Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Bi-Negativity: An Assessment Of Negativity Surrounding Bisexuality From The Lgbtq+ And Heterosexual Communities, Whitney R. Ford

The Confluence

This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that negative attitudes towards bisexual people (bi-negativity) exists within the LGBTQ+ and heterosexual communities and to determine if levels of bi-negativity are higher within the LGBTQ+ group. I administered the Gender-Based Attitudes Towards Bisexuality (GBAB) Scale by Nielsen et al. (2022) to measure bi-negativity using an online survey. The results, obtained from 87 participants who identify as LGBTQ+ and 121 participants who identify as heterosexual between the ages of 18 and 80, support my hypothesis that bi-negativity exists within both groups. However, contrary to my second hypothesis, higher levels of bi-negativity were …

Healthaichain: Improving Security And Safety Using Blockchain Technology Applications In Ai-Based Healthcare Systems, Naresh Kshetri, James Hutson, Revathy G

Faculty Scholarship

Blockchain as a digital ledger for keeping records of digital transactions and other information, it is secure and decentralized technology. The globally growing number of digital population every day possesses a significant threat to online data including the medical and patients’ data. After bitcoin, blockchain technology has emerged into a general-purpose technology with applications in medical industries and healthcare. Blockchain can promote highly configurable openness while retaining the highest security standards for critical data of medical patients. Referred to as distributed record keeping for healthcare systems which makes digital assets unalterable and transparent via a cryptographic hash and decentralized network. …

An Overview Of Viruses And The Infamous Sars-Cov-2, Jake Sun

The Confluence

Background information on viruses is first presented which include topics like evolution, ecology, history, identification, structure, and application. The novel SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, pandemic originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Millions of people were infected with the virus in a short time period causing urgent concern worldwide. The purpose of this review is to provide a brief and general understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 to increase awareness and actions toward preventive measures. COVID-19 is a (+) ssRNA spherical enveloped virion that causes primarily respiratory illnesses. The S protein interacts with ACE-2 receptors on the host cell to gain entry …

Program Evaluation Of Cyber Senior Program, Isobel Folan, Catherine Shoff, Sam Nudo, Annie Alameda

2023 Student Academic Showcase

Cyber Seniors is a community-based intervention focusing on improving skills and knowledge around technology for senior citizens in the community. The program uses college students as educators and mentors to help the seniors build relationships and increase social connectedness while reducing social isolation. Through our program evaluation class, we reviewed the program and identified areas of success and areas we can improve on for future Cyber Senior programs. We did this by gathering both qualitative and quantitative data, allowing us to identify the needs that were met and what still needs to change. This program has opportunities for both students …

The Understanding Of Mycorrhizae Networks: A Historical Approach, Jake Sun

The Confluence

The growth of mycorrhizal fungi into plant roots used to be viewed as a parasitic relationship between plants and fungi, where the fungal symbiont benefits and the plant host is harmed. Current research elucidates a mutualistic relationship. The mycorrhizae network assists the plants by increasing the capabilities for nutrient absorption in the soil. In exchange, the fungi receive carbon supply from the photosynthetic plants for growth. Our scientific understanding of other topics like species specificity, seed germination, and co-evolutionary influence of mycorrhizae and plants has also progressed. Additionally, we now understand that the mycorrhizal mutualism is not limited to the …

Know Your Facts Get Vaxxed, Rosa Rodriguez, Kortney Fauntleroy, Isobel Folan

2022 Student Academic Showcase

For this project, our team focused on formulating a campaign that would encourage COVID-19 vaccinations. COVID-19 vaccinations are low in the Saint Charles area for young adults, and teenagers. Due to the St Charles Public Health Department contacting us due to the continued low vaccine rates, we focused our COVID-19 Vaccine campaign on high schoolers and young adults. In addition to analyzing national data, we interviewed the St.Charles Public health department to gather data and interviewed current high school capstone students from the St Charles Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) to understand why vaccine uptake was so low. After …

