Diseases Commons^™

Byrd, Maya Dangerfield

Capstones

In April 2015, William Byrd Wilkins or ‘Byrd’, 50, a theatre and television actor, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In August, his friends crowd-funded an all expense paid trip to New York for Byrd who wasundergoing chemotherapy in his rural hometown of Louisburg, North Carolina. Originally described as ‘an opportunity to reconnect’ the trip soon developed into a ‘living funeral’ as Byrd and his friends grappled with Byrd’s terminal prognosis. As he visited his favorite New York haunts and met with friends, Byrd wrestled with the decision to end his chemotherapy upon his return home.

Cd4+ T-Cell Mediated Microvascular Endothelial Cell Death And Chronic Cardiac Allograft Rejection Involves Necroptosis, Cecilia Yt Kwok

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Heart transplantation is the only viable option for patients with end-stage heart failure. Despite advances in immunosuppressive therapies, the rate of transplanted graft loss remains substantial. Graft loss is primarily due to tissue damage mediated by immune responses. Cell death and organ rejection can occur as an active molecular process through apoptotic and necrotic pathways. We now recognize that cell death may also ensue through a newly described form of programmed necrotic cell death, termed necroptosis that involves receptor-interacting protein kinase (RIPK) 1/3. In this study, I aim to establish the role of RIPK3 in T cell-mediated chronic cardiac allograft …

Myasthenia Gravis, Abbe R. Feaver

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease characterized by ocular, bulbar, facial, and skeletal muscle weakness due to a defect in the transmission of nerve to muscle impulses at the neuromuscular junction (Mestecky, 2013, p. 110). Approximately 14-20 in 100,000 people are diagnosed with myasthenia gravis in the United States (Leis, Moore, Kofler, Beric, De Visser, 2014, p. 112). Typically, diagnosis occurs in middle-aged adults with women generally acquiring the disease at a younger age than men (Mestecky, 2013, p. 110). MG has the potential to greatly affect the quality of life of a patient. Although the disease …

Acute Immune Thrombocytopenia Purpura, Erin Woodworth

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), formerly known as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, is a relatively rare, but potentially life threatening autoimmune disorder that involves the destruction of platelets by autoantibodies. The resultant decreased platelet count leaves the patient at risk for excessive bruising and bleeding (Hunt, 2010). ITP can occur in both adults and children, and also occurs as an acute or chronic disorder. It is thought that the cause of acute ITP may differ from that of chronic ITP, however, the underlying disease processes that occur are very similar (Johnsen, 2012). Acute ITP, the most common form of the disease, most …

Sle And Pregnancy, Patricia Graham

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a life-long, life-threatening autoimmune disease which can affect any organ in the body (Marks & Tullus, 2011). SLE disproportionately affects women in a ratio of 9:1 compared to men with most women being affected during child-bearing age (15-50 years) (Ferenkeh-Koroma, 2012). Pregnancy represents a challenge for the patient with SLE. Pregnant patients with SLE are considered high-risk for multiple medical and obstetric complications, as flares are related to increased irreversible organ damage (Ateka- Barrutia & Khamashta, 2013). Severe flares are also associated with poor fetal outcomes (Peart & Clowse, 2014). Successful pregnancies happen in 67% …

Know Your Status: Alleviating Stigma From The Hiv Positive Community Of San Luis Obispo California, Mario Alberto Viveros Espinoza

Ethnic Studies

The purpose of this project is to alleviate stigma from the HIV community in San Luis Obispo, CA by creating an outreach program, “Know Your Status,” that raises awareness of HIV education and prevention. Research on HIV stigma and on ideologies for program development and implementation shows that HIV positive individuals face both internalized and externalized stigma. Program development and implementation can be effective by assessing and addressing the specific needs of those living within the community. This project includes the data needed for program development and implementation, collected through anonymous surveys from HIV positive community members, interviews with professionals …

Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor: Its Role In Gut-Homing Macrophage Generation And Colitis, And Production By Probiotics, Shahab Meshkibaf

