Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons^™

Prevention And Mitigation Of Congenital Toxoplasmosis: Economic Costs And Benefits In Diverse Settings, Branko Bobić, Isabelle Villena, Eileen Stillwaggon

Economics Faculty Publications

Congenital toxoplasmosis (CT), the result of a primary infection of pregnant women with Toxoplasma gondii which was transmitted to the fetus, may result in mild to deep injuries occurring in the newborn or later in its development or in adolescence. The visual and cognitive impairment that can result imposes substantial economic costs on the individual and society. Numerous observational studies favor the conclusion that, with preventive measures currently available, it is possible to reduce the incidence of infections in pregnant women, the incidence of fetal infection by preventing transplacental transmission, and the gravity of injury in infected newborns. Treatment of …

Nebraska Prevention Center For Alcohol And Drug Abuse — Bibliography Of Publications, Michelle R. Maas, Ian Newman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Approximately 85 citations, with links, of published reseach papers by personnel of the Nebraska Prevention Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse, 1970-2019.

Crystal Structure Of Zymonic Acid And A Redetermination Of Its Precursor, Pyruvic Acid, Dominik Heger, Alexis J. Eugene, Sean R. Parkin, Marcelo I. Guzman

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The structure of zymonic acid (systematic name: 4-hy­droxy-2-methyl-5-oxo-2,5-di­hydro­furan-2-carb­oxy­lic acid), C₆H₆O₅, which had previously eluded crystallographic determination, is presented here for the first time. It forms by intra­molecular condensation of parapyruvic acid, which is the product of aldol condensation of pyruvic acid. A redetermination of the crystal structure of pyruvic acid (systematic name: 2-oxo­propanoic acid), C₃H₄O₃, at low temperature (90 K) and with increased precision, is also presented [for the previous structure, see: Harata et al. (1977). Acta Cryst. B33, 210–212]. In zymonic acid, the hy­droxy­lactone ring …

Scintillation Event Localization In Novel Hemi-Ellipsoid Detector For Spect, Hanif R. Soysal

LSU Master's Theses

A high sensitivity Cardiac SPECT system using hemi-ellipsoid crystals with pinhole collimation was previously proposed by Dey et al. To investigate detector resolution for this design, the scintillation light spread on a monolithic hemi-ellipsoidal CsI crystal was simulated using Geant4 Monte Carlo. The expected distribution of scintillation light on the outer surface of the crystal from photoelectric absorption events was obtained from the simulations for selected points inside the crystal. Two sets of simulations were performed. For the first set, a look-up table (LUT) of 12 points was created and each point mapped to its expected light distribution—four points at …

Readability Of Online-Patient Based Information On Bariatric Surgery, Zoë Meleo-Erwin, Corey Basch, Joseph Fera, Danna Ethan, Philip Garcia

Publications and Research

Background: Web-based patient education literature has been shown to be written at reading levels far above what is recommended. Little is known about the overall readability of current internet-based bariatric surgery information. The purpose of this study was to assess the readability of current bariatric material on the internet.

Methods: The term “weight loss surgery” was searched using the Chrome browser on the first 15 pages of URLs that appeared with content written in English. Using five readability measures, scores were generated using Readable.io for written content on a sample of 96 websites. Scores were sorted into the readability categories …

Investigating Neuroinflammation And Demyelination In The Nervous System Of Twitcher Mice By The Use Of Immunohistochemistry, Irene Wilson

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Biological Sciences Master's Theses

Neuroinflammation and demyelination are the hallmark lesions of the Twitcher mouse—the model of Krabbe Disease. By analyzing hemibrains and sciatic nerves via immunohistochemistry, we supported the microglial hypothesis that early activation of microglial cells, macrophages, and globoid cells in the nervous system of Twitcher mice results in specific cellular polarization states that may contribute to myelin loss. The influx of activated macrophages seen in both the central and peripheral nervous systems at days 21 and 17, respectively, accounted for this polarization. Using selected M1 and M2 markers, YKL-40, and GPNMB and CD206, respectively, we proved that microglial cells and macrophages …

Provider Education And Rapid Antigen Detection Test Use In An Academic Pediatric Clinic, Steven Dahl

Research Days

No abstract provided.

