Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons^™

Fracture Toughness Of Irradiated Bone In A Murine Model, Lynda Marie Brady

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Cancer is a prevalent and diverse disease affecting fourteen million people in the United Sates alone. While some cancers can be treated effectively with one-time operations such as surgery, other cancers require more persistent treatments, commonly chemotherapy and radiation. These latter two treatments can have extreme side-effects and long-term ramifications. One long-term side effect of radiation therapy is a higher incidence of insufficiency fractures in bones of the skeleton. The mechanism responsible for this apparent weakness in bone is not well understood. In order to quantify changes in ductility following radiation therapy, femora from mice treated with 20 Gy radiation …

Diabetes Type 2 Self-Management Education Program: Short Messaging From Patient Portal To Web-Enabled Device, Lynn S. Holcomb

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Only one in eight adults with diabetes reaches target goals for disease management, which can lead to clinical complications, costly both economically and in quality and duration of human life. The standard of care is a quarterly 15-minute face-to-face visit-- arguably inadequate to impart self-care knowledge. The purpose of this EBP project was to deliver a 30-day diabetes self-management education program (DSMEP) utilizing widely accessible web-based technology to facilitate adults with diabetes to reach targeted goals. Using the Chronic Care Model as a framework, the DSMEP design was based on an extensive literature review of the delivery of DSMEP in …

The Effect Of An Educational Intervention On Oral Anticoagulation Therapy Knowledge In Primary Care, Elizabeth D. Deck

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

It is estimated that three million people in the United States are on oral anticoagulation therapy (warfarin). Populations studied have been found in therapeutic range 64% of the time (Pernod, Labarere, & Bosson, 2008). The low percentage of therapeutic range is attributable to (a) adherence, (b) monitoring infrequency, (c) Vitamin K antagonists, and (d) the effects of aging and comorbidities. The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project was to examine whether an educational intervention would improve the knowledge of patients receiving warfarin therapy. Roy’s model for patient adaptation and the Stetler Model for EBP were used as frameworks for …

Comparison Of Neutral Versus Extended Wrist Pushup For Patients With Wrist Injury, Emily Tucci

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The scapholunate interosseous ligament (SLIL) is a crucial stabilizing structure of the wrist. Damage to this ligament often results from falling upon an outstretched hand, leading to carpal instability­.^1,2,3 Tears to the SLIL create a gap in the scapholunate joint and allow the scaphoid to flex and the lunate to extend, rather than moving with one another as they do in healthy physiologic motion.^4,5 The SLIL is normally repaired following injury in order to decrease the risk of arthritis and pain.^1,2,5,6,7 Patients will often begin rehabilitation exercises after SLIL repair in order to reduce recovery time.^{8,9 …}

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Polysialic Acid-Polycaprolactone Based Micelles For Drug Delivery, Weston Ryan

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The growing use and investigation of pharmaceuticals to treat disease has offered the field of drug delivery an opportunity to further improve upon the effects provided, as well as address therapeutic complications. An effective long-term treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has yet be developed, while many current treatments pose disadvantageous side effects due to undesirable reactions outside of the diseased tissue. Therefore, there is a need for an improved strategy for RA treatment. A previously developed drug carrier system based on polysialic acid (PSA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) micelles was shown to be effective for in vitro therapeutic use. The evaluated …

Development Of Polyhydroxyalkanoate Nanoparticles For Cancer Therapy, Philip Choiniere

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a class of biopolyesters produced and stored by bacteria, have garnered attention for a number of industrial and biomedical applications. The goal of the current study was to extend the use of PHAs to drug delivery for the treatment of cancer. As a first step, the cytotoxicity of poly(3- hydroxy-octanoate-co-10-undecanoate) (PHOU) towards the A549 lung carcinoma cell line was determined and nanoparticles were prepared via a single emulsion technique. Elution tests, whereby cells were grown in fluid extracts obtained from media incubated for 24 hours at 37°C with PHOU films, did not result in any significant changes in …

