Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Provision Of Pandemic Disease Information By Health Sciences Librarians: A Multisite Comparative Case Series., Robin Featherstone, Gabriel Boldt, Nazi Torabi, Shauna-Lee Konrad

Nazi Torabi

Objective: The research provides an understanding of pandemic information needs and informs professional development initiatives for librarians in disaster medicine. Methods: Utilizing a multisite, comparative case series design, the researchers conducted semi-structured interviews and examined supplementary materials in the form of organizational documents, correspondence, and websites to create a complete picture of each case. The rigor of the case series was ensured through data and investigator triangulation. Interview transcripts were coded using NVivo to identify common themes and points of comparison. Results: Comparison of the four cases revealed a distinct difference between “client-initiated” and “librarian-initiated” provision of pandemic information. Librarian-initiated …

Detecting Structure In Glass Patterns: An Interocular Transfer Study, Dawn Vreven, Jarrod Berge

Dawn L Vreven

Glass patterns are visual stimuli used here to study how local orientation signals are spatially integrated into global pattern perception. We measured a form aftereffect from adaptation to both static and dynamic Glass patterns and calculated the amount of interocular transfer to determine the binocularity of the detectors responsible for the perception of global structure. Both static and dynamic adaptation produced significant form aftereffects and showed a very high degree of interocular transfer, suggesting that Glass-pattern perception involves cortical processing beyond primary visual cortex. Surprisingly, dynamic adaptation produced significantly greater interocular transfer than static adaptation. Our results suggest a functional …

A Human Centered Geovisualization Framework To Facilitate Visual Exploration Of Telehealth Data: A Case Study, Ashish Joshi, Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Background: Public health data is typically organized by geospatial units. Routine geographic monitoring of health data enables an understanding of the spatial patterns of events in terms of causes and controls. GeoVisualization (GeoVis) allows users to see information hidden both visually and explicitly on a map. Despite the applicability of GeoVis in public health, it is still underused for visualizing public health data. Objective: The objective of this study is to conduct user analysis by examining the various kinds of users that are involved with the telehealth program, their expertise and skills and their perception towards the utilization of GeoVis …

Commonhealth: Mass. A National Leader In Overdose Prevention, Leo Beletsky, Alexander Walley

Leo Beletsky

In this interview on Radio Boston, Leo Beletsky and Alexander Walley discuss their viewpoint piece, “Prevention of Fatal Opioid Overdose,” which appeared in the Nov. 14, 2012 issue of the Journal of the Medical American Association.

Teaching Information Literacy, Heather Jagman, Michele Shade

Heather Jagman

In this age of information abundance, do you wonder if your students have the skills to recognize the kind of information they need to complete assignments, and then to locate, evaluate and use that information effectively? In this workshop, participants will develop an understanding of how to integrate information literacy skills into assignments and teaching in support of DePaul’s new university learning goals and strategic plan. The team of presenters will highlight national information literacy standards, provide an overview the DePaul University Library’s information literacy instruction program, and illustrate ways in which faculty and the library have collaborated to target …

Enhancing Patient Adherence: Outcomes Of Medication Alliance Training On Therapeutic Alliance, Insight, Adherence, And Psychopathology With Mental Health Patients, Mitchell Byrne, Frank Deane

Mitchell K Byrne

The results of interventions to enhance patient adherence to medication have been inconsistent. This research investigated the utility of an enhanced adherence training programme to ascertain its effectiveness and the possible mechanisms of that effect. Forty-six clinicians were trained in 'medication alliance', and data were collected from 51 patients matched to the clinician. Data on clinician changes in skills, knowledge, and attitudes, in relation to enhancing patient adherence and patient changes in adherence, insight, and psychopathology were collected at baseline and at 6 and 12 months. The quality of the therapeutic relationship between the clinician and the patient was also …

Nurse's Beliefs And Knowledge About Medications Are Associated With Their Difficulties Using Patient Treatment Adherence Strategies, Mitchell Byrne, Frank Deane, Tim Coombs

Mitchell K Byrne

Background: The attitudes and beliefs of patients toward their treatment have been found to be an important factor in treatment outcome, particularly as it relates to treatment adherence. There are also suggestions that knowledge, attitudes and beliefs held by nurses about treatments may also be important influences on treatment outcome but there has been little research relating these to specific clinical behaviour. Aims: This study explored the knowledge and beliefs of nurses toward neuroleptic medications in the treatment of severe mental ill health with the view to identifying specific nurse training needs. Method: A convenience sample of 64 nurses was …

Can Volunteer Counsellors Help Prevent Psychological Trauma? A Preliminary Communication On Volunteers Skills Using The 'Orienting Approach' To Trauma, Mitchell Byrne, Frank Deane, Andrew Phipps

Mitchell K Byrne

The capacity of 73 volunteer telephone counsellors to administer a brief and early intervention for secondary trauma was assessed. The counsellors participated in a 1-day training programme in the ‘Orienting Approach’ to Trauma Counselling (Phipps & Byrne, 2003). Volunteer counsellors showed significant improvements in both knowledge and skills from pre- to post-training. The potential benefits of this intervention to the community and professional health services are discussed.

