Medical Humanities Commons^™

The Role Of Information And Communication Technologies In Managing Transition And Sustaining Women's Health During Their Midlife Years, Julie Dare

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research has been motivated primarily by a desire to extend and enrich existing research on women’s uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to manage relationships, and access and construct social support during their transitional midlife years. In doing so, this research addresses a gap in the literature on women’s consumption of such technologies. Since the late 1980s, when several landmark studies investigated women’s use of the telephone, there has been little systematic evaluation of the degree to which newer communication technologies have become integrated into women’s communication practices.

Another key feature of this research is an examination of …

Observationes Medicae, 1685, Charles T. Ambrose

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Giovanni Borelli’S De Motu Animalium, 1685, Charles T. Ambrose

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Collected Works Of Hippocrates And Galen: The Greatest Physicians Of The Graeco-Roman World, Charles T. Ambrose

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Maternal Prenatal Insults On The Bmi Growth Trajectory Of Children Between The Ages Of 5-12 Years, Anthony Goudie

All ETDs from UAB

The level of childhood obesity in the United States is at epidemic proportions. Most population studies looking at the factors contributing to childhood obesity focus on obesity as a dichotomous outcome. The purpose of this study is to test for the effects of maternal prenatal insult behaviors on the growth trajectory of a sample of children 5-12 years of age in the United States. This is the first known study to use a latent growth curve model and a cohort-concurrent analytical design to test the association between maternal prenatal insult behaviors and the annual longitudinal increase in body mass index …

Impact Of An Electronic Medical Record On Adherence To Current Diabetes Guidelines In A Family Medicine Center, Thomas Macandrew English

All ETDs from UAB

OBJECTIVE: Extensive research shows that diabetic care often falls below recommended guidelines. Many believe that Electronic Medical Records (EMR) have the ability to improve quality of care. The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the changes in diabetic care and outcomes pre and post EMR implementation. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The study took place at the UAB Huntsville Family Medicine Center. A retrospective chart review was conducted in order to determine the impact of an EMR on diabetes care. This is a natural experiment that uses a pre post model in order to determine impact. Generalized Estimating Equations …

Lipomatous Tissue: Variation In Treatment Procedures, Comorbidities, And Outcomes, Theresa L. Keel

All ETDs from UAB

Benign lipomas are the most common soft tissue tumors. They exhibit great variation in severity and are associated with significant comorbidity. Advanced understanding of genetic and morphological aspects of benign lesions has revealed unexpected similarities to malignant lesions, but little work has addressed variation among benign lesions. There is a need for better understanding of the effects of variation in lipomas on comorbidity, treatment, and outcomes. Improved knowledge of the effects will clarify the extent of the health and economic burden that severe forms of benign lipomas present to patients and society and may add to understanding of malignant lesions. …

Importance Of Trnalys,3 Structure And Use In Gag Translation For Primer Selection Required For Replication Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type I, Wanfeng Yu

All ETDs from UAB

The features of tRNALys,3 that dictate why human immunodeficiency virus exclu-sively selects this tRNA as the primer for initiation of reverse transcription is unknown. The post-transcriptional modification at nucleotide 58 in the TΨC stem-loop could play a role during plus-strand synthesis to stop reverse transcriptase from re-copying the tRNA primer. Nucleotides 53 and 54 within the TΨC stem loop of the tRNA have been shown to be important to form the complex between tRNA and the HIV-1 viral genome during initiation of reverse transcription. To further delineate the features of the TΨC stem loop in tRNALys,3 in reverse transcription, we …

The Association Between Insulin And Inflammation In African American And European American Children, Jessica A. Alvarez

All ETDs from UAB

Insulin has anti-inflammatory properties. Markers of inflammation (MOI) increase in the postprandial state. African Americans (AA) have higher post-challenge insulin concentrations compared to European Americans (EA). The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between insulin and MOI in both the fasting and postprandial state. We hypothesized that, after accounting for confounding factors, fasting and postprandial insulin would be inversely associated with MOI, and that AA would have a lower postprandial inflammatory response because of a higher insulin response. C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL6), soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor type 2 (sTNF-R2), and insulin concentrations were assessed at …

The Influence Of Insulin On Lipolysis In African American And Caucasian Prepubertal, Premenopausal, And Postmenopausal Females, Laura Lee T Goree

All ETDs from UAB

African Americans, compared to Caucasians, may have chronically suppressed free fatty acid (FFA) mobilization due to basal and postprandial hyperinsulinemia. The pur-pose of this study was to determine if lower FFA among African Americans are due to higher insulin concentration and if this ethnic difference in FFA, beta cell function, and insulin suppression of FFA declines with age. Subjects who qualified underwent a fre-quently-sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGT) for determination of insulin sensitivity (Si) and the acute insulin response to glucose (AIRg). Body composition and fat distribution were assessed with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and com-puted tomography (CT), respectively. …

