Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons^™

The Effect Of Sternocleidomastoid Muscle Activation Pattern And Feedback Condition On The Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential., Mary Jo Davenport

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) has been shown to be clinically useful in providing diagnostic information regarding the function of the otolith receptors, inferior vestibular nerve, and vestibulospinal pathways. The VEMP is a biphasic response elicited by loud clicks or tone bursts and recorded from the tonically contracted sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle. Because the VEMP is an inhibitory response, it is important to investigate stimulus and parameter characteristics in order to determine the optimal test protocol and maximize clinical usefulness. The aims of this study were 1) to evaluate the effects of 4 different methods of SCM muscle activation and …

Mapping The Flip Angle In Magnetic Resonance Imaging Using The Accelerated 3d Look-Locker Sequence, Trevor P. Wade

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In the ongoing quest to extract more information from MRI images, there has arisen a need to rapidly map the flip angle. This has been primarily driven by the shift to stronger main field strengths, which bring with them improved SNR, but also new difficulties. In particular, the radio frequency field used to excite the magnetization can no longer be assumed uniform at field strengths of 3 Tesla and above. New rapid quantitative imaging techniques, such as DESPOT1 and DESPOT2, rely on accurate knowledge of the flip angle, and while this could safely be assumed to be the prescribed value …

A Comparative Study Of Embedded And Anesthetized Zebrafish In Vivo On Myocardiac Calcium Oscillation And Heart Muscle Contraction, Brian S. Muntean, Christine M. Horvat, James H. Behler, Wissam A. Aboualaiwi, Andromeda M. Nauli, Frederick E. Williams, Surya M. Nauli

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been used as a model for studying vertebrate development in the cardiovascular system. In order to monitor heart contraction and cytosolic calcium oscillations, fish were either embedded in methylcellulose or anesthetized with tricaine. Using high-resolution differential interference contrast and calcium imaging microscopy, we here show that dopamine and verapamil alter calcium signaling and muscle contraction in anesthetized zebrafish, but not in embedded zebrafish. In anesthetized fish, dopamine increases the amplitude of cytosolic calcium oscillation with a subsequent increase in heart contraction, whereas verapamil decreases the frequency of calcium oscillation and heart rate. Interestingly, verapamil also …

The Development And Psychometric Testing Of A Hypertension Knowledge Instrument In A Vulnerable Population, Crescent Elayne Rowell

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The primary objective of the study was to assess the psychometric properties of a hypertension knowledge instrument in a vulnerable population. The secondary objective was to determine the association between hypertension knowledge and outcomes such as systolic and diastolic blood pressure and hemoglobin A1c.

A cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenience sample of 196 adults aged 18 years and older with hypertension. Item analysis was conducted to determine the reliability of the instrument. The factor structure was determined and confirmed using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between …

Effect Of Fixation Using Locked Compression Plate Versus Lag Screws On Biomechanics Of Talonavicular Joint: A Human Cadaveric Foot Model, Rahul Sudheer Ghotge

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Introduction: Talonavicular fusion is a surgery used for treating many hind foot pathologies. A problem associated with the procedure is non-union which may be due to inadequate stabilization. The objective of our study was to compare the effect of two surgical fixation techniques on the motion and biomechanics of the talonavicular joint in a human cadaveric foot model.

Materials and Methods: Thirteen human cadaveric foot specimens were prepared, mounted in a multi-axis programmable robot, and loaded using four loading scenarios. Each of the four loading scenarios consisted of a constant Achilles tendon load of 350N followed by either internal or …

Lateral Blood Flow Velocity Estimation Based On Ultrasound Speckle Size Change With Scan Velocity, Tiantian Xu, Gregory R. Bashford

Biomedical Imaging and Biosignal Analysis Laboratory

Conventional (Doppler-based) blood flow velocity measurement methods using ultrasound are capable of resolving the axial component (i.e., that aligned with the ultrasound propagation direction) of the blood flow velocity vector. However, these methods are incapable of detecting blood flow in the direction normal to the ultrasound beam. In addition, these methods require repeated pulse-echo interrogation at the same spatial location. A new method has been introduced which estimates the lateral component of blood flow within a single image frame using the observation that the speckle pattern corresponding to blood reflectors (typically red blood cells) stretches (i.e., is smeared) if the …

