Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Affects Of Music Therapy On Management Of Pain And Anxiety During Burn Dressing Changes, Kush S. Patel

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not music therapy improves pain management and anxiety during burn dressing changes.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English languages primary randomized controlled trial studies published from 1992-2010.

DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials studying the affects of music therapy during burn dressing changes were found using PubMed, OVID and Cochrane databases.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Outcomes measured were level of pain and anxiety experienced by the patients. The severities of these symptoms were measured using a numeric scale system. An analyses of anxiety was measured …

Does Treatment With Amantadine Increase The Rate Of Improvement Of Cognitive Function In Patients Suffering From Traumatic Brain Injury?, Matthew Voit

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: To determine, “Does treatment with amantadine improve the rate of cognitive function in patients with Traumatic Brain Injury?”

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language randomized controlled trials from 1999-2012

DATA SOURCES: Three randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind cross-over trials comparing amantadine to placebo were found using Pub-Med and Cochrane Databases.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: The trials measured the effects of amantadine on command-following, object recognition, functional object use, intelligible verbalization, reliable yes-or-no communication, sustained attention, orientation, attention, memory, executive flexibility, and behavior and used the following assessment tools: Neurobehavioral Rating Scale and DRS (Disability Rating Scale).

RESULTS …

Is Dexamethasone Epidural Injection Effective In Relieving Radicular Pain In An Adult Population?, Christine M. Unger

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not dexamethasone epidural injections are effective in treating radicular pain in an adult population.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three randomized controlled trials, two of which were published in 2012 and one in 2010, all English language.

DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials comparing dexamethasone epidural injections to saline injections. All articles were found using PubMed, Medline, and OVID.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Researchers measured pain associated with radicular pain using the Short McGill Pain Questionnaire, Numeric Pain Scale, and Oswestry Disability Index.

RESULTS: All …

Is Melatonin An Effective Treatment For Sleep Problems In Autism?, Andrew J. Winkler

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not melatonin is an effective treatment for sleep problems in Autism.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language, randomized controlled blinded trials published within peer-reviewed journals from 2006-2010 evaluating the efficacy of Melatonin as an oral sleep supplement in diagnosed autistic children.

DATA SOURCES: A double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial; a randomized controlled crossover trial; and a randomized controlled trial found using Cochrane, PubMed, and DynaMed.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Total night’s sleep duration, number of awakenings, and sleep latency time were all measured …

Is Local Infiltration Analgesia (Lia) A Safe And Effective Method For Post-Operative Pain Management After A Unilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty (Tka)?, Brooke A. Bonnette

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review is to determine whether or not local infiltration analgesia (LIA) is a safe and effective method for post-operative pain management after a unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language primary studies published in 2010 and 2011.

DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials comparing local infiltration analgesia to three separate controls: epidural analgesia, placebo infiltration and femoral nerve block found using PubMed.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Clinical outcome was measured by total morphine use postoperatively and average knee pain intensity at rest and upon movement postoperatively. Total morphine use …

What Is The Effectiveness Of Onabotulinumtoxina (Botox®) In Reducing The Number Of Chronic Migraines (Cm) In Patients 18-65 Years Old?, Kristin A. Beddingfield

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox®) is effective in reducing the number of chronic migraines (CM) in patients 18-65 years old? Study Design: Review of three published, double blind randomized controlled trials were used for this review, which were found on PubMed; were selected based on their relevance to the clinical question and if they included patient oriented outcomes.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: The outcomes measured were headache/migraine free days measured by >50% responder rate analysis, the Treatment Responder Rate based on Physician Global Assessment, and total adverse events reported by …

Is Modafinil (Provigil®) Effective In Improving Cognitive Function In Adults With Narcolepsy?, Stephanie V. Bui

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not modafinil (Provigil®) is effective in improving cognitive function in adults with narcolepsy.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of all English language primary randomized controlled trials from 1996 to 2010.

DATA SOURCES: Double-blind, randomized controlled trials that compared modafinil (Provigil®) to a visually matched placebo were found using OVID, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Databases.

OUTCOME(S) MEASURED: Each of the three trials assessed the effect of modafinil on cognitive and executive function by Low-Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA), and the following assessment tools: Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Multiple Sleep …

Does Whole Body Vibration (Wbv) Therapy Positively Affect The Motor Skills Of Patients Who Have Been Diagnosed With Parkinson’S Disease?, Courtney Forsyth

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review is to determine whether Whole Body Vibration (WBV) therapy positively affects the motor skills of patients who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of 3 English language primary studies. All three were randomized control trials; one was rater blinded and one double blinded with a placebo.

DATA SOURCES: All of the articles were Randomized Control Trials found using the PubMed database.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Each of the three studies looked at the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease patients before and after Whole Body Vibration Therapy. Each study used the Unified Parkinson’s Disease …

Is 1.25 Mg Oral Fingolimod Effective In Reducing Relapses In Adults With Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis?, Caitlin M. Cook

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review is to determine whether or not is 1.25 mg oral fingolimod effective in reducing relapses in adults with relapsing multiple sclerosis.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language primary studies published between 2006 and 2010.

DATA SOURCES: Randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trials comparing daily 1.25 mg oral fingolimod to either identical placebo capsules or weekly intramuscular interferon beta-1a therapy were found using Pubmed and Cochrane Databases.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Annualized relapse rate was assessed in all studies. Relapses were confirmed by neurologists and assessed using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) to evaluate worsening …

Alzheimer's Disease Association With Chlamydia Pneumoniae, Andrew Short

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Exogenous bacteria, such as Chlamydia pneumoniae, may be a cause of inflammation that contributes to the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Inflammation has been previously established as a contributor to AD progression. Balin et al. first reported C. pneumoniae in the brains of post-mortem late onset AD patients. PCR analysis showed that 17/19 AD patients were positive for the organism in areas of the brain with typical AD-related neuropathology while 18/19 control patients were PCR-negative. Gerard et al. determined, using real-time PCR, that C. pneumoniae-infected cells colocalize with both neuritic senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, the defining pathologies of AD. …

Is L-Carnitine An Effective Treatment To Improve The Quality Of Life For Patients With Rett Syndrome?, Bernadette Mason

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective: To determine “Is L-carnitine an effective treatment to improve the quality of life for patients with Rett Syndrome?”