Health Sciences Undergraduate Theses

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    Metabolomic Profiles of Articular Cartilage Vary By Osteoarthritis Grade
    (2020) Welhaven, Hope; Hahn, Alyssa; Gretch, Daniel; Parsley, Kelly
    Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common chronic joint disease, characterized by the breakdown of the articular cartilage (AC). However, there are currently no therapeutic drug targets to slow the progression of disease because disease pathogenesis is largely unknown. Thus, the goals of this study were to (1) spatially map metabolism across regions of OA cartilage and (2) identify any metabolic differences in OA articular cartilage between grades III and IV in hopes of revealing potential drug targets. To accomplish this, AC from femoral heads were removed, homogenized, and metabolites were extracted for mass spectrometry analysis to generate metabolomic profiles of defined grades of OA. The results revealed that distinct metabolic phenotypes exist between articular cartilage from grades III and IV OA hip joints, but not across different regions of the diseased joint. The pathways that contributed the most to these differences between grades were associated with ascorbate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism and vitamin metabolism (H, C, E, B5). These results suggest that radiography-confirmed grades III and IV OA are associated with distinct global metabolic phenotypes. The results of this study enhance our understanding of altered cartilage metabolism in OA which may lead to potential drug targets to slow, halt, or reverse cartilage damage in late stages of OA.
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    Use Of Medical Statistics To Improve Patient Care
    (1974-04-01) May, Bernadette; Sister Anne Bouffard; Nancy Campbell; Alfred Murray
    Veritably any text on organization and administration, information management, or hospital affairs will contain a chapter on statistics. And an almost universal reaction to "statistics," whether in a hospital, large corporation, or small private enterprise, is negative because "statistics lie"; they are regarded as cumbersome, unreliable, and difficult to read by many people. But the areas of compilation, utilization, and demonstration of statistical data can be challenging and interesting. By anyone's professional standards, statistics are certainly necessary. They contribute to effective management and control for an individual department and a total organization like no other form of information can. Businesses process large amounts of data, and a hospital is no exception. In general, data must be interpreted to be useful. Statistical information amounts to a concise, meaningful interpretation, assuming that the data is based upon uniform definitions among those collecting the data, and that the party coordinating the information has an understanding of where the data originates, where the statistics are needed, and what purpose they will ultimately serve. The statistical norms reflect current practice in the participating hospitals. Their validity is not assumed, but must be established in each instance, meaning that numbers illustrating a certain point must be compared with the data from which they are derived. If a certain figure demonstrates inadequate patient care, the patient's medical record must be examined. There must be a causal connection between the failure to meet the requirements and the injury caused to a person. If that connection can be made, then liability will and should follow. If the causal connection cannot be established there can be no negligence under these circumstances. Moreover, the procedure ensures that the norms will automatically reflect the. 3 changes in practice that occur with the passage of time.
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    Global metabolic profiling of human joint fluid following a second ACL tear: A case report
    (2019-01-01) Starke, Jenna; Alyssa Hahn; Brandon Sheafor; Kelly Parsley
    Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the acute metabolic response to injury using global, or untargeted, metabolic profiling. The purpose was to better understand the acute response to injury following a second traumatic joint injury. Methods: This study is a case report of a patient who had sustained two separate ACL tears in the same knee years apart. We extracted metabolites from healthy synovial fluid and human joint fluid following the patient’s second ACL tear and analyzed the metabolite extracts using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based global metabolic profiling. Results: We identified 1241 unique metabolite features in injured SF compared to healthy SF (Student’s t-test: FDR-adjusted p-value
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    Moral Law And Physician-Assisted Suicide
    (1995-04-01) Rupert, Jessie; Valerie Gager; Lee Harrison; Robert Walsh
    Each person is unique with an individual look, identity, perspective, and personality. Each will experience an individual death, different from all others. Although there are as many ways to experience the process of death as there are people, the scope of this paper will focus on the deaths of mentally competent patients who are near the end of a terminal illness. In this thesis, it will be demonstrated that society’s interpretation of moral laws must be modified with time and the acquisition of knowledge, and that the participation of physicians and patients in physician- assisted suicide must now be considered reasonable, justifiable, and ethical in exceptional cases. This paper will be presented in two main parts. First, the thesis will be analyzed and explained. There will be a brief discussion of what moral laws are, and reasons will be presented to show why our interpretation of them must change with time and the acquisition of knowledge. It will then be demonstrated why physician- assisted suicide has surfaced as such an important issue and why it must be discussed now. Some of the criteria used to help define exceptional cases and to know when the option of assisted suicide should be considered will be addressed. The final segment of the analysis and explanation will illustrate why physician-assisted suicide should be considered reasonable, justifiable, and ethical in exceptional cases. Second, after the thesis has been analyzed and explained, some of the most common objections to the arguments for physician-assisted suicide in exceptional cases will be addressed and responded to. The entire paper then will be reviewed briefly and summarized in the conclusion.
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    Effects of Educational Intervention on Children’s Knowledge of Obesity Risk Factors
    (2011-04-01) Allen, Amy; Jennifer Elison; Joni Walton; Donna Greenwood
    Childhood obesity has become a significant healthcare concern in the US with rates tripling within the last decade. The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity puts these children at risk for several diseases and other associated health problems. This quantitative research study posed the question of the effectiveness of an educational intervention on children’s knowledge of obesity risk factors. This investigation assessed obesity awareness and understanding of the importance of physical activity and a nutritious diet before and after an educational intervention in 123 seventh grade students. The health and physical education teacher at the participating school conducted the intervention over two 50 minute class periods. The intervention was developed from the school district’s approved health curriculum and from existing research reviewed in this study. A pre, post survey method was used to assess the effectiveness of the educational intervention and descriptive statistics were used to interpret the results. This small-scale school based intervention was effective in increasing knowledge of obesity risk factors in middle school students. The intervention was more effective in increasing obesity awareness and educating about diet and nutrition than portraying the importance of physical activity. More extensive interventions are needed for maximum benefit and long term impact. Continued efforts to reduce and prevent childhood obesity are needed to restore the health of this nation.