Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Prenatal Counseling From Obstetricians As A Potential Point Of Intervention To Increase Childhood Vaccination Rates In Pennsylvania, Kaitlyn Davis

PCOM Capstone Projects

Vaccine hesitancy is a major public health concern in Pennsylvania, and the reasons for it vary from religious to philosophical. One subgroup of vaccine hesitant parents chooses not to vaccinate because they are misinformed and uneducated about the significance and the safety of vaccines. The objective of this study is to consider the use of an infographic to encourage pregnant women to ask their obstetricians about the importance and safety of vaccines as a way of increasing childhood vaccination rates.

Finding points of intervention to increase childhood vaccination rates is important. In order for a population to maintain herd immunity, …

Facilitating Firearm Safety Counseling In Pediatric Primary Care To Decrease Gun Deaths In Children And Teens In Philadelphia, Bianca Lacay

PCOM Capstone Projects

Gun violence is a public health epidemic that affects the lives of children. The United States has the highest firearm deaths in children and adolescents among other high-income countries (University of Michigan, 2019). The Second Amendment ratified in 1791 protects the rights of citizens to keep and bear arms. This policy made by the founding fathers underlie controversial debates in the present day, resulting in different federal, state, and local gun laws. Due to the varying gun policies, firearm homicide rates of children and adolescents are climbing like never before. Firearms suicide is even more frequent than homicide and is …

Effect Of Maternal Microbiome On Offspring Neurodevelopment: A Review, Zoe Beausoleil

PCOM Capstone Projects

The purpose of this paper is to delve into the maternal influence on the offspring microbiome, and how maternal lifestyle factors and choices; mode of birth, feeding method, stress and the interventions used to alleviate said stress, maternal age, substance use, exercise, and nutrition, alter the microbiome and therefore affect the neurodevelopment of the offspring. The human microbiome is composed of billions of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses that occupy the gut, skin and other areas of the body. Numerous studies have illustrated the importance of the microbiome in healthy human physiologic processes including energy metabolism, gut health, immune function …

Exploring The Connections Between Alcohol Abuse And Cognitive Deficits: A Review Of Alcohol’S Effects On Brain Development And Memory Formation, Marykate Decker

PCOM Capstone Projects

Often overlooked and trivialized, Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) affects 15 million Americans over the age of 18. As of 2015, it was reported that only 6.7% of these individuals received treatment necessary to recover. Perhaps even more alarming, the NIH reports alcohol to be the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States annually. As these numbers steadily increase, scientists have become more interested in alcohol addiction and reward pathways, memory deficiencies secondary to alcohol abuse, and the potential development of pathologies like Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome.

Previous studies have shown that excessive drinking damages nerve cells that ultimately affect …

Lifelong Psychopathology Stemming From Childhood Maltreatment: A Review Of Structural And Neurobehavioral Changes, Nicole Borden

PCOM Capstone Projects

This review investigates the link between childhood maltreatment and structural changes in the brain as well as psychopathology later on in life. Childhood maltreatment was compared to the time of onset of psychopathology and the severity of symptoms. The relationship between the type of trauma and socioemotional cognition was also analyzed. Childhood maltreatment is a serious problem that can hinder a child’s ability to develop into a healthy adult. Not only does it induce unhealthy amounts of stress on the child, but it also can negatively affect brain development. Many mental health problems can arise from childhood maltreatment, some minor, …

A Proposal To Implement A Must-Use Mandate For Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs In Philadelphia, Anugraha Kutty

PCOM Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss In Pediatric Patients, Kimberly Townsend

PCOM Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study is to examine the hearing tests that are done in the schools in the Philadelphia School District; it will examine the frequencies that are tested, the follow-up procedures for a poor performance in the exam, what barriers exist to follow-up, and educational methods used to prevent excessive noise-level. A previous literature review found that excessive noise was a major cause of hearing loss among school-aged children, and hearing impairment is increasing as a result of voluntary exposure to loud noise (Henderson, Testa, & Hartnick, 2011). Karper (2014) found that teenagers are not being tested at …

Sleep Deprivation Induced Tauopathies, Peter V. Rovito

PCOM Capstone Projects

Sleep deprivation is a common occurrence among many adults that can have inherently negative effects. While some of these effects are apparent, such as fatigue, irritability, and depressed mood, some are less apparent. One less apparent effect is the increased neural activity that results from being sleep deprived. Chronic Sleep Deprivation leads to increased neurological activity over a prolonged period of time. Researchers have shown that increased neurological activity results in an increase in extracellular tau protein and increased cerebrospinal fluid levels of amyloid beta. Tau protein in particular has been implicated in neurodegeneration because of its propensity for becoming …

