Life Sciences Commons^™

Innovative Virtual Wellness Interventions At An Academic Medical Center: A Pilot Feasibility Study, Ritika Baweja, Michael Hayes, Aditya Joshi, Raman Baweja

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: There is generally a concerning likelihood of burnout in healthcare workers. Given the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers, our institution identified the need for wellness interventions to foster adaptive functioning and mitigate burnout. The purpose of this pilot project was to assess the feasibility of virtual holistic interventions like meditation, art, laughter therapy and dance and their impact on overall well-being of physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs).

Methods: A series of 12 virtual sessions (art therapy, dance therapy, mindfulness-based practices/meditation and laughter therapy) were offered to providers over a 6-month period. Participants completed an online survey reporting …

Alopecia As An Early Clinical Marker For Azathioprine Induced Myelosuppression: A Case Report, Nilanjana Dutta , Final Year Mbbs, Dr. M Suresh Babu , Professor, Dr. Subramanian Ramaswamy , Professor, Dr. Mahabaleshwar Mamadapur , Assistant Professor

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Azathioprine is a pro-drug and is metabolized by the TPMT enzyme in the body. In South Asians, Azathioprine is known to cause alopecia and bone marrow suppression in patients with TPMT enzyme deficiency. In India, the prevalence of TPMT mutation varies from 1.2- 10%. A new mutation was detected in 2014, NUDT15 whose incidence varies from 8.5-16%. Patients with mutation in both TPMT and NUDT15 develop myelosuppression faster. In our case, alopecia manifested as the first clinical feature of Azathioprine myelosuppression. Physicians need to recognize early clinical clues (alopecia) to avoid the impending development of myelosuppression and to look for …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Aggression And Mao-A Gene, Sacheta Sudhendra Kulkarni, Shilpa Sam S, Kishor Manohar Rao, Abhijith Devaraju

International Journal of Health and Allied Sciences

No abstract provided.

Du Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, Caitlyn Aldersea, Justin Bravo, Sam Allen, Anna Block, Connor Block, Emma Buechler, Maria De Los Angeles Bustillos, Arianna Carlson, William Christensen, Olivia Kachulis, Noah Craver, Kate Dillon, Muskan Fatima, Angel Fernandes, Emma Finch, Colleen Cassidy, Amy Fishman, Andrea Francis, Stacia Fritz, Simran Gill, Emma Gries, Rylie Hansen, Shannon Powers, Jacqueline Martinez, Zachary Harker, Ashley Hasty, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Kathleen Hopps, Adelaide Kerenick, Colin Kleckner, Ci Koehring, Elijah Kruger, Braden Krumholz, Maddie Leake, Lyneé Alves, Seraphina Loukas, Yatzari Lozano Vazquez, Haley Maki, Emily Martinez, Sierra Mckinney, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Audrey Mitchell, Kipling Newman, Audrey Ng, Megan Lucyshyn, Andrew Nguyen, Stevie Ostman, Casandra Pearson, Alexandra Penney, Julia Gielczynski, Tyler Ball, Anna Rini, Christina Rorres, Simon Ruland, Helayna Schafer, Emma Sellers, Sarah Schuller, Claire Shaver, Kevin Summers, Isabella Shaw, Madison Sinar, Claudia Pena, Apshara Siwakoti, Carter Sorensen, Madi Sousa, Anna Sparling, Alexandra Revier, Brandon Thierry, Dylan Tyree, Maggie Williams, Lauren Wols

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

DU Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Works

The Impact Of Nutrition On The Mental And Physical Health Of Young Adults, Dareena El-Far

WRIT: Journal of First-Year Writing

Upon close examination by nutritional professionals, concern has arisen regarding the typical contents of a young adult diet. In terms of the rate at which young adults choose to consume nutritionally-dense food items, the rate at which nutrition-deficient junk food items are chosen over the former is significantly higher. Among further examinations of this issue by researchers, it has become evident that the nutritional decisions made by young adults are increasingly associated with several social, commercial, mental, educational, and economic influences. As a consequence of these factors, research has uncovered a connection between the consumption of a poor diet and …

Wellness Review 2022, Part 2, Martin Huecker, Brian A. Ferguson, Jacob Shreffler

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Similar to prior reviews, the Journal of Wellness editors searched the literature from the second half of 2022 for an interesting and impactful selection of publications on wellness in healthcare professionals.