Enhancing Medication Adherence: Clinician Outcomes From The Medication Alliance Training Program, Mitchell Byrne, Frank Deane, William Lambert, Timothy Coombs

Mitchell K Byrne

OBJECTIVE: Patient nonadherence to psychiatric medication is a key cause of relapse but clinicians do not appear to possess specific adherence skills. We sought to demonstrate that a brief training program on medication adherence strategies could improve the adherence skills, attitudes and knowledge of mental health clinicians. METHODS: Twenty-three Tasmanian mental health workers were provided a 3 day training workshop on strategies to enhance patient adherence to medications (Medication Alliance). Pre- and post-training measures were taken of clinician knowledge about adherence strategies, ability to identify predictors of nonadherence, attitudes toward working with nonadherent patients, and optimism about treatment outcomes for …

Mental Health Clinicians' Beliefs About Medicines, Attitudes, And Expectations Of Improved Medication Adherence In Patients, Mitchell Byrne, Peter Caputi, Frank Deane

Mitchell K Byrne

Nonadherence to antipsychotic medications remains a major factor in poor clinical outcomes. This study sought to identify clinician beliefs about patients who do not adhere to treatment, the clinicians' own beliefs about medicines, and the impact of beliefs on efforts to enhance patient adherence. In total, 292 clinicians responded to an anonymous questionnaire that included questions about their beliefs and their efforts to enhance adherence. Results indicated that clinicians' beliefs about their own adequacy to enhance adherence significantly predicted actual efforts to enhance adherence. Both pessimism about outcomes and empathy for the patient predicted outcome expectancy. It was concluded that …

A Profile Of Nonurgent Emergency Department Use In An Urban Pediatric Hospital, Katrina Kubicek, Deborah Liu, Christy Beaudin, Jocelyn Supan, George Weiss, Yang Lu, Michele Kipke

Yang Lu

Objectives: This study was designed to develop a descriptive profile of parents and caregivers who bring their children to the emergency department (ED) for nonurgent issues and to explore the reasons for presenting to an urban hospital pediatric ED for nonurgent conditions. Such work is necessary to develop effective interventions.

Methods: A total of 106 parents/caregivers whose child was triaged with a nonemergent/urgent condition completed a 15- to 20-minute computerized survey (English and Spanish) in an urban pediatric ED.

Results: Most respondents described themselves as Latino (76%) and foreign born (62%). About one half (49%) reported having an annual income …

Partner Violence Assessment In Rural Health Care Clinic, Ann Coker, Vicki C. Flerx, Paige H. Smith, Daniel J. Whitaker, Mary Kay Fadden, Melinda Williams

Dan Whitaker

Objectives. We sought to determine the frequency of intimatepartner violence by type in a large, clinic-based, nurse-administeredscreening and services intervention project.

Methods. A brief intimate partner violence screen, which includeditems to measure sexual and physical assaults and psychologicalbattering (using the Women’s Experience With Batteringscale) was administered to consenting women receiving care at1 of 8 rural clinics in South Carolina.

Results. Between April 2002 and August 2005, 4945 eligible womenwere offered intimate partner violence screening, to which 3664(74.1%) consented. Prevalence of intimate partner violence ina current (ongoing) relationship was 13.3%, and 939 women (25.6%)had experienced intimate partner violence at some point …

A Link Between Chronic Sleep Restriction And Obesity: Methodological Considerations, Christopher Magee, Donald Iverson, Xu-Feng Huang, Peter Caputi

Xu-Feng Huang

Emerging evidence suggests that chronicsleeprestriction contributes to obesity. Targeting short sleep duration may therefore offer a novel and effective method of preventing and treating obesity. However, this area of research is only in its infancy, and a complete understanding of how chronicsleeprestriction and obesity are linked is currently lacking. The aim of this paper is to briefly review epidemiological evidence for an association between chronicsleeprestriction and obesity in adults, and outline the key methodological limitations of these studies. Particular attention is paid to the methods used to measure sleep and obesity, as well as the need to control for potential …

Dietary Fat And Carbohydrate Composition: Metabolic Disease, Marc Brown, Len Storlien, Xu-Feng Huang, Linda Tapsell, Paul Else, Janine Higgins, Ian Brown

Xu-Feng Huang

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Diets High In Whey, Soy, Red Meat And Milk Protein On Body Weight Maintenance In Diet-Induced Obesity In Mice, Xu-Feng Huang, Y Liu, Gita Rahardjo, Peter Mclennan, Linda Tapsell, William Buttemer

