Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

How Neonates Die: Mortality Trends And Associations In A Level Iv Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Erin Bolen, Ashley K. Sherman, Julie Weiner, Jotishna Sharma

Research Days

Background

Modes of neonatal mortality include withdrawal of life-sustaining interventions, non-escalation of interventions, and secondary to a code event. Mortality trends have been examined broadly, but the impact of clinical and demographic factors on the mode of neonatal mortality has yet to be evaluated. A greater understanding of this information would help guide medical decision-making and identify potential inequities. The aim is to evaluate the impact of clinical and demographic factors on the mode of neonatal death in a level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Study Design/Methods

Data were collected via retrospective chart review of patients who died at …

Trends In Substance Use And Mental Health Among Adolescents In Georgia, 2002-2022, Saumya S. Palipudi, Bangaru Talli Palipudi, Murty Komanduri

Georgia Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Conference

Background: While substance use and absence of mental health disorders among youth in the United States (US) have declined over the past two decades, post COVID-19 pandemic, these conditions have increased significantly with notable disparities, and witnessed a crisis in public health. In 2022, 24.7% or 6.1 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 in the US had either Major Depressive Episodes (MDE) or Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and 3.7 percent had both in the prior year². Increased stress, lack of peer connections, parental abuse, and poor mental health conditions were attributed to this increase in substance use^{3-7 …}

Interpersonal Experiential Learning And Cancer Research Training Designed To Enhance The Motivation Of Participating Interns Utilizing Self-Determination Theory: A Longitudinal Study With Photovoice Methodology, Alex Vazquez-Cortes, Dierdre Mckay, Connie Tran, Bridget Bugla, Tiffany Bui, Kaisa Holt, Anthony Phan, Clare Hansen, Amy Lin, Amanda Braley, Lisa Marriott Phd

Student Research Symposium

Historically, the underrepresentation of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, disabled, and diverse racial/ethnic groups in STEM fields is prevalent. Equity in stem fields allows for different perspectives and knowledge backgrounds allows for the cognitive diversity needed to tackle complex research topics. The Knight Scholars Program (KSP) aims to support underrepresented and disadvantaged high school and undergraduate students pursuing a research career by teaching them the tools they need to succeed. Spanning over three summers, KSP utilized the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) of motivation to create an inclusive learning environment and to strengthen the high schoolers' motivation to pursue research careers focusing on …

Pausing For More: Help Your Students Avoid Burnout With 1 Classroom Presentation, Sara E. Wigal

Faculty Scholarship Symposium

Undergraduate students suffer under increasing stressors despite enhanced on-campus wellness offerings at many institutions. In this presentation, participants will learn that a replicable innovative 60-minute in-classroom intervention can help measurably increase student mindfulness and sense of classroom belonging, which in turn are proven burnout-avoidance mechanisms. Learn how students who are taught to practice mindfulness paired with productivity skills can better connect with faculty in the classroom for a healthier college experience conducive to learning.

Incorporating Ai Tools To Enhance Information Literacy And Critical Thinking In First Year Medical Students, James Martin, Mercedes Byrd

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

This study aims to evaluate the impact of an educational intervention incorporating medical databases, search engines, and generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools on the critical thinking skills and confidence of first-year medical students at Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine (SOM). Approximately 125 students participating in a three-week pre-matriculation program will be subjects of the study. The intervention will consist of a curriculum focused on developing research questions, using search tools and GAI, evaluating sources, and writing a research paper. Pre- and post-tests, including a CARS assessment and a perceived knowledge and abilities questionnaire, will be administered to measure changes in …

Supporting Text And Data Analysis Across Campus From The Academic Library, Amy Kirchhoff, Hejin Shin Phd

Digital Initiatives Symposium

The ability to comprehend and communicate with text-based data is essential to future success in academics and employment, as evidenced in a recent survey from Bloomberg Research Services which shows that nearly 97% of survey respondents now use data analytics in their companies and 58% consider data and text mining a business analytics tool (https://www.sas.com/content/dam/SAS/bp_de/doc/studie/ba-st-the-current-state-of-business-analytics-2317022.pdf). This has fueled a substantial growth in text analysis research (involving the use of technology to analyze un- and semi-structured text data for valuable insights, trends, and patterns) across disciplines and a corresponding demand on academic libraries to support text analysis pedagogy and text analysis …

Comparative Analysis Of Japan And United State School Lunch Programs, Julie Phillips

Scholars Day Conference

A comparison of the school lunch programs in Japan and the U.S.