Resiliency Against Stressful Life Events And The Progression Of Depression From Adolescence, Neil V. Sen

PCOM Capstone Projects

Major depression is the second most impactful condition on overall health in the United States, affecting approximately 9 million commercially insured Americans. Depression rates are increasing as time goes on, especially in adolescents (12-17). From 2013, the rates of teen depression has risen 63 percent (47 percent for boys and 65 percent for girls). Depression is a complicated condition and there are many factors that play into the progression of the disease, including environmental, genetic, and psychological factors. Adolescence is a developmentally critical period of brain development for plasticity and maturation of stress systems. Studies have suggested that there may …

Chronic Cocaine Use And Its Epigenetic Role In Altering Proteins Involved In Memory, Levina T. Truong

PCOM Capstone Projects

Chronic exposure to cocaine results in long-term changes in brain structure and function. Long-term changes are also seen on a microscopic level in terms of alterations in chromatin remodeling and gene expression. These cellular changes result in behavioral changes and can be passed onto the next generation. Heritable changes in gene expression is known as epigenetics and are due to modifications that alter chromatin structure allowing for changes in accessibility of a gene (Browne, Godino, Salery & Nestler, 2020). Despite advances in epigenetic research involving addiction, the mechanisms that underlie the switch from recreational use to addiction is still under …

Sleep Disorders In The Pediatric Population: Outcomes Resulting In Physiological, Developmental, And Behavioral Manifestations, Tera Egan

PCOM Capstone Projects

Sleep disorders are a growing concern in the pediatric population, especially because of their potentially detrimental effects on a child’s development. Sleep is critical for the health of a child. Accordingly, disruptions in sleep can lead to impairments in cognition, behavior, and various other physiological and psychological manifestations. Certain sleep disturbances and disorders are preventable and even treatable, especially when they are properly diagnosed. When a child is diagnosed with a sleep disorder, they must receive the proper medical attention and treatment plans to effectively dissipate their symptoms and mitigate the detrimental consequences of their condition. To understand the appropriate …

The Opioid Epidemic: Long Term Implications, Sana Abbas

PCOM Capstone Projects

The use of opioid medications is a rapidly growing problem in the United States. Although these medications are effective for short term pain relief, their long-term implications on the brain and interactions with other substances are still unknown. Despite the gaps in knowledge of the long-term implications or efficacy of opioids, there are still more than 200 million prescriptions written annually for opioid analgesics (Semenkovich et al., 2014). In addition to the overuse of these medications, they can cause interactions with other substances, some of which can cause severe cases of poly-intoxication. As the use of these medications continues to …

An Analysis Of Inclusion Resources, As A Pathway To Retention Of Minority Students In The Medical Profession, Beverly K. Andre

PCOM Capstone Projects

What is Diversity? Retention? Often, these terms are used interchangeably without true understanding of their individual meanings. Diversity is offering a variety or having multiple ethnicities amongst a cohort in proportions seen within society. However, retention refers to the continuous possession or maintenance of the variation seen in said cohort. With regards to medical institutions, it seems that there is no separation. Many medical institutions seek to be diverse and create a picture of multiethnic cohorts but regrettably, effective retention techniques aren’t always adopted to make these visions a reality. The damage caused by the lack of adequate retention techniques …

Adolescents And E-Cigarette Use: Long-Term Effects, Behaviors And Lung Injury, Sarah Congdon

PCOM Capstone Projects

The use of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), commonly referred to as e-cigarettes, has become a deadly habit among adolescents across the nation. These devices are attractive with their sleek design, fun flavors, and youthful advertisements. E-Cigarettes entered the marketplace around 2007, and since 2014, they have been the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. youth. In 2018, more than 3.6 million U.S. youth, including 1 in 5 high school students and 1 in 20 middle school students, currently use e-cigarettes. There have been increasing lung infections and chronic lung diseases rising in the younger community. The strong adolescent …

A Systematic Review Of The Of Factors Contributing To Sustained Homelessness And Those Influencing The Deterioration Of Homeless Health And Healthcare, Mojisola Delano

PCOM Capstone Projects

Homelessness is a perpetual problem occurring in society. With a lack of competency of either government institutions or private establishments to provide the required intervention to provide shelter and aid for the existing homeless population or to prevent further homelessness; the next best objective would be to keep this population healthy, by employing hygiene interventions. However, there is a serve lack in hygiene interventions as well. A few US cities and many counties abroad have begun to research and implement strategies for sanitary intervention in homeless hygiene in hopes that if they are unable to “cure” homelessness, then they can …