Xu-Feng Huang

This study examined the effects of different food sources of protein on energy intake, body weight maintenance, and on the responses of plasma leptin, insulin and adiponectin in chronic high-fat diet-induced obese mice. Obesity was induced in 47 mice with a high-fat diet for 20 weeks. They were divided into five diet groups to test the effects of a higher protein proportion (30% energy), achieved at the expense of carbohydrate. For the next eight weeks, four of the groups were fed diets of chow formulated with whey, soy, red meat or milk while the control group continued on their high-fat …

Relationships Between Clinical Data And Baseline Eating Behaviours In A Sample Of Overweight Volunteers For A Dietary Intervention Trial, Lynette Mackey De Paiva, Lynda Gillen, Linda Tapsell, Marijka Batterham, Xu-Feng Huang, Rachel Cavanagh, Meredith Kennedy

Xu-Feng Huang

No abstract provided.

Dietary And Clinical Risk Profiles Of A Sample Of Healthy Overweight Adults Provide Targets For Dietary Advice In An Intervention Trial, Lynda Gillen, Linda Tapsell, Marijka Batterham, Xu-Feng Huang, Rachel Cavanagh, Meredith Kennedy

Xu-Feng Huang

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of The Dimensionality Of The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index In Australian Adults, Christopher Magee, Peter Caputi, Donald Iverson, Xu-Feng Huang

Xu-Feng Huang

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is widely used to assess subjective sleep quality in clinical and non-clinical settings. Although the PSQI is routinely scored to provide a single sleep quality factor, two recent studies suggest that multiple factor scoring methods could be more appropriate. As a consequence, the present study investigated for the dimensionality and factor structure of the PSQI in 364 Australian adults aged 18 to 59 years. The results demonstrate that two factor and three factor scoring models were favored statistically over the single factor model. These results add to recent findings and suggest that scoring the …

Alterations To Melanocortinergic, Gabaergic And Cannabinoid Neurotransmission Associated With Olanzapine-Induced Weight Gain, Katrina Weston-Green, Xu-Feng Huang, Chao Deng

Xu-Feng Huang

Background/Aim: Second generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are used to treat schizophrenia but can cause serious metabolic side-effects, such as obesity and diabetes. This study examined the effects of low to high doses of olanzapine on appetite/ metabolic regulatory signals in the hypothalamus and brainstem to elucidate the mechanisms underlying olanzapineinduced obesity. Methodology/Results: Levels of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), neuropeptide Y (NPY) and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65, enzyme for GABA synthesis) mRNA expression, and cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1R) binding density (using [3H]SR- 141716A) were examined in the arcuate nucleus (Arc) and dorsal vagal complex (DVC) of female Sprague Dawley rats following 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 …

Does Hero Always Help? Differences In Nutrient Intake Among Obese Subjects With And Without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Prior To Dietary Intervention, Sze Yen Tan, Lynda Gillen, Marijka Batterham, Xu-Feng Huang, Cassandra Quick, Yasmine Probst, Serina Faraji, Linda Tapsell

Xu-Feng Huang

No abstract provided.

Transmembrane Domain Nrg1 Mutant Mice Show Altered Susceptibility To The Neurobehavioural Actions Of Repeated Thc Exposure In Adolescence, Leonora Long, Rose Chesworth, Xu-Feng Huang, Iain Mcgregor, Jonathon Arnold, Tim Karl

Xu-Feng Huang

Heavy cannabis abuse increases the risk of developing schizophrenia. Adolescents appear particularly vulnerable to the development of psychosis-like symptoms after cannabis use. To test whether the schizophrenia candidate gene neuregulin 1 (NRG1) modulates the effects of cannabinoids in adolescence, we tested male adolescent heterozygous transmembrane domain Nrg1 mutant (Nrg1 TM HET) mice and wild type-like littermates (WT) for their neurobehavioural response to repeated Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, 10 mg/kg i.p. for 21 d starting on post-natal day 31). During treatment and 48 h after treatment withdrawal, we assessed several behavioural parameters relevant to schizophrenia. After behavioural testing we measured autoradiographic …

Dental Enamel As A Dietary Indicator In Mammals, Peter Lucas, Paul Constantino, Bernard Wood, Brian Lawn

Paul J. Constantino

The considerable variation in shape, size, structure and properties of the enamel cap covering mammalian teeth is a topic of great evolutionary interest. No existing theories explain how such variations might be fit for the purpose of breaking food particles down. Borrowing from engineering materials science, we use principles of fracture and deformation of solids to provide a quantitative account ofhowmammalian enamelmay be adapted to diet. Particular attention is paid to mammals that feed on ‘hard objects’ such as seeds and dry fruits, the outer casings of which appear to have evolved structures with properties similar to those of enamel. …