Relation Of Size Of Secondary Ventricles To Exercise Performance In Children After Fontan Operation., Ashwin Prakash, Thomas G. Travison, Mark A. Fogel, Lynne M. Hurwitz, Andrew J. Powell, Beth F. Printz, Michael D. Puchalski, Girish S. Shirali, Shi-Joon Yoo, Tal Geva, Pediatric Heart Network Investigators

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The effects of the nondominant or secondary ventricle on the Fontan circulation are not known. The present study used cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the relations between secondary ventricular size and global cardiac performance. The Fontan cross-sectional study collected data from 7 centers participating in the Pediatric Heart Network. Subjects with complete cardiac magnetic resonance imaging data and an identifiable secondary ventricle were included in the analysis. Relationships between body surface area-adjusted parameters of the secondary ventricle (mass, end-diastolic volume, mass/volume ratio, and stroke volume) and the following measures were assessed. These measures included the percentage of predicted peak …

Development And Validation Of A Rapid Multi-Class Method For The Confirmation Of Fourteen Prohibited Medicinal Additives In Pig And Poultry Compound Feed By Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Mark Cronly, Patrice Behan, Barry Foley, Liam Regan, Marella Gallagher, Sean Earley, Paula Shearan, Edward Malone

Articles

A confirmatory method has been developed to allow for the analysis of fourteen prohibited medicinal additives in pig and poultry compound feed. These compounds are prohibited for use as feed additives although some are still authorised for use in medicated feed. Feed samples are extracted by acetonitrile with addition of sodium sulphate. The extracts undergo a hexane wash to aid with sample purification. The extracts are then evaporated to dryness and reconstituted in initial mobile phase. The samples undergo an ultracentrifugation step prior to injection onto the LC-MS/MS system and are analysed in a run time of 26 minutes. The …

Protocol Variation Analysis Of Whole Brain Ct Perfusion In Acute Ischemic Stroke, Peter T. Heiberger

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Computed tomography perfusion (CTP) analysis is a rapidly advancing imaging modality that is improving diagnosis of brain abnormalities in patients suffering from hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, vascular occlusion and numerous other conditions. Through the advancements of computed tomography (CT) imaging, including the introduction of the 320-detector row CT with a 16 centimeter range in the z-axis enabling whole brain CTP, perfusion analysis now has a significantly increased clinical utility that is useful for both diagnosis and treatment of central nervous system (CNS) conditions. This study focuses on the procedural and analytical approach to the diagnostic evaluation of …

Epicardial Wireless Pacemaker For Improved Left Ventricular Resynchronization (Conceptual Design), Rodney J. Hawkins

Master's Theses

The human body is a well tuned mechanism where systems work in synergy to provide a healthy quality of life. The human circulatory system transports oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body delivering the proper nutrients for cells to function. When the heart malfunctions, serious complications can arise leading to sudden cardiac arrest. Congestive heart failure (CHF) is one heart disease that affects the synchrony of the heart’s ventricles.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been widely accepted as a treatment for CHF. Similar to traditional dual chamber pacing techniques, CRT adds a pacing lead to stimulate …

Effect Of Low-Dose Aspirin Or Calcium Supplementation On The Incidence Of Pre-Eclampsia Among Pregnant Women, Philadelphia University

Philadelphia University, Jordan

No abstract provided.

Should We Be Concerned About Jejunoileal Atresia During Repair Of Duodenal Atresia?, Shawn D. St Peter, Danny C. Little, Katherine A. Barsness, Daniel R. Copeland, Casey M. Calkins, Suzanne Yoder, Steve S. Rothenberg, Saleem Islam, Kuojen Tsao, Daniel J. Ostlie

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

INTRODUCTION: During repair for duodenal atresia, it has been emphasized that inspection of the small bowel to identify a second atresia is required. The laparoscopic approach for repair of duodenal atresia has been criticized for its limitation to perform this step. Given that duodenal atresia and jejunoileal atresias do not share common embryologic origins, we question the validity of this concern. Therefore, we conducted a multicenter retrospective review of duodenal atresia patients to quantify the incidence of jejunoileal atresia in this population.

