Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Severe Hypokalemia Secondary To Distal Renal Tubular Acidosis In A Hispanic Man, Aramide Mikhail Tijani, Himabindu Kolli, Suneet Johal, Maria Najam, Fatimah Bello, J. M. Paredes

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Renal tubular acidosis is a rare renal disorder that can cause severe electrolyte imbalances which can be life threatening.

Case: A 21-year-old man presented to the ED on account of generalized weakness and body aches of one day duration. He reported no past medical history other than a previous episode of similar symptoms with improvement after IV hydration and electrolytes replacements about 2 months prior. He was not taking any medications and denied vomiting, diarrhea nor any significant family history. He admitted to alcohol and marijuana use.

Physical examination was significant for reduced muscle power, tone, and reflexes in …

Subacute Stroke In Young Hispanic Male With Vertebrobasilar Dolichoectasia, Ashika A. Chacko, Nevin A. Varghese

Research Colloquium

Background: Vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia (VBD) is a rare clinical entity characterized by dilatation, elongation, and tortuosity of the vertebrobasilar arteries. Patients with VBD can present varying symptoms from ischemia, compression of blood vessels, or rarely subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Case presentation: A 29-year-old Hispanic man with history of hypertension presented to emergency department with progressive left upper extremity weakness, dizziness, slurry speech, and diplopia of one-week duration. On arrival, the patient was afebrile, heart rate 75 bpm and blood pressure 193/107 mmHg. He was alert and oriented x3. Neurological exam demonstrated decreased strength (4/5) on left upper extremity and left arm pronator drift. …

Learners Engaging With Hispanic Communities To Address Covid19 Inequities By Developing A Cultural Competence Guide For Public Health Messaging, Madeline Elaine Huff, Molly Chapman, Chasity Collier, Giuiseppe Fonseca Badillo, Shuchita Jhaveri, Ayesha Khan, Sabrina R. Orta, Zuni Ortega, Lina Pedraza Sanchez, Maria Pesantez Borja, Rosalind Reyes, Daniela Santos Cantu, Chelsea H. Chang

Research Symposium

Introduction: The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) has the highest rates of obesity and diabetes nationwide which have compounded the impact of COVID-19. We propose addressing underlying mistrust and systemic racism through a resident-and-student-learner-led, community-engaged, educational public health campaign targeting the Hispanic community in the RGV.

Methods: Twelve students were provided interdisciplinary leadership skills in a community-engaged public messaging campaign covering issues of COVID-19 inequities. Learners used these skills to engage with clinic community partners in qualitative interviews regarding the patient population to guide the creation of a culturally competent public health messaging rubric for the Hispanic community.

Results: Pre-intervention survey …

Confusing Code Status In An 81-Year-Old Spanish-Speaking Woman: Addressing Barriers To Quality End-Of Life Care For Latinos, Vanessa E. Lopez, Chelsea H. Chang

Research Symposium

Background: End-of-life discussions present a challenge for many Hispanic families and physicians. Hesitancy to begin discussions and a language barrier hinder elderly Spanish-speaking patients and their families from making informed decisions about end-of-life care. We present a case of a confusing code status in an elderly Spanish-speaking woman with a rapidly declining condition.

Case presentation: An 81-year-old Hispanic Spanish-speaking female with a past medical history of hypertension, chronic kidney disease stage 3 and type 2 diabetes mellitus presents with generalized weakness, decreased appetite and a 10-pound weight loss over one month. She wished to be Do-Not-Intubate. Throughout her stay, she …

Childhood Cancer Survival In The Highly Vulnerable Population Of South Texas: Persistent Challenges For Adolescents And Hispanic Ethnicity, Shenghui Wu, Y. N. Liu, M. Williams, C. Aguilar, A. G. Ramirez, R. Mesa, G. E. Tomlinson

Research Symposium

Background: This study examines childhood cancer survival rates and prognostic factors related to survival in the majority Hispanic population of South Texas (STX), whereas most other population studies in childhood cancer survival focus on populations with relatively few Hispanics.

Methods: The population-based cohort study used Texas Cancer Registry data (1995-2017) to examine survival and prognostic factors.

