Diseases Commons^™

Detecting Cardio-Respiratory Instability In Neonates, Joshua Todd Carroll, Shahrokh Sani

Celebration of Student Scholarship Poster Sessions Archive

No abstract provided.

Studies On The Prevalence And Control Of Parasitic Helminths In "Natural" Laying Hens, Brittany R. Weir

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

One societal trend that has been gaining much traction and popularity since the 21^st century began is “organic” and/or “natural” food products. In 1999, the global market accounted for $15.2 billion dollars worth of organic food and drink, compared to the market in 2014 where we consumed $80 billion dollars worth (Willer et. al, 2016). With “natural” production of food animals however, “natural” parasite transmission may be a consequence. To that end, this experiment examines the prevalence of helminths in 110 “natural” laying hens from three regional farms and the efficacies of fenbendazole, piperazine, and levamisole on what should …

Facilitators And Barriers To Ncd Prevention In Pakistanis-Invincibility Or Inevitability: A Qualitative Research Study., Ambreen Gowani, Hafiz Imtiaz Ahmed, Wardah Khalid, Abdul Muqeet, Saad Abdullah, Shariq Khoja, Ayeesha Kamran Kamal

Department of Medicine

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCD) are the leading causes of death globally. In Pakistan, they are among the top ten causes of mortality, especially in the productive age group (30–69 years). Evidence suggests that health perceptions and beliefs strongly influence the health behavior of an individual. We performed focus group interviews to delineate the same so as to design the user interface of a non-invasive stroke risk monitoring device.

Methods: It was a qualitative study, designed to explore how health perceptions and beliefs influence behavior for NCD prevention. Four focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted with 30 stable participants who had …

The Effect Of Sleep Quality And High Intensity Physical Activity On Inflammation And Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors In College Students, Catherine Abraham

Honors Scholar Theses

Background: Inflammation is the common denominator in chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and depression. While adequate physical activity and optimal sleep quality may help maintain normal inflammation levels, evidence is somewhat conflicting. Aim: This cross-sectional observational study aimed to assess how sleep quality and high intensity physical activity associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and inflammatory biomarkers in a sample of young adults (n=106, ages 18-25 years). Methods: Laboratory-based assessments included lifestyle behaviors (sleep quality, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; self-reported frequency/intensity of physical activity; Healthy Behavior Index derived from reported preference for diet and physical activity), CVD risk …

Qualitative Exploration Of Spirituality In Heart Failure Patients, Abigail M. Reggio

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background.

Heart failure (HF) is a severe, progressive disease that afflicts large numbers of

individuals around the world. One significant factor affecting quality of life in persons

with HF is the extent to which spiritual needs are met. Developing an understanding of

spirituality in the HF patient is essential in order for the healthcare professional to

provide the highest quality care possible. This study focused on examining spirituality

in HF patients by means of conducting in-depth interviews with individuals diagnosed

with HF and completing a descriptive analysis of the responses. The goal of this study

was to gain insight into …

Association Of Self-Care Confidence And Hospital Readmission Following Student Nurse Led Congestive Heart Failure Transitional Care Project, Peyton A. Phelps

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

Over 5 million Americans have been diagnosed with heart failure, and that number is growing. This disease is burdensome to the patient as it lessens their quality of life and to the healthcare system due to costliness and frequent readmissions. This study aims to evaluate if a student nurse led transitional care program can increase patient self-care confidence, in turn reducing 30 day hospital readmission rates. Twenty patients completed the Self Care of Heart Failure Index before and after a 14-week transitional care program. These reported data were compared using a paired samples t-test. There was not a …

The Impact Of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (Bde-47) Administration In Mice And Its Implications In Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Kristen Ciampi

Senior Honors Projects

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a disease characterized by the accumulation of fat in liver cells that is not due to alcohol consumption. Steatosis results when more than 5-10% of the liver’s weight consists of fat. People who are overweight, or who have diabetes or high cholesterol are more likely to develop NAFLD. Over time, NAFLD can advance to cause cirrhosis, and eventually, liver cancer or failure.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs, BDEs) are brominated flame- retardants, and are found in many plastics and household products such as cars, textiles, televisions, and computers. BDEs are released into the environment and …