Assessment Of Condylar Morphology In Various Facial Types-Cbct Study, Dr.Shruti Patil

Annual Research Symposium

Mandibular condyle being part of the TMJ complex, its volume and shape play a pivotal role in treatment stability and outcomes in orthodontic and orthognathic patients over long term periods. Different loading patterns would result in different morphology of the TMJ. The association with different facial types and understanding the relationship between condylar position, morphology and jaw base divergence is limited. This study’s objective is to assess the condylar structure which includes condylar height, width and height of the fossa in different jaw base divergences.

A cross-sectional study was conducted in which 90 patients undergoing Orthodontic treatment were selected and …

Language Learning Disabilities: Adolescents Receiving Psychological Therapy In Addition To Speech Language Therapy, Katelyn Grace Mcnair, Catherine L. Cotton Phd.

Undergraduate Research Conference

Specific learning disabilities are among the most common disability categories, in which students receive special education and/or related services in schools, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (2023). Research has shown an increase of understanding in the areas of reading, writing, and spelling in individuals with learning disabilities. More recently, Ghiasi, Sedrpoushan, Abedi, Soltani (2022), noted students with learning disabilities have a lower level of achievement, motivation, self-esteem, and a high level of depression. Advances in language literacy remediation, may not be enough to overcome factors such as decreased self-esteem and fear of failure (Wolter, DiLollo, Apel, 2006). …

Hgs-3 The Influence Of A Tandem Cycling Program In The Community On Physical And Functional Health, Therapeutic Bonds, And Quality Of Life For Individuals And Care Partners Coping With Parkinson’S Disease, Leila Djerdjour, Jennifer L. Trilk

SC Upstate Research Symposium

Purpose Statement: Several studies have shown that aerobic exercise can have a positive impact on alleviating symptoms experienced by individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite this evidence, the potential benefits of exercise for both PD patients and their care partners (PD dyad) remain unexplored. This research project investigates the effectiveness, therapeutic collaborations, and physical outcomes of a virtual reality (VR) tandem cycling program specifically designed for PD dyads.

Methods: Following approval from the Prisma Health Institutional Review Board, individuals with PD were identified and screened by clinical neurologists. The pre-testing measures for PD dyads (N=9) included emotional and cognitive status …

The Effects Of Age, Employment, Marriage, And Education On Academic Motivation In Undergraduate Nursing Students, Jessica Hamm Msn Rn Phd Student

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

The Effects of Age, Employment, Marriage, and Education on Academic Motivation in Undergraduate Nursing Students

Purpose: The amount of research on non-cognitive variables affecting motivation is limited in nursing students. By using Self-Determination Theory, faculty can determine what motivates students to learn which will allow the creation of a learning environment that promotes student achievement.

Aim: To determine the effect age, marriage status, employment, and education level have on academic motivation in nursing students in the third semester of a baccalaureate nursing program within the framework of Self-Determination Theory.

Method: A descriptive correlational design was used to identify the effect …

A Systematic Review: Mirror Neurons & Schizophrenia, Yashesvi Sharma, Surajit Dey

Annual Research Symposium

This research project establishes a link between Mirror Neuron System (MNS) activity and this information's implications in treating and understanding schizophrenia, specifically, schizophrenic patients with negative symptoms.