Results: The 5-year relative survival rate for STX cancer patients diagnosed at 0–19 years was 80.3% for all races/ethnicity. Hispanics had statistically significant lower 5-year relative survival rates than non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) for male and female together diagnosed at age ≥ 5 years. When …

Understanding The Resources, Barriers, Facilitators And Interests About Aging And Dementia Research Of Community Members From The Rio Grande Valley, Karla Daniela Lopez Lorenzo, Rosa V. Pirela Mavarez, Gabriela Osuna, Kendra Stine, Nahalie Chacon De Alvarez, Noe Garza, Gladys E. Maestre

Research Symposium

Background: One of ten people aged 65 develops Alzheimer’s Disease and it is one of the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) is mostly constituted by Hispanic/Latinos (93%), a population that has a 1.5X increased risk of AD onset. Nevertheless, there are not enough resources to support people living with dementia and their care partners. This study will leverage research efforts deployed by the RGV Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research to understand the social representations about the resources, barriers, facilitators, and interests of the RGV community about dementia and Alzheimer’s …

A Two State-Wide Population Based Analysis Of Hepatosplenic T-Cell Lymphoma In Hispanic Vs Non-Hispanic Patients In Texas And Florida, Christine E. Loftis, Rosa White, Joel Michalek, Liu Qianqian, Adolfo Diaz

Research Symposium

Introduction: Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) are a diverse, aggressive form of neoplasms that are rare and constitute % of all non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases (Am J Pathol, PMID:1698028). A sub-set of PTCLs is hepatosplenic T-cell Lymphoma (HSTCL) which is described as an extra-nodal T-cell lymphoma of mature gamma or delta T-cells (Am J Pathol, PMID:1698028). HSTCL is extremely rare accounting for less than 1% of all cases of NHL and because of this, epidemiological research is lacking (Blood PMID: 21300984). Hispanics (H) are one of the fastest growing races in the US but tend to have poorer …

Hypertension Education To Enhance Health Literacy, Kylee Westrip

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: The health of patients suffers greatly when their health literacy is not addressed through evidence-based education material.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was, in adult patients with hypertension (P), how does evidence-based education material (I) compared to the current state of verbal instructions provided (C) affect health literacy rates based on the high blood pressure health literacy scale (O) within 12-weeks (T)?

Evidence: The literature evidence revealed three strong themes, which included information on who is most at risk for low health literacy levels, education delivery methods, and specific education to be used.

Intervention: …

Cultural Competence Guides For Covid-19 Messaging In Hispanic Communities, Madeline Huff, Shuchita V. Jhaveri, Ayesha Khan, Lina Pedraza, Maria Pesantez Borja, Daniela Santos Cantu, Chelsea Chang

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Purpose: The Rio Grande Valley in South Texas comprises 5% percent of Texas's population yet 17%of Texas's COVID-19 deaths. We aimed to address underlying mistrust and systemic racism in our Hispanic community that contributes to health inequities by developing a cultural competence guide for public health messaging.

Methods: We employed a mixed method design (e.g., focus groups, surveys, interviews) to develop and implement a cultural competence guide in an iterative community-informed process. We created a general cultural competence guide, one for the Hispanic community and one for the hard-of-hearing community.

Results: Our cultural competence guides provide an interpretation as to …

A Lifestyle Modification Intervention In Hispanic Adolescents With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Brianne Miller

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

U.S. population studies have confirmed that the Hispanic population has the highest prevalence and the worst prognosis for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (Katz et al., 2021). The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to implement a multicomponent, lifestyle modification intervention in Hispanic pediatric primary care patients to combat the disease process and sequela of NAFLD. The PICOT question for this project was: In Hispanic adolescents aged 10-21 with obesity and NAFLD (P), what is the effect of a multicomponent, lifestyle modification intervention (I), on alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (O), over a 12-week time period (T)? A comprehensive literature search …

Healthcare Disparities And Hispanic Immigrants: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, William C. Greenman Iii

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Formalized Diabetes Self-Management Education In A Safety-Net Clinic, Emanpreet Kaur

Culminating Experience Projects

Diabetes is a complex and chronic illness requiring continuous medical care with multifactorial risk reduction strategies (American Diabetes Association [ADA], 2021). More than 37 million Americans are suffering from diabetes and 90% of them have Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (DMT2) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). The purpose of this article is to review the background, an organizational assessment, a literature review, and the results of the quality improvement project that took place at a safety-net clinic in the Midwest. This project included 16 patients and data was analyzed through descriptive statistics. Results include improved hemoglobin (Hg) A1c, Body …