Lesion Identification And The Effect Of Lesion On Motor Mapping After Stroke, Ruixi Zhou

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Stroke is the most common cause of long-term severe disability and the motor system that is most commonly affected in stroke. One of the mechanisms that underlies recovery of motor deficits is reorganization or remapping of functional representations around the motor cortex. This mechanism has been shown in monkeys, but results in human subjects have been variable. In this thesis, I used a database that includes longitudinal behavioral and multimodal imaging data in both stroke patients and healthy controls for two research projects. Firstly, I improved an automatic lesion segmentation method to aid in the identification of the location and …

Viruses, Vaccines And The Public, Judy Diamond, Julia Mcquillan, Amy Spiegel, Patricia Wonch Hill, Rebecca Smith, John T. West, Charles Wood

World of Viruses

Current research in virology is changing public conceptions about vaccines and infectious disease. The University of Nebraska State Museum collaborated with research virologists, science writers, artists and learning researchers to create public outreach materials about viruses and infectious disease. The project, funded by the National Institute of Health’s SEPA program, developed comics, a book with Carl Zimmer, and other materials and programs. The project launched three kinds of learning research: 1) a survey of Nebraska adults on their opinions about vaccines and infectious disease; 2) a study comparing the mental models of viruses, vaccines and infection from virologists, teachers, and …

A Molecular Approach To Understanding The Effects Of Original-Xpc On The Modulation Of The Cecal Microbiota And The Survival Of Salmonella In The Poultry Host, Stephanie Roto

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Salmonella is a foodborne pathogen commonly associated with poultry products; the economic burden to the U.S. is estimated to be approximately $693 million (without factoring in contaminated eggs). Recently, there has been pressure to withdraw sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotics (also known as antibiotic growth promoters; AGP) from poultry due to concern over antibiotic-resistant bacteria spreading to the human population. Therefore, various feed additives have been researched for their ability in providing protection against harmful pathogens and their potential growth promoting effects, both of which were attributes of poultry treated with AGP. This thesis consists of a comprehensive literature review that …

The Effect Of Interspecies Signaling On Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia Growth., Zachary Ethan Dickinson

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder that effects over 70,000 people worldwide, and is particularly prevalent in those of Caucasian descent. CF increases susceptibility to chronic infections of the lungs and GI tract, often leading to decreased quality of life and early death to afflicted individuals. No cure is available, and so treatment is limited to treating the frequent infections that afflict CF patients. Several species of bacteria are commonly implicated in these infections, including Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Infections of this species is of particular interest as it has been shown to be highly antibiotic resistant. This is a concern …

The Effects Of Congestive Heart Failure On Quality Of Life: As Evaluated By The Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire, Diana G. Gonzalez

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a chronic disease that impairs the quality of life (QoL) of patients and is associated with both high hospital readmission rates and healthcare resource utilization such as emergency services. This study proposed use a student led transitional care program in providing home care to NYHA functional class II and III CHF patients. It evaluated the impact of the program on their quality of life as measured by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire© (MLWHFQ), the percentage of patients requiring readmission to the hospital within 30 days of initial hospitalization, and healthcare utilization. Thirty-six …

Psychometric Performance Of The Arabic Versions Of The Cancer Behavior Inventory‐Brief And The Functional Assessment Of Cancer Therapy‐Breast In Saudi Arabia, Maaidah M. Algamdi Msn

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Arabic is the mother tongue of 26 countries, including Saudi Arabia where cancer is the fourth leading cause of death. Cancer is a sensitive issue in the Arabic population and a clear understanding of patients’ perceptions of self-efficacy for coping with cancer and quality of life helps assess interventions designed to facilitate optimal patient outcomes. In preliminary studies, the Cancer Behavior Inventory-Brief (CBI-B) was translated and back translated between English and Arabic, and reviewed for translational validity by an expert panel. The Arabic version of the CBI-B (CBI-BA) had acceptable evidence of translational validity with an overall translational validity …

