This study examined nutritional status and fecundity of women and was approved for patient enrollment by the ETSU Institutional Review Board (IRB). Once enrolled, participants filled out two food frequency questionnaires (FFQ, fruit/vegetable intake, fat intake), self-reported anthropometric data, and had one 5 mL vacutainer of whole blood (EDTA) collected for measures of oxidative stress (OS), coenzyme Q10 level, and fatty acid profile of the red blood cell (RBC) membrane. Participants were either designated to the case group (13 women experiencing fertility problems and an anti-mullerian hormone level of 1 ng/ml or less (AMH, <1 ng/mL)) or the control group (13 women experiencing normal ovulation cycles and no evidence of polycystic disease). This study hypothesized that the case group would have poorer plasma antioxidant status, consume more dietary saturated fat and have lower levels of omega-3 and higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids in the RBC membrane. Results showed that case participants had significantly higher body mass index (BMI) when graduating from high school, BMI upon enrollment in the study, and trended to gain more weight since high school. Antioxidant status of the plasma tended to be higher for the case group. This result was surprising as case participants consumed significantly fewer servings of fruits and vegetables (sources of antioxidants) than control subjects. FFQ results indicated that case participants consumed significantly higher amounts of total fat (g), saturated fat (g), unsaturated fat (g), and their diets had a higher dietary fat percent. No significant differences were noted in the individual fatty acids isolated from the RBC membrane or in calculated ratios of fatty acid between case and control groups. The fatty acid profile from RBC membranes are in agreement with self-reported fat intake from FFQ data and may provide a rationale for no differences observed between the two groups.

Behavioral problems exhibited in early childhood can predict continued behavioral difficulties into adolescence and adulthood and can result in poor social functioning and health outcomes. Early identification of these concerns is necessary in order to connect families with appropriate interventions that thwart a negative trajectory. In pediatric offices, developmental screeners and pediatric surveillance are efficient and reliable methods of assessing behavioral concerns, which can help to quickly connect families with services. This study examines two methods of screening for behavioral concerns and the impact on on-site behavioral health referrals for children 4 and 5 years of age at a local pediatric clinic. In 2014, children were screened using the PEDS Developmental Questionnaire (PEDS) and referred to the on-site Behavioral Health Consultant (BHC). In 2015, children were screened using the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17 (PSC-17) and referred to either the BHC or another new, on-site evidenced-based intervention called the Family Check Up (FCU). This study evaluates and compares the reach, effectiveness, and adoption of the two methods across both years. The results suggest that both screeners had the same rate of identification of behavioral concerns; however, the PSC-17 appears to improve rates of referrals to the BHC and the FCU.

No description available.

Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) has long been recognized as adapted to wetlands and those subject to periodic flooding. In Utah, Wilson (1955) estimate that 40 percent of the valley bottom land is flooded at least part of the year. Much of this land is very dry late in the summer. Forages such as Alsike clover tolerate flooding and some salt but do not perform well under drouth. Work by Bolton (1946) indicated that flooding for 49 day did not cause serious permanent damage to Reed canarygrass. The author baa observed Reed canarygrass growing in a shallow reservoir which is flooded 90 days or more. Reed canarygrass is also one of the most drouth tolerant of the cool season grasses when grown on upland soils.