Addressing Health Illiteracy In The Hispanic Community – A Call To Action: An Integrative Review, Sarah Akers Dersch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The United States Hispanic population is rapidly growing; however, existing healthcare endeavors are insufficiently accommodating this expansion. This demographic is linked to multiple serious health problems, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiac disease, cancer, and liver disease. In order to improve health outcomes within this community, interventions, such as health literacy screening, need to be further explored to identify current insufficiencies and help this population overcome these health challenges. This integrative review seeks to determine the effectiveness of current health literacy screening tools among native Spanish speakers in the U.S. This review seeks to amalgamate data from various studies to demonstrate …

Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy And Vaccination Rate Among The Latino Population In South Carolina, Brynn E. Lynagh

Senior Theses

It is common knowledge that COVID-19 disproportionately impacts racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. Furthermore, these sects of the population exhibit increased vaccine hesitancy and lower vaccination rates as compared to the aggregated population of the United States, furthering the risk posed by COVID-19 to these communities. In particular, this study focuses on the Latino population in South Carolina, the vaccination rate among this community, and the perspectives which contributed to their vaccination decision. Two hundred Spanish and Portuguese speaking residents of South Carolina were interviewed using a paper survey conducted by pre-trained interviewers. The survey gathered data …

Impact Of A Health Fair On Student Organizations Providing Care To The Detroit Hispanic/Latinx Community And Barriers Affecting Patients Of A Student-Run Clinic Primarily Serving This Population, Amanda Rodriguez Bs, Lucas Edgren Bs, Sanjana Rao Bsph, Diane L. Levine Md, Jennifer Mendez Phd, Joel Appel Do

Medical Student Research Symposium

Current literature shows Hispanic/Latinx populations in the U.S. face health inequities. Amigos Medicos (AM) Clinic, located in Southwest Detroit, is a student-run free clinic that addresses these issues through preventive health screenings. We hosted a health fair in 2022 and invited other student organizations in efforts to connect the community to resources. Our aim is to identify specific barriers faced by our population in receiving health care and to identify the impact of participation in the fair on those organizations. One survey was administered to patients attending clinic that identified health barriers they face. The other survey was administered to …

Postprandial And Fasting Lipopolysaccharide Levels In Healthy Hispanic Residents Of Southeast Texas With Positive Family History Of Type 2 Diabetes, Amanda J. Wheeler, Yu Lun Tai, Smaran Marupudi, Ryan D. Russell

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

PURPOSE: Healthy people with a family history (FH+) of type 2 diabetes (T2D) display impaired metabolic and microvascular function prior to glucose intolerance, and are at greater risk for developing T2D. While mechanisms to explain this disparity are lacking, it is possible that intestinal permeability plays a role, as it is also linked with insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and chronic inflammation. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) act as an outer membrane component of gram-negative bacteria in intestines and play a role in inflammation and chronic disease when in circulation, thus serving as a surrogate measure of intestinal permeability. However, the link between FH+ …

Identifying Barriers To Dental Care Among Hispanics In Southwest Minnesota, Lissette Garza

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to assess the different barriers for dental health care among the Hispanic population in a rural, southwestern community in Minnesota. To collect data, an adaptation of the survey written by Vazquez and Swan (2003) was distributed to Hispanic individuals at an agricultural facility, religious organization, and an early childhood organization. The findings for the research question are presented in the cross-sectional study utilizing descriptive statistics in the form of frequencies and percentages. The results of this study indicate that not having a dental provider of the same cultural background, having a language barrier, and …

Improving Diagnostic Outcomes For Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders Within The Hispanic Community In Bowling Green, Kentucky, Bethany Waddey

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Despite the importance of early identification and intervention of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Hispanic children are significantly under-diagnosed with ASD in comparison to non-Hispanic, white children due to barriers to ASD identification in this population. The purpose of this research is to determine the levels of ASD knowledge in the Hispanic community in Bowling Green, the barriers that may contribute to why ASD is underdiagnosed in Hispanic children, and how to mitigate these barriers. This research analyzes the results of a survey, called the “Autism Spectrum Knowledge Scale- General Population Version”, administered to 51 participants from the Hispanic population of …