Methods: Editors conducted a standard keyword search in Pubmed, focusing chiefly on large journals, interventional trials, and other prospective research. We included papers published between July 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022.

Literature in Review: Finding several hundred publications, we excluded editorials, reviews, and some smaller, less generalizable papers. A final 25 significant studies focusing on wellness in medical professionals were sorted into the following categories: logistics, creativity …

Peer-Supervision Of Nursing Professionals: A Shield Against Burnout, Kyle Gamache, Sarah Gamache, Joseph Robillard

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Burnout is a major risk in healthcare professions and is a significant contributor to the current nursing shortage. Strategies to combat burnout of healthcare professionals are in desperate need. The purpose of this project is to introduce the clinical peer supervision model as a method to alleviate burnout in nursing professionals.

Approach: Eight nurses from in-patient settings participated in a peer-supervision support group, modeled after existing European nursing and mental health provider-support protocols. To assess the effect of this intervention, qualitative data analysis was conducted on the transcripts of session and the results described. All participants reported statistically high …

Wellness Review 2022, Part 1, Martin Huecker, Brian A. Ferguson, Jacob Shreffler

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: This article represents the first of a two-part assessment of 2022 literature addressing wellness in healthcare professionals published from January 1, 2022 to June 30, 2022.

Methods: Three editors conducted a similar keyword search in Pubmed, also adding manually curated articles. Focusing chiefly on clinical trials and other prospective research, we settled on a final 25 significant papers focusing on wellness in medical professionals to include in this review.

Literature Review: Recent literature into HCW wellness continues to describe burnout factors and COVID-19 impact, but includes more resilience-targeting interventions and systematic reviews of trials seeking bolstering of well-being. Subsections …

Physical Activity, Sitting Time, And Feelings Of Energy And Fatigue During The Early Stages Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: Does Grit Make A Difference?, Andreas Stamatis, Jessica Adams, Joel Martin, Matthew L. Smith, Italia Milani, Shane V. Caswell, Nelson Cortes, Ali Boolani

Health Behavior Research

Grit has been associated with feelings of energy when measured as the opposite end of fatigue. During the COVID-19 pandemic, grit has been linked to positive health-related behaviors, which are known to influence feelings of energy and fatigue. The objective of this study was to identify the association between grit, time spent sitting, physical activity (PA), and feelings of mental and physical energy (ME, PE) and fatigue (MF, PF) during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Participants (n = 859) completed surveys once. Using a series of multivariate regression models, we assessed the association …

Associations Between Cannabis, Psychosis, And Schizophrenia In Adolescents, Lauren Moment

Academic Leadership Journal in Student Research

The effects of cannabis use on the brain, mind, and body have been studied for decades. The developing brain, particularly the adolescent and young adult brain, undergoes critical development that makes it especially susceptible to the effects of cannabis use. Among the adverse effects of cannabis use in adolescence and young adulthood, psychosis and psychotic disorders (e.g., schizophrenia) have been examined. The association of cannabis use with schizophrenia was first elucidated in a Swedish study of army conscripts. Specifically, conscripts reported their cannabis use exposure and were followed longitudinally to assess the emergence of schizophrenia. The authors found that those …

Meditation Program For First Year Medical Undergraduate Students: A Feasibility Study, Anumeha Bhagat, Anita Sinha Malhotra, Ajeet Kumar Sidana

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Prevalence of stress among Indian medical undergraduate students is currently higher than the global stress level. Notably, although India is considered home to yogic practices, attempts at incorporating them in the daily routines of medical students have been lacking. In Raj Yoga Meditation (RYM), the steps for meditation are clear and explicit, so it is easy to practice. The study aimed to assess the feasibility of daily practice of RYM by medical undergraduates and find out if there is an improvement in the mental health and stress levels of the participants.