Ofatumumab: A Novel Anti‑Cd20 Monoclonal Antibody For Multiple Sclerosis: A Review Of Clinical Considerations, William Barham, Katie Dillman

Medicine Research Day

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an antigen-specific, cell-mediated chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS). The disease is characterized by immune infiltration, progressive demyelination, and subsequent axonal loss, leading to a coterie of degenerative neurological symptoms, including, but not limited to, optic neuritis, partial myelitis, sensory disturbances, and internuclear ophthalmoplegia. While the exact inciting cause of the body’s autoreactivity in MS is not fully understood, it is has been linked to genetic, environmental, and infectious factors. Among the FDA-approved medications for the treatment of relapsingremitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), such as interferon-β, glatiramer acetate, natalizumab, mitoxantrone, fingolimod, teriflunomide, and alemtuzumab, …

Caring For The Incarcerated Patient: Provider Perceptions Of Quality Of Care, Haley Beavers Khoury

Medicine Research Day

Louisiana has the highest rate of incarceration in the United States, with a rate of 1,094 people per 100,000. In 2023, roughly 50,000 people were housed in over 100 prisons, jails, detention centers, juvenile facilities throughout the state. There are notable racial disparities in incarceration. Roughly 32% of the state’s overall population and roughly two thirds of its prison population is Black. These disparities can be traced to policy issues. A recent lawsuit against Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DPSC), Lewis v. Cain, found the healthcare offered at its flagship facility, Louisiana State Penitentiary (widely known as Angola) …

Adverse Events Associated With The Presence And Treatment Of Chronic Osteomyelitis, Renee Breauz

Medicine Research Day

Background: The presence and treatment of chronic osteomyelitis (COM) are known to cause complications and adverse reactions in some patients. In a previous study, researchers examined acute kidney infections (AKI) as a complication of diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFO).1 They found that patients diagnosed with AKI as a result of DFO were more likely to experience an increased number of hospitalizations and recurrences of infection relative to patients without this complication. In addition, antibiotic treatment of COM has also been known to cause complications. According to the CDC, 26.2% of adverse drug reactions are caused by antibiotics.2 Given the high frequency …

Sga Neonatal Outcomes In Anemic Gravid Patients: Does Treatment In Pregnancy Improve Neonatal Birthweight?, Mallory Brignac

Medicine Research Day

Objective: Small for gestational age (SGA) neonatal outcomes are associated with increased risks of stillbirth, preterm delivery, neonatal morbidity/mortality, and cognitive delay in childhood. Preventable etiologies of SGA, such as anemia, can be addressed with adequate prenatal care and identifying disparities in social determinants of health. In the first part of our study, we aim (1) to define the prevalence of anemia in all patients delivering at our community hospital (2) to understand the likelihood of SGA outcomes in anemic patients and (3) to determine if treatment of anemia during pregnancy improves the rate of appropriate neonatal birthweight. Methods: A …

The Covid-19 Pandemic And Recorded Cancer Incidence In Louisiana, Jordan Book

Medicine Research Day

The circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic are likely to have affected routine cancer screenings due to disruptions in healthcare and patients’ personal lives. With a decrease in screening, we would expect to see an associated decrease in new cancer diagnoses starting from 2020, indicating that many cases went undiagnosed and may be detected at advanced stages. With cancer being among the leading causes of death in adults and children, it is important to be aware of these trends. In this study, we focus on lung and bronchus, breast, colorectal, prostate, and melanoma skin cancer, which we selected because each type …

Predictors Of Chronic Osteomyelitis Between Comorbid Conditions Versus Social Determinants Of Health, Angella Chang

Medicine Research Day

Background: Osteomyelitis often requires surgery and a long course of antibiotics to treat. However, recurrent infection can still occur. Moore et al. found that health comorbidities, such as coronary artery disease (CAD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), are risk factors for recurrent infection1. Social determinants of health (SDOH) are other risk factors important to consider for poor health outcomes, including recurrence of osteomyelitis. One study found that living in poverty-driven neighborhoods increases mortality from trauma-related injury2. Moreover, recurrent osteomyelitis is a challenging diagnosis as it can lead to adverse events related to prolonged antibiotics3. It is, therefore, imperative to understand …

Kappa Opioid Receptor-Expressing Cells In The Basolateral Amygdala Regulate Social-Stress Escalated Drinking, Katherine Copenhaver

