Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Fatty Acid Concentrations In Preterm Infants Fed The Exclusive Human Milk Diet: A Prospective Cohort Study, Lindsay F Holzapfel, Jana P Unger, Pam Gordon, Heeju Yang, Joanne E Cluette-Brown, Laura A Gollins, Amy B Hair, Camilia R Martin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: Quantify blood fatty acids and growth outcomes in preterm infants fed the exclusive human milk diet.

METHODS: A prospective cohort study of 30 infants 24-34 weeks gestation and ≤1250 g fed the exclusive human milk diet. Blood fatty acids were quantified at two time points. Comparisons were made using two-sample t-tests and Wilcoxon rank sum.

RESULTS: Donor human milk-fed (n = 12) compared to mother's own milk-fed infants (n = 18) from birth to after 28 days of life, had an increased interval change of linoleic to docosahexaenoic acid ratio (5.5 vs. -1.1 mole percent ratio, p = 0.034). …

Association Of Maternal Body Mass Index And Maternal Morbidity And Mortality, Mara J Dinsmoor, Lynda G Ugwu, Jennifer L Bailit, Uma M Reddy, Ronald J Wapner, Michael W Varner, John M Thorp, Steve N Caritis, Mona Prasad, Alan T N Tita, George R Saade, Yoram Sorokin, Dwight J Rouse, Sean C Blackwell, Jorge E Tolosa

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: This study aimed to assess the association of maternal body mass index (BMI) with a composite of severe maternal outcomes.

Study design: Secondary analysis of a cohort of deliveries on randomly selected days at 25 hospitals from 2008 to 2011. Data on comorbid conditions, intrapartum events, and postpartum course were collected. The reference group (REF, BMI: 18.5-29.9kg/m2), obese (OB; BMI: 30-39.9kg/m2), morbidly obese (MO; BMI: 40-49.9kg/m2), and super morbidly obese (SMO; BMI ≥ 50kg/m2) women were compared. The composite of severe maternal outcomes was defined as death, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, ventilator use, deep venous thrombosis/pulmonary embolus (DVT/PE), …

Parkinson's Disease And Voice Perception: A Little Bit Louder Now!, Samantha Manes, Taylor Desimone

Graduate Student Research: Capstone Competition

This proposed study aims to address gaps in research literature on Parkinson’s disease by investigating the neural mechanisms involved in PD patients' perception of volume using electroencephalography (EEG). By examining brain activity during voice perception tasks, the research seeks to uncover specific areas within the brain that may contribute to the lack of awareness of speaking softly. Insights gained from this study could inform the development of targeted interventions to improve communication and overall quality of life for PD patients. Ultimately, the research aims to provide a louder voice to those affected by Parkinson's disease, enhancing their ability to engage …

Sdf-1Α Mediates Primary Tumor Escape In Glioblastoma Through Activation Of Mesenchymal Transitions., Charles T. Froman-Glover

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Glioblastoma (GBM), a highly aggressive primary brain tumor originating in glial cells, poses a significant challenge due to its rapid growth and invasive nature within healthy brain tissue.

Current treatments involve surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiation. These treatments alone are not enough to cure this disease, and a better understanding the mechanics of the tumor micro-environment is imperative to furthering the field of cancer research. This research focuses on understanding the tumor microenvironment's impact, specifically investigating the role of stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) mechanics on GBM aggressiveness. SDF-1 is known to facilitate disease progression by facilitating chemotaxis toward the …

Stopping The Bleed At Uri, Emily Lefebre

Senior Honors Projects

The number one cause of preventable death is uncontrolled bleeding from traumatic injury. From the unlikely scenario of a school shooting, to a campus car accident or an injury during a sports or club event, possessing skills to effectively stop a life-threatening bleed becomes a matter of life or death. The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) STOP THE BLEED® program is a campaign to teach communities how to respond effectively and efficiently to life-threatening bleeding in emergencies. STOP THE BLEED® aims to empower individuals with the knowledge and skills to stop severe bleeding by tourniquet application, …

Pediatric Upper Cervical Spine Trauma: A 10-Year Single Center Retrospective Study, Sazid Hasan, Muhammad Waheed, Shahrukh Naseer, Jad G. Khalil, Ehab S. Saleh

Posters

This study seeks to answer whether or not there is a significant association between mechanism of injury and patient age, and to elucidate any notable differences in overall outcomes based on various treatment modalities.

