Digital Commons Network^™

An Overview Of The Near-Death Experience Phenomenon, David San Filippo Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Near-death experiences appear to be universal phenomena that have been reported for centuries. A near-death encounter is defined as an event in which the individual could very easily die or be killed, or may have already been considered clinically dead, but nonetheless survives, and continue his or her physical life. Reports of near-death experiences date back to the Ice Age. There are cave paintings, in France and Spain that depict possible after life scenes that are similar to reported scenes related to near-death experiences. Plato's Republic presents the story of a near-death experience of a Greek soldier named Er. In …

Objectively Measured Physical Activity In Sixth-Grade Girls, Russell R. Pate, June Stevens, Charlotte Pratt, James F. Sallis, Kathryn H. Schmitz, Larry S. Webber, Gregory J. Welk, Deborah Rohm Young

Faculty Publications

Objectives - To describe the objectively-measured physical activity (PA) characteristics of a diverse sample of 6^th grade girls to examine influences on PA, and to report compliance with PA guidelines.

Design - Cross-sectional study.

Setting - Six locations across the United States.

Participants - 1578 6^th grade girls. Actigraph accelerometers were worn for 7 days, and data for 6 days were included in the analyses.

Main exposure - Race/ethnicity, free-or-reduced price lunch (FRPL), and geographic region.

Main outcome measure - Six operational definitions of adequate activity (60 min or 30 min of daily MVPA at or above 4.6, …

Cultural Competence In Action: A Framework And Practical Strategies For Clinicians, Nidhi Mahendra, Dolores Battle, Joan Payne

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Treatment Of Solid Organ Transplant Recipients With Autologous Epstein Barr Virus-Specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes (Ctls)., Barbara Savoldo, John A. Goss, Markus M. Hammer, Lan Zhang, Teresita Lopez, Adrian P. Gee, Yu-Feng Lin, Ruben E. Quiros-Tejeira, Petra Reinke, Stephan Schubert, Stephen Gottschalk, Milton J. Finegold, Malcolm K. Brenner, Cliona M. Rooney, Helen E. Heslop

Faculty Publications

We have investigated the in vivo safety, efficacy, and persistence of autologous Epstein Barr virus (EBV)-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) for the treatment of solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients at high risk for EBV-associated posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD). EBV-CTLs generated from 35 patients expanded with normal kinetics contained both CD8 and CD4 lymphocytes and produced significant specific killing of autologous EBV-transformed B lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs). Twelve SOT recipients at high risk for PTLD, or with active disease, received autologous CTL infusions without toxicity. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) monitoring of EBV-DNA showed a transient increase in plasma EBV-DNA suggestive …

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Consumption In The Reduction Of Sudden Cardiac Death: A Critical Appraisal, Katie J. Walker, A. Elaine Bond, Renea L. Beckstrand, Mary Williams

Faculty Publications

This article examines the effects of omega-3 fatty acid consumption in reducing sudden cardiac death risk, and provides useful dosing recommendations for patients–with or without a history of coronary heart disease–in a primary care practice.

Emergency Nurses' Perceptions Of Obstacles And Supportive Behaviors In End-Of-Life Care, Sondra Heaston, Renea L. Beckstrand, A. Elaine Bond, Sheri P. Palmer

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Little is known about emergency nurses' perceptions of either obstacles or supportive behaviors for providing end-of life (EOL) care to dying patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived obstacles and supportive behaviors in providing EOL care to dying patients in emergency departments.

Methods: In this survey research, a 73-item questionnaire regarding EOL care was mailed to a geographically dispersed national random sample of 300 members of the Emergency Nurses Association. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the 54 Likert-type items and demographic items. Two open-ended questions were analyzed using content analysis.

Results: Returns after 3 mailings …

Physical Activities In Adolescent Girls: Variability In Energy Expenditure, Karin A. Pfeiffer, Kathryn H. Schmitz, Robert G. Mcmurray, Margarita S. Treuth, David M. Murray, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

Background - Understanding interindividual variability of energy expended in common activities is important for determining precise estimates of energy expenditure in surveillance studies and clinical trials. The purpose of this study was to describe the variability in energy expenditure for selected physical activities among adolescent girls.