The Effects Of Smoking On The Calcification Of The Aortic Valve, Brittany Pendergraft

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Calcific Aortic Valve Disease is responsible for approximately 28,000 deaths annually and the complete mechanism is not completely understood. The disease is known to be effected by an inflammatory response, osteogenic response and an oxidative stress response that leads to thickening and mineralization of the aortic valve. Originally, this disease was thought to be brought on by age and deterioration of the valve but these rapid stress responses when the valve is disrupted by biochemical and mechanical stress has led to its classification as an active disease. Smoking has been shown to have many of the same effects experienced by …

Micellular Electrokinetic Chromatography For Studying Amyloid Beta Oligomer Membrane Affinity, Andrew Bryson

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Amyloid Beta (Aβ) was the major focus of this study. It is a peptide that is present in the brain with a high tendency to self-aggregate. When this protein aggregates, it forms oligomers and protofibrils which in turn are deposited as senile plaques in the brain. The reason for the concern with these plaques is their association with the neurological disorder Alzheimer’s disease. It has been found that the most dangerous oligomers are formed in a portion of the plasma membrane known as lipid rafts. The purpose of this study was to understand how micelles affect the aggregation properties of …

Exploring The Mechanisms Of Action Of Antifungal Peptides Using Saccharomyces Cerevisiae., Michelle L. Mason

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Candida albicans is a normal inhabitant of the skin and mucosal membranes of humans, however, in individuals with depressed immune systems or disrupted cutaneous flora, Candida can overgrow and cause serious infection. Candida infection is the fourth leading cause of nosocomial infection in the United States. These infections are often associated with longer hospital stays and higher mortality. Current drug therapies for this infection are largely ineffective due to the increased drug resistance of Candida species, and for some therapeutics, high levels of drug toxicity to humans. Histatin 5 is a naturally occurring salivary peptide that has strong antifungal properties. …

The Effects Of Pulmonary Hypertension In Diabetic Zucker Rats On Pulmonary Vascular Contraction And Right Ventricular Size, Michael Franzetti

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Pulmonary hypertension is a life-threatening disease that is identified by a resting mean pulmonary arterial pressure over 25 mmHg and established by right heart catheterization (Saglam et al., 2015). The symptoms commonly associated with pulmonary hypertension include fatigue, dyspnea, syncope, and chest pain, which severely limit quality of life in diagnosed patients (Saglam et al., 2015). According to recent studies in patients with pulmonary hypertension, the one, three and five year mortality rates are 8%, 25%, and 34%, respectively (Burudpakdee, Shah, Joish, Divers, & Yaldo, 2014). Although some advances have been made in therapies for pulmonary hypertension, the prognosis is …

The Effects Of Patient Education And Knowledge Of Chf Patients As Evaluated By The Paksac Survey, Nabil Tovar

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

After diagnosis, management of congestive heart failure (CHF) can pose quite a struggle to many patients, since it requires that lifestyle changes be implemented into their daily life. Patients require the sufficient knowledge and education in order to best manage symptoms and improve their quality of life after being diagnosed. Use of Patient Knowledge of Self-care activities in Congestive Heart Failure^© (PaKSAC) survey in transitional care programs could identify patient gaps in knowledge, as well as decreasing acute care service use. The purpose of this research study was to investigate the knowledge level of CHF patients at the time …

The Effect Of Increased Exposure Of Uvc Light On Human Skin Microbiota, T'Kylia S. Moss

Honors Theses

Many methods have been employed to prevent infections from opportunistic pathogens in immunocompromised individuals. Among these are the use of ultraviolet light (UV). In this study, UVC light, was found to have a deleterious effect on specific skin flora. Organisms tested included Acinetobacter baumanii, Candida albicans, Candida kefyr, Corynebacterium renale, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Streptococcus pyogenes. Nutrient agar was used to cultivate most organisms. Blood agar was used for the cultivation of Streptococcus pyogenes and Enterococcus faecalis. Bacterial suspensions were made and utilized to plate each organism onto a set of 7 nutrient agar or …