Protocols For Enhancing The Role And Value Of Spiritual Care Resources In The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, Garrett Harper

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses the assessment of innovative practices in police chaplaincy. The purpose of the project intervention is to develop protocols that can guide police chaplains through an assessment process. The intervention relies on practical theology as exemplified through the ministry of chaplaincy. This ministry comprises police chaplains offering spiritual comfort to persons encountering critical incidents involving violence, accident, or other trauma-intensive events and situations. Adoption of innovations can allow police chaplains to be more effective in fulfilling many outward-focused tasks such as delivery of death notifications. I conclude that: (1) police chaplaincy is amenable to use of protocols to …

Accuracy Of Ora And Newer Generation Formulas For Iol Power Calculation After Prior Refractive Surgery, Raheel Khan, Mark Rolain

Posters

• Patients with cataracts have cloudiness of the lens that impairs vision.
• It must be replaced with a prosthetic lens however the lens’ refractive power has to be calculated using formulas to predict the kind of lens that will be implanted for best visual outcomes.
• Patients that have had prior refractive surgery of the cornea do not have as good refractive outcomes after cataract surgery.1
• The concern is that there is not a goldstandard formula that can be used for this population to predict the refractive power of the lens that should be implanted.
• Optiwave refractive analysis (ORA) is a new …

Coats And Coats-Like Retinopathy In Female Patients, Zara Saleem, Drew Scoles, Antonio Capone Jr

Posters

To report the presentation, stage, clinical characteristics, and course of female patients with Coats and Coats-like retinopathy.

Investigating The Antibacterial Properties Of Capsaicin In Synergy With Antibiotics Against A. Baumannii, Jack Guffey

Undergraduate Theses

As the ever-increasing issue of antibiotic resistance looms, naturally derived compounds have been increasingly investigated as possible synergists with antibiotics. One of these compounds, capsaicin, is a potent vanilloid that is the dominant cause of Capsicum peppers’ spiciness. Capsaicin’s intrinsic ability to inhibit a wide array of bacterial growth has been well documented. The focal organism of this study, Acinetobacter baumannii, has become an increasingly common hospital acquired infection due to its persistence on fomites. Capsaicin, however, is able to inhibit this growth at higher concentrations as well as reduce the necessary minimum inhibitory concentration while decreasing biofilm formation …

Examining The Effects Of Menstrual Cycle Phase And Hormonal Contraceptive Use On Women's Sleep, Charles Ethan Coombs

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Women overrepresent men for sub-optimal sleep, a consequence of hormone fluctuation in the menstrual cycle affecting sleep regulatory pathways. While research has examined the prevalence of sub-optimal sleep through cycle phases, little research has examined how hormonal contraceptives (HC’s) could similarly affect women’s sleep, while also neglecting to utilize subjective sleep measures. In this study, we examine subjective sleep quality among naturally cycling (NC) women, women using different HC types, and between active and inactive phase pill users by subjecting 463 women to a subjective sleep battery. We hypothesized that HC users would report more sub-optimal sleep than NC women. …

Breaking Up Prolonged Sitting To Improve Cardiometabolic Risk: A Comparative Analysis Of Muscle Strengthening Exercise And Treadmill Walking, Grace E. Anderson

