Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Full Issue, Volume 11, Number 1, Donna J. Peterson, Scott Cummings

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

No abstract provided.

Improving Pubmed For The Novice At The Expense Of The Expert: Surveying Librarians 3 Years Post-New Pubmed, Tim Kenny Mls, Heather Kemp Mlis

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

Background: In 2019 PubMed, the publically accessible search interface for the MEDLINE database underwent a user interface update and overhaul. MEDLINE is the primary component of PubMed, a literature database developed and maintained by the NLM National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)” (National Library of Medicine, 2022).

Methods: Using a brief web-based survey, comprised of both closed-ended and open-ended questions, health science library professionals provided feedback on the new PubMed.

The Diagnostic Odyssey Of Hypermobile Eds Patients: Diagnosis, Clinical Expectations, And Psychosocial Concerns, Madeline Alpar

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a highly variable, heritable connective tissue disorder. Hypermobile EDS (hEDS) is the most common subtype of EDS and has no identifiable underlying genetic etiology. Patients with clinical features of hEDS face a long diagnostic odyssey due to lack of genetic testing and wide clinical heterogeneity. Additionally, recent research has shown that genetic institutions limit evaluations for suspected hEDS, adding another barrier to care.

Methods: We developed an online patient survey to explore the diagnostic odyssey of hEDS for those who were diagnosed with or suspicious for hEDS. This survey included sections on demographics, diagnostic information …

The Need For Racial And Ethnic Health Disparity Curriculum In Genetic Counseling Programs, Yusra Aziz

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Racial and ethnic health disparities (REHD) exist across all organized medicine, including the spectrum of genetic counseling, particularly in genomic testing and access to care. While cultural competency and health disparities have been included as a part of the Standards of Accreditation for Genetic Counseling, there have not been previous efforts to define what topics related to REHD are most important to include in graduate program curriculum. Therefore, this study aimed to determine what topics related to REHD should be taught in genetic counseling program curriculum by assessing what topics genetic counselors (GCs) learned about and in what settings, …

Resilience To Stress Across The Lifespan: Childhood Maltreatment, Heart Rate Variability, And Bereavement, Michelle A Chen, Robert Suchting, Julian F Thayer, Christopher P Fagundes

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Following a stressful life event, there is considerable variation in how individuals respond and adapt. Multiple models of risk and resilience show that adverse childhood experiences may be associated with an individual's response to stress later in life. While there is considerable support that early adversity can sensitize the stress response system and lead to adverse outcomes later in life, there is mounting evidence that in adolescence and young adulthood, certain biological predispositions to stress may be associated with resilience in the context of subsequent stressors. In this study, we evaluated how individual differences in vagally mediated heart rate variability …

Perceived Negative Political Climate Among Hispanic/Latino Adolescents Before And After The 2020 Us Presidential Election: Associations With Internalizing Symptoms And Substance Use, Pablo Montero-Zamora, Saskia R Vos, Jennifer B Unger, Ingrid Zeledon, Ryan Lee, Daniel W Soto, Eric C Brown, Maria Duque, Maria Fernanda Garcia, Carolina Scaramutti, Beyhan Ertanir, Seth J Schwartz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The political climate often changes following the installment of a new president. This volatility presents opportunities for examining how elections might affect vulnerable subgroups such as Hispanic/Latino (HL) adolescents. The present study explored the perception of negative political climate among HL adolescents before and after the 2020 U.S. presidential election and its association with internalizing symptoms and substance use. We conducted the study in Los Angeles and Miami between 2020-2021, with a sample of 304 HL adolescents (Females = 60.8%), aged 15.3 years on average. Participants completed measures of negative political climate (pre- post-election) and measures of depressive symptoms, anxiety, …

Social Reproduction And Covid-19, Caroline I. Donovan

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

As Covid-19 rips across the world we are collectively asked to examine the structures of society to see what is working and what we can change. What can we learn from the roughly 6.9 million deaths (and counting) worldwide? How can we prevent something like this from happening again? This paper follows the course of Covid-19 from its birth in Wuhan, China, to the present day of mid-April 2023. By looking at the ways in which we have reacted to the pandemic, we are able to look forward and imagine new ways of tackling future pandemics and other pressing problems …

Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions And Long-Term Opioid Treatment, Maria Ukhanova, Robert W Voss, Miguel Marino, Nathalie Huguet, Steffani R Bailey, Daniel M Hartung, Jean O'Malley, Irina Chamine, John Muench

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: One in 5 people in the United States lives with chronic pain. Many patients with chronic pain experience a subset of specific co-occurring pain conditions that may share a common pain mechanism and that have been designated as chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs). Little is known about chronic opioid prescribing patterns among patients with COPCs in primary care settings, especially among socioeconomically vulnerable patients. This study aims to evaluate opioid prescribing among patients with COPCs in US community health centers and to identify individual COPCs and their combinations that are associated with long-term opioid treatment (LOT).

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective …

Exploring Sexual And Reproductive Health Care In Central Appalachia Through The Experiences Of Transgender And Gender Non-Binary People, Chase Harless

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Transgender or nonbinary (TNB) individuals in the United States experience higher rates of sexual and reproductive health disparities when compared to their cisgender counterparts, along with lower access to care. TNB people in the south experience higher rates of disparities. Societal, interpersonal, and individual barriers contribute to these disparities in the TNB population. However, there is a paucity of research examining the sexual and reproductive health experiences of TNB people living in Central Appalachia.