Methods: We chose 80 students randomly from two …

Body Image Perception And Its Association With Food Intake Among Undergraduate Students In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Christie Loke Sin Mun, Roslee Rajikan, Hanis Mastura Yahya

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Body image dissatisfaction may lead to the practice of imbalanced diet to achieve the desired body weight. This study aimed to determine the association between body image perception and food intake among undergraduate students.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on the data of 155 students from three faculties located at National University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. Assessments included demographic data, body mass index, Contour Drawing Rating Scale, and 3-day food records.

Results: The majority of the subjects were categorized as normal weight (64.5%), and the remaining were classified as underweight (26.5%), overweight (7.7%), and obese …

Fad Diets: Professional Development Needs Among Nutrition Agents In Select Southern States, Abigail P. Mcalister, Vicky L. Green, Simone Camel, Mary C. Fontenot, Janet F. Pope

The Journal of Extension

Because FCS agents teach communities about dietary guidelines, it is important that they are aware of the latest nutrition research. This study assessed FCS agents’ knowledge of popular fad diets (low-carbohydrate, intermittent fasting, detoxes and cleanses) and their potential adverse effects, and its relationship among location, certifications, years of experience, professional association memberships, and education. Agents in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi were emailed a survey. RDN, DTR, and CHES certifications had significant associations (p = 0.03) with knowledge of adverse effects of fad diets. Agents who hold these credentials may have more knowledge about adverse effects of fad diets.

Wellness Review 2021, Part 2, Brian A. Ferguson, Martin Huecker

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: This article presents Part 2 of the biannual JWellness Review of literature from 2021 (July – December). We emphasize new science and resilience initiatives published outside of JWellness that seek understanding of burnout and thriving among healthcare professionals (HCPs).

Methods: For the interval of July 1 to December 30, 2021, PubMed was queried for empirical and observational research studies, review articles, guideline summaries, letters, and editorials. Of 93 results, we reviewed methods and salient points to arrive at a final list of 48 articles for inclusion.

Literature in Review: Common themes that emerged included teamwork, EMR optimization, group decompression, …

Suicide Risk And School Related Stressors In Veterinary Students, Deanna Arnold

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

Compared to the general population of the United States, veterinarians are at an increasingly higher risk for suicide. This is commonly associated with stressful work environments, long work hours, poor work-life balance, client demands and complaints, and large amounts of euthanasia procedures. While many studies have been performed to confirm the above statements, few to no studies have been done on students currently enrolled in veterinary school to assess their mental health. This study will survey graduate school students in this field and will evaluate their mental health state and risk factors towards suicide. Through comparing the results of this …

Alzheimer's And Patient Caregiver Burnout: A Review Of The Literature, Madeline Hekeler

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

The term “silent epidemic” is fitting for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), as its negative impact is widely felt but rarely discussed. Burnout among AD caregivers has become an epidemic of its own as caregivers experience an increase in health risks, stress, and financial burden. This literature review focuses on caregiver burnout and how imperative it is that caregivers are better supported in their role. Researchers have developed instruments to assess and intervene in caregiver burnout that have shown effectiveness among caregivers and their families.Nevertheless, further longitudinal research is warranted regarding more effective interventions, including stress management and social support mechanisms.

