Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Investment By Maternal Grandmother Buffers Children Against The Impacts Of Adverse Early Life Experiences, Samuli Helle, Antti O. Tanskanen, David A. Coall, Gretchen Perry, Martin Daly, Mirkka Danielsbacka

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Exogenous shocks during sensitive periods of development can have long-lasting effects on adult phenotypes including behavior, survival and reproduction. Cooperative breeding, such as grandparental care in humans and some other mammal species, is believed to have evolved partly in order to cope with challenging environments. Nevertheless, studies addressing whether grandparental investment can buffer the development of grandchildren from multiple adversities early in life are few and have provided mixed results, perhaps owing to difficulties drawing causal inferences from non-experimental data. Using population-based data of English and Welsh adolescents (sample size ranging from 817 to 1197), we examined whether grandparental investment …

Cognitive And Neuroscientific Perspectives Of Healthy Ageing, Jon B. Prince, Helen L. Davis, Jane Tan, Katrina Muller-Townsend, Shaun Markovic, David M. G. Lewis, Brianne Hastie, Matthew B. Thompson, Peter D. Drummond, Hakuei Fujiyama, Hamid R. Sohrabi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

With dementia incidence projected to escalate significantly within the next 25 years, the United Nations declared 2021–2030 the Decade of Healthy Ageing, emphasising cognition as a crucial element. As a leading discipline in cognition and ageing research, psychology is well-equipped to offer insights for translational research, clinical practice, and policy-making. In this comprehensive review, we discuss the current state of knowledge on age-related changes in cognition and psychological health. We discuss cognitive changes during ageing, including (a) heterogeneity in the rate, trajectory, and characteristics of decline experienced by older adults, (b) the role of cognitive reserve in age-related cognitive decline, …

Protocol: Factors Influencing The Implementation Of Non-Pharmacological Interventions For Behaviours And Psychological Symptoms Of Dementia In Residential Aged Care Homes: A Systematic Review And Qualitative Evidence Synthesis, Hunduma D. Ayeno, Gizat M. M. Kassie, Mustafa Atee, Tuan Nguyen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review. The objectives are as follows. This paper aims to describe a protocol for a systematic review that will synthesise the qualitative evidence regarding factors influencing the implementation of non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) for behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) management in residential aged care homes (RACHs). The planned systematic review aims to answer the research question: ‘What are the factors influencing the implementation of NPIs in the management of BPSD at RACHs?’. Additionally, the planned systematic review also aims to generate recommendations to guide stakeholders (e.g., clinicians and aged care staff) and …

Librarian Support For Graduate Medical Education: 5-Year Check-In, Abby L. Adamczyk, Mlis, Ahip, Gary Kaplan, Mslis, Ahip, John Caruso, Md

Academic Commons and Scott Memorial Library Staff Papers and Presentations

Background

The SKMC Office of the Dean through its Graduate Medical Education (GME) Section identified a need for more comprehensive support for GME research efforts. This was intensified as the residency program requirements began to formalize the expectations and quantification of scholarly output for both trainees and core GME faculty.1 In consultation with the Director of the Academic Commons, this GME-focused position was conceptualized to better meet the needs of our residents and faculty, and thus enhance the scholarly projects of our GME constituency. This would build on existing scholarly support2 including professional writing services.3 As part of the Information …

Early Intervention Within Orthodontics: The Sociological Aspects, Trenton Hammond

Honors Theses

Orthodontic treatment is one of the final phases of dental treatment. Its use is to provide aesthetics in some cases, yet the quality-of-life aspect that it can provide is greatly underestimated. Orthodontic care can provide proper function of teeth, improve facial structure, avoid tooth decay/loss, and improve gum health (AAO, 2024). Within this research the overarching goal is to understand the sociological aspects of families looking to start orthodontic care, what the reasons behind starting or not starting are, and providing information to the public about orthodontics that may be misunderstood or might push people away from searching for orthodontic …