Andragogy: The Common Thread In The Teaching Of Adults In Colleges Of Education, Criminal Justice, And Health Management, Grant J. Shostak, Larry Acker, Vanessa Vandergraaf

Faculty Scholarship

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought dramatic changes to higher education. Students and educators face challenges never anticipated, including switching classes from on-ground to online and back again, mental fatigue, stress, and burnout. Faculty across disciplines may turn to Andragogy to best teach college students to inform their teaching practices. This paper demonstrates how professors from education, criminal justice, and healthcare management have used andragogical techniques in their classrooms.

The Effects Of Mental Pacing On The Mile Run, Athena Viers, Maycee White, Scott Richmond

The Confluence

Success in cardio-based physical activity is often related to the ability to pace oneself. Pacing allows the athlete to decide how and when to invest the most and least amount of energy into their performances. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if college students and faculty can mentally pace themselves on a one-mile run. METHODS: Thirty apparently healthy females (n=11) and males (n=14) participated. All subjects were capable of either walking or running a mile and all testing was completed in a single session using a 150m indoor track. Participants were asked to remove any headphones, watches, …

Molecular Differences In Skeletal Muscle After 1 Week Of Active Vs. Passive Recovery From High-Volume Resistance Training, Christopher G. Vann, Cody T. Haun, Shelby C. Osbourn, Matthew E. Romero, Paul A. Roberson, Petey W. Mumford, C. Brooks Mobley, Hudson M. Holmes, Carlton D. Fox, Kaelin C. Young, Michael D. Roberts

Faculty Scholarship

Numerous studies have evaluated how deloading after resistance training (RT) affects strength and power outcomes. However, the molecular adaptations that occur after deload periods remain understudied. Trained, college-aged men (n = 30) performed 6 weeks of whole-body RT starting at 10 sets of 10 repetitions per exercise per week and finishing at 32 sets of 10 repetitions per exercise per week. After this period, subjects performed either active (AR; n = 16) or passive recovery (PR; n = 14) for 1 week where AR completed ∼15% of the week 6 training volume and PR ceased training. Variables related to …

Lymphoma Therapy And Adverse Events: Nursing Strategies For Thinking Critically And Acting Decisively, Amy Goodrich, Nina Wagner-Johnston, Dana Delibovi

Faculty Scholarship

BACKGROUND: Multiple treatment options, combined with disease heterogeneity, have created nursing challenges in the management of adverse events (AEs) during antilymphoma therapy. Testing has revealed that less than half of participating nurses correctly graded peripheral neuropathy and neutropenia related to antilymphoma regimens.

OBJECTIVES: This article identifies nursing challenges in the management of AEs associated with therapy for lymphomas and describes how strategies in critical thinking can help meet those challenges.

METHODS: A comprehensive literature search in oncology nursing, nursing education, and critical thinking was conducted; participant responses to pre- and post-tests at nursing education programs were evaluated; and a roundtable …

Antiproliferative And Antiestrogenic Activities Of Bonediol An Alkyl Catechol From Bonellia Macrocarpa, Rosa Moo-Puc, Edgar Caamal-Fuentes, Sergio R. Peraza-Sánchez, Anna Slusarz, Glenn Jackson, Sara K. Drenkhahn, Dennis B. Lubahn

Faculty Scholarship

The purpose of this study was to investigate antiproliferative activity of bonediol, an alkyl catechol isolated from the Mayan medicinal plant Bonellia macrocarpa. Bonediol was assessed for growth inhibition of androgen-sensitive (LNCaP), androgen-insensitive (PC-3), and metastatic androgen-insensitive (PC-3M) human prostate tumor cells; toxicity on normal cell line (HEK 293) was also evaluated. Hedgehog pathway was evaluated and competitive 3H-estradiol ligand binding assay was performed. Additionally, antioxidant activity on Nrf2-ARE pathway was evaluated. Bonediol induced a growth inhibition on prostate cancer cell lines (IC50 from 8.5 to 20.6 µM). Interestingly, bonediol binds to both estrogen receptors (ERα (2.5 …