Comparison Of Propulsive Power During Loaded Countermovement Jumps Performed In Water Versus Land In College Aged Males, Clint R. Nardoni

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

As use of an aquatic environment increases as a training and rehabilitative tool, the purpose of this study was to assess peak propulsive power in loaded countermovement jumps (CMJ) in water and compare them to loaded CMJ on land. 20 college aged (24.6±3.6 years) recreationally active males performed 4 randomized countermovement jumps on a force plate with increasing loads (bodyweight [BW], BW+10%, BW+20%, BW+30%) in two environments: immersed in water at the xiphoid process and on land. Peak power (PP) and mean power (MP) normalized to apparent mass were assessed for all jumps. A 2 (environment) by 4 (load) repeated …

Developing A Bilingual, Computer-Tailored, Hpv Vaccination Promotion Intervention Targeting Latino Parents, Angela Chia-Chen Chen, Ashish Amresh

Publications

In this paper we present an innovative, computer-tailored application aimed at increasing Latino parents' intention to vaccinate their adolescent children against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). HPV infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Latinas have the highest age-adjusted incidence rate for HPV-associated cervical cancer compared with their counterparts in other racial/ethnic groups. HPV vaccines offer hope against HPV-associated diseases. Because parental consent is required for children under age 18 to receive t h e HPV vaccination in most U. S. states, parents' attitudes and intention to have their children vaccinated are keys for promoting HPV …

The Importance Of A Pictorial Medical History In Assisting Medical Diagnosis Of Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities: A Telemedicine Approach, Grace Bonanno

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

When face-to-face physical medical exams are not possible, virtual physical exams, in the form of a pictorial medical exam/history, can be substituted, and telemedicine can be the means to deliver these virtual exams. The goal of this work was to determine if presence in the form of a visual and/or pictorial medical history can be of benefit to clinicians in the diagnosis of medical conditions of individuals with developmental disabilities (DDs) and/or intellectual disabilities (IDs), in particular those who cannot, because of their cognitive and/or physical disabilities, verbally relate their illness to a clinician. Virtual exams can also be useful …

Raman Micro Spectroscopy For In Vitro Drug Screening: Subcellular Localisation And Interactions Of Doxorubicin, Zeineb Farhane, Franck Bonnier, Alan Casey, Hugh Byrne

Articles

Vibrational spectroscopy, including Raman spectroscopy, has been widely used over the last few years to explore potential biomedical applications. Indeed, Raman spectroscopy has been demonstrated to be a powerful non-invasive tool in cancer diagnosis and monitoring. In confocal microscopic mode, the technique is also a molecularly specific analytical tool with optical resolution which has potential applications in subcellular analysis of biochemical processes, and therefore as an in vitro screening tool of the efficacy and mode of action of, for example, chemotherapeutic agents.

In order to demonstrate and explore the potential in this field, established, model chemotherapeutic agents can be valuable. …

The Incidence Of Chagas Coinfections Amongst Acute Dengue Patients In Machala, Ecuador, Elizabeth A. Mcmahon

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Dengue fever is a febrile illness found throughout the tropics that, in severe cases, can be deadly. The most rapidly spreading of any mosquito-borne disease, dengue is re-emerging as an illness of great concern in Latin America and around the globe. The CDC estimates that as many as 400 million cases of dengue occur each year. The pathogenesis of dengue virus is complicated and acts through modulation of the host immune system. Dengue polarizes the immune system balance of T helper 1 (Th1) and T helper 2 (Th2) cells towards a Th1 inflammatory response. Parasitic infections have also been shown …

A Comparison Of The Upper Limb Lift Test Between Women With Breast Cancer And Healthy Control Subjects, Mary Insana Fisher, Lucinda Pfalzer, Ellen W. Levy, Shana Harrington, Lynn H. Gerber, Nicole L. Stout

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Presentation at the World Confederation for Physical Therapy Congress, held May 1-4, 2015, in Singapore.

Background: Objective measures of upper limb (UL) function specific to breast cancer survivors (BC) are limited. Motion, strength, and muscular endurance are measurable components of UL function. A clinical test that quantifies these components is needed.