Using The Motivated Information Management Theory And The Social Support Theory To Understand Caregiver Perspectives Of Currently Available Health Communication Regarding Dementia: A Qualitative Study, Sara J. Alig

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Dementia brings a cascade of changes into the life of not only the person facing it, but also the lives of the supporting family and caregivers. Dementia manifests with a gradual decline, or in some cases, a variably progressive decline in cognitive abilities. This decline requires the individual to rely more and more on caregivers. Caregiving necessitates the giving of oneself for another’s sake and oftentimes results in negative physical and social-emotional side effects. To navigate through the changes that are happening to their loved ones, as well as to themselves, caregivers need educational and social support. The purpose of …

A Phenomenological Study Of Adult Patients With Auto-Immune Disease And Their Exposure To Adverse Childhood Experiences, Milton Louis Gonzalez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study explored and described the shared experiences of individuals impacted by an autoimmune disease and their exposure to adverse childhood experiences. The theory guiding this study was Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory, utilizing Kaiser Permanente’s Adverse Childhood Experience study as a guide to create awareness amongst physicians and mental health professionals, leading them to a more holistic approach when treating patients affected by an autoimmune disease. This was a qualitative study using Husserl’s transcendental phenomenology (TPh). The data collection methods used in the study included questionnaires, individual interviews, and document analysis. These forms of data were analyzed through …

An Investigation Of The Effect Of A Combined Physical Exercise And Counseling As A Therapeutic Approach To Reducing Anxiety Symptoms, Andrea C. Beltran

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Mental health issues are on the rise as the increase in emotional, psychological, and social well-being affects how people think, act, or feel toward themselves and others. The topic of physical exercise and mental health services has been researched to show a strong relationship between physical activity and positive mental health outcomes. Anxiety is the most common mental health concern in the United States (Goodwin et al., 2020). This study aims to investigate and quantify the impact and explore the relationships of the combined intervention approach of physical activity and counseling in reducing symptoms of anxiety. This research will utilize …

An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Exploring African American Women’S Perceptions Of Access To Healthcare In The Midwest, Ramona D. Benson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to explore access to healthcare through the lens and lived experiences of African American Women (AAW) in Midwestern towns throughout the United States. African American women and other people of low socio-economic backgrounds continue to live with poorer health outcomes than many of their counterparts African American Women experience barriers to healthcare from a unique perspective than their White counterparts. Although medical professionals endeavor to attain equal treatment among each of their patients, significant healthcare disparities are prevalent among AAW Commonly recognized ethnic stereotypes are not always intentionally supported, however, their mere …

States’ Covid-19 Restrictions Were Associated With Increases In Drug Overdose Deaths In 2020, Douglas A. Wolf, Shannon M. Monnat, Jennifer Karas Montez, Emily E. Wiemers, Elyse Grossman

Center for Policy Research

Drug overdoses surged in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health experts raised concerns in the pandemic’s early months about how the pandemic and the policies enacted to stem it might increase overdose risk. This brief summarizes the findings of a paper that used national data to identify how states’ COVID-19 policies affected drug overdose rates among U.S. adults ages 25-64 during the first year of the pandemic. Results show that counties located in states that adopted more aggressive in-person activity restrictions experienced larger increases in 2020 than counties located in states with fewer limitations. State economic support policies …

Gut Microbiota, Blood Metabolites, And Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction In Us Hispanics/Latinos, Kai Luo, Alkis Taryn, Eun-Hye Moon, Brandilyn A Peters, Scott D Solomon, Martha L Daviglus, Mayank M Kansal, Bharat Thyagarajan, Marc D Gellman, Jianwen Cai, Robert D Burk, Rob Knight, Robert C Kaplan, Susan Cheng, Carlos J Rodriguez, Qibin Qi, Bing Yu

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) is an important precursor of heart failure (HF), but little is known about its relationship with gut dysbiosis and microbial-related metabolites. By leveraging the multi-omics data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a study with population at high burden of LVDD, we aimed to characterize gut microbiota associated with LVDD and identify metabolite signatures of gut dysbiosis and incident LVDD.