The Kirby-Bauer test for determining antibiotic effectiveness is widely used in laboratories. The 10 to 20 hour incubation time needed to obtain useful results is a disadvantage of that test. This experimental research was developed to test a modification which could provide useful results in 5 hours. The modification employed in this experimental technique used an increased inoculum at a 1.0 McFarland standard instead of the customary 0.5 standard. The 2 to 5 hour incubation period in the trypticase soy broth was deleted. The Mueller Hinton plates were incubated for 5 hours and then observed for resistant and/or sensitive patterns. Controls for this experimental study were the results of the standard Kirby-Bauer test as recorded by the day and night shift personnel of the Medical Center at Bowling Green. Bowling Green, Kentucky. Tested were 33 cultures of Escherichia coil, 33 cultures of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and 33 cultures of Staphylococcus aureus. The same cultures of each organism were tested using the 5 hour experimental procedure. A pure culture was inoculated in a tube of trypticase soy broth to a final turbidity equal to a 1.0 McFarland standard. A portion of this inoculum was swabbed onto the entire surface of a Mueller Hinton plate. Antibiotic discs were placed on the agar surface and tapped gently to insure contact. The plates were put into a 37°C incubator for 5 hours then removed to observe zones of no growth. Results were classified as either "resistant" or "sensitive"; "intermediate" was deleted. If a zone of no growth was closer to the sensitive reading than the resistant reading for an antibiotic, the bacterium was considered sensitive to that antibiotic. The same was true for resistant readings. Measurements were taken with a caliper dial. For the two procedures, identical results occurred 99.7% of the time for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. For Escherichia coli 96.8% of the tests were identical, and with Staphylococcus aureus 93.2% of the tests were identical. Strains of Staphylococcus aureus that were sensitive to penicillin G and ampicillin with the standard Kirby-Bauer test were resistant with the 5 hour test. It occurred 10 times with a quality control stock culture and 1 time with a clinical isolate for ampicillin. It occurred 9 times with a quality control stock culture and 1 time with a clinical isolate for penicillin G. It is likely that the differences with Staphylococcus aureus for ampicillin and penicillin G are due to the interaction between the organism and the two antibiotics. Further studies are needed to determine whether or not a 1 to 2 hour extension of the incubation time could alleviate this problem.

BIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF PUTATIVE RNA-BINDING PROTEINS IN PORPHYROMONAS GINGIVALIS By Jacob Mirpanah Bachelor of Arts in Biology, University of Virginia, 2015 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Physiology and Biophysics at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2018 Major Director: Janina P. Lewis, Ph.D., Philips Institute for Oral Health Research RNA-Binding Proteins (RBPs) play important regulatory roles in countless cellular processes. Often via the induction of a structural change in RNA’s secondary structure, RBPs are known to modulate protein expression through post-transcriptional regulation. In Escherichia coli, such RBPs have been thoroughly studied and shown to display differential expression throughout the bacterial life cycle; suggesting their importance in prompting different events in the bacterial cell. Further, RNA- and DNA-recognition domains have been characterized in proteins Hub as well as RBP in E.coli and their nucleic acid ligands sequenced. It was our aim to extend this level of information to Hub and RBP as they exist in a main etiological agent in periodontal disease; Porphyromonas gingivalis. Using quantitative PCR expression analysis, we saw a general upregulation of both proteins in the logarithmic phase as compared to the stationary phase. This upregulation was most pronounced in PG0627, the putative analog of E. coli RBP in P. gingivalis. Further, Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays suggest sequence specific interaction of PG0627 to RNA. Uninhibited and Inhibited mobility assays seem to confirm that PG0627 binds with great specificity to a conserved RNA sequence. Quantitative measure of interaction came in the form of fluorescence anisotropy, which produced a Dissociation Constant (Kd) of approximately 53 nM; suggesting a high degree of affinity. Lastly, a mutant was generated in order to produce high quality RNA libraries to be sequenced through the Illumina MiSeq system. Sequencing data is still incoming.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), characterized by the lack of dystrophin, results from a mutation in the Xp21 gene which encodes for the protein dystrophin that links the extracellular matrix to the actin cytoskeleton in skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle. Slow colonic transit and chronic constipation are common in DMD patients due to the weakening of the abdominal wall muscles and gut smooth muscle. However, the cause of this hypocontractility in DMD patients and the expression of contractile proteins in smooth muscle are unknown. Expression of contractile proteins is regulated by the signaling pathways activated by excitatory (e.g., acetylcholine, ACh) and inhibitory transmitters (e.g., nitric oxide). Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is well-known for its anti-oxidant effects; however, its utility to restore DMD-induced effects is unknown. Aim: To investigate the expression of contractile proteins and smooth muscle function in the colon of wild type mice and models of DMD (mdx and mdx/mTR mice) and the effect of H2S on these in mdx mice. Methods: Contraction of colonic segments was measured in the longitudinal orientation from 3-month old control and mdx mice, and 9-month old control and mdx/mTR mice, (mdx/mTR exhibit increased disease severity). The effect of SG1002, an orally active slow releasing H2S agent, was tested in mdx/mTR mice (40 mg/kg body weight in chow/every 3 days starting from 3 weeks to 9 months). Expression of contractile proteins was measured by qRT-PCR and western blot. Results: Expression of smoothelin, caldesmon, calponin and tropomyosin was decreased in colonic smooth muscle of mdx mice compared to control. This decrease was associated with a decrease in ACh-induced contraction in colonic segments (21 ± 3 mN/100 mg tissue in control and 3 ± 1 mN/100 mg tissue in mdx mice). To identify the specific involvement of smooth muscle dysfunction in the decrease in contraction, colonic muscle cells were isolated and contraction in response to ACh was measured by scanning micrometry and expressed as the percent decrease in cell length from control cell length. ACh-induced contraction was also inhibited in muscle cells isolated from mdx mice compared to control (43±5% in control and 27±3% in mdx mice). ACh-induced contraction was decreased in colonic segments from mdx/mTR mice (12 ± 2 mN/100 mg tissue in control versus 4 ± 1 mN/100 mg tissue in mdx/mTR) and the decrease was partly reversed by SG1002 treatment (9 ± 1 mN/100 mg tissue). mRNA expression of thin filament associated proteins was also decreased in colonic smooth muscle from mdx/mTR mice and the decrease was reversed by SG1002. These results suggest that H2S restores contractile protein mRNA expression and contraction in mdx/mTR mice. Conclusion: The data indicate that the lack of dystrophin in mdx mice adversely affects colonic smooth muscle contractility through the down regulation of contractile protein mRNA expression. Treatment of mdx/mTR mice with H2S restores contractile phenotype. Thus, H2S treatment would be an area of study in therapeutic control of DMD-induced gastrointestinal motility disorders.