Ethnic Differences In Markers Of Inflammation With Weight Loss, Tanya C. Hyatt

All ETDs from UAB

Chronic diseases such as type 2 Diabetes Mellitis (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are accompanied by chronic low-grade systemic inflammation and are related to obesity and ethnicity. For instance, African-Americans (AA) have increased risk for developing T2DM and are more likely to be overweight relative to Caucasians (C). However, C have more intra-abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT) and have higher risk for CVD than AA. The influence that ethnicity has on disease risk is obscured by ethnic differences in fat distribution and sensitivity to insulin. Ethnic differences in markers of inflammation (MOI) have not been investigated. It is also unclear if …

Determinants Of Hospital Affiliation With Health Care Networks, Ting-Huan Chang

All ETDs from UAB

Since the 1990s, integrated health care delivery systems have proliferated rapidly in the U.S., but little research has been devoted to studying why hospitals decide to join such systems (e.g., health care networks or systems). The aim of this study was to identify environmental and organizational factors that encourage freestanding hospitals to affiliate with health care networks. Specifically, the relationships of hospital affiliation choice to environmental munificence, environmental uncertainty and organizational resources were examined. Additionally, the moderating effects of hospital setting on these relationships were also investigated. A nonexperimental, longitudinal design was used, with the individual hospital as the unit …

Use Of The 15-Second Lateral Step-Up For Comparison Of Hip Function Between Two Surgical Approaches For Intramedullary Nailing Of Femur Fractures, Lydia A. Futch

All ETDs from UAB

Study Type: Cohort, between and within group comparison Objective: To determine the efficacy of the 15-second lateral step-up (15-SLSU) test for comparing hip function between patients treated with two different intramedullary nailing (IMN) approaches for femur fractures. In addition, to determine whether the 15-SLSU detects differences in hip function between the surgical and non-surgical limb of subjects treated with IMN. Background: Historically, two surgical approaches have been used for IMN of femur fractures. Determining tests that can detect whether various surgical approaches result in differences in hip function is important for making decisions about treatment. Methods and Measures: Subjects were …

Insulin Dynamics In African Americans And European Americans: Mechanistic Aspects, And Association With Inflammation, Radhika P. Phadke

All ETDs from UAB

Identification and characterization of ethnic differences in insulin dynamics, insulin sensitivity (SI), and inflammation may shed light on the greater risk for type 2 diabetes in African Americans (AA), relative to European Americans (EA). Ideally, such studies should take into account the potential confounding roles of adiposity, fat distribution, genetic background, and socioeconomic status (SES). The objectives of this study were, 1) to evaluate ethnic differences in insulin dynamics in AA and EA children and adults using robust measures of insulin secretion and clearance; 2) to identify the contributions of genetic admixture and SES to insulin dynamics; 3) to examine …

Factors Influencing The Adoption Of Administrative Innovations, Tom J. Sanders

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the influence of selected environmental and organizational factors on the adoption of administrative innovations in order to better understand strategic adaptation by organizations. General systems theory, various organizational theories, strategic adaptation and management theories, and adoption and diffusion of innovation literature were used to develop a theoretical framework to address four primary and sixteen secondary hypotheses. The administrative innovation used for this study was the magnet hospital concept for enhancing attraction and retention of registered nurses in order to address a persistent workforce shortage in U.S. hospitals. Secondary data related to U.S. …

Using Genetic Admixture And Lipo Protein Lipase Polymorphisms To Explain Variations In Plasma Triglycerides And High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol In Premenopauasal African And European American Females, Nihal Omar Natour

All ETDs from UAB

Although African Americans (AA) are well known to be more obese and more in-sulin resistant than European Americas (EA), several studies have shown that AA have lower plasma triglyceride (TG) and higher high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The reasons for these levels of TG and HDL-C are not understood, and scientists have suggested a role of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), a key regulator of TG rich lipoproteins me-tabolism that is also thought to indirectly affect HDL-C metabolism. To investigate the extent to which these observed differences in TG and HDL-C are due to genetic makeup, we investigated the role of genetic …

Development And Testing Of Feed - A Feedback Expert System For Ems Documentation, Devashish Saini

All ETDs from UAB

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are delivered in a chaotic, dynamic, unpre-dictable, and therefore error-prone environment. Deviations from protocol are common and some may be severe enough to cause harm to the patient. EMS personnel, like all healthcare providers, can benefit from feedback, continued education and medical over-sight. A Feedback Expert system for EMS Documentation (FEED) was developed for providing feedback to EMS personnel after the ambulance run is completed and docu-mented electronically. FEED’s knowledge base was derived from Alabama State EMS Protocols and discussions with two EMS faculty members from UAB School of Medi-cine. FEED is rule-based and uses confidence …

Robley Dunglison, 1798-1869: The Preeminent Medical Author Of Mid-Nineteenth-Century America, Charles T. Ambrose

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Healing Ministry Of Jesus As Recorded In The Synoptic Gospels, Alvin Lloyd Maragh

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study explores the narratives in the healing ministry of Jesus as recorded in the synoptic gospels. The majority of the healing narratives address issues that transcend physical aspects and point to Jesus' attempt to restore the whole person. This is reflected in the fact that more than half of the healing narratives deal with the marginalized of society during Jesus' time. He healed demon possessed persons, beggars, lepers, women suffering from incurable diseases, and those who were racially discriminated against by the Jews. Other healing narratives deal with the understanding of faith, the message of forgiveness, and the meaning …

