Medical Sciences Commons^™

Nonnutritive Sweetener And Weight Management: A Potential Paradox In Modern Dieting, Katharine Mary Wright

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Obesity is a serious health concern in modern society. One way to reduce caloric intake is with nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS). However, recent research suggests they may be compounding the obesity problem. Nonnutritive sweeteners have been linked to increased body mass in a few studies and may be a barrier to effective weight management for some individuals.

Under the framework of the health belief model, the research question was: Does this pattern of NNS-BMI covariance exist in young adults at the University of North Florida and, if so, are there other dietary or activity differences that might partially explain this relationship? …

Monitoring Brown Fat Metabolic Activity Using Microwave Radiometry: Antenna Design And Frequency Selection, Dario B. Rodrigues, Paul R. Stauffer, Paolo F. Maccarini

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

This paper describes the use of microwave radiometry for monitoring brown fat metabolism (mBAT). The radiometric frequency band and receive antenna were optimized for coupling to 2-6 ml BAT depots in the supraclavicular region. Radiometric signal variations induced by higher metabolic activity resulting from a cold stimulus were calculated with electromagnetic and thermal simulations in a segmented computational model of the human neck including BAT. A 2.5 cm dia. log spiral antenna was selected as optimum using a 500 MHz bandwidth and center frequency 2.75 GHz. Results suggest sufficient sensitivity to track subsurface temperature variations during long term mBAT monitoring …

The Impact Of Implementing A Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Education Package In Jordan, Shereen Hamadneh

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Background: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a problem worldwide. In North Jordan, SIDS rate was high as 1.32 per 1,000 live births and contributed 6% to the infant mortality rate (Bataineh, Shawagfeh, & Twalbeh, 2008). However, SIDS risk factors are preventable and can be reduced by improving knowledge and changing relevant behaviours of parents and healthcare providers (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2013; American SIDS Institute, 2011; Bataineh, Hussein Shawagfeh, & Twalbeh, 2008; Bredemeyer, 2004; Grazel, Phalen, & Polomano, 2010b; Moon, Oden, & Grady, 2004; NICHD, 2010). Still educating Jordanians about SIDS has not been a national health policy priority. …

Homebirth In Wa: Why Women Make This Choice, Colleen Ball

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Background: Homebirths in Western Australia (WA) account for approximately 0.8% of all births. Two consecutive reports from the Perinatal and Infant Mortality Monitoring Committee found increased rates of perinatal mortality in homebirths and recommended a prospective cohort study to assess mortality and morbidity outcomes for women with planned home births in WA. The Homebirth in WA Study, of which this thesis is a component, has been funded by a directed research grant.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the specific reasons why women in WA choose homebirth. Research on homebirths is focused on perinatal outcomes and …

Impact Of Nutrition On Cognition And Its Association With Blood And Brain Alzheimer Disease Related Biomarkers, Samantha Gardener

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of senile dementia, currently affects over 35 million people worldwide. While there is no cure or effective treatment, early intervention programs hold considerable promise. Following particular dietary patterns represents one potential intervention strategy accessible to all.

Results from previous studies investigating the association of diet, cognition and biomarkers of AD are inconsistent: Positive results have been reported (1-7), whilst others have shown no associations. Prior to this thesis, no study has assessed the relationship of four dietary patterns to cognition, blood-based and neuroimaging biomarkers of AD in a large highly-characterised ageing cohort. Participants …

Self-Medication With Antibiotics Among Non-Medical University Students Of Karachi: A Cross-Sectional Study, Syed Jawad Shah, Hamna Ahmad, Rija Binte Rehan, Sidra Najeeb, Mirrah Mumtaz, Muhammad Hashim Jilani, Muhammad Sharoz Rabbani, Muhammad Zakariya Alam, Saba Farooq, M Masood Kadir

Community Health Sciences

Background: The prevalence of self -medication with antibiotics is quite high in developing countries as opposed to developed countries. Antibiotics are often taken erroneously for certain ailments, without having the appropriate knowledge of their use. This carries potential risks for the individual as well as the community, in form of several side effects such as antibiotic resistance. Therefore the prevalence of self-medicated antibiotics in developing countries needs to be studied.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at six different non-medical universities of Karachi. 431 students were included in the study. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using …

Effects Of Cpla-2 On The Migration And Proliferation Of Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells And The 2-D Migratory Patterns Of Tropomyosin In Femoral And Abdominal Aorta Tissue, Jaimeson Thomas Powell

