Digital Commons Network^™

Teaching Heart Failure Patients A Low-Sodium Diet, Karen Faye Wright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a progressive medical condition affecting more than 7 million people in the United States (US) with 700,000 new cases reported annually. More than half of those treated for CHF are readmitted at least once a year. The problem addressed by this quality improvement initiative was lack of adherence to low sodium diet (LSD) among CHF patients, knowledge and skill deficit, and excessive 30-day CHF readmissions. The health belief model and the self-care deficit theory guide nurses in acquiring the skills needed to teach LSD. Twelve months of data were selected from 93 CHF readmissions from …

Association Between Androgen Deprivation Therapy For Prostate Cancer And Alzheimer's Disease, Gina Giannantoni-Ibelli

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common progressive, neurodegenerative disease and form of dementia. The hallmarks of AD are extracellular accumulation of amyloid beta protein, resulting in neuritic, senile plaques and intracellular accumulation of tau protein. AD mainly arises from imbalance of amyloid beta protein production and its clearance in the brain. Testosterone modulates production of amyloid beta protein by decreasing its accumulation. Prostate cancer remains a substantial public health challenge in the United States. While androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is an effective treatment for prostate cancer, it may be associated with cognitive impairment due to decreased levels of testosterone. …

Barriers To Oral Care Among African American Adolescents In Prince George's County, Maryland, Nkiruka Soribe Mcginnis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

When adolescents forgo oral health treatment, factors that hinder them from obtaining these services put them at risk of detrimental consequences in their oral and overall health. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to identify the various barriers that adolescents encounter causing them to defer oral treatment. Through this study, public health officials, school health care providers, the state, and parents could be made aware of these factors and work together to implement programs and supplemental aid to help adolescents become more knowledgeable of the importance of oral care and encourage them to desire and seek treatment. The …

Improving Hand Hygiene In An Intensive Care Unit, Charles Chukwuemeka Njenje

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health-care-associated infections (HCAIs) affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide, causing morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients. About 2 million patients suffer from HCAIs in the United States, and it is estimated that 99,000 of them die each year. Studies have indicated that transmission of health-care-associated microorganisms occurs through contaminated hands of health care workers. Hand hygiene (HH) is the single most effective way to prevent health-care-associated infections, yet health care workers' hand hygiene compliance remains low. One factor responsible for poor compliance with hand hygiene guide-lines are lack of knowledge of good hand hygiene and lack of hand hygiene …

Decreasing Acute Diabetes Complications Through Self-Management Education, Eugene O. Okafor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that affects millions of people in the United States. The purpose of this project was to develop a guideline to help clinical staff provide clear and concise diabetes self-management instructions to patients in a community setting. Orem's self-care deficit theory (SCD) and health belief model (HBM) provided a platform to assess how patients' self-care deficit contributes to illness and the effect of patients' perception of illness. SCD theory and the HBM provided the framework for the development of the guideline to decrease diabetes acute complications through self-management education. The practice-focused question was whether the …

Knowledge And Attitudes Of Emergency Room Nurses Regarding Palliative Care Patients, Pearl Alethea Harrison

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Palliative care (PC) is the comprehensive management of patients diagnosed with terminal illness. Care for PC patients focuses on relieving symptoms. The purpose of this study was to determine the difference between pretest and posttest scores on the Frommelt Attitude towards the Care of the Dying (FATCOD) and the Palliative Care Quiz for Nurses (PCQN) after an educational intervention to emergency department (ED) nurses. The framework for this project was Bandura's social cognitive theory. The FATCOD was used to assess ED nurses' attitudes toward PC, and the PCQN was used to assess ED nurses' knowledge about PC prior to the …

The Impact Of Mentoring On Social Excluded Adults In A Small Midwest City, Rose A. Hunt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Empirical data have indicated that a considerable amount of the world's population, 45.3 million in the United States, live in deplorable conditions, some of which are created by social exclusion. Social exclusion is a disenfranchisement experienced by individuals and families living in poverty conditions created by circumstances such as lack of education, lack of economic sustenance, unemployment, poor health, and other social ills. Mentoring is a multidimensional skills-development opportunity for disadvantaged youth, aspiring new professionals, employed individuals being promoted, and instructor-student relationships. There is the possibility that mentoring could be useful for other societal groups as well, particularly social excluded …