Developing A Community-Based Rehabilitation Programs In Elderly Nursing Home: A Brief Descriptive Analysis, Melinda Harini, Dosmaria Dosmaria, Herry Herry, Lisa Emilda, Listyani Herman, Nelfidayani Nelfidayani, Putu K. Mahardini, Shynta D. Hantogo, Widya Meiliana, Ikhsan Johnson, Peggy Peggy, Wanarani Aries, Widjajalaksmi Kusumaningsih, Luh K. Wahyuni

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

The need for rehabilitation services in nursing homes (NH) for the elderly is increasing each year, and this need is fulfilled both with ordinary clinical rehabilitation center visits, as well as community-based rehabilitation (CBR) inside the facility. However, a proper situation analysis is needed to establish a well-delivered CBR program in the NH, a niche to be fulfilled in this study. This study used a descriptive measurement and cross-sectional design to target the elderly who are living in the NHs. Consecutive sampling was done in the largest NH in Jakarta, in Cipayung District. Participants who were dependently ambulated were assessed …

Depression And Behavioral Changes Associated With Social Media Dependency During Covid-19 Pandemic Among University Students In Bangladesh: A Cross- Sectional Study, Sushmita Karmokar, Md. Ashraful Islam, Mohammad Hamid Al Muktadir, Rakibul Hasan, Abu Montakim Tareq, Mohammad Nurul Amin, Talha Bin Emran

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: With its rapid spread, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a detrimental effect on students’ psychological well-being, depression, and behavioral changes due to indefinite educational leaves, lockdowns, restricted outdoor activities, and excess use of social media. This study aims to assess the relationship of social media exposure with the psychological well-being, depression, and behavioral changes of Bangladeshi university students.

Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey was carried out on 530 students from June 17 to July 10, 2020, to evaluate psychological well-being, depression, behavioral changes, and social media exposure via self-reported measures.

Results: The prevalence of …

Student Pharmacists’ Emotional Responses And Coping During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hannah E. Johnson, Deaundre Bumpass, Aric Schadler, Jeffrey Cain

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Health professions students, including student pharmacists, have been impacted by the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19 pandemic) as schools have transitioned to remote learning and cancelled milestone events. During times of crises, media consumption and hobby participation also impact well-being. The adverse emotional responses and coping strategies of student pharmacists amidst the COVID-19 pandemic have not been evaluated, nor have factors that may contribute to emotional responses. The purpose of this study is to determine Doctor of Pharmacy students’ emotional responses and coping precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the influence of media use, working status, and participation in hobbies. …

Differential Item Functioning Analysis On The Geriatric Depression Scale-15: An Iterative Hybrid Ordinal Logistic Regression, Elahe Allahyari

BioMedicine

The elderly population has extensively increased globally, so depression like a common problem in late life may convert to one of the economic, social, and health challenges of the 21st century. Due to the high cost of clinical diagnosis of depression, it is necessary to provide effective questionnaires like the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) for screening. But, the measurement invariance of GDS-15 is still unknown in the general population. In our study, 1473 participants of all Iranʼs ethnic groups were asked to answer GDS-15 and demographic factors such as human settlements, employment, disease, marital status, age, gender, homebound, financial …

Medical Schools Ignore The Nature Of Consciousness At Great Cost, Anoop Kumar

Journal of Wellness

The essential question of the relationship between consciousness and matter is ignored in medical school curricula, leading to a machine-like view of the human being that contributes to physician burnout and intellectual dissatisfaction. The evidence suggesting that the brain may not be the seat of consciousness is generally ignored to preserve the worldview of the primacy of matter. By investigating new frameworks detailing the nature of consciousness at different levels of hierarchy, we can bring intellectual rigor to a once opaque subject that supports a fundamental reality about our experience: We are human beings, not only human bodies.

Demographics, Activities, And Environmental Factors Impact Burnout In A National Survey Of Emergency Medicine Residents, Nicole Battaglioli, Tim P. Moran, Simiao Li-Sauerwine

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Burnout in emergency medicine and in residency training has been well-described. The impact of demographic, individual, and programmatic factors on burnout have not previously been determined in a national survey of emergency medicine residents. This study aimed to identify personal and environmental factors impacting resident burnout in a national sample of emergency medicine residents.

