Diseases Commons^™

Healing Horses: An Occupational Therapy Approach In An Equine Environment, Ashlyn Renee Yoder

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

Aim: This project focused on the development of advanced clinical skills of OT-based hippotherapy in a pediatric setting and program development of the Genesis Therapeutic Riding Center. Information was gathered from primary and secondary sources to promote student skill acquisition, client goal progress, and parent-caregiver education of at-home interventions.

Objective: Goals focused on gaining knowledge and competencies of OT-based hippotherapy, key clinical information, and interdisciplinary roles. The purpose of this project was to highlight the impact of staff responsibilities and OT-based hippotherapy on physical and cognitive deficits.

Method: OT hippotherapy session observation and facilitation, extensive literature review, and multidisciplinary interviews …

Impacts Of Environmental Stressors On Native South Dakota Amphibian Physiology And Survival, Danielle Jean Galvin

Dissertations and Theses

Amphibian populations around the world are declining, with some of the most likely drivers behind these declines including emerging infectious diseases and environmental contaminants. To address major gaps in the current literature, I sought to evaluate the effect of two major environmental stressors on various aspects of amphibian physiology: emerging infectious diseases and environmental contaminants. Emerging infectious diseases of amphibians include fungal, viral, and parasitic pathogens which have expanded in host range, either geographically or in competent host species. Environmental contaminants include chemicals which may be naturally occurring in the environment, or which may be introduced to the environment, often …

Genetic Influences On The Response To Neuromodulation In Craving Behaviors, Carly J. Haring

Honors Thesis

Obesity and eating disorders are highly prevalent in the United States. People who suffer from obesity and/or eating disorders face serious health consequences and even death. Current treatments are not effective as recovery rates are low, so there is a dire need for an effective treatment for obesity and eating disorders. There have been studies investigating the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as a means of treatment for these people. While findings show promise, there is much variability. The goal of this study is to further prior …

The Kinetics Of Influenza A (A/California/4/2009-H1n1) And B (B/Phuket/3073/2013 (Byam), B/Brisbane/60/2008 (Bvic)) Virus Infection In Ferrets, Demi L. Erickson

Honors Thesis

Influenza is a persistent threat to individual and global health. Seasonal influenza kills nearly 500,000 people globally each year. Influenza viruses have circulated within the human population, causing a significant disease burden. In order to create the most effective antiviral therapies, knowledge concerning all lineages of influenza must be studied accurately and thoroughly. The influenza virus itself is not always responsible for these mortalities, rather, the secondary bacterial infections associated with death. In order to protect the population and examine the secondary infections that arise, the kinetics of influenza must be studied entirely. To understand the kinetics, researchers are turning …

Influences Of Anti-Bd Bacteria On Amphibians And Their Microbiomes, Emme L. Schmidt

Honors Thesis

The fungal pathogen Batrochochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been threatening amphibian populations across the globe. Recent work has discovered that bacteria isolated from certain populations of amphibians protect hosts from this pathogen. This project focuses on the anti-fungal mechanisms of Serratia marcescens, a species of bacteria isolated from a Costa Rican frog that dramatically inhibited Bd in culture. Wild-type and recombinant S. marcescens was introduced to the microbiomes of a live amphibian host, Acris blanchardi (Blanchard’s Cricket Frog) and then challenged with Bd to examine the protective effects of this bacteria. The experiment includes recombinant S. marcescens with …

Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Literature Review And Comprehensive Treatment Analysis, Charlton Mechling

Honors Thesis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic and debilitating autoimmune disease. The varying levels of severity of rheumatoid arthritis make it notably unique. Rheumatoid arthritis is not strictly an inflammatory disease of the joints; it is an extensive disease with many extra-articular manifestations that complicate its treatment and management. In addition to being a disease that is internally driven by the body’s immune system, current research reveals the pervasive influence of environmental factors on the disease’s severity and activity. This literature review examines the pathophysiology of RA, its implications on the body, and current treatment options to ameliorate some of its …

Optimization Of Methods For Cross-Species Infection Of Cell Cultures With Wolbachia, Sarah J. Lane

Honors Thesis

The common intracellular endosymbiont genus of bacteria called Wolbachia is of interest due to the promise it shows for playing a role in disease control. Wolbachia have a number of widely variable effects on its many species of host insects. In combination with these roles, Wolbachia largely affects reproduction and development of its host species. It can lead to feminization and cytoplasmic incompatibility (Werren et al. 2008). Furthermore, this species is vertically transmitted which means that it passes from mother to offspring (Caragata et al., 2016). In combination with its effects on reproduction, which can allow Wolbachia to propagate through …

Dementia: Types, What They Are And How They Differ, Jessica N. Schnetzer

Honors Thesis

Dementia: types, what they are and how they differ centers on the known and unknown complexities of dementia. Dementia is a very complex cognitive disease that consumes the brain, an organ of which we know very little about. Even so, this common disorder is actively being researched and is the topic of special interest of this thesis research. Described are Alzheimer’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Frontotemporal dementia, Huntington’s disease, Korsakoff’s syndrome, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s dementia, and Vascular dementia, focusing on what they are, their specific risks, diagnosis, treatment, and their differing progressions. Guidance of this study provided by thesis director …

Bilingualism/Multilingualism To Protect Against Cognitive Decline In Alzheimer’S Disease And Other Forms Of Dementia: A Systematic Review, Kirsten L. May

Honors Thesis

Given a growing incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and lack of treatments, prevention is a popular topic in both research literature (Angevaren et al., 2008; Orrell & Sahakian, 1995) and in news articles (Iacono et al., 2009). A cognitive reserve is a skill that improves cognitive functioning in executive controls. Bilingualism is believed to be a practice that increases cognitive reserve, which could delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

The purpose of this project was to analyze the possibility that bilingualism or multilingualism could create a cognitive reserve to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related diseases. This systematic …