Women In Mississippi Undergoing Hysterectomies In Absence Of Comprehensive Informed Consent Law, Tammy Shaffer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Only three states have enacted informed consent laws aimed at providing more information concerning any alternative treatments for women who undergo hysterectomy. This study attempted to fill the research gap regarding consent laws and perceptions of women who underwent hysterectomy in a state with no informed consent laws. Supported by the health belief model (HBM), the research questions focused on the perceptions of women and their lived experiences. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the beliefs and attitudes of women in a state with no informed consent laws. Interviews were the main data collection technique. The participants …

Social Work Practice With Older Adults, Carley Yvonne Vailu'u

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social workers working for adult protective services (APS) face many clinical challenges to ensure the safety and well-being of older adult clients. APS social workers often interact with older adults who engage in self-neglecting behaviors that compromise their ability to function in a healthy and independent manner. The purpose of this research study was to explore challenges in direct social work practice to identify how APS services can be improved when working with the older adult population, particularly individuals who engage in hoarding behaviors. Using action research methodology, 2 focus groups were conducted to explore the experiences and knowledge of …

Evaluation Of Use Of Teach-Back For Patient Education, Tamara J. Orr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The focus of this quality improvement doctoral project was the evaluation of an organization's standardized use of the teach-back process for patient education implemented in February 2018. Teach-back is a process in which the patient restates the key concepts for self-management, so the nurse can assess the effectiveness of the teaching and learning process. The practice-focused question compared 4 questions on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey with literature and recommendations from major health care organizations. The Iowa Model was used to guide the project. The literature review was completed using the Cumulative Index to …

Cultural Awareness And Sensitivity Of Students In A Physical Therapy Program – A Pilot Survey, Olaide Oluwole-Sangoseni, Michelle Jenkins-Unterberg

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Background: Attempts to address health and health care disparities in the United States have led to a renewed focus on the training of healthcare professionals including physical therapists. Current health care policies emphasize culturally competent care as a means of promoting equity in care delivery by health care professionals. Experts agree that cultural insensitivity has a negative association with health professionals’ ability to provide quality care.

Objective: To evaluate the cultural awareness and sensitivity of physical therapy (PT) students in a didactic curriculum aimed to increase cultural awareness.

Methods: Using the Multicultural Sensitivity Scale (MSS), a cross-sectional …

Improvements In Research Orientation And Reductions In Barriers To Research Utilization Among Undergraduate Students In Health Sciences, Andrew A. Peachey, Stephanie Baller, Carolyn Schubert

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Developing research skills while improving research orientation among undergraduate students may increase evidence-based practice later in their professional careers.

Method: Undergraduate Health Science students (n=241) participated in a pretest-posttest design to determine the impact of a course that includes team-based, student initiated research projects completed within one semester. Modified versions of the Edmonton Research Orientation Survey (EROS) and the Barriers to Research Utilization Scale (BARRIERS) were completed at the beginning and end of the semesters.

Results: Students reported gains in six research skills and improvements in two of the Edmonton Research Orientation Survey subscales: involvement in research and evidence-based …

Mom To Mom: Online Breastfeeding Advice, Jennifer D. Furkin

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Exploring online support groups has gained more and more popularity in the last decade. Investigating the type of support messages users send each other has broadened the already extensive social support framework built in the last forty years. Mothers utilize online support for various topics, and a very common topic is breastfeeding. The perception of breastfeeding has changed throughout history with shifting beliefs and societal norms coupled with solid facts about its importance in the sustaining of infants. Online breastfeeding support has been previously explored through the categorization of types of support and themes within the interactions. This study extended …

Quitting Together: Formative Research To Develop A Social Marketing Plan For Smoking Cessation Among Women In A Residential Treatment Facility For Substance Abuse Recovery, August D. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Both smoking addiction and illicit substance abuse are prevalent issues in the United States today. Furthermore, these are issues that have significant impact on women’s health and mental state. Despite research that shows that smoking cessation coupled with substance abuse recovery can decrease likelihood of relapse post-recovery, few substance abuse recovery facilities today offer smoking cessation programming options. To address the issue of smoking addiction on top of substance abuse recovery, formative research was conducted through this study to determine the underlying causes of smoking habits coupled with recovery efforts and the attitudes. Through focus group sessions with women in …

Not Your Grandma’S Iud: Identifying Memorable Messages About Larcs, Carina Mazariegos Zelaya