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The pleiotropic cytokine granulocyte-colony stimulatory factor (G-CSF) is mainly required for the generation of neutrophils, but its role in macrophage generation has also been reported. In addition, G-CSF is effective for the down-regulation of inflammatory cytokines and ameliorating gut disorders, such as colitis. However, the G-CSF function in macrophage generation and gut immunity remains unclear. The first focus of this thesis was to assess the role of G-CSF in macrophage generation and its contribution to gut immunity. G-CSF was found to promote the generation of Gr-1high/F4/80+ macrophages in macrophage (M)-CSF-treated bone marrow cells, most likely through suppressing cell death. Gr-1high …

Role Of Microrna-155 In Herpes Simplex Virus Pathogenesis, Siddheshvar Bhela

Doctoral Dissertations

Ocular infection with herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) can result in a chronic immunoinflammatory stromal keratitis (SK) lesion that is a significant cause of human blindness. These lesions are mainly orchestrated by IFN-gamma producing CD4+ T cells (Th1) and neutrophils. HSV being neurotropic in nature can also disseminate into the brain and lead to herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE). In this study we investigated the role of miR-155 in the pathogenesis of HSK and HSE.

The first part of the dissertation (I) reviews literature regarding the contribution of miRNAs in innate and adaptive immune responses. It also focuses on their involvement …

A Systematic Literature Review Of The Relationship Between Alcohol Consumption And Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (Haart) In Patients Diagnosed With Hiv/Aids, Charmaine M. Lapre'

Honors Theses

According to the Global Information System on Alcohol and Health (GISAH), alcohol consumption causes more than 2.5 million deaths annually. This organization also attributes more than sixty different diseases in which alcoholism plays a significant role. Such diseases include the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (WHO, 2014). There are over 50,000 new cases of HIV reported each year. In the United States, it is estimated that more than 1.1 million people are infected with HIV, and about one in six people are completely unaware that they are infected (CDC.gov, 2013). A systematic literature review was …

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

Honors Capstone 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 …

Methotrexate And Cardiovascular Events, Alpesh Shah

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the association of MTX with cardiovascular morbidity, cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality in patients with autoimmune disease. Our primary outcome was incident cardiovascular events. After screening 13,479 citations, we identified a total of 30 eligible studies. We synthesized adjusted risk estimates using a random effects model. MTX was significantly associated with a 25% reduction in cardiovascular events (pooled RR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.86, I²: 11%), a 55% reduction in cardiovascular mortality (0.45, 95% CI: 0.26, 0.80, I²: 33%) and a 40% reduction in all-cause mortality (0.60, …

Implementation Of Motivational Interviewing In A Multidisciplinary Hiv Clinic In An Academic Medical Setting, Lucy Ledesma

Doctoral Dissertations

Purpose: People living with HIV (PLWH) struggle with medication adherence. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) requires greater than 95% adherence to prevent HIV drug resistance and treatment failure. Motivational interviewing (MI) is an effective counseling method designed to enhance health behavior change. This project determined the effectiveness of a two-day introductory MI training course on participant MI knowledge, perception of MI effectiveness, perception of client behavior change, and likelihood of MI use in a Midwest outpatient HIV clinic.

Participants: Seven clinical and non-clinical members of the multidisciplinary care team completed the two-day MI training course. Approximately 82% of the participants had never …

The Effects Of Vitamin D Supplementation On Influenza, Jonah M. Spoerndle

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Recently the role of vitamin D in other non-classical capacities has been evaluated. One of these non-classical vitamin D roles is assisting in maintaining proper immune system health. One disease that has a great effect on the immune system is influenza. Vitamin D helps to prevent and limit influenza by moderating the inflammatory cytokines as well as promoting the production of monocytes that help destroy the invading materials. Through the use of vitamin D supplementation the recommended daily amount of vitamin D can be assured and optimal health could be achieved. The purpose of this project was to design a …