Other Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Multimodal Imaging Reveals Bilateral Idiopathic Multiple Retinal Pigment Epithelial Detachments: A Case Report, Diana H. Ho, Od, Joseph J. Pizzimenti, Od, Patricia C. Sanchez-Diaz, Dvm, Phd, Stephanie Schmiedecke-Barbieri, Od, Alexandra Zuercher, Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Background: Retinal pigment epithelial detachment (RPED) is a nonspecific finding that is common in several ocular diseases; however, cases of bilateral idiopathic multiple RPEDs are rare. Less than 50 cases have been reported to date. Bilateral multiple RPEDs are usually idiopathic and benign in nature but can infrequently be associated with various ocular and systemic diseases, including central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). The potential role of genetic factors in this condition remains elusive. We present a case where multimodal imaging assisted in revealing the diagnosis as well as discuss the potential implications of some of the genetic findings for this …

Acute Syphilitic Posterior Placoid Chorioretinitis; A Case Report And Review, Kristin Wilson, Od, Amy Garbo Maxey, Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Background: Acute syphilitic posterior placoid chorioretinopathy (ASPPC) is a rare but defining characteristic of ocular syphilis. Clinical findings are subtle, geographic, yellowish, macular lesions, affecting the outer-retina and inner choroid, and often associated with subretinal fluid in the early phase. This case report will review the clinical signs of ASPPC to aid the practitioner in identification and recognition of its clinical importance as it relates to early diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.

Case Report: A 79-year-old African American male presented to clinic with a chief complaint of blur in the right eye for the past two days. Spectral Domain Optical Coherence …

Optic Disc Drusen Resulting In Disqualifying Field Loss, Robert C. Binkley, Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Background: Optic nerve (or disc) drusen is the presence of hyaline bodies at the optic nerve head. The drusen may be visible upon funduscopic examination or may present as buried. Timely diagnosis and responsible imaging may help inform the patient of the potential for future concerns. The long-term prognosis is good for most patients, however, they may experience progressive peripheral vision loss that may reduce the patient’s quality of life. Neuroprotective options have previously been discussed with minimal clinical effectiveness, however, new medications may aid in future treatment.

Case Report: A patient presenting with mild and slowly progressing vision loss …

You Can Lead A Horse To Water, Paul B. Freeman, Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Letter from the Editor

Hipaa Vs. Medical Research: Improving Patient Care Through Integration Of Data Privacy And Data Access, Katherine D'Ordine

Honors Projects in Data Science

The purpose of this research is to understand the current relationship between data access and data privacy in the health care industry and attempt to find a way that important health care research can still be conducted amidst HIPAA regulations. There is a lack of extensive research on the impacts of data privacy on health care research due to access regulations, so a survey was created regarding current data processes and recommendations for creating a healthier relationship between privacy and access for research. It was distributed to anyone in health care, analytics, or research to get a variety of perspectives. …

Does Insulin Resistance (Ir) Have An Impact On The Reproductive And Fertility Potential In Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (Pcos) Women? : Review Article, Muhjah Falah Hassan, Mufedah Ali Jawad, Rabab Zahir Al-Yasiry

Maaen Journal for Medical Sciences

Backgrounds: Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common endocrine and reproductive disorder in the reproductive-age women. Among the pathological changes that are responsible for the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), hyperinsulinemia due to increased insulin resistance (IR) is common and usually associated with a higher rate of ovulatory dysfunction and sub-fertility. In addition, those women have poor quality oocytes with low fertilization capability and poor quality embryos. So, insulin has a role in the reproductive function and fertility potential of reproductive age women. Conclusion: Females with PCOS usually exhibit an extreme difficulty in achieving either a successful spontaneous or …

Pre-Transplant Evaluation Period Efficiency Through The Use Of An Electronic Scheduling Template, Christy Dawn Byrd

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Candidacy for transplant evaluation is a complex and lengthy evaluation process. Delays in National Organ Registry have significant unfavorable impacts on patient outcomes as 22 people a day die awaiting a lifesaving treatment. Operational efficiencies can improve the pre-transplant evaluation period and significantly improve patient outcomes.