Medicine Research Day

Aversive stress experiences can lead to escalated drug consumption and increase the risk of relapse. Individuals who consume alcohol to alleviate the effects of social stress are more likely to develop an alcohol use disorder. Social stress has been most effectively modeled in animals through social defeat paradigms. Repeated social defeat stress (SDS) enhances the rewarding and reinforcing effects of alcohol. However, the neural mechanisms by which SDS increases alcohol consumption are not well understood. Our results show that repeated SDS enhances alcohol consumption and preference in both male and female C57BL/6J mice. The Dynorphin/Kappa opioid receptor (Dyn/KOR) system has …

Impact Of Late Prenatal Care On Anemia Prevalence And Sga Outcomes, Breyanah Graham

Medicine Research Day

Background: Inadequate prenatal care is associated with an increased risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. This correlation is due to the potential delays in identifying and addressing pregnancy complications during routine prenatal visits. Anemia, for instance, is a common laboratory finding that is detected during prenatal screenings. However, without adequate prenatal care, anemia may be undiagnosed and untreated, leading to complications such as small for gestational age (SGA) infants. Therefore, when patients establish prenatal care late in pregnancy, the early detection and management of conditions such as anemia is essential to reduce the risks associated with SGA and ensure …

Medicaid Reimbursement For Total Joint Arthroplasty In The United States: Implications For Patient Access To High-Quality Arthroplasty Care, Lamiah Hall

Medicine Research Day

Introduction: While recent American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) advocacy efforts have focused on Medicare physician fee schedule cuts for total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), few studies have evaluated Medicaid reimbursement. Substantial variability among Medicaid payments between states may have implications for equitable access to quality orthopaedic care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in physician reimbursements by state between patients undergoing TKA or THA with Medicaid insurance compared to Medicare insurance. Methods: Individual states were queried for publicly available Medicaid physician fees and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services …

Factors Associated With Post-Operative Opioid Use In Opioid Naïve Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty, Clifton Daigle

Medicine Research Day

Background: Opioids persist as a concern for post-surgical complications such as ileus, urinary retention, delayed rehabilitation, and opioid dependence. Yet, they are still routinely prescribed following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Evidence suggests that preoperative and in-hospital opioid use are risk factors for postoperative opioid use after TKA or total hip arthroplasty. However, there is still a paucity of information regarding the extent to which intraoperative opioid exposure contributes to postoperative opioid use in opioid naïve TKA patients. Our study aimed to assess the effect of in-hospital opioids, such as intraoperative IV, post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) IV, or PACU oral opioids, …

Failure To Follow-Up, There’S More To The Story, Emily Dubuisson, Emma Domangue

Medicine Research Day

Background: Food insecurity is the uncertainty or limitation of access to safe, nutritious food for an active healthy lifestyle with normal growth and development, which can lead to negative health outcomes, poor development, and lower life expectancy. Literature regarding attendance in elective health programs, like the Geaux Get Healthy Clinical Program at Our Lady of the Lake (OLOL), is scarce. Using the available literature on lack of attendance at healthcare appointments can help identify factors and characteristics of patients at higher risk for not completing or enrolling in such programs. This project aims to investigate the reasons behind the lack …

Case Series: Safety And Effectiveness Of 3-Level Lumbar Percutaneous Decompression With An Interspinous Spacer, Eric Finke

Medicine Research Day

Background: Lumbar interspinous process decompression (IPD) to treat lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) was first made available in the 1980s. In 2015, the FDA approved a second-generation IPD spacer. The main difference is that this surgery may be performed by an interventional pain medicine physician under moderate sedation. 5-year data from an industry-sponsored study on IPD have been published showing improvements in quality of life (QOL) and pain scores.1 Indications for Vertiflex IPD include skeletally mature patients who have neurogenic intermittent claudication secondary to moderate stenosis at one or two levels. Function should improve when the patients are in lumbar flexion. …

Orthopaedic Infections: A Primer, Gregory Laborde

Medicine Research Day

Background: In a 1992 Internal Medicine Grand Rounds presentation that focused on medical education, Dr. Frank Griffin, Jr. made the comment that “understanding is the key to learning” (Griffin, 1992). His contention was that for information to be effectively retrieved, it must first be efficiently stored. Griffin said that the focus is usually on acquiring a “morass of details,” which precludes the commitment of time to consider concepts. Memorizing mounds of facts without having an effective conceptual framework to store them is often an unsuccessful learning style because memory frequently fails without understanding. To accomplish this goal, we offer a …