METHODS: After institutional review board approval (IRB #07-12-187X), a retrospective review was conducted on all patients who have …

Doxorubicin Loaded Polymeric Nanoparticulate Delivery System To Overcome Drug Resistance In Osteosarcoma, Michiro Susa, Arun K. Iyer, Keinosuke Ryu, Francis John Hornicek, Henry J. Mankin, Mansoor M. Amiji, Zhenfeng Duan

Mansoor M. Amiji

Background: Drug resistance is a primary hindrance for the efficiency of chemotherapy against osteosarcoma. Although chemotherapy has improved the prognosis of osteosarcoma patients dramatically after introduction of neo-adjuvant therapy in the early 1980's, the outcome has since reached plateau at approximately 70% for 5 year survival. The remaining 30% of the patients eventually develop resistance to multiple types of chemotherapy. In order to overcome both the dose-limiting side effects of conventional chemotherapeutic agents and the therapeutic failure incurred from multidrug resistant (MDR) tumor cells, we explored the possibility of loading doxorubicin onto biocompatible, lipid-modified dextran-based polymeric nanoparticles and evaluated the …

Inhibition Of Abcb1 (Mdr1) Expression By An Sirna Nanoparticulate Delivery System To Overcome Drug Resistance In Osteosarcoma, Michiro Susa, Arun K. Iyer, Keinosuke Ryu, Edwin Choi, Francis John Hornicek, Henry J. Mankin, Lara Milane, Mansoor M. Amiji, Zhenfeng Duan

Mansoor M. Amiji

Background: The use of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in treating osteosarcoma has improved patients’ average 5 year survival rate from 20% to 70% in the past 30 years. However, for patients who progress after chemotherapy, its effectiveness diminishes due to the emergence of multi-drug resistance (MDR) after prolonged therapy. Methodology/Principal Findings: In order to overcome both the dose-limiting side effects of conventional chemotherapeutic agents and the therapeutic failure resulting from MDR, we designed and evaluated a novel drug delivery system for MDR1 siRNA delivery. Novel biocompatible, lipid-modified dextran-based polymeric nanoparticles were used as the platform for MDR1 siRNA delivery; and the efficacy …

Cec: Clinical Exchange Corner, Clinical Education Complex, Wku, Laura Reynolds

CEC Publications

No abstract provided.

Ruthenium Complexes As Dna Photonucleases In Treatment Of Malignant Skin Carcinoma, Devi Kalyan Karumanchi

All Capstone Projects

A variety of Ruthenium complexes possessing terpyridine complexes as ligands in their coordination sphere have been investigated extensively as DNA photo nucleases in vitro. This work has led to the realization that compounds of Ruthenium bind to DNA purines and that the interactions are of an unprecedented bridging variety. Owing to the molar absorptivity of these complexes in the visible region, direct cleavage of duplex DNA by these complexes requires irradiation in the range of 400-500 nm.

Although the observation of DNA photo cleavage in vitro makes these systems good candidates for further investigation, it does not provide any information …

Preventive Care Utilization Among Black Women : Perceived Beliefs, Benefits And Barriers To Mammography Screening, Rowandalla Y. Dunbar

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Blacks, in comparison to other racial or ethnic groups, suffer higher rates of illness and death from many preventable or treatable diseases. Despite the significantly higher rates of mortality and disease, Blacks are least likely to utilize clinical preventive care services. Black women, who are more likely to have advanced breast cancer at time of diagnosis (Chu, Lamar, & Freeman, 2003) are least likely to seek mammography screening (National Health Interview Study, 2000). Allen, Bastani, Bazargan and Leonard (2002) examined predictors of mammography screening among women 40 years old and older residing in the South Central area of Los Angeles, …

Conceptual And Methodological Issues Relevant To Cytokine And Inflammatory Marker Measurements In Clinical Research., Xin Zhoua, Maren S. Fragala, Janet E. Mcelhaney, George A. Kuchel

UCHC Articles - Research

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To provide clinical investigators with an understanding of factors to consider when wishing to add cytokine and inflammatory marker measurements to their studies. RECENT FINDINGS: Inflammation involves complex and coordinated responses of the immune system to tissue damage. In the absence of tools to routinely assess inflammation within living tissues, measurements of humoral factors such as cytokines and other inflammatory mediators or markers can provide predictive clinical information and insights into disease mechanisms. Historically, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) became the gold standard, yet this approach of measuring a single protein in each sample limits the amount of …

Facial Type Analysis Comparison Between Mri, Cbct, And Lateral Cephalometrics, Matthew A. Sanders

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Introduction: Single Cephalometric measurements are comparable between Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRl) and Conventional Lateral Cephalometric (LC) imaging methods. This study evaluated the agreement between the three imaging methods in facial type analysis (using a composite of 5 cephalometric measures).