Fracture Susceptibility Of Worn Teeth, Amanda Keown, Mark Bush, James Lee, Chris Ford, Paul Constantino, Brian Lawn

Paul J. Constantino

An experimental simulation study is made to determine the effects of occlusal wear on the capacity of teeth to resist fracture. Tests are carried out on model dome structures, using glass shells to represent enamel and epoxy filler to represent dentin. The top of the domes are ground and polished to produce flat surfaces of prescribed depths relative to shell thickness. The worn surfaces are then loaded axially with a hard sphere, or a hard or soft flat indenter, to represent extremes of food contacts. The loads required to drive longitudinal cracks around the side walls of the enamel to …

Properties Of Tooth Enamel In Great Apes, Paul Constantino, Brian Lawn, James Lee, Peter Lucas, Dylan Morris, Tanya Smith

Paul J. Constantino

A comparative study has been made of human and great ape molar tooth enamel. Nanoindentation techniques are used to map profiles of elastic modulus and hardness across sections from the enamel–dentin junction to the outer tooth surface. The measured data profiles overlap between species, suggesting a degree of commonality in material properties. Using established deformation and fracture relations, critical loads to produce function-threatening damage in the enamel of each species are calculated for characteristic tooth sizes and enamel thicknesses. The results suggest that differences in load-bearing capacity of molar teeth in primates are less a function of underlying material properties …

Moving The Diagnostic Goalposts: Medicalising Adhd, Rae Thomas

Rae Thomas

Does your five-year-old have difficulty sustaining attention? What about organising tasks or waiting her turn? How was she as a four-year-old? These are three of the 18 criteria (here’s the whole lot) used to differentiate children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). There are other questions, such as how often does your child do this? Does it impact him socially or academically? Who is reporting such behaviour? These are critical diagnostic questions that can differentiate problematic and normal behaviour. But they’re not always asked. And not asking these questions results in two outcomes – the medicalisation of normal behaviour and …

Integrating Health Literacy And Esl : An Interdisciplinary Curriculum For Hispanic Immigrants, Francisco Soto Mas

Francisco Soto Mas

Adult Hispanic immigrants are at a greater risk of experiencing the negative outcomes related to low health literacy, as they confront cultural and language barriers to the complex and predominately monolingual Englishbased U.S. health system. One approach that has the potential for simultaneously addressing the health, literacy, and language needs of Hispanics is the combination of health literacy and English as a second language (ESL) instruction. The purpose of the project was to evaluate the feasibility of using ESL instruction as a medium for improving health literacy among Hispanic immigrants. Objectives included the development, implementation, and evaluation of an interdisciplinary …

The Role Of Melancholia In Prostate Cancer Patients' Depression, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie

Vicki Bitsika

Background: Although it is well established that prostate cancer (PCa) patients are more likely to experience clinical depression than their age-matched non-prostate cancer peers, and that such depression can have negative effects upon survival, little is known about the underlying nature of the depressive symptomatology that these men experience. In particular, the incidence of melancholic symptoms of depression, which are signs of increased risk of suicide and resistance to treatment, has not previously been reported in PCa patients. The present study aimed to measure the incidence and nature of Melancholia in PCa depression.

Method: A sample of 507 …

Patterns Of Depressive Symptoms And Antidepressant Use Among Women Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence, Lorraine Davies, Jinette Comeau

Lorraine Davies

Abstract

Purpose

One of the primary mental health responses of women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) is depression, yet little is known about the mental health and antidepressant use of women in the period after leaving an abusive partner. We investigate patterns of antidepressant use and depressive symptoms by various social indicators (parenting status, socioeconomic status, severity of abuse and disclosure of abuse). Second, we examine whether variation in antidepressant use is explained by higher rates of depression diagnoses and/or depressive symptoms, taking these social indicators into consideration.

Methods

We examine data from the Women’s Health Effects Study, a community …

Factors Associated With The Process Of Adaptation Among Pakistani Adolescent Females Living In United States., Salma Khuwaja, Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Chiehwen Ed Hsu

This study explored post-migration experiences of recently migrated Pakistani Muslim adolescent females residing in the United States. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirty Pakistani Muslim adolescent females between the ages of 15 and 18 years living with their families in Houston, Texas. Data obtained from the interviews were evaluated using discourse analysis to identify major reoccurring themes. Participants discussed factors associated with the process of adaptation to the American culture. The results revealed that the main factors associated with adaptation process included positive motivation for migration, family bonding, social support networks, inter-familial communication, aspiration of adolescents to learn other …

Many Schools Unprepared For Next Pandemic, Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Worked with the media to evaluate a school-based pandemic preparedness study. Take home message: Not much, really. However, the CDC should carefully review its promotion of yet-to-be-proven effective syndromic surveillance systems - and the mega $ associated with the investment - until they are proven otherwise effective.