RESULTS: We included up to 1996 Hispanic/Latino adults (mean age: 59.4 years; 67.1% female) with comprehensive echocardiography assessments, gut microbiome, and blood metabolome data. LVDD was defined through a composite criterion …

Brains Over Bronze, Natalia L. Williams

Whittier Scholars Program

While we as a society have made great strides in rewarding and praising athletes for the shows of great physical display, there is a lack of support or awareness of the mental health aspects of competition, especially at the college and professional level. This project illuminates the dire need for mental health resources and training. Athletes undergo a number of pressures and challenges in their work life as well as their personal development. Through literature review, this symposium aims to offer insight on the experiences of college and professional athletes, then providing mental health and psychological skills training resources that …

Suicide Rates Are Lower In Places With More Social Infrastructure, Xue Zhang, Danielle Rhubart, Shannon M. Monnat

Population Health Research Brief Series

Suicide rates among working-age adults (ages 25-64) in the United States are high, rising, and unequal across the country. Social infrastructure (SI), such as libraries, community centers, coffee shops, and entertainment venues, may reduce suicide risk by improving social cohesion, social support, and information and resource sharing. This data slice shows that suicide rates among working-age adults in 2016-2019 were significantly lower in counties with more SI, even after accounting for county-level differences in demographic composition (e.g., age, race/ethnicity, education), health care availability, and metropolitan status.

The State Of Mental Health In The Mountain West, 2023, Ayda Atici, Freddy Nie, Jesse M. Fager-Larsen, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet examines the state of mental health for both youth and adults and availability of mental health care in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The data are retrieved from Mental Health America’s (MHA) 2023 report, The State of Mental Health in America.

Mortality In Medicine, Maren Dougherty

Honors Projects

Practitioners in the medical field attend to health issues across one’s lifespan from birth to death and everything in between. A common conflict in today’s practice of medicine is establishing the true function of medicine. The complete reliance on medicine to ward off death proliferates the biomedicalization of natural life processes, like death. Biomedicalization is the process in which medical authority and its accompanying technology begin to control other aspects of daily life. With medicine’s ultimate goal being to cure disease and fight death, it interferes with the inevitability of human mortality. End-of-life treatment can be taken too far without …

Los Intérpretes Médicos Son Un Derecho, No Un Privilegio, Morgan Uesseler

World Languages and Cultures Senior Capstones

This essay explores medical interpretation as a right, not a privilege. It argues that medical interpretation is a vital service that should be required in all healthcare settings, not just in those that are funded by the government. Themes addressed include the difference between interpretation and translation, face-to-face interpretation versus telecommunication, liabilities and risks associated with untrained and uncertified medical interpreters, and the federal law Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Challenges experienced during any medical session are underscored, while giving special focus to limited English proficient Hispanic patients whose healthcare literacy is in Spanish, not English.

Identifying Phytoremediation Performing Plant Species That Can Be Utilized In The Improvement Of Heavy Metal Contaminated Soils, Ashley Clark*, Samuel Mutiti

Graduate Research Showcase

Heavy metal pollution is a problem associated with industrialization and development. Two major metals that are commonly mined and can enter the environment, which can jeopardize communities’ health, are copper (Cu) and lead (Pb). There are different options for reducing heavy metal pollution in the environment via remediation efforts, including physical, chemical, and biological methods. However, physical and chemical remediation can be costly and labor-intensive, making them unsuitable for regions that do not have the funds to utilize these practices. Biological remediation is a more cost-conservative practice that has been shown in many studies to be effective in the gradual …

Therapeutic Use Of Music For Geriatric Dementia Patients, Katelynn E. Roscioli

Honors Program Projects

Dementia impacts millions of individuals and their families worldwide, yet many caregivers remain untrained, unpaid, and unable to maintain their own health while caring for their patients. Despite the need for support, limited resources exist to aid these caregivers in combatting this progressive, debilitating disease. One possibility lies in practices rooted in music therapy, which have been shown to restore memory retention, personhood, and quality of life in dementia patients. However, individuals outside of music therapists, especially those with limited musical backgrounds, may not consider implementing music therapy within their care plan. To make this approach more accessible, a website …