Methods - Seventy-four adolescent girls (aged 13 to 14 years) participated in this cross-sectional investigation. Data were collected in 2001 and analyzed in 2004. Energy expenditure was measured by indirect calorimetry for ten activities and during a submaximal cycle ergometer test, which was used to estimate cardiorespiratory fitness. Variability in energy expended for the …

Intestinal Enzymes During Malnutrition & Infection In Rabbits, Sufia Islam, Amal K. Mitra, Ashish K. Chowdhury, Nur Haque Alam

Faculty Publications

Background & objectives: Malnutrition plays an important role in the intestinal absorption of nutrients. However, reports are not consistent whether intestinal enzymes are decreased in the presence of malnutrition. It is also not clear whether simultaneous presence of malnutrition and infection adds to the problem of malabsorption of nutrients. The aim of the present study was to determine intestinal functions in terms of concentrations of disaccharidase enzymes during diarrhoea and protein energy malnutrition. Methods: Concentrations of three disaccharidase enzymes, namely maltase, sucrase and lactase were measured in nine energy-restricted and five control rabbits during diarrhoea induced by rabbit diarrhoeagenic Escherichia …

Promoting Physical Activity In Children And Youth: A Leadership Role For Schools: A Scientific Statement From The American Heart Association Council On Nutrition, Physical Activity, And Metabolism (Physical Activity Committee) In Collaboration With The Councils On Cardiovascular Disease In The Young And Cardiovascular Nursing, Russell R. Pate, Michael G. Davis, Thomas N. Robinson, Elaine J. Stone, Thomas L. Mckenzie, Judith C. Young

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Clinical Research Forum And Association Of American Physicians Disagree With Criticism Of The Nih Roadmap, William Crowley Jr, John Courtney, Larry Jameson, Herbert Pardes, Jay Moskowitz, Eugene Orringer, Arthur Rubenstein, Alastair Wood, Richard Rettig, Dennis Ausiello, David Brenner, Francis Collins, Jack Elias, Warner Greene, Ralph Horowitz, Larry Jameson, Elliott Kieff, Craig Thompson, Judith Swain

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Response - Jay Katz: From Harms To Risks, Larry I. Palmer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Evaluated Community Fire Safety Interventions In The United States: A Review Of Current Literature, Van M. Ta Park, S. Frattaroli, G. Bergen, A. C. Gielen

Faculty Publications

The purpose of the study was to assess the state of fire prevention research, provide an updated synthesis of evaluated fire prevention programs, and discuss the role of fire fighters and data systems in prevention efforts. The review included all evaluations of U.S. based fire prevention interventions published between January 1998 and September 2004 and any earlier articles about U.S. fire prevention interventions not included in two prior review articles. We retrieved information from each identified study including evaluation findings, involvement of fire service personnel and use of existing data systems. We identified twelve articles: seven reported on smoke alarm …

Criterion Validity Of The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: Investigation In A Non-Clinical Sample, Michael A. Grandner, Daniel F. Kripke, In-Young Yoon, Shawn D. Youngstedt

Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in a non-clinical sample consisting of younger and older adults. There has been little research validating the PSQI with respect to multinight recording as with actigraphy, and more validation is needed in samples not specifically selected for clinical disturbance. Also, the degree to which the PSQI scores may reflect depressive symptoms versus actual sleep disturbance remains unclear. One-hundred and twelve volunteers (53 younger and 59 older) were screened for their ability to perform treadmill exercises; inclusion was not based on sleep …

Association Of Physical Activity With Hormone Receptor Status: The Shanghai Breast Cancer Study, Swann Arp Adams, Charles E. Matthews, James R. Hébert, Charity G. Moore, Joan E. Cunningham, Xiou-Oi Shu, Jeanette Fulton, Yutang Gao, Wei Zheng

Faculty Publications

Evidence exists that breast tumors differing by estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status may be phenotypically distinct diseases resulting from dissimilar etiologic processes. Few studies have attempted to examine the association of physical activity with breast cancer subtype. Such research may prove instructive into the biological mechanisms of activity. Consequently, this investigation was designed to assess the relationship between physical activity and hormone receptor-defined breast cancers in a population of Asian women in which the distribution of receptor types differed from traditional Western populations. Participants, ages 25 to 64 years, were recruited into this population-based, case-control study of …

Patterns Of Smoking Behavior Among Physicians In Yerevan, Armenia, Ray M. Merrill, Gordan B. Lindsay, Paul C. Perrin

Faculty Publications

Physicians can play an important role in smoking prevention and control. This study will identify smoking prevalence among physicians in Yerevan, Armenia. It will also explore how the smoking behaviors of physicians, their perceived ability to influence patient smoking behavior, and their knowledge about health outcomes related to smoking influence their interaction with patients. Methods: A cross-sectional, self-administered, anonymous survey was conducted in July, 2004, among 12 healthcare facilities in Yerevan. Analyses are based on responses from 240 physicians, representing a 70% response rate. Results: The percentage of current smokers was significantly higher in men than women (48.5% vs. 12.8% …