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract 1: Platelet derived growth factor BB (PDGF BB) has an important influence on smooth muscle cell proliferation in restenosis and atherosclerosis. Our understanding of different signal transduction pathways involved in the response of smooth muscle cells to PDGF BB is potentially significant for understanding and manipulating these processes. Prior studies have demonstrated a crucial activation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) in smooth muscle cells to PDGF BB with the production of arachidonic acid and prostaglandin E2. In these studies we investigated the role for another PLA2, calcium-independent PLA2 (iPLA2) in comparison to cPLA2 on smooth muscle cell migration and …

The Role Of Microrna In Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B-Induced Inflammation And Acute Lung Injury, Roshni Rao

Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) is a potent activator of the Vβ8+T-cells leading to the proliferation of nearly 30% of the T-cell pool. As a consequence, excessive amounts of cytokine mediators are released leading to extensive tissue damage and sometimes toxic shock and death. Due to the ease with which SEB can be aerosolized anddisseminated, it is considered a biological weapon. In the current study, we investigated the pro-inflammatory effects of SEB in two mouse models of acute inflammatory lung injury. Specifically, while inflammatory cues are known to elicit changes in key transcriptional factors and gene expression, we explored for the …

An Evolutionary Perspective On Infectious And Chronic Disease, John Eberth

Theses and Dissertations

The integration of evolutionary biology with traditional medicine can elucidate novel mechanisms of contemporary disease. Whereas the goal of traditional medicine is to treat and cure the proximate causes, evolutionary biology aims to understand the driving forces behind why humans are susceptible to disease. To form the basis of this hypothesis we postulate that modern man's current genetic information was programmed at a time, and in an environment, that is not relevant to today's human populations. The discordance between these genes of our ancestors and the environment of contemporary humans is thought to be a major reason for the increase …

Synaptic Organization Of Noradrenergic And Opioid Circuitry In The Basolateral Amygdala: Anatomical Correlates Of Memory Consolidation, Jingyi Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

The studies comprising this dissertation were designed to investigate the synaptic organization of norepinephrine and opioid system in the anterior subdivision of the basolateral nucleus of amygdala (BLa) in rat. Light and electron microscopy were combined with immunohistochemistry to determine the synaptic incidence and postsynaptic targets of noradrenergic axon terminals, to localize mu opioid receptor at the ultrastructural level and to determine whether there is convergence of norepinephrine inputs and enkephalin inputs in the BLa. It was determined that about half of the norepinephrine inputs formed synapses in the BLa and the main postsynaptic targets were small caliber CAMK+ dendritic …

Peripubertal Binge Ethanol, Age And Sex Modulate Microrna Expression In The Ventral And Dorsal Hippocampus Of The Adolescent Rat, Sarah Arianne Prins

Dissertations

Adolescent binge ethanol (EtOH) abuse induces long-term changes in gene expression, resulting in an increased risk for the development of adult mood disorders. microRNAs (microRNAs) are small, noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression by translational repression. microRNA altered in response to EtOH and puberty in the developing brain. The biogenesis of mature 22-24 nucleotide (nt), single-stranded microRNAs involves Drosha and Dicer enzymatic processing of microRNA precursors. A mature microRNA imperfectly base pairs with messenger RNA (mRNA) target genes,which leads to mRNA cleavage or translational repression. Our lab has found that repeated binge EtOH exposure alters gene expression in the hypothalamus …

The Hidden Daubert Factor: How Judges Use Error Rates In Assessing Scientific Evidence, John B. Meixner Jr., Shari Seidman Diamond

Scholarly Works

In Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, the United States Supreme Court provided a framework under which trial judges must assess the evidentiary reliability of scientific evidence whose admissibility is challenged. One factor of the Daubert test, the “known or potential rate of error” of the expert’s method, has received considerably less scholarly attention than the other factors, and past empirical study has indicated that judges have a difficult time understanding the factor and use it less frequently in their analyses as compared to other factors. In this paper, we examine one possible interpretation of the “known or potential rate of …

Detecting Knowledge Of Incidentally Acquired, Real-World Memories Using A P300-Based Concealed-Information Test, John B. Meixner Jr., J. Peter Rosenfeld

Scholarly Works

Autobiographical memory for events experienced during normal daily life has been studied at the group level, but no studies have yet examined the ability to detect recognition of incidentally acquired memories among individual subjects. We present the first such study here, which employed a concealed-information test in which subjects were shown words associated with activities they had experienced the previous day. Subjects wore a video-recording device for 4 hr on Day 1 and then returned to the laboratory on Day 2, where they were shown words relating to events recorded with the camera (probe items) and words of the same …