Methods and Materials: Twenty-two subjects participated in this study. Cranial images were generated via three modalities: LC, CBCT and MRl. Cephalometric landmarks were identified on the three images per subject and a facial type analysis performed. An equally weighted facial type calculation composed of 5 cephalometric measurements (facial axis, facial depth, mandibular plane, lower face height, …

Work Of Fracture In Ceramic Bracket Bonding Systems, Tye A. Roylance

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Introduction: Work of fracture (WOE) is a method of analysis of the toughness or resilience of a bracket bonding system. It is an indication of a bracket bonding systems ability to withstand forces in the mouth below the force at which failure occurs. Work of fracture gives an indication of how much abuse the bracket/bonding system can withstand and still maintain an adequate adhesion to the tooth surface. This analysis incorporates shear bond strength and displacement and is determined in part by the elasticity and resilience of the specimen being studied.

Materials and Methods: One hundred and eighty bovine teeth …

Creating Prediction Models For Obstructive Sleep Apnea Based On Gender, Jeffrey Hwang

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common chronic disorder that is characterized by repetitive episodes of airflow cessation or reduction occurring during sleep as a result of partial or complete upper airway obstruction. These recurrent events have a tremendous impact on the cardiovascular system with a multitude of dangerous consequences. Numerous studies have been conducted determining etiological risk factors for OSA including anatomical predictors which have been observed with multiple imaging techniques. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a low-radiation mode of imaging that can be used to accurately identify anatomical landmarks and measure craniofacial relationships and airway dimensions. …

Taking Healthcare Interventions From Trial To Practice, Paul Glasziou, Iain Chalmers, Douglas Altman, Hilda Bastian, Isabelle Boutron, Anne Brice, Gro Jamtvedt, Andrew Farmer, Davina Ghersi, Trish Groves, Carl Heneghan, Sophie Hill, Simon Lewin, Susan Michie, Rafael Perera, Valerie Pomeroy, Julie Tilson, Sasha Shepperd, John Williams

Paul Glasziou

Extract:
The results of thousands of trials are never acted on because their published reports do not describe the interventions in enough detail. How can we improve the reporting?

Much healthcare research is currently wasted because its findings are unusable.¹ Published reports of intervention trials often focus on the results and fail to describe interventions adequately. For example, a review of 80 studies selected for the journal Evidence Based Medicine as both valid and important for clinical practice found that clinicians could replicate the intervention in only half the studies.² Interventions may be used incorrectly or not at all if …

A Monocular Marker-Free Gait Measurement System, Jane Courtney, Annraoi M. De Paor

Articles

This paper presents a new, user-friendly, portable motion capture and gait analysis system for capturing and analyzing human gait, designed as a telemedicine tool to monitor remotely the progress of patients through treatment. The system requires minimal user input and simple single-camera filming (which can be acquired from a basic webcam) making it very accessible to nontechnical, nonclinical personnel. This system can allow gait studies to acquire a much larger data set and allow trained gait analysts to focus their skills on the interpretation phase of gait analysis. The design uses a novel motion capture method derived from spatiotemporal segmentation …

Effect Of Acute Administration Of Angiopoietin-1 In Experimental Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: Magnetic Resonance Imaging And Neurobehavioral Studies, Chirag B. Patel

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition that affects people in the prime of their lives. A myriad of vascular events occur after SCI, each of which contributes to the evolving pathology. The primary trauma causes mechanical damage to blood vessels, resulting in hemorrhage. The blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB), a neurovascular unit that limits passage of most agents from systemic circulation to the central nervous system, breaks down, resulting in inflammation, scar formation, and other sequelae. Protracted BSCB disruption may exacerbate cellular injury and hinder neurobehavioral recovery in SCI.

In these studies, angiopoietin-1 (Ang1), an agent known to reduce …

Review Of Randomized Control Trials Assessing The Efficacy Of Noninvasive Ventilation (Niv) In Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure (Ahrf) In Non-Copd And Non-Trauma Cases, Marja Alyami

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: In the last two decades, there has been strong evidence supporting the use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in COPD cases. While there are advocates in favor of the use of NIV in patients presented with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) non-related to COPD nor chest trauma, efficacy of NIV in these cases is still heatedly debated in the medical research field.