Microrna-186 And Metastatic Prostate Cancer., Dominique Zilpha Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

MicroRNA (miR) dysregulation alters cancer-associated gene expression, which contributes to cancer pathogenesis. For example, miR-186 over expression lead to enhanced proliferation and migration in pancreatic cancer cell models. However, the role of miR-186 in prostate cancer (PCa) remains controversial. Previously, miR-186-5p was up-regulated in PCa patient serum (stage III/IV) compared to controls. Furthermore, miR-186-5p was up-regulated in metastatic PCa (PC-3, MDA PCa 2b, LNCaP) relative to normal prostate epithelial cells (RWPE1). We hypothesized miR-186 inhibition will reduce aggressive PCa using metastatic cell models. To test this, we evaluated whether miR-186-5p inhibition would reduce aggressive PCa behavior and overexpression induce malignant …

Stabilization Of Gp120 Outer Domain For Hiv-1-1 Vaccine Immunogen Design, Duoyi Hu

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The sole envelope glycoprotein spike on the surface of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) is composed of two subunits: gp120 and gp41. The gp120 consists of three domains: the inner domain, outer domain and bridging sheet, to which the viral primary receptor CD4 binds and induces a conformational change in gp120 to expose the co-receptor binding site. Previous studies have found that the outer domain of gp120 is relatively more stable than the inner domain and bridging sheet. When superimposed, the co-crystal structures of CD4-gp120 complex and VRC01-gp120 complex revealed that the CD4-binding site (CD4-BS) antibody VRC01 actually mainly bound to …

Programming Heart Disease: Does Poor Maternal Nutrition Alter Expression Of Cardiac Markers Of Proliferation, Hypertrophy, And Fibrosis In Offspring?, Cathy Chun

Honors Scholar Theses

Maternal malnutrition can affect fetal organogenesis, metabolic processes, and factors involved in developmental regulation. Of the many physiological effects poor maternal nutrition can induce in offspring, one of the most important organs affected is the heart. Cardiovascular disease has been associated with poor maternal diet. It also been suggested that hypertension can originate during impaired intrauterine growth and development. Hypertension can trigger hypertensive heart disease and is associated with numerous heart complications. We hypothesized that poor maternal nutrition would alter critical growth factors associated with normal heart development, specifically, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, IGF-2, transforming growth factor (TGF)β, and connective …

Novel Oncogenic Drivers In Pediatric Gliomagenesis, Alexander K. Diaz

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGGs), with a two-year survival rate of less than 20%, are some of the most aggressive human cancers. This dissertation begins with our analysis of 127 pHGGs, including brainstem (BS) and non-brainstem (NBS) tumors, from 118 patients using next-generation sequencing technologies. Nearly one-third of BS-HGGs, also known as diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPGs), harbored somatic heterozygous missense mutations in ACVR1, coding for a receptor serine-threonine kinase involved in bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling. These alterations led to gain-of-function as evidenced by increased phosphorylation of downstream targets in primary astrocytes and zebrafish embryo ventralization. Whole-genome sequencing and …

The Role Of Drak2 In T Cell Function And Autoimmunity, Tarsha L. Harris

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The immune system utilizes many regulatory mechanisms to limit immune responses and ensure that immune cells target foreign pathogens and not healthy cells of the body. However, some immune cells can escape these checkpoints and attack the body’s healthy cells, leading to tissue destruction and devastating autoimmune disorders. For example, multiple sclerosis (MS) occurs when immune cells attack the myelin sheath surrounding neurons of the central nervous system (CNS). Likewise, the destruction of pancreatic islet cells by dysregulated immune cells leads to type 1 diabetes (T1D). Remarkably, there are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases. An estimated 50 million …

Assessment Of The Zoonotic Potential Of A Novel Bovine Influenza Virus, Laura Evelyn Eckard

