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Cardiovascular Diseases Commons™

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Theses/Dissertations

2011

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Articles 1 - 11 of 11

Full-Text Articles in Cardiovascular Diseases

Geographic Disparities Associated With Stroke And Myocardial Infarction In East Tennessee, Ashley Pedigo Golden Dec 2011

Geographic Disparities Associated With Stroke And Myocardial Infarction In East Tennessee, Ashley Pedigo Golden

Doctoral Dissertations

Stroke and myocardial infarction (MI) are serious conditions whose burdens vary by socio-demographic and geographic factors. Although several studies have investigated and identified disparities in burdens of these conditions at the county and state levels, little is known regarding their geographic epidemiology at the neighborhood level. Both conditions require emergency treatments and therefore timely geographic accessibility to appropriate care is critical. Investigation of disparities in geographic accessibility to stroke and MI care and the role of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in reducing treatment delays are vital in improving health outcomes. Therefore, the objectives of this work were to: (i) classify …

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Can Antioxidant-Rich Berries Improve Risk Factors Associated With Cardiovascular Disease In Postmenopausal Smokers?, Jordan Alaine Teeple Dec 2011

Can Antioxidant-Rich Berries Improve Risk Factors Associated With Cardiovascular Disease In Postmenopausal Smokers?, Jordan Alaine Teeple

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of smoking on risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and determine the efficacy of antioxidant-rich berries in ameliorating these risk factors in postmenopausal smokers. Menopause and cigarette smoking have been identified as major risk factors for CVD due to a decrease in antioxidant protection, increase in inflammation and oxidative stress, and adverse changes in serum lipids. Antioxidants, specifically flavonoid compounds found in blackberries and blueberries, have been shown to prevent low-density lipoprotein cholesterol oxidation and thus prevent downstream inflammation and oxidative stress. Healthy, postmenopausal nonsmokers (n=14) and smokers (n=31) …

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Characterization Of The Mechanism Of Pparγ-Mediated Neointima Formation In Rodents, Ryoko Tsukahara Dec 2011

Characterization Of The Mechanism Of Pparγ-Mediated Neointima Formation In Rodents, Ryoko Tsukahara

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and its ether analog alkyl glycerophosphate (AGP) elicit arterial wall remodeling when applied intralumenally into the uninjured carotid artery. LPA is the ligand of eight GPCRs and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ). We pursued a gene knockout strategy to identify the LPA receptor subtypes necessary for the neointimal response in a non-injury model of carotid remodeling and also compared the effects of AGP and the PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone (ROSI) on balloon injury-elicited neointima development. In the balloon injury model AGP significantly increased neointima; however, rosiglitazone application attenuated it. AGP and ROSI were also applied intralumenally for …

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Autoimmune Responses To Atherosclerotic Lipids: A Study In Murine Models Of Atherosclerosis And Obesity, Hanjing Wu Sep 2011

Autoimmune Responses To Atherosclerotic Lipids: A Study In Murine Models Of Atherosclerosis And Obesity, Hanjing Wu

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Atherosclerosis is a chronic, complex arterial disease characterized by intimal lipid accumulation and inflammation. A unique lipid-binding molecule, namely cluster of differentiation 1d (CD1d), may impact atherosclerosis. Structurally, CD1d acts as a nonpolymorphic cell-surface receptor, resembling the major histocompatibility complex-I (MHC-I). While MHC-I restricts peptide antigen presentation to T cells, CD1d presents lipid antigens to T cells named CD1d-restrictedd T cells. Although increased expression of CD1d has been found in human plaques, the exact nature of CD1d-recognized lipids in atherosclerosis remains to be determined. Three groups of lipids may undergo oxidation in atherosclerosis producing atherogenic lipids: phospholipids, fatty acids, and …

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Elucidating The Genetic Determinants Of The Archetypal Complex Disease Hypertriglyceridemia, Christopher T. Johansen Aug 2011

Elucidating The Genetic Determinants Of The Archetypal Complex Disease Hypertriglyceridemia, Christopher T. Johansen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Canada. Among non-traditional risk factors, plasma triglyceride (TG) concentration is re-emerging as a significant risk factor. Patients with hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) – an archetypal complex phenotype defined by fasting plasma TG concentration >95th percentile – thus have significantly increased CVD risk, compounded by associated co-morbidities such as obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. However, the molecular pathways contributing to HTG susceptibility are incompletely defined. A better understanding of the genetic determinants that underlie the phenotypic spectrum of plasma TG and HTG susceptibility is necessary to identify novel …

