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Full-Text Articles in Medical Humanities
Teleexercise For People With Disabilities, Byron Lai
Teleexercise For People With Disabilities, Byron Lai
All ETDs from UAB
Exercise is recognized as a method of improving health and function and preventing deconditioning for adults with neurological disabilities. However, they experience a multitude of barriers that prevent them from regular participation in exercise. To address these barriers, the goal of this dissertation was to explore the use of monitoring technology as a means for delivering exercise to adults with neurological disabilities at home. This pursuit involved three studies. The first study reviewed the extant literature for current trends in exercise interventions for people with disabilities. Regarding technology, the review indicated that technology is rarely used to deliver one-on-on supervised …
A Multilevel Perspective On Health Information Exchange, Claudia Guerrazzi
A Multilevel Perspective On Health Information Exchange, Claudia Guerrazzi
All ETDs from UAB
As the health care sector faces pressure to improve quality and contain costs, sharing information among the various care providers will become an essential practice among health care providers. Many countries are now adopting policies to foster Health Information Exchange (HIE), which is defined as the electronic transfer of data or information among health care organizations involved in the delivery of care. The literature about HIE reports contradictory evidence about the adoption and the use of HIE and more research is needed to understand this complex phenomenon. Specifically, HIE is a complex phenomenon that produces outcomes at different levels and …
Circulating Mirnas And Human Insulin Resistance, Elizabeth Ma
Circulating Mirnas And Human Insulin Resistance, Elizabeth Ma
All ETDs from UAB
Insulin resistance (IR) is central to the pathophysiology of Type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The mechanisms behind IR are not clear, but microRNA (miR; short, non-coding RNA strands that base-pair with mRNA to modify gene expression) have garnered interest as potential contributors. miRs have recently been shown to be detectable in the circulation, and can be taken up and regulate target genes within recipient cells. Our primary objective was to identify circulating miRs (c-miRs) that play a role in regulating systemic metabolism and participate in the pathophysiology of IR and cardiometabolic disease. Three …
Diabetes Risk In Women: Pschosocial And Lifestyle Determinants, Sarah Katherine Sweatt
Diabetes Risk In Women: Pschosocial And Lifestyle Determinants, Sarah Katherine Sweatt
All ETDs from UAB
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major public health concern. Physical inactivity, poor diet, and psychosocial distress have emerged as factors contributing to T2D. Women may be uniquely affected by these factors as obesity, physical inactivity, and the prevalence of psychosocial distress are higher in women. Additionally, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women and increases the risk of both T2D and psychosocial distress. However, the relationship between physical activity (PA), psychosocial distress, and metabolic health is not fully understood, particularly in at risk populations such as minorities and women with PCOS. Therefore, the goal …
Behavioral Markers Of Supraspinal Pain In Clinically Relevant Models Of Spinal Cord Injury, Kathryn Yamamoto Henley
Behavioral Markers Of Supraspinal Pain In Clinically Relevant Models Of Spinal Cord Injury, Kathryn Yamamoto Henley
All ETDs from UAB
The majority of people suffering from neuropathic pain as a result of a spinal cord injury (SCI) do not experience effective pain relief with currently available therapeutics. One aspect of preclinical studies that may be limiting the development of successful analgesics is the assessment of pain in animal models of SCI. Previous work has relied primarily on withdrawal reflexes to indicate pain; however, there is evidence that suggests this is an inadequate measure of pain sensation as spinal reflexes do not reflect the supraspinal processing of nociceptive information. The use of withdrawal responses is especially challenging in the context of …
Acute And Chronic Regulation Of Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Function, Jonathan Lund Warren
Acute And Chronic Regulation Of Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Function, Jonathan Lund Warren
All ETDs from UAB
Obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) represent a growing global burden on healthcare and financial resources. One hypothesis for the onset and exacerbation of these diseases is related to the role of mitochondria as the end users of products of the metabolism of the nutrients we consume and in mediating the oxidative state of the body through the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In order to meet the demands of a metabolic challenge and prevent excessive ROS production, there appear to be adaptations to mitochondrial physiology and morphology that can occur and we hypothesize that the ability of the …
Increasing The Accessibility Of A Falls Prevention Intervention For Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Low Vision, Sarah Blaylock
Increasing The Accessibility Of A Falls Prevention Intervention For Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Low Vision, Sarah Blaylock
All ETDs from UAB