Investigating An Adaptive Target Biofeedback Paradigm To Reduce Gait Asymmetry In Older Adults Post-Stroke, John Macaulay

Medicine Research Day

Background: Stroke is one of the most common causes of long-term disability in the United States and can present with debilitating motor impairment. Asymmetric walking patterns due to hemiparesis are energetically costly and impair walking performance. For this reason, gait asymmetry is an important target of clinical gait training and post stroke rehabilitation research. Visual gait biofeedback training is an effective, well-studied way to alter walking patterns in people with chronic stroke. However, there exists large methodological variability between studies with discrepancies in feedback target and feedback structure. The objective of this study was to determine the utility of a …

Brcc36 Contributes To Ace2 Deubiquitination In Salt-Sensitive Hypertensive Female Mice, Hasan Mir

Medicine Research Day

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hypertension directly contributed to 691,095 deaths in 2021, making it one of the leading causes of death in the United States. The brain renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Angiotensin-II (Ang-II) binds to the Ang-II type 1 receptor (AT1R) and mediates the vasoconstrictive and pro-hypertensive effects. On the other hand, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) mitigates the pro-hypertensive effects of Ang-II by cleaving it into Ang-(1-7), a vasodilator. We have previously reported that Ang-II mediates the internalization and degradation of ACE2. In hypertensive males, we identified …

Does Preoperative Antibiotic Timing Prior To Incision And Drainage Procedures For Severe Odontogenic Infections Affect Length Of Stay Or Reoperation, Dylan Mire

Medicine Research Day

Background: An odontogenic infection can be a life-threatening medical condition which requires incision and drainage (I&D) in the operating room. Prior to these procedures, many patients are started on antibiotics; however, the effects of the timing of starting the antibiotics prior to surgery is not known. Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study consisting of all adult patients treated in the OR with I&D for odontogenic infections from 1/1/2015 to 7/30/2021 at a large, urban academic hospital. The primary predictor variable was preoperative antibiotic timing—the amount of time between when the antibiotic was given before surgery and incision time. …

Development Of An Experiential Learning Lab Activity On Skeletal Muscle Physiology In Undergraduate Md Pre-Clerkship Curriculum, Meyer B. Maddox, Angela Martinez, Daniel Salinas, Kelsey Potter-Baker, Amin Shah

Research Symposium

Background: Experiential learning is an important part of the medical education curriculum. Due to the clinical relevance of skeletal muscle strength in evaluating patients’ complaints of muscle weakness or imbalance, skeletal muscle physiology is an important concept with extensive potential for experiential learning opportunities. Our goal was to establish an experiential learning skeletal muscle physiology lab activity that would improve undergraduate MD pre-clerkship students’ skill to collect muscle force measurements using a hand-held dynamometer (HHD) and understanding of core physiological concepts.

Methods: As part of the Musculoskeletal and Dermatology (MSKD) Module in the undergraduate MD pre-clerkship curriculum, we developed a …

Assessing The Reliability, Internal Consistency, And Sensitivity Of A Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire For Four-Year-Old Pre-K Children, Lin Wang, Karla Cortez, Brenda Rodriguez, Joseph Reyes, Moises Cisneros, Elizabeth Alanis, Zasha Romero, Lisa Michelle Belzer Salinas, Juan López Alvarenga, Roberto Treviño-Peña

Research Symposium

Introduction: Assessing nutrition knowledge in four-year-olds, a developmental stage marked by limited attention spans and varying comprehension abilities, is challenging with traditional methods. A reliable test is pivotal for establishing a foundation for future health interventions. We evaluated a 13-question nutrition and healthy habits test in Pre-K4 children to assess reliability and sensitivity to detect differences.

Methods: Calculations included Cronbach's alpha, kappa coefficient, McNemar analysis by item, and Bland-Altman plots for test-retest differences. Mixed model regression assessed the questionnaire's sensitivity by sex and association with age. Item response theory (IRT) models were employed, generating latent abilities for students and individual …