Should A Fully Covered Self-Expandable Biliary Metal Stent Be Anchored With A Double-Pigtail Plastic Stent? A Retrospective Study, Saad Emhmed Ali, Wesam M. Frandah, Leon Su, Cory Fielding, Houssam Mardini

Internal Medicine

Background: The migration rate of fully covered self-expandable metal stents (FCSEMSs) has been reported to be between 14% to 37%. Anchoring of FCSEMSs using a double-pigtail plastic stent (DPS) may decrease migration. Aim: To compare stent migration rates between patients who received FCSEMS alone and those who received both an FCSEMS and anchoring DPS. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of endoscopy reporting system and medical records of 1366 patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with FCSEMS placement at the University of Kentucky health care. Between July 2015 and April 2017, 203 patients with FCSEMS insertion for the treatment …

Machine Learning For Prediction Of Sudden Cardiac Death In Heart Failure Patients With Low Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction: Study Protocol For A Retrospective Multicentre Registry In China, Fanqi Meng, Zhihua Zhang, Xiaofeng Hou, Zhiyong Qian, Yao Wang, Yanhong Chen, Yilian Wang, Ye Zhou, Zhen Chen, Xiwen Zhang, Jing Yang, Jinlong Zhang, Jianghong Guo, Kebei Li, Lu Chen, Ruijuan Zhuang, Hai Jiang, Weihua Zhou, Shaowen Tang, Yongyue Wei, Jiangang Zou

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤35%, as current significant implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) indication for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in heart failure (HF) patients, has been widely recognised to be inefficient. Improvement of patient selection for low LVEF (≤35%) is needed to optimise deployment of ICD. Most of the existing prediction models are not appropriate to identify ICD candidates at high risk of SCD in HF patients with low LVEF. Compared with traditional statistical analysis, machine learning (ML) can employ computer algorithms to identify patterns in large datasets, analyse rules automatically and build both linear and …

The Effect Of Antihypertensive Medications Dosing On Blood Pressure Control And Left Ventricular Hypertrophy In Children With Chronic Kidney Disease, Benjamin A. Matta

Research Days

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of The Implementation Of A Quarterly Triad Tool In The Pain Clinic Setting On The Assessment And Mitigation Of Risks In Patients On Chronic Opioid Therapy, Caroline Asava

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

The concurrent use of opioids and benzodiazepines (BZDs poses a formidable challenge for clinicians who manage chronic pain. While the escalating use of opioid analgesics for the treatment of chronic pain and the concomitant rise in opioid-related abuse and misuse are widely recognized trends, the contribution of combination use of BZDs, alcohol, and/or other sedative agents to opioid-related morbidity and mortality is underappreciated, even when these agents are used appropriately. Patients with chronic pain who use opioid analgesics along with BZDs have a defined increase in rates of adverse events, overdose, and death, warranting close monitoring. To improve patient outcomes, …

Comparison Of Post-Operative Pain Control Modalities For Pectus Excavatum Repair, Charlene Dekonenko

Presentations

This study compares patient outcomes following pectus excavatum repair using cryoablation, epidural, or patient-controlled analgesia for post-operative pain control. Primary outcome: length of stay
Secondary outcomes: operative time, pain scores, time to only oral analgesics.
Conclusion: Intercostal cryoablation during minimally invasive pectus excavatum repair significantly reduces length of stay and time to oral analgesics alone.

Investigating The Therapeutic Potential Of Targeting Lrrc15 In Endometrial Cancer, Christopher Pathoulas

All College Thesis Program, 2016-2019

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy and accounts for 6% of all cancers in women. In 2018, there were an estimated 63,280 new cases of endometrial cancer resulting in 11,350 deaths. In advanced stages, aggressive forms of endometrial cancer are able to invade the peritoneum and metastasize to the omentum and bowel. Shridhar et al. have identified leucine rich repeat containing 15 (LRRC15), a protein involved in cell adhesion and interactions with the extracellular matrix (ECM), as a potential therapeutic target due to its significantly higher expression in ovarian cancer tumors that have metastasized to the omentum and …

Public Health Policy: An Ethical Analysis Of Quarantine, Dina Alqahtani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a public health measure quarantine has both historical and contemporary significance both in the United States and abroad. On the surface it represents a low-cost, low-tech way in which the spread of disease can be mitigated as its core requirement is that those who may have been exposed to an infectious agent are kept away from those who have not been exposed to that agent for enough time to determine whether or not infection has been spread. This has been utilized for centuries with both limited questions and scattered, inconsistent, or impossible to achieve oversight and goals. In understanding …

Utilizing Simulation To Implement Cognitive Aids In The Operating Room, Kaitlyn Brown

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Operating room crises require prompt, efficient action to avoid detrimental outcomes. Research shows that crisis checklists or other cognitive aids assist anesthesia providers in taking prompt action while improving efficiency by decreasing treatment steps missed during critical events.