Does Assisted Living Provide Assistance And Promote Living?, Sheryl Zimmerman, Robyn Stone, Paula Carder, Kali Thomas

Institute on Aging Publications

Assisted living has promised assistance and quality of living to older adults for more than eighty years. It is the largest residential provider of long-term care in the United States, serving more than 918,000 older adults as of 2018. As assisted living has evolved, the needs of residents have become more challenging; staffing shortages have worsened; regulations have become complex; the need for consumer support, education, and advocacy has grown; and financing and accessibility have become insufficient. Together, these factors have limited the extent to which today's assisted living adequately provides assistance and promotes living, with negative consequences for aging …

Psychology Of Athletes: Impact Of Injuries On Mental Health, Caitlin Rainey

Whittier Scholars Program

This article aims to contextualize the importance of understanding injuries in athletics and how those injuries impact mental health. With such a high prevalence of injuries in athletics, most studies analyze the physical implications on the athlete. It is vital that mental well being is studied as much as physical health throughout the injury and rehabilitation process. This study reviewed previous literature on the social impacts of team sports, psychological and social implications of injury, the impact of residual pain, and finally the process of retirement. A survey was also conducted at a small liberal arts college in Southern California …

A Pilot Study Considering Pain-Relieving Medications And Opioid Knowledge And Use Among Elite Athletes, Jackie Vandertuin, Dalya Abdulla, Stephanie Lowther-Gagnon, Miranda Manolakos

Publications and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Expanding The Access To Kidney Transplantation: Strategies For Kidney Transplant Programs, Angie Nishio Lucar, Ankita Patel, Shikha Mehta, Anju Yadav, Mona Doshi, Megan Urbanski, Beatrice Concepcion, Neeraj Singh, M. Lee Sanders, Arpita Basu, Jessica Harding, Ana Rossi, Oluwafisayo Adebiyi, Milagros Samaniego-Picota, Kenneth Woodside, Ronald Parsons

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Kidney transplantation is the most successful kidney replacement therapy available, resulting in improved recipient survival and societal cost savings. Yet, nearly 70 years after the first successful kidney transplant, there are still numerous barriers and untapped opportunities that constrain the access to transplant. The literature describing these barriers is extensive, but the practices and processes to solve them are less clear. Solutions must be multidisciplinary and be the product of strong partnerships among patients, their networks, health care providers, and transplant programs. Transparency in the referral, evaluation, and listing process as well as organ selection are paramount to build such …

The Moderating Effect Of Socioeconomic Status And Walkability On The Efficacy Of Physical Activity Interventions, Analisa Vavoso, Vincent Berardi, Marc A. Adams

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

To enable physical activity (PA) interventions to better tailor procedures to participant characteristics, we investigated the role of neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and walkability on the differential effectiveness of adaptive versus static activity goals (AG vs. SG) and immediate versus delayed (IR vs. DR) reinforcement in a PA trial.

Data was collected as a part of the WalkIT Arizona study, where healthy, inactive adults (n = 512) were instructed to wear an accelerometer daily for one year and were provided with daily goals for moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). The intersection of goal types (adaptive and static) as well as reinforcement types …

Alcohol Use Disorder: Behaviors And Comorbidities In Recovery, Ryann Schochet

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The purpose of this study was to determine the connection between length of sobriety, for people with alcohol use disorder, and their experience with related disorders and traits. Impulsivity, compulsions, obsessions, generalized anxiety, panic attacks, and neuroticism have all been researched in relation with the development of alcohol use disorder and drinking behaviors. This study strived to determine the presence of these symptoms and behaviors within one’s recovery, and their effect on one’s overall sobriety. This study compared self-reported symptoms of Alcoholics Anonymous members to their current length of sobriety and past relapses. Symptoms of Attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Obsessive Compulsive …