Very Low Birth Weight And Perinatal Periods Of Risk: Disparities In St. Louis, Pamela Xaverius, Joanne Salas, Deborah Kiel, Candice Woolfolk

Faculty Scholarship

Very low birth weight (VLBW) is a significant issue in St. Louis, Missouri. Our study evaluated risk factors associated with VLBW in this predominantly urban community. Methods. From 2000 to 2009, birth and fetal death certificates were evaluated (𝑛 = 160, 189), and mortality rates were calculated for perinatal periods of risk.The Kitagawa method was used to explore fetoinfant mortality rates (FIMR) in terms of birth weight distribution and birthweight specific mortality. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the magnitude of association of selected risk factors with VLBW. Results. VLBW contributes to 50% of the excess FIMR in St. …

The Current State Of The Gynecological Health Of Missouri Women And The Promotion Of Women's Health Issues In St. Charles County, Missouri, Tina Chapman

Theses

This thesis will focus on the current state of women's gynecological health in Missouri and the importance of raising the awareness of health issues among a targeted population of women in St. Charles County.

Compared to national averages, women living in Missouri suffer higher infection rates of certain sexually transmitted diseases as well as higher rates of cervical cancer. Since hundreds of thousands of women do not receive annual exan1inations that would detect these conditions, it is clear that a public information campaign is desperately needed. This project attempts to develop such a campaign.

The campaign will focus on St. …

Okazaki Fragment Maturation In Yeast: Ii. Cooperation Between The Polymerase And 3′-5′-Exonuclease Activities Of Pol Δ In The Creation Of A Ligatable Nick, Yong Hwan Jin, L. Rao Ayyagari, Michael A. Resnick, Dmitry A. Gordenin, Peter M.J. Burgers

Faculty Scholarship

To address the different functions of Pol δ and FEN1 (Rad27) in Okazaki fragment maturation, exonuclease-deficient polymerase Pol δ-01 and Pol δ-5DV (corresponding to alleles pol3–01-(D321A, E323A) and pol3–5DV-(D520V), respectively) were purified and characterized in this process. In the presence of the replication clamp PCNA, both wild-type and exo− Pol δ carried out strand displacement synthesis with similar rates; however, initiation of strand displacement synthesis was much more efficient with Pol δ-exo−. When Pol δ-exo− encountered a downstream primer, it paused with 3–5 nucleotides of the primer displaced, whereas the wild type carried out precise gap filling. Consequently, in the …

Efficacy Of A Pneumatic Oxygen Conserving Device In The Oxygenation Of Copd Patients During Sleep, Ronda Z. Bradley

Theses

For the greater than one million Americans who rely on supplemental oxygen for survival, the vast majority of them struggle with ambulatory oxygen sources which restrict their ability to move freely about within and out of their homes. Liquid oxygen sources can provide the smallest and longest lasting ambulatory oxygen supply. However, the cost of the provision on liquid oxygen has historically been cost prohibitive under our current Medicare reimbursement schedule. The HELiOS™ Oxygen System by Puritan-Bennett a division of Mallinckrodt. has developed an oxygen system, which allows for the smallest, lightest weight and longest lasting oxygen system ever developed. …

Pro-Aging Vs. Anti-Aging: A Comparative Study Of Attitudes Toward Older Adults, Vanessa Lee Benavidez

Theses

A comparative study was conducted on the attitudes toward older adults between Counselors and Non Counselors. The participants included 50 Licensed Professional Counselors from the state of Missouri, who are registered members of the American Counseling Association (ACA), and 33 Graduate students from Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, Missouri, who are enrolled in graduate programs unrelated to professional counseling. The participants completed a demographic questionnaire and the Facts on Aging Quiz' (FAQl). The demographic questionnaire contained personal data, and the FAQ 1 measured attitudes and knowledge in five areas: correct answer, negative bias, positive bias, neutral, and don't know. The …

