students In Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Survey., Syed Ahmer, Abdul Wahab Yousafzai, Naila Bhutto, Sumira Alam, Amanullah Khan Sarangzai, Arshad Iqbal

Department of Psychiatry

Background: Several studies from other countries have shown that bullying, harassment, abuse or belittlement are a regular phenomenon faced not only by medical students, but also junior doctors, doctors undertaking research and other healthcare professionals. While research has been carried out on bullying experienced by psychiatrists and psychiatry trainees in Pakistan no such research has been conducted on medical students in this country. Methodology/Principal Findings: We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey on final year medical students in six medical colleges of Pakistan. The response rate was 63%. Fifty-two percent of respondents reported that they had faced bullying or harassment …

Ada News - 12/08/2008, American Dental Association, Publishing Division

ADA News

Established in 1970 as the official newspaper of the American Dental Association, the ADA News serves practicing dentists and others allied to the dental profession in the U.S. and internationally. It is the No. 1 source of news and information about the many benefits and services the ADA delivers to members daily as well as timely information on scientific, social, political and economic developments affecting dentistry and health care.

Gender Specific Differences In The Pros And Cons Of Smoking Among Current Smokers In Eastern Kentucky: Implications For Future Smoking Cessation Interventions, Dana A. Hazen, David M. Mannino, Richard Clayton

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

This study investigated gender differences in the perceived “pros” and “cons” of smoking using the constructs of decisional balance (DB) and stage of change from the Transtheoretical Model. The population distribution for stage of change among a population-based, cross-sectional survey of 155 current smokers over 40 years was: precontemplation (22.6%), contemplation (41.9%), preparation (35.5%). Results of stepwise regression models indicated significant gender differences in DB were in the preparation stage of change; scores on the DB measure increased 3.94 points (95% CI: 1.94, 5.93) for male smokers. Interventions targeting the “pros” and “cons” of smoking may need to be gender …

Scan-Rescan And Intra-Observer Variability Of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Of Carotid Atherosclerosis At 1.5 T And 3.0 T, Arvin Vidal, Yves Bureau, Trevor Wade, J David Spence, Brian K Rutt, Aaron Fenster, Grace Parraga

Medical Biophysics Publications

Carotid atherosclerosis measurements for eight subjects at baseline and 14 +/- 2 days later were examined using 1.5 T and 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A single observer blinded to field strength, subject and timepoint manually segmented carotid artery wall and lumen boundaries in randomized images in five measurement trials. Mean increases in the signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) for T1-weighted images acquired at 3.0 T compared to 1.5 T were 90% (scan) and 80% (rescan). Despite significantly improved SNR and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) for images acquired at 3.0 T, vessel wall volume (VWV) intra-observer variability was not significantly different using …

Glypican-1 Modulates The Angiogenic And Metastatic Potential Of Human And Mouse Cancer Cells, Takuma Aikawa, Chery A. Whipple, Martha E. Lopez, Jason Gunn, Alison Young, Arthur D. Lander, Murray Korc

Dartmouth Scholarship

Cells isolated from many types of human cancers express heparin-binding growth factors (HBGFs) that drive tumor growth, metastasis, and angiogenesis. The heparan sulfate proteoglycan glypican-1 (GPC1) is a coreceptor for HBGFs. Here we show that both cancer cell–derived and host-derived GPC1 are crucial for efficient growth, metastasis, and angiogenesis of human and mouse cancer cells. Thus downregulation of GPC1 in the human pancreatic cancer cell line PANC-1, using antisense approaches, resulted in prolonged doubling times and decreased anchorage-independent growth in vitro as well as attenuated tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis when these cells were transplanted into athymic mice. Moreover, athymic …

How One's Cultural View Of Obesity Affects Care Giving, Marietta Kramper Farris

Theses and Graduate Projects

As the United States faces the challenge of obesity it is important to understand the cultural aspects of caring for these patients. Leininger's Transcultural Nursing Theory is used as a framework for the development of an educational program for health care professionals. The obese patients receiving care should be able to count on their care givers to appreciate the biases, stigmatization and discrimination of the culture in which they live. A review of the history of cultural views of obesity and thinness is used as a starting point. An in-depth review of related research is presented to detail bias, stigmatization, …

Effect Of Metro Living On Oral Cancers In Virginia: 2001-2005, Preeti Sastry

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Forty percent of all head and neck cancers occur in the oral cavity. According to ICD-O (International classification of diseases for oncology) C00-C14 includes cancers of the lip, oral cavity and pharynx. Studies have indicated that increased population density or Metro living have increased oral cancer incidence. The objectives of this study are to look at the distribution of Oral and Oro pharyngeal Cancers in Virginia from 2001-2005 The study aims to determine if there is an association between metro living (beale code 3) and advanced Oral Cancers. This study is also being done to determine if Metro living …