Honors College Theses

Purpose: To examine the effectiveness of brief bouts of treadmill walking and bodyweight-based muscular strengthening exercises to mitigate the effects of sedentary behavior on blood pressure, blood glucose, cognitive performance, and perceived fatigue. Methods: Healthy young adults (n = 9) completed 3 experimental trials consisting of 4-hour sedentary periods. The trials consisted of an uninterrupted sedentary period (control), treadmill walking every 30 minutes for 5 minutes, and bodyweight-based muscular strengthening exercises every 30 minutes for 5 minutes. Blood glucose was measured at baseline and every 30 minutes thereafter. Blood pressure and fatigue were measured at baseline and every hour thereafter. …

Behavioral Biases In Daily Fantasy Baseball: The Case Of The Hot Hand, Jeremy M. Losak, Andrew P. Weinbach, Rodney J. Paul

Sport Management - All Scholarship

Despite mixed evidence, sport participants and fans heavily believe in the existence of the hot hand. Prior literature examining NBA and NFL betting markets found betters were biased toward hot teams. Using a unique market and data set, this study identifies if the hot hand is prevalent in daily fantasy baseball contests, if there is a profitable hot hand selection strategy, and if consumers believe in its existence. Results show that while there is no evidence of a hot hand effect, and no evidence of a profitable hot hand strategy, consumers believe in and incorporate it in their lineup decisions.

A Revised Synthesis Of The Cationic Lipids Dmri And Mlri, Benjamin A. Kostic

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are an increasingly utilized method of intracellular delivery for nucleic acids. The COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech have used LNP technology to combat the recent global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, saving millions of lives.^1,2 These vaccines consist of a lipid formulation that binds to the anionic phosphate groups of mRNAs and serves as an effective way to transport the nucleic acid across membranes into cells.⁹The mRNA encodes a viral protein. When introduced to cells, the viral protein is produced so that the immune system then can generate an appropriate antibody response.³ However, this approach …

The Influence Of Smoothness And Speed Of Stand-To-Sit Movement On Joint Kinematics, Kinetics, And Muscle Activation Patterns, Woohyoung Jeon, Xuanliang Neil Dong, Ashley Dalby, Chung-Hyun Goh

Health & Kinesiology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Stand-to-sit (StandTS) is an important daily activity widely used in rehabilitation settings to improve strength, postural stability, and mobility. Modifications in movement smoothness and speed significantly influence the kinematics, kinetics, and muscle activation patterns of the movement. Understanding the impact of StandTS speed and smoothness on movement control can provide valuable insights for designing effective and personalized rehabilitation training programs.

Research question: How do the smoothness and speed of StandTS movement affect joint kinematics, kinetics, muscle activation patterns, and postural stability during StandTS?

Methods: Twelve healthy younger adults participated in this study. There were two StandTS conditions. In the …

Mathematics Majors In Medical School Admissions: A Comparative Evaluation Of Mcat And Gpa Performance, Morgan Baker

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Choosing a major as an incoming undergraduate student can be very stressful. This study investigates the differences in success that come with choice of undergraduate major, particularly focusing on the performance of mathematics majors. A large majority of medical school applicants come from a biological sciences background. Despite this preference, there is evidence that students from nontraditional majors produce higher Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores and superior grade point averages (GPAs). Utilizing data visualization and analysis through R programming, this research examines public data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to understand the benefits of pursuing a …

Fractionated Radiosurgery Associated With High Rates Of Local Control For Large Volume Intact Brain Metastases, Ryan Ko, Hong Ye, Peter Chen, Zachary Seymour, Kuei Lee, Inga Grills

Posters

Radiosurgery is a well-established treatment modality for patients with intact brain metastases, and there is a known impact of tumor size and volume on tumor control. Utilizing our single-institution database, we investigated outcomes for patients with intact brain metastases treated with FSR using LINAC or GK modalities.