Nursing Interventions To Decrease Depressive And Anxious Symptoms In Hispanic-American Youth, Vanessa C. Hernandez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Introduction: Hispanic-American youth are less likely to receive mental health services despite being at increased risk for depression and anxiety. Having depression and anxiety at a young age can have detrimental long-term effects such as sexual risk behavior, delinquency, and suicide. Various kinds of nurses interact with this age group which can be a missed opportunity to intervene for the welfare of these youth. Interventions exist for depression and anxiety; however, they are not specific to nurses who care for young Hispanic-American patients. Methods: An integrative literature review was performed to identify nursing interventions for Hispanic American youth with depression …

Does The Health Literacy Of Spanish Speakers Impact Their Vaccination Decisions?: A Literature Review Of Related Research, Kelly Tran

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: The Hispanic community has historically faced high rates of vaccine hesitancy when compared to their non-Hispanic white counterparts. This not only poses a threat to their individual health, but also to their community. In a population that is disproportionately affected by COVID-19 infections, it is critical to address vaccine uptake concerns to control the pandemic and prevent future spread of infections.

Objective: This study aims to explore Spanish speakers' vaccination decisions and to explore whether improving health literacy would be an effective approach in increasing vaccination rates. The secondary objective is to describe the role of physicians in decreasing …

Handout To Promote Diabetes Education In Spanish Speaking Patients, Javier Rincon

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Hispanic adults are 70 percent more likely than non-Hispanic white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes by a physician. In 2017, Hispanics were twice as likely to be hospitalized for treatment of end-stage renal disease related to diabetes, as compared to non-Hispanic whites. In 2018, Hispanics were 1.3 times more likely than non-Hispanic whites to die from diabetes. Lack of readily accessible educational material in different languages can lead to educational deficits in non-English speaking patients.

Experiences With Covid-19 Stress Among Hispanic/Latino Farmworkers, Brenda Berumen-Flucker, Hadiza Galadima, Sylvia Shangani, Michele Kekeh, Muge Akpinar-Elci

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Hispanics/Latinos, particularly those that identify as foreign-born, are overrepresented in the agricultural sector in the U.S. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, this subpopulation of farmworkers was recognized as an invaluable group of essential workers unable to implement COVID-19 protections.

METHODS: Previously validated COVID-19 stress scale measures were identified, adapted, and translated to collect COVID-19 stress data from Hispanic/Latino agricultural workers in two heavily agricultural counties in northeastern North Carolina. Participants were recruited using purposive convenience sampling. Data collection took place from June to November of 2021.

RESULTS: The majority of Hispanic/Latino agricultural workers surveyed reported experiencing worries …

Lack Of Better Functional Outcome In Young Border Hispanic Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke After Endovascular Thrombectomy Compared To Older Patients: A Retrospective Chart Review, Saisree Ravi, Sohum Desai, Sherief Ghozy, Wondwossen Tekle, Ameer E. Hassan

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

Shortened Abstract:

Previous data indicates that young acute ischemic stroke patients have better prognosis after endovascular thrombectomy, while Hispanic patients are associated with poorer outcomes. Our goal is to study the interaction between age and Hispanic status to assess functional outcomes after endovascular thrombectomy in young versus older patients in a predominantly Hispanic population with a high prevalence of diabetes mellitus and obesity.

Our Hispanic population demonstrates no differences in sICH, mortality, and functional independence between young and older acute ischemic stroke patients after endovascular thrombectomy.

Cultural Identity Of And Implications For Later Generational Hispanic And Latino Populations In The United States, Tara Bustamante

Art Therapy | Master's Theses

This study explores the Hispanic and Latino/x/e cultures within the United States, with a particular focus on the concept of identity within these communities and its implications for third and later generations. Data were collected during the pandemic via an online survey and art directive. The student researcher used the Identity Denial Scale (Albuja et al., 2019) to measure how often the participants’ identity is denied within the United States and then used an art therapy prompt to invite participants to create their own self-portrait in conjunction with their authentic self and self-image. Qualitative data were also used in response …