PICOT: In an outpatient transplant clinic (P), will leveraging an evidence-based scheduling template (I) compared to the current practice of first available appointment (C) reduce the evaluation period by 66% from a 3–4-week evaluation to a 1-week evaluation resulting in expedited listing on the National Organ Registry (O), when applied over …

Alumni Journal - Volume 94, Number 1, Loma Linda University School Of Medicine

Alumni Journal, School of Medicine

Editorials
2 | From the Editor
4 | From the President
6 | From the Dean

News
7 | This and That
10 | Alumni News
12 | Student News
14 | School of Medicine News
16 | AIMS Report
18 | Department Report: Radiation Medicine

APC 2023
20 | APC 2023 in Review

Features
34 | Alumni Association Celebrates 100 Years of Service
40 | Steps to Effective Spiritual Care
44 | Why I Pray With Patients
46 | Alumni Spotlight
47 | Life After Medicine

In Memoriam
48 | Alumni Remembered Featured Obituaries: James M. Phang '63, William …

Update: Oral Health Equity And The Ada, Jessica A. Rickert Dds, Elizabeth Carmen Lense Dds, Msha

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The American Dental Association (ADA) defines "Health Equity" as the attainment of optimal oral health for all individuals, acknowledging oral health's crucial role in overall well-being. The article underscores the need for consistent and equitable access to oral care services, collaboration with other organizations to address societal health determinants, and enhancing diversity within healthcare providers and cultural understanding in dental teams to achieve Health Equity. Highlighting the impact of untreated dental disease on quality of life and productivity, the article discusses ADA's initiatives to promote Oral Health Equity, including advocating for comprehensive Medicaid benefits, promoting diversity in leadership, and supporting …

University Students' Experience With Primary Care During Their High School Years And The Impact On Transition To Adult Primary Care, Grace Finley

Honors College

Focus: PC is associated with positive health outcomes and reduced costs. Estimates of adolescents who transition from pediatric PC to adult PC is low; yet it is reported those who have positive experiences with PC are more likely to access PC as adults. Studies describing adolescents’ HS experience with PC and how it affected transition to adult PC are lacking. The purpose of this study was to describe university students’ experience with PC during their HS years and the impact on transition to adult PC.

Methods: This study is a descriptive, non-experimental design whereby students reported their HS PC experience …

Effectiveness Of Vacuotherapy And Dry Needling As Adjunct Treatment For Musculoskeletal Cases: A Cohort In A Pt Clinic., Adnan N. Balisi, Vince Paul Lobaton, Dane Debulgado, Jhonas Jegira, Mae Adrinne Tumonong, Christian James Brillas, Ritchie Belle Gelito, Mychelle Rae Marasigan

Philippine Journal of Physical Therapy

Introduction: Usage of vacuum therapy and dry needling in physical therapy management of musculoskeletal cases have gained increasing usage but the literature regarding their effects is limited. This study determines the effect size of the interventions, which are vacuotherapy and dry needling as adjunct treatments to exercises, performed in a local PT clinic to musculoskeletal cases in three different treatment sessions with a week gap in between.

Methods: The study is a retrospective cohort where sampling was purposive in gathering historical patient charts. The numerical pain rating scales and relevant range of motion (ROM) in the musculoskeletal cases …

Exploration Of Data Science Toolbox And Predictive Models To Detect And Prevent Medicare Fraud, Waste, And Abuse, Benjamin P. Goodwin, Adam Canton, Babatunde Olanipekun

SMU Data Science Review

The Federal Department of Health and Human Services spends approximately $830 Billion annually on Medicare of which an estimated $30 to $110 billion is some form of fraud, waste, or abuse (FWA). Despite the Federal Government’s ongoing auditing efforts, fraud, waste, and abuse is rampant and requires modern machine learning approaches to generalize and detect such patterns. New and novel machine learning algorithms offer hope to help detect fraud, waste, and abuse. The existence of publicly accessible datasets complied by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contain vast quantities of structured data. This data, coupled with industry standardized …

Relationship Between Treatment Comorbidities And Hiv Viral Suppression Among People Who Live With Aids In Johannesburg., Nwogo Immaculata Ekeji, Tolulope A. Osoba, Hebatullah Tawfik, Mehdi Agha

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

HIV has globally infected over 37.9 million people, of which 28.2 million (73%) are on antiretroviral treatment, and 66% of those on treatment are virally suppressed. In South Africa, however, low rate of viral suppression (47%) among people living with HIV is a major health problem that has continued to fuel HIV prevalence. A cross-sectional quantitative research design was used to investigate the relationship between treatment comorbidities and viral suppression among HIV-infected adults aged 18–49 who were diabetic, had cancer, or tuberculosis in Johannesburg. HIV Care Continuum formed the theoretical framework for this research. An existing HIV-infected patient de-identifiable dataset …