Aha/Acc Guidelines For Secondary Prevention For Patients With Coronary And Other Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease: 2006 Update, Sidney C. Smith Jr., Jerilyn Allen, Steven N. Blair, Robert O. Bonow, Lawrence M. Brass, Gregg C. Fonarow, Scott M. Grundy, Loren Hiratzka, Daniel Jones, Harlan M. Krumholz, Lori Mosca, Richard C. Pasternak, Thomas A. Pearson, Marc A. Pfeffer, Kathryn A. Taubert

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Seasonal Variation In Food Intake, Physical Activity, And Body Weight In A Predominantly Overweight Population, Yunsheng Ma, Barbara C. Olendzki, W. Li, Andrea R. Hafner, David E. Chiriboga, James R. Hébert, Mary Jane Campbell, M. Sarnie, Ira S. Ockene

Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE:

To describe seasonal variation in food intake, physical activity, and body weight in a predominantly overweight population.

DESIGN:

A longitudinal observational study.

SETTING:

Most of the study participants were recruited from a health maintenance organization (HMO) in central Massachusetts, USA. Additional individuals of Hispanic descent were recruited from outside of the HMO population to increase the ethnic diversity of this sample.

SUBJECTS:

Data from 593 participants, aged 20-70, were used for this investigation. Each participant was followed quarterly (five sampling points: baseline and four consecutive quarters) for 1-year period. Body weight measurements and three 24-h dietary and physical activity …

Association Between Tobacco Use And Body Mass Index In Urban Indian Population: Implications For Public Health In India, Mangesh S. Pednekar, Prakash C. Gupta, Heema C. Shukla, James R. Hébert

Faculty Publications

Background: Body mass index [BMI, weight (kg)/height (m2)], a measure of relative weight, is a good overall indicator of nutritional status and predictor of overall health. As in many developing countries, the high prevalence of very low BMIs in India represents an important public health risk. Tobacco, smoked in the form of cigarettes or bidis (handmade by rolling a dried rectangular piece of temburni leaf with 0.15–0.25 g of tobacco) or chewed, is another important determinant of health. Tobacco use also may exert a strong influence on BMI.

Methods: The relationship between very low BMI (< 18.5 kg/m2) and tobacco use was examined using data from a representative cross-sectional survey of 99,598 adults (40,071 men and 59,527 women) carried out in the city of Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) in western India. Participants were men and women aged ≥ 35 years who were residents of the main city of Mumbai.

Results: …

Beta 1-Integrins Are Required For Hippocampal Ampa Receptor-Dependent Synaptic Transmission, Synaptic Plasticity, And Working Memory., Chi-Shing Chan, Edwin J. Weeber, Lin Zong, Elaine Fuchs, J David Sweatt, Ronald L. Davis

Faculty Publications

Integrins comprise a large family of cell adhesion receptors that mediate diverse biological events through cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Recent studies have shown that several integrins are localized to synapses with suggested roles in synaptic plasticity and memory formation. We generated a postnatal forebrain and excitatory neuron-specific knock-out of beta1-integrin in the mouse. Electrophysiological studies demonstrated that these mutants have impaired synaptic transmission through AMPA receptors and diminished NMDA receptor-dependent long-term potentiation. Despite the impairment in hippocampal synaptic transmission, the mutants displayed normal hippocampal-dependent spatial and contextual memory but were impaired in a hippocampal-dependent, nonmatching-to-place working memory task. These …

Historical Perspectives On Attitudes Concerning Death And Dying, David San Filippo Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Beliefs and practices concerning death have changed throughout human history. In pre-modern times, death at a young age was common due to living conditions and medical practices. As medical science has advanced and helped humans live longer, attitudes and responses to death also have changed. In modern Western societies, death is often ignored or feared. Changes in lifestyles and improved medical science have depersonalized death and made it an encroachment on life instead of part of life. This has left many people ill equipped to deal with death when it touches their lives.

Religious Interpretations Of Death, Afterlife & Ndes, David San Filippo Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

This E-book reviews religious beliefs concerning death, afterlife, and near-death experiences. The discussion will provide commentary regarding the similarities between different religious beliefs and experiences concerning death, as well as between religious interpretations of near-death experiences.