Methods: A prospective Emergency Medicine Resident Wellness Survey was administered in 2017. We surveyed respondents on demographic, personal, and environmental factors; each respondent also completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey. Linear regressions were used to identify variables associated with the Maslach Burnout …

Knowing What We Know: Leveraging Community Knowledge Through Automated Text-Mining, Justin Gardner, Jonathan Tory Toole, Hemant Kalia, Garry Spink Jr., Gordon Broderick

Advances in Clinical Medical Research and Healthcare Delivery

No abstract provided.

Examination Of Anger Prevalence In Ncaa Division I Student-Athletes, Robert Madden, Zachary K. Winkelmann, Samantha R. Weber, Erin M. Moore, Toni M. Torres-Mcgehee

Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association

Purpose: Anger associated with sports participation may affect inability to acutely process anger, may decrease performance and increase the likelihood of risk-taking behavior in collegiate athletes. Therefore, the purpose was to examine the prevalence of anger in collegiate student-athletes across sex, academic status, and sport type. Methods: A cross sectional study over a three-year period examined 759 NCAA Division I student-athletes at one institution (age=20±1 years; males: n=259; females: n=500) completed an optional pre-participation behavioral health screening questionnaire, personal demographic information and the Anger Index Self-Test. Results: Overall, 37.2% (n=282/759; males=127/259, 49.0%; females=155/500, 31.0%) of participants were at …

New Psychoactive Substances In Taiwan: The Current Situation And Initiative For Rational Scheduling, Wen-Jing Yu, Linda B. Cottler, Jih-Heng Li

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Use of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) has posed a global threat to public health and the security of the population. As of December 2019, the NPS items identified in total have outnumbered by three to one the controlled substances listed in the 1961 and 1971 UN Drug Conventions. However, most of these NPS have not been scheduled by the United Nations because of their easy modification on the chemical structures to shun control. Currently, the scheduling and control of NPS is mostly at the national level and a rational scheduling of NPS by objective assessments is essential but often lacking. …

Gme: Gym In Medical Education-Maintaining Physical And Mental Well Being During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Brian J. Nguyen, Elana A. Meer, Joyce E. Nguyen

Journal of Wellness

No abstract provided.

Care For Some Lunch? It’S More Than Just Food! Care, Commensality And Pedagogic Meals In Irish Primary Schools, Caroline Mcgowan

Level 3

This expository article addresses a lacuna in policy and practice literature around using primary school lunches as both a pedagogical opportunity and a space to expose children to social and cultural ‘rituals’ that model both care and food sharing as commensality. The article argues that policy literature in this space broadly tends to be concerned with a medicalised paradigm of nutrition, physical and cognitive development, and disease prevention, with scant regard for the impact that natural ‘everyday’ practices of eating and caring can have on enhancing encultured commensality, care and learning.

Wellness Review 2020, Part 2, Brian Ferguson, Martin Huecker

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: This article comprises Part 2 of the Journal of Wellness review of 2020 wellness literature (July – December). In this review, JWellness editors continue the goal of offering a cohesive summary of recent publications within the wellness domain. We summarize new science and resilience initiatives published outside of JWellness that seek understanding of either burnout and its prevention or thriving in the medical community.

Methods: From the interval of 01 July – 31 Dec 2020, PubMed was queried for empirical research studies, review articles, and editorials in accordance with the following algorithm: an article was required to …

Environmentally Marginalized Populations: The "Perfect Storm" For Infectious Disease Pandemics, Including Covid-19, Gabriella Y. Meltzer, Oyemwenosa Avenbuan, Christina Awada, Oluwakemi B. Oyetade, Tricia Blackman, Simona Kwon Drph, Mph, Esther Erdei Phd, Judith T. Zelikoff Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

COVID-19 has exacted a severe toll on the United States population’s physical and mental health and its effects have been felt most severely among people of color and low socioeconomic status. Using illustrative case studies, this commentary argues that in addition to COVID-19 health disparities created by psychosocial stressors such as the inability to socially distance and access quality healthcare, environmental justice communities have the additional burden of disproportionate exposure to toxic contaminants that contribute to their higher risk of COVID-19. Environmental contaminants including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants found contaminating their nearby environments can alter the immune response, …