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

A novel orthomyxovirus was recently identified from pigs, with subsequent work suggesting the natural reservoir being bovine populations. The virus had genome characteristics most similar to influenza C viruses (ICV) but, due to the extent of sequence divergence, was proposed as a new genus, influenza D virus (IDV). Current literature on IDV has largely focused on the agricultural significance of the virus and provided evidence for the agricultural impact via observation of widespread prevalence and pathology in laboratory infected cattle. However, only one study, which identified 1.3% seroprevalence in a small cohort, has addressed the zoonotic potential of IDV to …

Hit Identification For Pkcζ Inhibitors: Structure-Based Optimization, Virtual Screening, And Biological Evaluation, Xiaoxin Wu

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Protein kinase C ζ (PKCζ) is believed to be a promising target for the treatment of some diseases, including inflammatory diseases, obesity and diabetes. Hit identification of PKCζ inhibitors was conducted by structure-based modification, virtual screening and biological evaluation. Among all the compounds selected and synthesized, compound JW-1-60A showed moderate activity against PKCζ at 30 μM and 100 μM. The molecular modeling studies showed that the binding mode of JW-1-61A was very close to the binding mode of JP-3-149, a reported PKCζ inhibitor with very potent activity, which might partially explain the moderate activity of JW-1-61A. Based on the structure …

Antibodies To Heterogenous Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein A1 Penetrate Neurons Leading To Multiple Downstream Effects Resulting In Neurodegeneration, Joshua Nathan Douglas

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system. MS is believed to occur in genetically susceptible individuals due to an unknown environmental stimulus. MS patients produce autoantibodies to heterogenous nuclear ribonuclearprotein A1 (hnRNP A1), an RNA binding protein (RBP) highly expressed in neurons. hnRNP A1 functions in pre-mRNA splicing, mRNA trafficking, and translation. Furthermore, the anti-hnRNP A1 antibodies are specific to a N-terminal region termed ‘M9’ which serves as a nuclear export sequence/nuclear localization sequence (NES/NLS) responsible for nuclear/cytoplasmic transport of the protein. In this manuscript we will provide data revealing that anti-hnRNP A1 …

Pten Signaling In Regulatory T Cells And Inflammatory Disease, Sharad Krishna Shrestha

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Regulatory T (Treg) cells suppress CD4+ T cell responses during homeostasis and inflammation to prevent autoimmunity and other immune disorders. Although the transcriptional and epigenetic programs impacting Treg cell function have been extensively studied, the signaling and metabolic pathways underlying Treg stability and function are not fully understood. In this study, we determined the role of the phosphatase PTEN in Treg cells. We found that specific depletion of PTEN in Treg cells results in excessive TH1 and T follicular helper cells (TFH) responses, associated with elevated germinal center (GC) B cells and spontaneous development of autoimmune and lymphoproliferative disease in …

Harnessing Teams And Technology To Improve Outcomes In Infants With Single Ventricle., Girish S. Shirali, Lori A. Erickson, Johnathan Apperson, Kathy Goggin, David D. Williams, Kimberly J. Reid, Andrea Bradley-Ewing, Dawn Tucker, Michael Bingler, John Spertus, Leslie Rabbitt, Richard Stroup

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Infants with single ventricle require staged cardiac surgery, with stage I typically performed shortly after birth, stage II at 4 to 6 months of age, and stage III at 3 to 5 years of age. There is a high risk of interstage mortality and morbidity after infants are discharged from the hospital between stages I and II. Traditional home monitoring requires caregivers to record measurements of weight and oxygen saturation into a binder and requires families to assume a surveillance role. We have developed a tablet PC-based solution that provides secure and nearly instantaneous transfer of patient information to a …

The Influence Of Mir-99a On Mtor Signaling Regulation In Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines., Jonathan Rice

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide and the fourth most common cause of death. These are staggering statistics for a disease that can essentially be cured if caught early and the pathology is favorable to therapeutic intervention. There is currently a drastic decrease in five year survival as the cancer stage increases from locally confined disease to metastatic disease. These statistics suggest that although some strides have been made with colon cancer screening and early intervention, there is still much room for improvement in both screening and treatment of CRC. One of the pathways that have …