Purpose: This study compares the Upper Limb Lift Test (ULLT) between women with BC and healthy control subjects (HC) at baseline, 1-3 months, and 12+ months post-operatively enrolled in a prospective surveillance trial with early intervention. A secondary purpose was to validate the ULLT by comparing findings to self-reported …

A Comparison Of Cyfra 21-1, Nse, And Cea For The Serodiagnosis Of Lung Cancer, A Alexandra Knopp

Honors Theses

There were 224,210 new cases of lung cancer in the US during 2014, and of those cases, there 159,260 that died from lung cancer during 2014. Since early diagnosis and treatment leads to a better prognosis, the medical community is actively looking for new, noninvasive tests for the disease. This includes the search for new and effective tumor markers. Tumor markers are used in combination with other tests to diagnose cancer. After the diagnosis, they are used to follow a patient’s case. The three tumor markers studied were neuron specific enolase (NSE), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and CYFRA 21-1. In this …

Interactive Cause And Effect Comic-Book Storytelling For Improving Nutrition Outcomes In Children, Ashish Amresh, Madhumita Sinha, Rebecca Birr, Rahul Salla

Publications

Obesity among children and adolescents is increasingly becoming a major public health problem. Poverty and lower socio-economic status as well as lack of parental awareness regarding a balanced diet and adequate exercise all contribute towards childhood obesity. Unfortunately minority children have been especially vulnerable, among them inner-city Latino children continue to have the highest incidence rates of overweight and obesity; hence targeted intervention for this population group is of paramount importance. Access and affordability of smartphones and mobile internet devices provide an opportunity to create nutrition education interventions that can significantly impact and change attitude and knowledge regarding healthy diet …

Design And Development Of Two Component Hydrogel Ejector For Three-Dimensional Cell Growth, Thomas Dunkle, Jessica Deschamps, Connie Dam

Honors Scholar Theses

Hydrogels are useful in wound healing, drug delivery, and tissue engineering applications, but the available methods of injecting them quickly and noninvasively are limited. The medical industry does not yet have access to an all-purpose device that can quickly synthesize hydrogels of different shapes and sizes. Many synthesis procedures that have been developed result in the formation of amorphous hydrogels. While generally useful, amorphous hydrogels exhibit limited capability in tissue engineering applications, especially due to their viscous properties. This endeavor aims to modulate the appropriate gelation parameters, optimize the injection process, and create a prototype that allows for the extrusion …

Oral Wellness: Using Occupational Therapy To Enhance Oral Hygiene Delivery In Long-Term Care, Lauryn J. Banovitz, Liberty Bellah, Rosemarie Lion

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Based on current literature, oral health in long-term care (LTC) facilities is frequently of low priority and does not follow evidence-based best practices. Poor oral health reduces the quality of life of older adult residents and patients and can lead to systemic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and pneumonia, the leading cause of death in LTC. Occupational therapists can play an instrumental role as oral care consultants, and educators, and can act as resource guides to raise the standards of oral care in LTC facilities.

This capstone project explored ways in which occupational therapy, a profession traditionally designated for …

Src Homology 2 Domain-Containing 5’-Inositol Phosphatase-2 (Ship2) Is An Effector Of Lymphatic Dysfunction, Germaine D. Agollah

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The lymphatic system is essential for the transport of excess fluid, protein, and foreign materials from interstitial tissues to lymph nodes; for immune surveillance, and to maintain fluid homeostasis. Dysregulated lymphatics can be attributed to pathological conditions including tumor metastasis, inflammation, chronic wounds, obesity, blood vascular disorders, and lymphedema. Of these, lymphedema is the most extreme of lymphatic disorders and is represented by a spectrum of symptoms ranging from mild, subtle presentation to severe, disfiguring, overt presentation. Lymphedema is more manageable in the early stages of disease but severely reduces quality of life with progression. Due to lack of molecular …

Correlation Matrix Analysis Identifies Gene Signatures Of Immune Cell Subsets And Their Interactions In Follicular Lymphoma, Jason R. Westin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