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Reducing the percentage of unwanted pregnancies has been one of the top objectives of the national health promotion "Healthy People" since the early 1980s. As the increase of unwanted pregnancies continues, research is necessary to uncover factors that influence the decisions women make about their contraceptive methods. The current study examines the topics and the sources of memorable messages regarding LARCs. To address the research questions, this study will analyze interviews conducted with young women about memorable messages regarding LARC methods. This study is a formative research of memorable messages in the context of contraceptive methods, specifically long-acting reversible contraceptives …

Novel Anti-Obesity Effects Of Beer Hops Compound Xanthohumol: Role Of Ampk Signaling Pathway, Janaiya S Samuels, Rangaiah Shashidharamurthy, Srujana Rayalam

PCOM Scholarly Works

Background: Obesity alters adipose tissue metabolic and endocrine functioning, leading to an increased adiposity and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Various phytochemicals have been reported to contribute to the beiging of white adipose tissue in order to ameliorate obesity by increasing thermogenesis. Here, we show that the prenylated chalcone, xanthohumol (XN), induces beiging of white adipocytes, stimulates lipolysis, and inhibits adipogenesis of murine 3T3-L1 adipocytes and primary human subcutaneous preadipocytes and these effects are partly mediated by the activation of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway.

Methods: 3T3-L1 adipocytes and primary human subcutaneous preadipocytes were differentiated using a standard protocol …

Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute: 2018 Statistical Report, Lehigh Valley Health Network

Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute

No abstract provided.

Representation Of Industry In Introductory Biology Textbooks: A Missed Opportunity To Advance Stem Learning, Sharotka M. Simon, Helen Meldrum, Eric Ndung'u, Fred D. Ledley

Natural & Applied Sciences Faculty Publications

The majority of students who enroll in undergraduate biology courses will eventually be employed in non-STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) business occupations. This work explores how representations of industry in undergraduate biology textbooks could impact STEM learning for these students and their ability to apply this learning in their chosen work. We used text analysis to identify passages with references to industry in 29 textbooks. Each passage was categorized for relevance to health or environment, for implied positive or negative connotations, and for descriptions of synergy or conflict between science and industry. We found few passages describing applications of …

Asbury Theological Seminary Academic Catalog : 2018-2019, Asbury Theological Seminary

Academic Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Health Inequalities In Jordan And Their Social Determinants, Hoda Rashad, S. Shawky

Faculty Books

No abstract provided.

Synergistic Effect Of Smac-Mimetic And Poly (I:C) On Apoptosis Of Cholangiocarcinoma Cells, Thanpisit Lomphithak

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a malignancy transformed from cholangiocytes in the bile ducts is more common in Asia and has the highest incidence rate in Thailand. CCA is an aggressive malignancy which has high mortality, high recurrence rate and poor prognosis due to late diagnosis and lack of effective treatment, therefore identification of novel therapeutic targets could lead to the development of more efficient therapy. CCA is associated with chronic inflammation that could upregulate Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) in CCA cells. TLR3 agonist, poly(I:C) has been reported to directly induce apoptosis in selected cancers and also activates anti-tumor immunity. However, in some …

Louisiana Agriculture Winter, 2018, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

Medical Implications Of Space Radiation Exposure Due To Low-Altitude Polar Orbits, Jeffery C. Chancellor, Serena M. Auñon-Chancellor, John Charles

Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Space radiation research has progressed rapidly in recent years, but there remain large uncertainties in predicting and extrapolating biological responses to humans. Exposure to cosmic radiation and solar particle events (SPEs) may pose a critical health risk to future spaceflight crews and can have a serious impact on all biomedical aspects of space exploration. The relatively minimal shielding of the cancelled 1960s Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program's space vehicle and the high inclination polar orbits would have left the crew susceptible to high exposures of cosmic radiation and high dose-rate SPEs that are mostly unpredictable in frequency and intensity. …

2018 Annual Report, Louisiana Rice Research Board, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Rice Research Board Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Reducing Cardiovascular Disparities Through Community-Engaged Implementation Research: A National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute Workshop Report, George A. Mensah, Richard S. Cooper, Anna Maria Siega-Riz, Lisa A. Cooper, Justin D. Smith, C. Hendricks Brown, John M. Westfall, Elizabeth O. Ofili, Leshawndra N. Price, Sonia Arteaga, Melissa C. Green Parker, Cheryl R. Nelson, Bradley J. Newsome, Nicole Redmond, Rebecca A. Roper, Bettina M. Beech, Jada L. Brooks, Debra Furr-Holden, Samson Y. Gebreab, Wayne H. Giles, Regina Smith James, Tené T. Lewis, Ali H. Mokdad, Kari D. Moore, Joseph E. Ravenell, Al Richmond, Nancy E. Schoenberg, Mario Sims, Gopal K. Singh, Anne E. Sumner, Roberto P. Treviño, Karriem S. Watson, M. Larissa Avilés-Santa