Medicare Managed Care Penetration And Prevalence Of Older Adult Disability, Christine Moe

Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between Medicare Managed Care (MMC) penetration and percentage of disability in older adults (individuals age 65 and older). Considering disability as an indicator of one or more unsuccessfully managed chronic diseases, this study investigates the assumption that managed care improves coordination of care, as well as access to preventive care. If managed care’s mandate is being met, then it should be evidenced in decreased prevalence of older adult disability. METHOD: Taking an ecological approach, this study used data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ, 2003) to compare the percentage of older adult …

Season Of Birth And Risk For Schizophrenia, Seth Roberts

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Schizophrenia is a chronic, debilitating mental disorder characterized by positive (e.g., hallucinations, delusions) and negative (e.g., catatonia, flat affect) signs and symptoms. Many studies suggest that individuals born in winter or spring months are at increased risk for schizophrenia. Study Objectives: 1) To determine whether season of birth affects risk for schizophrenia in the Irish Study of High Density Schizophrenia Families (ISHDSF). 2) To examine, by computer simulation, power to detect genetic associations with schizophrenia under a variety of conditions and using different analytic strategies. 3) To test whether specific genes are associated with schizophrenia in the Irish Case …

Do Black Msm Have More Idu And Hiv Positive Partners Compared To White Men Having Sex With Men ?, Shankar Krishnappa

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: This study estimates the proportion of intravenous drug use (IDU) partners and HIV positive sexual partners among black and white and examine the association between repeat HIV testing and sex with high risk partners. Methods: A cross-sectional study of MSM was conducted by using pooled data from counseling, Testing, Referral services in Virginia, USA 2002-2007. Results: We obtained a sample of 19679 MSM out of which 10924(56%) and 6739(34%) were white and black MSM respectively. The proportion of IDU partners and HIV positive partners were among white MSM (5% and 11%) and black MSM (3% and 9%) respectively. Age …

Teaching The Teacher Program To Assist Nurse Managers To Educate Nursing Staff In Ecuadorian Hospitals, Sheri P. Palmer, Sondra Heaston

Faculty Publications

Continuing education for hospital staff nurses is a concern worldwide. Current research shows that continuing education among nurses can positively affect patient outcomes (O’Brien, T., Freemantle, N., Oxman, A, et al., 2002. Interactive continuing education workshops or conferences can improve professional practice and patient outcomes. Journal of Evidence Based Nursing. 26 (5)). Seeing a need for improved patient outcomes among hospitals in Ecuador, we conducted a teaching the teacher program to assist nurse managers to carry-out continuing education in their hospital system. This teaching the teacher program was established through the collaboration between one College of Nursing in Utah, USA …

Supporting Charge Nurses In Their Leadership Development: A Framework For Education, Sonja Rivers

Theses and Graduate Projects

This project examines the complex and multifaceted role of the charge nurse in the acute care setting and compares the charge nurse's role to that of a front line leader. Charge nurse competencies are identified and leadership skills and behaviors necessary for the charge nurse to function effectively in the role are explored including those related to emotional intelligence. A conceptual framework for education is developed using Botatzis' Theory of Self-Directed Learning, and Swanson's middle range theory of caring, Nursing as Informed Caring for the Well-Being of others.

Designing An International Friendship Model For Children, Charlotte Martins

Theses and Graduate Projects

In 2006 this writer traveled to Windhoek, Namibia to take the course Walking the Truth; Culture, Gender and HIV/AID,S in Sub-Saharan Africa. As part of that class each student was assigned to work with an organization or individual whose mission was working with HIV/AIDS patients or there families. It was from this experience that the project was born. The purpose of this project is to design a friendship model that links children of middle school age from different cultures and different nations together through letter writing.

Supporting Lactation: Beyond Nutrition, Desiree' M. Bertilrud

Theses and Graduate Projects

Breastfeeding provides nutritional, health, immunological, psychological, economical and environmental benefits. Despite the abundance of scientific evidence and public health campaigns, the United States fails to meet national goals for breast feeding rates. Numerous barriers to lactation are identified and explored. However, by far, returning to work has the greatest impact on the duration of breastfeeding. Employers and organizations who support breastfeeding are the recipients of a multitude of benefits. The purpose of this project is to identify the strategic steps to establish a lactation room in an outpatient clinic setting for employees to support maternal-child relationships, foster employee satisfaction, and …