Sufferance For Snuff Puffs: The Acceptability And Behavior Of Smoking Marijuana And Tobacco Inside The House, Eusabeia Silfanus, Oliver Lopez, Vincent Berardi

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Secondhand smoke (SHS) released from indoor smoking contributes to household air pollution, releasing large quantities of fine particulate matter which can pose negative health outcomes, especially for developing children who spend most of their time at home. The increased legalization of marijuana increases its recreational and medicinal use along with its acceptability. With tobacco use remaining prevalent, the use of marijuana and/or tobacco remains common and may occur inside the home. Project Fresh Air conducted in San Diego County studies the air quality in households (n = 298) with at least one adult smoking tobacco and/or marijuana living with at …

States’ Covid-19 Restrictions Were Associated With Increases In Drug Overdose Deaths In 2020, Douglas A. Wolf, Shannon M. Monnat, Jennifer Karas Montez, Emily E. Wiemers, Elyse Grossman

Population Health Research Brief Series

Drug overdoses surged in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health experts raised concerns in the pandemic’s early months about how the pandemic and the policies enacted to stem it might increase overdose risk. This brief summarizes the findings of a paper that used national data to identify how states’ COVID-19 policies affected drug overdose rates among U.S. adults ages 25-64 during the first year of the pandemic. Results show that counties located in states that adopted more aggressive in-person activity restrictions experienced larger increases in 2020 than counties located in states with fewer limitations. State economic support policies …

Program Curricula For Preparing Medical Professionals On Early Childhood Mental Health, Socio-Emotional Development, And Adverse Childhood Experiences In Primary Care Settings: A Phenomenological Study, Jesutomilola O. Olayemi

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Primary care settings serve as the frontline for addressing the holistic well-being of individuals and particularly for children, they play a pivotal role in shaping early childhood experiences. Pediatric primary care physicians are pivotal in addressing the scarcity of mental health resources for children aged zero to five. There is limited knowledge regarding the competence of pediatric primary care providers in providing developmentally appropriate mental health care in early childhood. Therefore, this phenomenological study examined how early childhood mental health, social-emotional development, and adverse childhood experiences and their related screening practices were integrated into the curricula for preparing prospective pediatric …

Numerical Variations In The Thoracic And Lumbar Vertebrae Within The John A. Williams Skeletal Collection, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, Nc (Usa), Leanna Annette Sanford

Anthropology Department: Theses

This research is on how human variation can lead to the identification of remains based on skeletal variation. The data were collected by performing a morphoscopic trait study of the John A. Williams (J.A.W.) Documented Human Skeletal Collection at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC (USA). Morphoscopic traits are nonmetric traits, visually identified using the knowledge of osteology. The study was performed to study variation of the vertebral column, specifically focusing on morphoscopic traits of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. The focus of this research is centralized on the presence of numerical variations in the vertebral column such as eleven …

The Osteobiography Of Human Remains From The Seaview And Indian Town Trail Archaeological Sites, Maggie M. Klemm

Anthropology Department: Theses

Extensive site surveys and excavations on the Island of Barbuda led by Dr. Sophia Perdikaris have identified over 62 sites spanning from the Archaic time period to Historic times. Over the last 18 years, these multidisciplinary teams have focused on mapping all sites and performing rescue excavations on sites threatened by sea level rise, erosion or development. Two such sites are the Saladoid site of Seaview (BA016) and the Troumassoid site of Indian Town Trail (BA01). The dunes surrounding the site of Seaview receive the brunt of storms and hurricanes. In 1998 hurricane Georges exposed skeletal material now part of …

Expanding Content In A Health Sciences Library Discovery Service: Changing The Default Search Scope In A Shared Consortium Environment, Sara Hoover, Brian Mcdonald, Jolinda Thompson, Deborah Wassertzug

Himmelfarb Library Faculty Posters and Presentations

No abstract provided.