Objective: To critically assess the existing scientific evidence regarding efficacy of NIV as an adjunct therapy, the endotracheal intubation rate, intensive care and hospital length of stay, fatal complications, and mortality rate in patients presented with AHRF in …

Asian Race/Ethnicity As A Risk Factor For Bile Duct Injury During Cholecystectomy., Stephanie R. Downing, Ghazala Datoo, Tolulope A. Oyetunji, Terrence Fullum, David C. Chang, Nita Ahuja

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Iatrogenic bile duct injury (BDI) is an uncommon but serious complication of cholecystectomy, with identified risk factors of acute cholecystitis, male sex, older age, and aberrant biliary anatomy. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (1998-2006) was queried for cholecystectomy performed on hospital day 0 or 1. Bile duct injury repair procedure codes were used as a surrogate for BDI. We identified 377,424 patients who underwent cholecystectomy, with 1124 BDIs (0.3%). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, Asian race/ethnicity was a significant risk factor for BDI (odds ratio [OR], 2.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.59-3.23; P < .001). This persisted for laparoscopic (OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.28-5.39; P = .009) and open (2.21; 1.59-3.07; P < .001) cholecystectomies. No other race/ethnicity was identified as a risk factor for BDI. We report a new finding that Asian race/ethnicity is a significant risk factor for BDI in laparoscopic and open cholecystectomies.

Evaluation Of The Quantitative Accuracy Of A Commercially-Available Positron Emission Mammography Scanner, Adam Springer

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Objective: The PEM Flex Solo II (Naviscan, Inc., San Diego, CA) is currently the only commercially-available positron emission mammography (PEM) scanner. This scanner does not apply corrections for count rate effects, attenuation or scatter during image reconstruction, potentially affecting the quantitative accuracy of images. This work measures the overall quantitative accuracy of the PEM Flex system, and determines the contributions of error due to count rate effects, attenuation and scatter.

Materials and Methods: Gelatin phantoms were designed to simulate breasts of different sizes (4 – 12 cm thick) with varying uniform background activity concentration (0.007 – 0.5 μCi/cc), cysts and …

Macrophages Loaded With Gold Nanoshells For Photothermal Ablation Of Glioma: An In Vitro Model, Amani Riad Makkouk

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The current median survival of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common type of glioma, remains at 14.6 months despite multimodal treatments (surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy). This research aims to study the feasibility of photothermal ablation of glioma using gold nanoshells that are heated upon laser irradiation at their resonance wavelength. The novelty of our approach lies in improving nanoshell tumor delivery by loading them in macrophages, which are known to be recruited to gliomas via tumor-released chemoattractive agents. Ferumoxides, superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles, are needed as an additional macrophage load in order to visualize macrophage accumulation in …

Controlling Balance Decline Across The Menopause Using A Balance-Strategy Training Program: A Randomized, Controlled Trial, S. Fu, Nancy Low Choy, Jennifer Nitz

Nancy Low Choy

Objective: To evaluate effectiveness and long-term benefits of a specific balance-strategy training program in sedentary women aged 40-60 years and whether participation leads to adoption of a more active lifestyle. Method: Fifty healthy women were admitted to the randomized, controlled trial on the basis of their activity level. Subjects were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group, with the former attending twice-weekly for 12 weeks. Assessments made pre- and post-intervention and at 9 months follow-up included: personal demographics, hormone replacement therapy medication, activity level, balance measures, somatosensory function, ankle flexibility and leg muscle strength. Results: The intervention group showed …

Perfil Dos Atendimentos Ambulatoriais Realizados Em Uma Clínica De Cirurgia Plástica No Sul Do Brasil / Outpatient Service Profile In A Plastic Surgery Clinic In Southern Brazil, Everton Fernando Alves

Everton Fernando Alves

Objetivo: Descrever o perfil dos atendimentos ambulatoriais realizados em uma clínica de cirurgia plástica no sul do Brasil. Materiais e Métodos: Foi realizado um estudo descritivo, exploratório e de caráter quantitativo com o intuito de analisar a totalidade de atendimentos ambulatoriais (consultas e cirurgias) realizadas em uma clínica privada de cirurgia plástica no período de 01 de janeiro a 31 de dezembro de 2010. Resultados: Observou-se que, das 671 (60,5%) consultas novas, apenas 205 (18,5%) cirurgias foram realizadas. Março foi o mês com mais consultas (10%) e cirurgias (11,7%). Do total de consultas novas, as reparadoras foram predominantes em 55,6% …