Fitness And The Elderly, David B. Mingo

Theses

Statistics show the American population is aging at an explosive rate. The correlation between fitness and the aging process is once again becoming a ripe area for study. Previous studies show that fitness can improve quality of life and health for the elderly. A new defined category of seniors known as the young-old has emerged. This category is comprised of seniors that range in age from 55- 65. This study focuses on the relationship between routine exercise and quality of life issues for the young-old. Subjects for this study were 15 retired military soldiers. Subjects were asked to complete a …

Bipolar Disorder And Locus Of Control: Implications For Treatment Compliance, Linda J. Ryan-Cox

Theses

Theoretically, a paradigm shift in the 1960s made community-based care and out-patient treatment an acceptable alternative to institutionalization of the chronically mentally ill. Utilizing the Levenson Multidimensional Locus of Control Scale for Psychiatric Patients, the author conducted a causal-comparative study to determine if a link exists between having bipolar disorder, a chronic mental illness, and an external locus of control, a link which might explain the inability of this population to maintain their optimal level of mental health utilizing the out-patient treatment model. Though the study failed to demonstrate any significant differences in external measures of loci of control between …

Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity, And Depression, Jeanne Marie Goacher

Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of depression that is going untreated in adolescents with an Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. This study included high school age students (grades 9-12) who either had a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD, had never been diagnosed with depression, and who have never been treated for depression and another group who did not have a diagnosis of either ADD/ ADHD or depression. After obtaining parental permission, through a questionnaire format, the students were given the Beck Depression Inventory. A Chi-Square was performed to …

An Evaluation Of Home Based Family Services, Tia L. Liston

Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of home-based family therapy by analyzing existing data from a local agency. Files from the past year containing a complete referral form, a client satisfaction survey and follow-up forms from six months and a year, were evaluated to determine the level of client satisfaction. The data was analyzed to determine the differences in frequency of types of difficulties addressed. Data was also analyzed to determine factors related to successful outcomes. Based on results, it was determined that home-based services were successful. An evaluation of types of services and difficulties were …

The Redesignment Of An Acute Inpatient Dual Diagnosis Unit, Irene Harris Griggs

Theses

This project will focus on the study of mental illness and chemical abuse/dependence as it has progressed into the entity of dual diagnosis or what experts consider co-existing or co-occurring disorders.

Research has revealed the increase in the number of individuals suffering from co-occurring illnesses since the early 1980's. Because this condition has become the norm rather than the exception, it becomes necessary to focus more clearly on individuals that are diagnosed with this illness and on the most effective treatment in order to assist the individual in recovery.

Individuals have had co-existing or co-occurring disorders prior to the early …

Job Satisfaction And Work Locus Of Control Among Physicians, Faye Schlecter Fay

Theses

This study examined the relationship between job satisfaction GS) and perceived work locus of control (WLOC) among physicians. A stratified random sample of non-retired hospital-based physicians (i.e., pathologists, radiologists, and anesthesiologists) belonging to the St Louis Area Medical Society received 2 brief Likert-type instruments: 6-item JS subset of the Job Descriptive Index, and the WLOC survey. The questionnaire packets were mailed to 108 doctors in each of the three specialties for a total of 324, and 138 usable responses were returned. Results indicated a positive association between job satisfaction and internal locus of control in the workplace. The findings support …

The Effect Of Binaural Auditory Beats On The Anxiety And Psychological Hardiness Levels Of Graduate Students, Terry L. Moore

Theses

Three graduate students from a Midwestern urban university were selected from a pool of volunteers based on elevated levels of anxiety. The students were initially tested using the Self-Evaluation Questionnaire and Hardiness Scale. Students were provided with audio tapes using binaural beats. Each Self-Evaluation Questionnaire score was tracked for the purpose of determining the affect of the audio tapes on levels of anxiety and hardiness. All three students showed reduced levels of anxiety after using the tapes, with either a similar or higher level of Hardiness.