Falls remain a costly problem as a leading cause of injuries and fatalities for individuals over the age of 65. Older adults with low vision, or non-correctable visual impairment, are estimated to be two times more likely to fall than those without vision loss. There appear to be limited falls prevention interventions available for older adults that have been tested on or designed specifically for individuals with visual impairment. The goals of this dissertation were to learn more about the availability of visually accessible falls prevention interventions and to develop an intervention that can be used with veterans receiving services …
Type I Myofiber Grouping: Myofiber Phenotype And Implications For Muscle Performance In Older Adults And Parkinson Disease, Kelley Grace Hammond
Type I Myofiber Grouping: Myofiber Phenotype And Implications For Muscle Performance In Older Adults And Parkinson Disease, Kelley Grace Hammond
All ETDs from UAB
Neuromuscular morphology and function undergo changes with increasing age and Parkinson disease (PD) pathology. Motor unit reorganization occurs by denervation-reinnervation events which lead to diminishing random distribution of myofibers and type I myofiber grouping. Grouped type I myofibers maintain type II features such as hypertrophic capacity and myonuclear addition, sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase 1 expression, and lower capillarization. Though age-related type I myofiber grouping has been qualitatively described in the literature, this was the first study to characterize the phenotype of grouped type I myofibers in older adults. Furthermore, we identified a magnified degree of type I myofiber grouping in …
Patient Safety: Organizations, Culture, And Information Technology, Soumya Upadhyay
Patient Safety: Organizations, Culture, And Information Technology, Soumya Upadhyay
All ETDs from UAB
The purpose of this dissertation is to explore factors that influence patient safety culture and patient safety outcomes, and whether patient safety culture affects hospital performance. The findings of these studies have important implications to hospital managers in the context of macro environmental changes regarding quality and safety. As managers look for ways to improve patient safety, results from this dissertation suggest strategies (for example, RN staffing; EHR presence) that may help improve safety culture and hospital performance. Specifically, having at least basic EHR as compared to not having any EHR supports safety culture to positively influence quality and financial …
Hospital Purchasing Alliance: Contextual Factors And Financial Performance, William Opoku-Agyeman Opoku-Agyeman
Hospital Purchasing Alliance: Contextual Factors And Financial Performance, William Opoku-Agyeman Opoku-Agyeman
All ETDs from UAB
Collectively, the purpose of the three papers included in this dissertation was to provide empirical evidence on the contextual factors that influence hospital utilization of services of group purchasing organizations and how utilization of group purchasing organizations impacts hospitals’ financial performance. The findings of these studies are important both to researchers and to managers as it sheds light on the relationship between hospitals and group purchasing organizations. The results of this dissertation suggest that better financial performance is associated with hospital utilization of group purchasing organizations. Additionally, some measures of environmental munificence and dynamism are associated with hospital utilization of …
Motor Abilities And Social Participation In Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jamie M. Holloway
Motor Abilities And Social Participation In Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jamie M. Holloway
All ETDs from UAB
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that primarily affects social communication and behavior, however, a number of motor impairments have been identified in children with ASD. In children who are typically developing, the development of social, communication, and cognitive skills is thought to be influenced by motor development. However, the impact of these motor skill deficits on overall development in children with ASD is not yet known. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the relationship between gross motor ability and social function and participation in young children with ASD. The first study described changes in peer …
The Dietary Context Of Nut Intake Among Overweight And Obese African-American Women Living In The Rural South: An Exploratory Study, Samara Sterling
The Dietary Context Of Nut Intake Among Overweight And Obese African-American Women Living In The Rural South: An Exploratory Study, Samara Sterling
All ETDs from UAB
Obesity has become a national epidemic over the last few decades, and lays its heaviest burden on certain populations (eg, rural residents, African-Americans, and African-American women in the Southeast). Obesity increases medical costs substantially, and is a significant risk factor for various chronic conditions, including certain cancers. There is a need to identify specific dietary behaviors that may contribute to obesity and obesity-related cancers among African-American women in the rural South, and to recommend dietary modifications that may alleviate those risks. Previous research has shown that nuts offer numerous health benefits, including weight loss and cancer protection. More research is …