Nurses’ Perceptions Of Screening For Delirium In The Post Anaesthesia Care Unit And Orthopaedic Surgical Wards: A Qualitative Study, Rami Kamel Mustafa Aldwikat, Elizabeth Manias, Pat F. Nicholson Dr

Journal of Perioperative Nursing

Purpose: The aims of this study were to explore nurses’ perceptions of the usability and clinical utility of two screening tools for delirium detection in the Post Anaesthesia Care Unit (PACU) and orthopaedic surgical wards settings, and to identify nurses’ decisions about patient care delivery based on delirium assessment outcomes. The tools studied were the 3D-CAM and 4AT – the three-minute diagnostic interview for CAM (Confusion assessment method) delirium and the 4 ‘A’s test, respectively.

Method: A focus group methodology was used. Five semi-structured focus groups were conducted with 24 nurses working in the PACU and orthopaedic surgical wards. Focus …

Development Of A Method For Identifying And Quantifying Epicatechin In Cinnamon Extract Supplement Capsules, Danielle Valls

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Clinical Effects Of Lactobacillus Reuteri Probiotic In The Treatment Of Chronic Periodontitis: A Systematic Review Of Randomized Controlled Trials, Josephine Ram, Shilpa Bhandi, Kamran H. Awan, Frank Licari, Shankargouda Patil

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Modeling And Analysis Of The Intrinsic Cardiac Nervous System In Closed-Loop Cardiovascular Control, Michelle M. Gee, Abraham M. Lenhoff, James S. Schwaber, Babatunde A. Ogunnaike, Rajanikanth Vadigepalli

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

The baroreceptor reflex is a multi-input, multi-output physiological control system that regulates short-term blood pressure by modulating nerve activity between the brainstem and the heart. The computational model by Park et al. (2020) is the most recent iteration in our exploration of the system. However, the contributions of”the little brain of the heart”, the intrinsic cardiac nervous system (ICN), to local control of the heart and to the integration of sensory information is unknown and has been overlooked in previous models. We have incorporated a high-fidelity representation of the ICN into a model of the baroreceptor reflex based on anatomical, …

From In-Person To Virtual: A Case Study Of An Animal-Assisted Visiting Program In A Pediatric Setting, Whitney Romine

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

This article focuses on the practical aspects of converting a successful in-person AAA program to a virtual program in a health care setting including human, canine, and physical resources; animal welfare considerations; training, infection control, and safety guidelines; and visit delivery procedures. In 1992, an interdisciplinary team at Akron Children’s Hospital founded the Doggie Brigade, an animal-assisted activities (AAA) program where volunteer therapy dogs and their handlers visit pediatric patients. The program has become a cornerstone of the hospital’s culture over its now 30-year tenure. In March 2020, the announcement of the COVID-19 pandemic forced health care organizations to suspend …

What Do Extended Cardiac Surgical Team Members In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia Think About Their Jobs, And What Would Improve Them? A Qualitative Study, Mohammed Bahran Shegafi, Mary Leamy, Geraldine A. Lee

Journal of Perioperative Nursing

Despite the long history of integrating non-medical practitioners into the extended cardiac surgical team, concerns about job design that reduce job satisfaction persist in the literature. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), previous research has found that these non-medical practitioners known as cardiac surgical assistants (SAs) express significant dissatisfaction with multiple aspects of their role. Improving job satisfaction can positively impact on the recruitment and retention of this valuable workforce who increase surgical capacity within cardiac units. This qualitative study was therefore conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of cardiac SAs’ perspectives of their role and to explore how …

Investigating The Use Of Conversational Agents As Accountable Buddies To Support Health And Lifestyle Change, Ekaterina Uetova, Dympna O'Sullivan, Lucy Hederman, Robert J. Ross

Academic Posters Collection

The poster focuses on the role of conversational agents in promoting health and well-being. Results of the literature review indicate that negative emotions can hinder individuals from taking necessary actions related to their health. The study concludes that understanding and addressing emotional barriers is essential to facilitating early access to health services and improving well-being. The poster outlines plans to investigate motivation strategies, develop a prototype conversational agent based on user study insights and chat log data, and incorporate emotion regulation to effectively manage users' emotional experiences.