There are important but ill-defined interactions between benign immune cell subsets and neoplastic B cells within follicular lymphoma (FL). Using the novel technique of correlation matrix analysis (CMA) of publicly available FL whole-tumor gene expression profiling (GEP) data, we have identified signatures of immune cell subsets. Overall survival correlated most highly with a model using signatures of macrophages, T cells, and stroma, which was able to add significantly to existing clinical prognostic tools. From our own data of a cohort of 43 FL tumors sorted into B-cell and non-B cell (NB) fractions for GEP, CMA of the tumor infiltrating NB …

Optimization Of Fluorescent Detection Of Rotavirus Protein Nsp4 And A Cellular Receptor In Two Cell Lines, Katelyn D. Defrates, Rebecca Walker, Ron Havenar, Rebecca D. Parr

Bright Ideas Conference

Rotavirus (RV) infections are the most common cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide. The two licensed vaccines for RV protect children from common strains of RV, but they are less effective against new emerging RV strains. Therefore, new therapeutics to treat RV infections need to be developed. Recently, we have shown stilbenoids, trans-arachidin-1 (t-A1) and trans-arachidin-3 (t-A3), decrease progeny virus particles by one hundred fold. Likewise, western blot assays show a decrease in the amount of the viral protein NSP4 with the addition of the stilbenoids during a RV infection. This indicates an effect on viral …

Site-Specific Immunomodulator: A Novel Treatment For Crohn's Disease, Brian Bressler, Kevin P. Bethel, Ralf Kleef, Sophie L. Reynolds, Simon Sutcliffe, David W. Mullins, Hal Gunn

Dartmouth Scholarship

We investigated the mechanism of action, safety, and efficacy of the Site-Specific Immunomodulator (SSI) QBECO, a novel immunotherapy for Crohn’s disease (CD). Using human monocytic THP-1 cells, we demonstrate that SSI QBECO (derived from the common colon bacteria E. coli) activates macrophages to an M1 phenotype (associated with enhanced capacity to eliminate bacteria and activate innate immune responses). We assessed SSI QBECO in a compassionate use protocol of ten adult patients with active CD. Patients with moderate to severe clinical symptoms receiving conventional CD treatments and/or complementary therapies were included, except patients receiving anti-TNF medications. SSI QBECO was self-administered subcutaneously …

The Historical Evolution Of Endoscopy, Sarah Ellison

Honors Theses

INTRODUCTION: Minimally invasive surgery is on the rise and is becoming more common. Its advantage over traditional open surgery is a quicker recovery time and minimized risk of infection along with an aesthetically more pleasing smaller scar. Although many different scopes and instruments perform minimally invasive techniques, all minimally invasive instruments evolved from endoscopy. It wasn’t until the 20^th century that they began to diverge to separate studies. Therefore endoscopy is considered in regards to instrument evolution. History is full of twists and turns as different pieces of the scope progressed so its advancement has been separated into the …

Evidence Based Design In Healthcare: An Applied Study On The Impacts Of Interior Design For Cerebral Palsy, Katie D. Phillips

Honors College Theses

Evidence Based Design (EBD) is an informed approach to design where designers base their decisions on quantitative and qualitative research. The design of the Universal Access Center for United Cerebral Palsy, discussed in this paper, encapsulates this approach to design. The five stages of EBD and how they were achieved within this project is defined. In the first phase, programming, current trends in healthcare as well as issues surrounding design for adults with Cerebral Palsy (CP) are discussed. In schematic design, initial issues of the project are resolved, and creative ideas are explored leading to the design development stage. In …

A Qualitative Examination Of Optimal Professional Traits Of Physical Therapists. – An Exploratory Investigation, Nicholas G. Wood

Honors College Theses

Physical therapists are constantly searching for aspects of their professional practice to improve, in order to enhance interactions with patients, eventually leading to a more successful practice (Resnek & Jensen, 2003). Although this is the case, limited research has been found which has examined optimal qualities of physical therapists from neither a qualitative perspective, nor based upon their location. Thus, the purpose of this study is to use a qualitative approach to describe optimal qualities necessary for a successful physical therapy practice. In addition, this study aims to determine if therapists practicing in a rural community describe different qualities than …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy In The Prevention Of Infant Torticollis & Plagiocephaly, Anne H. Zachry

Faculty Presentations

AOTA includes health promotion as an Intervention approach in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process. As health care professionals, occupational therapy practitioners are responsible for promoting public health and wellness. Occupational therapists need to educate parents and caregivers about the importance of varying infant positions, providing tummy time, and limiting infant time spent in baby gear.