Smoking And Covid-19: An Analysis Of Demographics, Risk Factors, And Outcomes, Andrew Vrtar, Luca Cucullo, Richard H. Kennedy

Posters

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a respiratory pathogen that first emerged in late 20191 and was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020.
• Cigarette use is a significant public health concern throughout the world. Despite reductions in prevalence in recent years, tobacco smoking remains one of the main preventable causes of ill-health and premature death.
• Both tobacco smoking and vaping are phenomena that may increase the vulnerability of these individuals to COVID19 infection.4 Therefore, it is crucial to explore the medical consequences of and …

Analysis Of Ed Visitors For Dermatological Disorders Prior To And During The Covid Pandemic, Faris Alkhouri, Jacob Keeley, Ramin Homayouni

Posters

Dermatology-related Emergency Department (ED) visits make up more than 3% of total ED visits1; however, only around 2% of these visits can be considered true emergencies.2 To our knowledge, there are no studies that examined demographic influences on ED visits in regards to skin disorders in the adult population.

The sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had significant effects on healthcare systems and policies, which resulted in a nationwide decline of 20-43% in ED visits.3 However, no studies have examined the impact of the pandemic on the presentation of skin disorders in the ED.

Building Author Services: Advancing Publication Support For Health Sciences Researchers, Sara Hoover, Ruth Bueter, Laura Abate

Himmelfarb Library Faculty Posters and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Associated Autoimmune Disease Diagnoses In Myasthenia Gravis And Multiple Sclerosis Patients, Alecca Como, Jacob Keeley, Daniel Menkes

Posters

Autoimmune diseases often co-exist given the non-specific nature of the immune response. For example, myasthenia gravis [MG], a well-established autoimmune disease, has a 2.36-fold increased risk of developing thyroid diseases as compared to normal controls. 1,2 In contrast, multiple sclerosis [MS] is a disorder in which the immune system subserves an important pathogenic role, although there is insufficient evidence to definitively classify it as an autoimmune disease. 3,4 Since the etiology of MS has yet to be identified, and the specific autoimmune mechanism requires further elucidation, the comparison of its coassociated autoimmune diseases with that of a well-studied neuroautoimmune disease, …

Targeted-Sequencing Evaluation For Fzd4 Variants In Familial Exudative Vitreo-Retinopathy, Mary Drekh, Wendy Dailey, Vincent Le, Savyo Krikor, Kimberly A. Drenser, Kenneth P. Mitton

Posters

• The Familial hereditary vision loss disease may present with symptoms including retinal detachment, folding, neovascularization, or vitreous hemorrhage due to peripheral retina avascularity.
• The manifestation of FEVR genetically has been associated with a loss of function mutation of the Wnt/bcantenin-signaling pathway involving 7 genes (FZD4, NDP, CTNNB1, KIF11, LRP5, TSPAN12, and ZNF408). In our patient population of 72 individuals the distribution of FZD4 gene variants leading to FEVR has been recorded.
• The Frizzled4 gene (FZD4) codes for the G-coupled protein receptor and effects Wnt/b-cantenin-signaling pathway In endothelial cells.
• What frequency of FEVR from our patient pool will have FZD4 variants …

The Scoop, Vol. 11 Issue 2, May 2024, Health Sciences Library

Volume 11

Latest news and updates from the Health Sciences Library in our monthly newsletter for May 2024.

Synthesis Of Neoglycoproteins As Potential Biomarkers For Chagas Disease And Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Caused By Leishmania (Viannia) Braziliensis, Eileni Rodriguez Gil

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Protozoan parasites are responsible for causing numerous diseases in humans and mammals worldwide. Among them are Chagas disease (CD), caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi), and tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL), caused by the parasite Leishmania (Viannia). Both diseases coexist in many regions of Latin America, and current hurdles to differentially diagnose them and determine chemotherapy success need to be overcome. CD can be diagnosed by traditional serological tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), but disadvantages of these methods are that they may produce false negatives because the antigens used in commercial CD kits are not conserved across all T.cruzi …

Say Neigh To Poor Health: Exploring The Impact Of Equine Assisted Services On Children's Health, Courtney S. Barrus

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

Background: Currently, in the United States, one in six children has a developmental disability (CDC, 2022). According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (2021), developmental disabilities negatively influence an individual's ability to solve problems, social skills, life skills, ability to form relationships, and ability to learn. Equine-assisted services are a group of services, including hippotherapy and adaptive riding, which have been shown to have a positive impact on physical, emotional, and social deficits (Haig & Skinner, 2022; Helmer et al., 2021; Madigand et al., 2023; Zoccante et al., 2021). Methods: The capstone was completed in two steps. …

Assessing Health Implications Of Monarch Butterfly Populations And Behaviors, Kira Goldman, Kelsey E. Fisher Dr.

