Browsing by Subject "Evaluation"
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Item An Evaluation of Muscle Biopsies in a Managed Care Organization(2001-05-01) Saad, Jill Moore; S. Dan Dimitrijevich; Roderick HookerSaad, Jill Moore., An Evaluation of Muscle Biopsies in a Managed Care Organization. Master of Science (Biomedical Sciences), May 2001, 16 pp., 7 illustrations, Reference List, 17 titles. Objective: The goal of this study was to assess the use of the percutaneous muscle biopsy in diagnosing inflammatory muscle diseases and to examine the benefit of centralizing inflammatory myopathies under one department-rheumatology-within a large health maintenance organization. Methods: A retrospective review of 363 muscle biopsies and histopathology reports, spanning 25 years, formed the basis of this study. The databases used in this study were the medical record, an institutional rheumatology registry, and histopathology reports. Cytoarchitectural abnormalities, necrosis and regeneration formed the basis of muscle disease classification. The histopathology findings were interpreted against the patient’s clinical history, examination, and clinical tests to develop a final diagnosis. Results: Rheumatologists in this location performed two-thirds of the biopsies percutaneously using an intervertebral rongeur and surgeons performed one-third open biopsies. Over time open biopsies were phased out due to preference for the percutaneous method. The average age of all muscle biopsy patients was 45 (3 months to 88 years old) and 55% were male. Polymyositis was the most frequently identified myositis (62%), followed by dermatomyositis (19%), and inclusion body myositis (7%). Conclusion: The use of percutaneous muscle biopsies using an intervertebral rongeur is the method of choice because of convenience, quality of specimen, low morbidity, and limited discomfort. Centralizing inflammatory muscle diseases within one organization contributes to the efficiency and effectiveness of inflammatory muscle disease management.Item Evaluation of a Novel Multiplex Ministr System for Analysis of Degraded and Low Copy DNA Samples(2006-05-01) Orcutt, Joseph L.; Arthur Eisenberg; Joseph Warren; John PlanzOrcutt, Joseph L., Evaluation of a Novel Multiplex MiniSTR System for Analysis of Degraded and Low Copy DNA Samples. Masters of Science (Forensic Genetics), May, 2006, 78 pp., 25 tables, 14 figures, bibliography, 20 titles. The goal was to evaluate the performance of a novel miniSTR multiplex system for the analysis of degraded and low quantity DNA samples. Three studies were designed to evaluate this new miniSTR kit: 1. A concordance study to insure that the profiles generated are identical to those with currently used STR kits; 2. A dilution study to identify the sensitivity limits of the multiplex system, and 3. The ability to generate profiles from DNA isolated from skeletal remains which had previously given incomplete profiles using conventional STR kits. The results indicate that the Applied Biosystems new miniSTR multiplex system will provide a valuable tool for forensic scientists to obtain genetic data from challenging casework samples.Item The Sisterhood for Change Project Evaluation(2008-12-01) Timmons, CoryThe Kisumu Medical and Educational Trust (KMET) has created a peer-to-peer outreach project, Sisterhood for Change (SFC), which has been created to train girls and young women on reproductive health issues and thus become community peer educators. This program is now in its third cycle of students and currently has two groups of young women (age 12-24) who have been through life skills training and learned to be reproductive health peer educators; they have also gained vocational training in order to give them alternatives to commercial sex work or reliance on males for money. The purpose of this evaluation was to assess the pilot project by interviewing and observing the first 25 women to be involved in the project, interviewing their relatives, interviewing staff members close to the project, and assessing the participants’ impact in their communities. By using multiple research methods (i.e., interviewing, focus group meetings, participant observation, and surveying) and multiple sources of information, triangulation was achieved to gain a larger view of the successes and challenges in the pilot year of the SFC Project.