A Comparison Among Older And Younger Caregivers Of Physically Disabled Adults And Their Ability To Handle Stress, Traynette Jenkins-Reese

Theses

This study was designed to determine if there was a significant relationship in the level of caregiver burden and age. Participants consisted of thirty-three individuals who considered themselves to be the primary caregiver for a physically disabled or elderly family member. These thirty-three volunteer caregivers were drawn from those who had a disabled or frail family member receiving services from a local agency. The subjects were asked to complete Zarit's Caregiver Interview Questionnaire. The findings in the study did not produce significant levels to justify rejecting the null hypothesis or to show that there is a relationship between the caregiver's …

The Knowledge Of Dementia Among Nursing Staff Working In Special Care Units, Julia M. Gray

Theses

Dementia is a growing concern among the elder population. Special Care Units in long-term settings are becoming common placements for elders with dementia. The nursing staff within Special Care Units ideally have additional training in dementia. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the knowledge of dementia among nursing staff working in Special Care Units.

The Influence Of Health Care Service Quality On Patient Satisfaction, Mary Ann Hackmeister

Theses

This thesis will concentrate on the delivery of health care services and the influence the level of service quality has on patient satisfaction.

The health care industry continually experiences changes. but the changes that have occurred over the past five to ten years have occurred quite rapidly. These changes have altered the way that patients view delivery of health care services. Those within the industry itself, including physicians, administrators. and staff members, have been faced with many challenges.

From a competitive standpoint alone, today's health care environment is drastically different from the previous decade. Declining revenues for the health care …

Burnout Among Managed Care Clinicians, Dawn M. Waggoner

Theses

Burnout is a pattern of emotional overload in which one feels overwhelmed by the demands imposed by others . Those individuals who do "people work" of some kind are the most vulnerable to burnout. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between the level of burnout and the number of months case workers have worked at the same managed care company. Thirty-two case workers from one managed care company completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) to assess their current level of burnout. Data analysis run on all three subscales found that there was no …

The Medicare Program: Ripe For Reform, Gina M. Barhoumy

Theses

This thesis will evaluate several proposals to reform the Medicare system and how those proposals differ in terms of focus on either financial restructuring or care delivery redesign. This thesis proposes that an emphasis on managed care strategies will represent an effective way to reform the Medicare system.

The purpose of the study is to consider how a shift in focus from acute care treatment to illness prevention and chronic disease management would salvage the Medicare program. The thesis will further explore how an acute care focus has affected the Medicare program, turning a social policy into fuel that feeds …

"Ssmart Care": The Development Of Disease Management Programs Within An Integrated Health Care Network, Carol E. Oberaitis

Theses

This cumulative project paper will focus on the development of disease management programs by SSM Health Care - St. Louis, an integrated health care delivery network. This paper will detail the process used by the network to prepare for this project, the key roles and functions of the staff and physicians, the design phase and implementation phase of the project. The rationale for the project, the literature review, the barriers to the project and the outcomes will be included in this paper.

The purpose of this project paper is to share with other networks or individual hospitals the experience of …

Health Aspects Of Native American Indians And Alaskan Natives, Beverly V. Bennett-Maine

Theses

This thesis will focus on the decline in health of Native Americans and Alaskan Natives in regards to chronic diseases due to changes in their food habits, customs, traditions, and culture.

The purpose of this study is to explore why Native Americans and Alaskans health has deteriorated in relation to diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and alcoholism.

Limitation in access to health care facilities includes geographic location, cul tural, and linguistic barriers.

The studies to be discussed include: the Inter-Tribal Heart Project (ITHP) for cardiovascular disease; the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for self-reported risk factors; and the Navajo Health …