Objectives: The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of incorporating cardiac arrest and malignant hyperthermia crisis checklists into the operating room using high-fidelity simulation-based education.

Methods: Researchers implemented the Stanford Emergency Manual Cognitive Aids for cardiac arrest and malignant hyperthermia to anesthesia staff at a community hospital in southern Illinois with 18 participants. Implementation consisted of an education …

Early Identification And Intervention In Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Using An Implantable Cardiac Monitor To Significantly Improve Guideline-Based Anticoagulation Therapy In An Outpatient Cardiology Clinic, Lisa Alvarez

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to (a) examine the demographics of patients receiving care in an outpatient cardiology clinic, (b) describe the relationship between the atrial fibrillation (AF) and other variables (e.g., BMI), (c) examine the frequency and the length of time to AF diagnosis in patients implanted with an implantable cardiac monitoring (ICM) device, (d) observe provider patterns of treatment with oral anticoagulants (OACs), and (e) investigate documented considerations to either diagnose or rule out OSA in a group of outpatient AF patients in a cardiology clinic.

Background: AF is largely undiagnosed but can cause major morbidity and …

Differential Estimation Of Audiograms Using Gaussian Process Active Model Selection, Trevor Larsen

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Classical methods for psychometric function estimation either require excessive resources to perform, as in the method of constants, or produce only a low resolution approximation of the target psychometric function, as in adaptive staircase or up-down procedures. This thesis makes two primary contributions to the estimation of the audiogram, a clinically relevant psychometric function estimated by querying a patient’s for audibility of a collection of tones. First, it covers the implementation of a Gaussian process model for learning an audiogram using another audiogram as a prior belief to speed up the learning procedure. Second, it implements a use case of …

Innovative Care Of Individuals In The Athletic Training Room: A Case Series, Kathryn E. Young

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This work follows three unique cases of athletic injuries and/or injuries in patients. These cases were selected because of the innovative nature of the rehabilitation process conducted by the sports medicine team via the athletic training room or the unique nature of the injury/case.

The first is a concussion sustained from a motor vehicle accident in a collegiate female thrower. This is unique because it’s a non-sport related concussion handled as an athletic trainer would handle a sports related concussion. It also demonstrates a new unique protocol for concussion management.

The second case is a patient with two complete anterior …

Evaluation Of The Role Of Microvascular Pathology On Peripheral Artery Disease, Constance Mietus

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) begins with atherosclerotic narrowing of arteries, including those that supply the legs. Individuals with PAD experience pain during walking, which becomes increasingly limiting. Studies from our group and others have shown that a myopathy is present in the skeletal muscle of PAD patients, and is characterized by myofiber degeneration, fibrosis, and remodeling of vessels ranging from 50 – 150 mm in diameter. However, microvascular pathology, particularly of the smallest microvessels (5 – 15 mm in diameter) remains poorly characterized. Furthermore, little is known about the relationships between microvascular architecture, microperfusion, and patient walking performance. We …

Development Of A Long-Acting Nanoformulation Of Dolutegravir For Prevention And Treatment Of Hiv-1 Infection, Brady Sillman

Theses & Dissertations

Dolutegravir (DTG) is a potent human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase strand-transfer inhibitor (INSTI) with a high barrier to viral drug resistance. However, opportunities to improve its profile abound. These include extending the drug’s apparent half-life, increasing penetrance to “putative” viral reservoirs, and reducing inherent toxicities. These highlight, in part, the need for long-acting, slow effective release antiretroviral therapy (LASER ART) delivery schemes. A long-acting (LA) DTG was made by synthesizing a hydrophobic and lipophilic prodrug encased with poloxamer (P407) surfactant. This modified DTG (MDTG) reduced systemic metabolism and polarity, increased lipophilicity and membrane permeability, improved encapsulation, and formed …