Faculty Publications

Cardiovascular disparities remain pervasive in the United States. Unequal disease burden is evident among population groups based on sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, educational attainment, nativity, or geography. Despite the significant declines in cardiovascular disease mortality rates in all demographic groups during the last 50 years, large disparities remain by sex, race, ethnicity, and geography. Recent data from modeling studies, linked micromap plots, and small-Area analyses also demonstrate prominent variation in cardiovascular disease mortality rates across states and counties, with an especially high disease burden in the southeastern United States and Appalachia. Despite these continued disparities, few large-scale intervention studies …

Female Caribbean Immigrants' Perceptions Of The Influence Of Immigration On Obesity, Kerryann Nelson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity is a significant global issue, and its incidence has increased over time. A substantial percentage of the U.S. population suffers from this disease with a relatively high prevalence seen in individuals from the Caribbean. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore Caribbean women's perception of how migration to South Florida may have impacted the onset of obesity in this population. The social ecological model provided the framework for the study. Data were collected from 1-on-1 interviews held with 12 female participants between the ages of 18 and 35, who previously resided in the Caribbean at a healthy …

Recognizing The Danger Zone: Response Of Female White-Tailed To Discrete Hunting Events, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Stephen S. Ditchkoff, Bret A. Collier, Charles R. Ruth, Joshua B. Raglin

Faculty Publications

The landscape of fear theory proposes that prey should utilize habitat over space and time such that demographic risk is minimized. White-Tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus respond to temporally and spatially predictable threats posed by humans consistent with the landscape of fear theory. However, few studies examining the response of deer to hunting have accounted for the localized nature of risk. To determine if white-Tailed deer are able to recognize and respond to risks posed by hunters relative to specific hunting locations, we equipped 38 female white-Tailed deer with GPS collars August-December 2013-2015. Deer were generally found to increase use of …

Metabolic And Mechanical Effects Of Laddermill Graded Exercise Testing, Timothy D. Allerton, Conrad P. Earnest, Neil M. Johannsen

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to compare the metabolic responses and mechanical impact forces during a maximal graded exercise test (GXT) on a laddermill (LM) vs. a standard treadmill (TM). Twenty college-aged men (n = 10) and women completed a GXT on the TM and LM in random order. During the GXT, expired gases (VO2 and VCO2), heart rate, accelerometer data, blood lactate (BLa), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were collected in the last minute of each stage. Data were analyzed by paired t-tests and presented herein as mean ± SD. Treadmill exercise resulted in a higher VO2peak …

Double-Crop Soybean Response To Potassium On Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain And Piedmont Soils, Md Rasel Parvej, Anna S. Williams, David L. Holshouser, William H. Frame, Mark S. Reiter

Faculty Publications

Potassium fertilization research on soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] double cropped with winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is lacking. We characterized double-crop soybean response to fertilizer K across 22 Coastal Plain and Piedmont sites with and/or without wheat straw removal during 2013 to 2015. Mehlich-1 soil-K concentrations at 0- to 15- and 0- to 30-cm depths were better in explaining relative yield variability (r2 = 0.80), defining critical soil-K concentrations that ranged from 40 to 75 mg K kg–1 for 0- to 15-cm and 36 to 66 mg K kg–1 for 0- to 30-cm depths, and identifying K-deficient sites (100% …

Correlation And Calibration Of Soil-Test Potassium From Different Soil Depths For Full-Season Soybean On Coarse-Textured Soils, Anna S. Williams, Md Rasel Parvej, David L. Holshouser, William H. Frame, Mark S. Reiter

Faculty Publications

Quantifying soil-K availabilities at deeper depths may be necessary to determine optimum fertilizer-K rate for soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] grown on low cation exchange capacity (CEC) soils that are prone to K leaching. We characterized full-season soybean response to fertilizer-K across 19 coarse-textured low- CEC sites during 2013 and 2014. Mehlich-1 soil-K concentrations at 0- to 15- and 0- to 30-cm depths better correlated with relative yield and explained 90% of relative yield variation compared to 77% for 0- to 60-cm depth. Critical soil-K concentrations were similar for relative yield, V5 plant-K concentration, and R2 leaf-K concentration, ranging from …