Honors Scholar Theses

Pollinator populations have seen massive declines over the past decade due to anthropogenic activity and climate change posing serious threats to the health of humans and ecosystems (Ulyshen & Horn, 2023). As agents responsible for the production of about 35% of micronutrient rich food crops necessary for adequate nutrition to lead healthful lives and prevent nutrition associated diseases, pollinator decline is a public health concern (Aizen et al., 2009). Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) serve as bio indicators for the health of pollinator populations because of their analogous habitat and food resources shared with many other pollinator species, including bees and …

Analysis Of Antibiotic Sensitivity Patterns In Pasteurellaceae Family Isolates: A Microbial And Molecular Investigation, Jillian Barron

Honors Scholar Theses

Bacteria in the Pasteurellaceae family are known to cause disease in both human and animal species. Like all species of bacteria, the pathogens in the Pasteurellaceae family evolve and acquire antimicrobial-resistant traits. Antimicrobial resistance of bacteria is a significant public health concern, as treatment of resistant pathogens becomes more difficult, if not impossible, with current medical capabilities. In this project, phenotypic and genotypic analyses were performed on Pasteurellaceae family isolates sourced from the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. Phenotypic antibiotic sensitivity patterns of each isolate were assessed against a panel of antibiotics through a Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test. Disk diffusion …

Investigating Effects Of Co-Culturing With Vibrio Fischeri On Secondary Metabolite Production Of Hawaiian Bobtail Squid Symbionts, Mariam A. Zedan

Honors Scholar Theses

Microbes are a fruitful source of natural product drug discovery since many of their secondary metabolites show defensive activity and have unique structures. However, extracting and elucidating the structure of those compounds can be challenging in vitro due to particular environmental and nutritional requirements of some bacteria. Those requirements may include proximity to other organisms that the microbes have symbiotic relationships with. Under those conditions, the organism may activate silent biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) responsible for production of certain secondary metabolites not typically expressed otherwise. One method of BGC induction is co-culturing with other microbes since this mimics the natural …

Physician-Patient Face Masking’S Influence On Post-Intravitreal Injection Endophthalmitis Rates, Conner Liddle, Antonio Capone Jr, Matthew Trese

Posters

Intravitreal injections (IVI) of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) medications and intravitreal steroids are standard treatment options for variety of retinal diseases. Serial IVIs are often required to achieve disease control, but IVIs are not without risk. Recognized serious complications of IVIs include but are not limited to retinal detachment, vitreous hemorrhage, and acute endophthalmitis.1 Although post-IVI endophthalmitis is uncommon, it is a feared complication because of the potential for irreversible vision loss. Given that IVIs are one of the most commonly performed medical procedures in the United States, it is essential to ensure that steps are taken to mitigate …

Developing An Ebook For First Responders: Exploring Arts-Based Interventions To Counter Burnout And Build Resilience, Taysia De Mesa, Baylor Duncan, Emmanuelle Evans, Ashley Herbinger, Hannah Kent, Olivia Waldorf

LMU Theses and Dissertations

The researchers in this project studied the prevalence and impact of burnout among first responders, after which they produced CRISP (Creative Resilience Initiatives for Service Providers), a groundbreaking art therapy-based program published in an electronic book format aimed at addressing burnout and fostering resilience among first responders. Our program aims to foster resilience by integrating art therapy's Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) model with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and anti-racism strategies. The ETC model aligns with inclusive and diverse practices as it emphasizes a system-focused approach in using creativity, self-reflection, and cultivation of effective body-mind empathy. The CRISP eBook features 18 …