Questionnaires Based On Social Cognitive Theory Constructs Do Not Predict Exercise Adherence In Older Adults After Discharge From Home Health Physical Therapy., Jason Hardage

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis (Mlva) For Clonal Characterization Of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Strains, Matthew Box

All ETDs from UAB

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains have been observed to be associated with community based individuals (CA-MRSA) and hospitalized patients (HA-MRSA). The CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA are no longer distinguishable based on the location of patient when the isolate was first obtained from the patient. These strains are now observed both in the hospital and community settings. While the origin of the isolate does not appear to be critical, it is important to genetically define these isolates to assist in epidemiological investigations and evaluation of infection control measures effectiveness. The conventional method for analyzing this genetic information has been pulsed-field gel …

Underlying Purinergic Signaling Important For Monociliumdependent Signaling In Ductal Epithelia: Implications For Polycystic Kidney Disease, Michael Hovater

All ETDs from UAB

This thesis concerns purinergic signaling in renal epithelial cells of normal and polycystic kidneys. The first section discusses first principles of “purinergic signaling” as they relate to the nephron and the urinary bladder. Remodeled and encapsulated cysts in autosomal dominant PKD (ADPKD) and remodeled “pseudocysts” in autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) of the renal collecting duct create an ideal microenvironment for purinergic signaling. Once “trapped” in these microenvironments in a “closed system,” purinergic signaling becomes chronic and plays a significant epigenetic and detrimental role in the progression of ADPKD in particular, once the remodeling of the renal tissue has …

A Survey Assessment Of Veterinarians To Determine The Level Of Preparedness For An Infectious Disease Outbreak, Tamara Crutchley Bushell

All ETDs from UAB

Safeguarding animal health is of paramount importance to the US economy, public health and food safety. One of the most important causes of contamination in food products and of food-borne disease in humans is microorganisms that reside in the intestines of animals, such as Salmonella species and Escherichia coli O157:H7. A fundamental knowledge of the epidemiology of diseases, including an understanding of the agents and hosts, is a critical component of early (front-line) detection and prevention of contamination by microorganisms. Front-line detection is provided by animal handlers and personnel working with animals on a day-to-day basis, such as veterinarians. Currently …

The Influence Of Retroviral Codon Usage On The Acquisition Of The Trna Used To Prime Reverse Transcription, Matthew T. Palmer

All ETDs from UAB

An essential step in retrovirus replication is the conversion of the genomic-length viral RNA into a DNA copy, a reaction which is catalyzed by reverse transcriptase and primed by a host cell tRNA. The nearly continuous association of tRNA with the various components of translation, as well as the severely limited time in which a tRNA molecule spends in an uncharged state, constitute seemingly formidable barriers to the acquisition and use of host cell tRNA as primers. The mechanism by which retroviruses acquire this implausible primer are unknown. Naturally occurring isolates of most retrovirus species show a conserved use of …

Intestinal Peptides And Ethnic Differences In Insulin Secretion, Paul B. Higgins

All ETDs from UAB

African Americans (AA) exhibit greater insulin responses following either an oral or intravenous glucose challenge relative to their European American (EA) counterparts. The etiology of this difference is not fully understood nor has it been confirmed with a more physiologically relevant mixed meal. Insulin secretion is regulated by a variety of factors. Significant among these are the enteric peptides glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). The role of the incretin system in the ethnic differences in post challenge insulinemia has received little attention. Hence, the purpose of the study was two-fold. First, determine whether AA have higher fasting …

Effectiveness Of School -Based Physical Therapy As Perceived By Parents, Private Physical Therapists, And School Physical Therapists., Jill Hansen

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

Osler And The Infected Letter, Charles T. Ambrose

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

The spread of infectious agents through the mail has concerned public health officials for 5 centuries. The dissemination of anthrax spores in the US mail in 2001 was a recent example. In 1901, two medical journals reported outbreaks of smallpox presumably introduced by letters contaminated with variola viruses. The stability and infectivity of the smallpox virus are reviewed from both a historical (anecdotal) perspective and modern virologic studies. Bubonic plague was the contagious disease that led to quarantines as early as the 14th century in port cities in southern Europe. Later, smallpox, cholera, typhus, and yellow fever were recognized as …

A Short History Of Medical Dictionaries, Charles T. Ambrose

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Secret Kappa Lambda Society Of Hippocrates (And The Origin Of The American Medical Association's Principles Of Medical Ethics), Charles T. Ambrose

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

This paper relates the neglected history of an idealistic, secret medical fraternity which existed briefly in Lexington, Kentucky, during the first half of the 19th century. It was created for students in the Medical Department at Transylvania University, the fifth US medical school, founded in 1799. One goal of the fraternity was to counter the widespread dissension and often violent quarrels among doctors that characterized American medicine of that period. And to that end, it was among the first to promote Thomas Percival's code of medical ethics in this country. Branches of the fraternity were established in Philadelphia and New …

Felix Platter: A Sixteenth-Century Medical Student, Charles T. Ambrose

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.