Ineffective pain management can prolong a patient's length of stay and increase cost of care. Inadequate pain control decreases the patient's quality of life and contributes to poor health outcomes. A recent record audit showed that documentation of pain reassessments occurred only 20% of the time within an hour after administering pain medication. Furthermore, nurses may have insufficient knowledge regarding pain assessments and reassessments or hold irrational fears about addiction leading to inadequate treatment of pain. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program for acute care nurses for the assessment and management of the adult hospitalized patient experiencing pain. Guided by Knowles theory of adult learning, nurses' knowledge regarding pain, assessments, and pain reassessments were evaluated before and after the pain management education program using the Knowledge and Attitude toward Pain Survey (KAPS). A convenience sample of 34 nurses completed the KAPS before and after an educational program addressing pain assessments. Results of the t-test analysis revealed a statistically significant (t = -15.8, df = 33, p<0.00) increase in KAPS scores, from an average pretest score of 70% to an average posttest score of 94%. The results of this project are consistent with the literature, and they illustrate the importance of improving nursing practice by providing nurses with education regarding pain assessments and reassessments as a strategy to improve the management of patients' pain and, resultantly, increase patients' quality of life.

The purpose of this study was to compare out patient laboratory utilization patterns of active duty and retired military personnel and their dependents before and after the implementation of TRICARE. A stratified random sample was taken of patient test results over a two year period resulting in a sample size of 104 observations. The Complete Blood Count (CBC) results were used as indicators for the study. Data was gathered on the patient's rank, active duty/retiree status, age, dependent status, and gender. Additionally, the total number of tests were recorded for the year prior to the introduction of TRICARE and after implementation of TRICARE at Ireland Army Hospital in Fort Knox, Kentucky. It was determined that there was a dramatic decrease in the utilization patterns of the retiree population. The mean age of the year 2 group was much younger, and changes in enlisted personnel utilization were noted. A decrease in the number of tests performed was also noted. These results are relevant to the Laboratory Director and the Commander of the installation.

No description available.