The Effects Of Horseback Riding On The Gait Of Adolescents, Sarah L. Hayes

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to investigate the changes that occur in the gait of a set of subjects after they ride a horse. Eleven riders with a developmental disability were selected and included in an experimental group and nineteen “typical” subjects or those without a developmental disability were included as a second comparison group. The length of time the subjects were able to remain standing in a tandem stance and in a one-legged stance without becoming unbalanced was measured and recorded. The stride length of the subject’s second and third step from heel to heel was also …

Live Imaging Of The Ependymal Cilia In The Lateral Ventricles Of The Mouse Brain, Alzahra J. Al Omran, Hannah C. Saternos, Tongyu Liu, Surya M. Nauli, Wissam A. Aboualaiwi

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Multiciliated ependymal cells line the ventricles in the adult brain. Abnormal function or structure of ependymal cilia is associated with various neurological deficits. The current ex vivo live imaging of motile ependymal cilia technique allows for a detailed study of ciliary dynamics following several steps. These steps include: mice euthanasia with carbon dioxide according to protocols of The University of Toledo’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC); craniectomy followed by brain removal and sagittal brain dissection with a vibratome or sharp blade to obtain very thin sections through the brain lateral ventricles, where the ependymal cilia can be visualized. …

Ua10/1 Cec Newsletter, Mary Lloyd Moore Executive Director, Wku Suzanne Vitale Clinical Education Complex

CEC Publications

No abstract provided.

Physical Therapy Management For A Female Student Athlete Post- Concussion: A Case Report, Matthew Johnson

All Capstone Projects

Background and purpose: The purpose of this case report is to describe vestibular, oculomotor, and cervical interventions that were theorized to improve the function and decrease symptoms typically seen in the post-concussion population.

Case Description: The patient was a 16 year old female who was status post concussion due to head trauma during gymnastics routine. Symptoms included short term memory loss, fatigue, drowsiness, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, headaches, visual disturbances, and neck pain.

Outcomes: Patient was seen for 7 treatments over the course of 6 weeks which mainly focused on oculomotor training, vestibular training, and cervicogenic relief. Outcomes were consistent with …

Comparative Literature Analysis Of Peripheral Vestibular Function Assessment Tools, Riddhi Chinoy

All Capstone Projects

Objective Purpose: One main function of the peripheral vestibular system's semicircular canals is to stabilize images on a target during head movements through the important vestibula-ocular reflex (VOR) in order to maintain clear vision. Abnormal VOR response results in fast, compensatory, catch­ up saccadic eye movements suggesting dysfunction in the semicircular canals. Several functional assessment tools have been developed since the twentieth century to measure the VOR response and saccadic eye movement, and some are still widely used currently, such as the caloric test, rotary chair test, bedside head impulse test (bHIT), scleral search coil technique, and video head impulse …

Image Enhancement Of Cancerous Tissue In Mammography Images, Richard Thomas Richardson

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

This research presents a framework for enhancing and analyzing time-sequenced mammographic images for detection of cancerous tissue, specifically designed to assist radiologists and physicians with the detection of breast cancer. By using computer aided diagnosis (CAD) systems as a tool to help in the detection of breast cancer in computed tomography (CT) mammography images, previous CT mammography images will enhance the interpretation of the next series of images. The first stage of this dissertation applies image subtraction to images from the same patient over time. Image types are defined as temporal subtraction, dual-energy subtraction, and Digital Database for Screening Mammography …