Perspectives On The Fears Of Death & Dying, David San Filippo Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

This E-Book will examine some perspectives on fear, the fears of death, and constructs used to overcome or deal with the fears of death. By examining the literature on fear in general, a framework can be developed to understand how individuals become fearful. In the section, “Fears of Death,” what people fear about death and why they fear it will be discussed.

Philosophical, Psychological & Spiritual Perspectives On Death & Dying, David San Filippo Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

This Ebook reviews the philosophical perspectives on death, the psychological perspectives on death and the fears of death and some religious perspectives of death. The philosophic section will review perspectives of death from ancient Greece through modernity. The psychological section will review death, and the fear of death, from the perspectives of psychoanalytic, humanistic, and existentialist theories. The religious section will provide a brief overview of Prehistoric, African, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, and Christian religious beliefs concerning death and afterlife.

The Value Of The Awareness Of Near-Death Experiences, David San Filippo Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

A principal value of Near-death experiences may be in the telling of the stories and the effect these stories have for others to reduce their fears of and concerns about death. This E-book explores the impact and value knowing about, not having a near-death experience has on those who have heard, watch, or read reports of this phenomenon.

Sex Differences In Jealousy In Response To Actual Infidelity, John E. Edlund, Jeremy D. Heider, Cory R. Scherer, Maria-Magdalena Farc, Brad J. Sagarin

Faculty Publications

The present studies address two criticisms of the theory of evolved sex differences in jealousy: (a) that the sex difference in jealousy emerges only in response to hypothetical infidelity scenarios, and (b) that the sex difference emerges only using forced-choice measures. In two separate studies, one a paper-and-pencil survey with a student sample and the other a web-based survey targeting a non-student sample, men and women showed significant sex differences in jealousy in response to actual infidelity experiences; men experienced more jealousy in response to the sexual aspects of an actual infidelity, whereas women experienced more jealousy in response to …

Heparin Modulates The 99-Loop Of Factor Ixa: Effects On Reactivity With Isolated Kunitz-Type Inhibitor Domains, Pierre F. Neuenschwander, Stephen R. Williamson, Armen Nalian, Kimberly J. Baker-Deadmond

Faculty Publications

Reactivity of factor IXa with basic pancreatic trypsin inhibitor is enhanced by low molecular weight heparin (enoxaparin). Previous studies by us have suggested that this effect involves allosteric modulation of factor IXa. We examined the reactivity of factor IXa with several isolated Kunitz-type inhibitor domains: basic pancreatic trypsin inhibitor, the Kunitz inhibitor domain of protease Nexin-2, and the first two inhibitor domains of tissue factor pathway inhibitor. We find that enhancement of factor IXa reactivity by enoxaparin is greatest for basic pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (>10-fold), followed by the second tissue factor pathway inhibitor domain (1.7-fold) and the Kunitz inhibitor …

Recruitment And Retention Of African Americans With Severe Mental Illness In Community Research, Michelle Hampton, Mary White, Linda Chafetz

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Paradox Of Personality: Mental Illness, Employment Discrimination, And The Americans With Disabilities Act, Deirdre M. Smith

Faculty Publications

Both medicine and the law devote considerable concern to drawing lines, that is, to classifying and making distinctions. In medicine, such line-drawing occurs when a person is designated healthy or ill, normal or disordered. In the law, such line-drawing determines who does and does not bear legal responsibility for a given situation. This Article reviews the demarcation drawn by psychiatry and the courts between disfavored personality and mental illness, a dichotomy not based upon empirical science and therefore, wholly susceptible to social construction and implementation. While society may pathologize noxious personalities, thus making them disabilities, it is loath to extend …

Woman- Centered Post-Abortion Care In Public Hospitals In Tucuman, Argentina: Assessing Quality Of Care And Its Link To Human Rights, Rodolfo Gomez Ponce De Leon Phd, Deborah Lynn Billings Phd, Karina Barrionuevo

Faculty Publications

Unsafe abortion is a major public health and human rights problem in
Argentina. Implementation of a woman-centered post-abortion care
(PAC) model is one strategy to improve the situation. The quality of PAC
services was measured in three public hospitals in Tucumin, a province
with high levels of poverty and maternal mortality due to unsafe abortion.
Overall, the quality of PAC services was found to be poor. Women
do not receive services in a manner that respects their human rights, in
particular their rights to health and health care, information, and to the
benefits of scientific progress. Findings from the evaluation …

The Medical Library Association's Professional Development Progam: A Look Back At The Way Ahead, Fred W. Roper

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.