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Gene By Bmi Interactions Influencing C-Reactive Protein Levels In European-Americans, Sarah Tudor Aug 2011

Gene By Bmi Interactions Influencing C-Reactive Protein Levels In European-Americans, Sarah Tudor

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is a biomarker indicating tissue damage, inflammation, and infection. High-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) is an emerging biomarker often used to estimate an individual’s risk for future coronary heart disease (CHD). hsCRP levels falling below 1.00 mg/l indicate a low risk for developing CHD, levels ranging between 1.00 mg/l and 3.00 mg/l indicate an elevated risk, and levels exceeding 3.00 mg/l indicate high risk. Multiple Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) have identified a number of genetic polymorphisms which influence CRP levels. SNPs implicated in such studies have been found in or near genes of interest including: CRP, APOE, APOC, IL-6, …

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Ischemia Impairs Vasodilation In Skeletal Muscle Resistance Artery, Kyle Remington Struthers Jun 2011

Ischemia Impairs Vasodilation In Skeletal Muscle Resistance Artery, Kyle Remington Struthers

Master's Theses

Functional vasodilation in arterioles is impaired with chronic ischemia. We sought to examine the impact of chronic ischemia and age on skeletal muscle resistance artery function. To examine the impact of chronic ischemia, the femoral artery was resected from young (2-3mo) and adult (6-7mo) mice and the profunda femoris artery diameter was measured at rest and following gracilis muscle contraction 14 days later using intravital microscopy. Functional vasodilation was significantly impaired in ischemic mice (14.4±4.6% vs. 137.8±14.3%, p<0.0001 n=8) and non-ischemic adult mice (103.0±9.4% vs. 137.8±14.3%, p=0.05 n=10). In order to analyze the cellular mechanisms of the impairment, a protocol was developed to apply pharmacological agents to the experimental preparation while maintaining tissue homeostasis. Endothelial and smooth muscle dependent vasodilation were impaired with ischemia, 39.6 ± 13.6% vs. 80.5 ± 11.4% and 43.0 ± 11.7% vs. 85.1 ± 10.5%, respectively. From this data, it can be supported that smooth muscle dysfunction is the reason for the observed impairment in arterial vasodilation.

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Evaluation Of Recurrence Risks For Left-Sided Cardiac Lesions, Sarah Swain May 2011

Evaluation Of Recurrence Risks For Left-Sided Cardiac Lesions, Sarah Swain

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

It is widely accepted that hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), aortic valve stenosis with or without bicuspid aortic valve (AS/BAV) and coarctation of the aorta (CoA) occur in families more commonly with each other than with any other congenital heart defect (CHD). Genetic counseling for CHDs is currently based on empiric risk estimates derived from data collected on all types of CHDs between 1968 and 1990. Additionally, for the specific group of defects described above, termed left-sided lesions, estimates are available for sibling recurrence. Utilizing family history data from 757 probands recruited between 1997 and 2007 from The Children’s Hospital …

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Does Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy And Aerobic Exercise Improve Exercise Tolerance / Ability In Heart Failure Patiens Better Then Either Intervention Alone Or No Intervention At All?, Douglas Ader Jan 2011

Does Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy And Aerobic Exercise Improve Exercise Tolerance / Ability In Heart Failure Patiens Better Then Either Intervention Alone Or No Intervention At All?, Douglas Ader

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review is to determine whether or not cardiac resynchronization therapy with aerobic exercise improves exercise tolerance / ability better then either treatment alone or no intervention at all.

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Is Vitamin E Supplementation Effective In Reducing Mortality Related To Cardiovascular Events In People With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus?, Payal Amin Jan 2011

Is Vitamin E Supplementation Effective In Reducing Mortality Related To Cardiovascular Events In People With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus?, Payal Amin

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review is to determine whether or not Vitamin E is effective in reducing the mortality related to cardiovascular event in patients with Type 2 Diabetes mellitus.

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Can Ultrafiltration Be Used As Primary Treatment Of Congestive Heart Failure?, Jennifer Tallis Jan 2011

Can Ultrafiltration Be Used As Primary Treatment Of Congestive Heart Failure?, Jennifer Tallis

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective: To determine whether ultrafiltration can be used as primary treatment of Congestive Heart Failure.

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