Methods: An interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) research design was used to collect and analyze semi-structured interviews with TNB individuals living in central Appalachia regarding their …

Circumventing Ableism: A Grounded Theory Study Exploring Caregiver Strategies To Promote A Positive Identity, June Furr

All Dissertations

This qualitative research study explores how caregivers and persons with disabilities navigate the rhetoric of disability and caregiving through the interviews of fifteen caregivers and fifteen persons with disabilities using the lens of grounded theory and Burke’s (1952) dramatistic pentad. Significant findings describe how focused disability description can circumvent ableism when rhetorical resources that assist caregivers and persons with disabilities to navigate the rhetoric in disability descriptions are provided. Disability description theory includes the three stages that define, collaborate and revise, and practice and apply a disability description. This qualitative research offers an introduction into the phenomenon of …

Comprehensive Literature Review: Assessing The Impact Of Covid-19 Policies, School Closures And Social Distancing, On The Mental Health Of School Age Children, Fatuma A. Hassan

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Mental health is vital to the well-being of all individuals, especially children. COVID-19 unveiled a significant public health issue with poor mental health during the pandemic. There is limited literature about the mental health implications of COVID-19 policies for children and adolescents and preventive strategies for future pandemics. This comprehensive literature review seeks to further investigate the mental health impacts of school shutdowns and social distancing, which were nonpharmaceutical strategies, on school-aged children, 5-18 years old, and propose recommendations for public health officials to mitigate the mental health impacts for future pandemics. Additionally, the review aims to highlight the potential …

Program Evaluation: Utilizing Health Department’S Community Health Needs Assessment Data To Improve Emergency Preparedness Plans, Kathleen Gottschalk

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Public health officials conducting emergency response plans must know how to easily identify the vulnerable populations in their community or jurisdiction. It is beneficial for access and functional needs appendices to include information and resources directed at the identified vulnerable groups before an emergency event to improve health outcomes. Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) can provide population-level statistics and information needed to easily identify vulnerable or at-risk groups. This report aims to evaluate the use of the CHNA data to guide the development of inclusive emergency response plans that account for vulnerable populations in local health department jurisdictions. The 2021 …

County Characteristics And Opioid Mortality Rates In The United States, Baksun Sung

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Opioid overdose deaths are not equally distributed across the United States. While some areas have a less severe problem with opioid abuse, others face serious challenges, which are affected by various social factors. To address that question, in Chapter 1, I investigate how opioid mortality trends differ according to opioid types, race, and region to identify susceptible populations and areas. In Chapter 1, I contend that synthetic opioid is a main trigger for the current opioid epidemic and that the epidemic is concentrated among blacks and in the Eastern United States. Next, the following studies examine how varying social vulnerabilities …

Children’S Disclosure Of School Bullying: The Relation Between Peer Victimization, Internalizing Symptoms, Negative Affect, And Gender, Julia L. Kiefer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children who are bullied by their peers are at risk for several negative developmental outcomes and are therefore advised to tell an adult when they are. However, victims of school bullying are often reluctant to disclose to adults that they are being bullied. Some bullied children also experience symptoms of anxiety or depression, which could further reduce their likelihood of telling an adult. In this study, I tested the degree to which children’s internalizing symptoms predicted their likelihood of telling adults about being bullied at school, and if this relation was exacerbated by children’s negative feelings associated with telling an …

An Ecological Perspective Of American Rodent-Borne Orthohantavirus Surveillance, Nathaniel Mull

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Orthohantaviruses are a global group of viruses found primarily in rodents, though several viruses have also been found in shrews and moles. Many rodent-borne orthohantaviruses are capable of causing one of several diseases in humans, and the mortality associated with these diseases ranges from < 0.1% - 50% depending on the specific etiological virus. In North and South America, orthohantavirus research was ignited by an outbreak of severe disease in the Four Corners region of the United States in 1993. However, despite the discovery of over 20 orthohantaviruses in the Americas, our understanding of orthohantavirus ecology and virus-host dynamics in this region is still limited, and orthohantavirus surveillance is generally restricted in scope to select regions and small portions of host distributional ranges. In Chapter I, I present a literature review on the current understanding of American rodent-borne orthohantavirus ecology. This review focused on under-studied orthohantaviruses, addressing gaps in knowledge by extrapolating information from well-studied orthohantaviruses, general rodent ecology, and occassionally from Eurasian orthohantavirus-host ecology. There were several key conclusions generated from this review that warrant further research: 1) the large number of putative orthohantaviruses and gaps in orthohantavirus evolution necessitate further surveillance and characterization, 2) orthohantavirus traits differ and are more generalizable based on host taxonomy rather than geography, and 3) orthohantavirus host species are disproportionately found in grasslands and disturbed habitats. In Chapter II, I present a prioritized list of rodent species to target for orthohantavirus surveillance based on predictive modeling using machine learning. Probable orthohantavirus hosts were predicted based on traits of known orthohantavirus hosts using two different types of evidence: RT-PCR and virus isolation. Predicted host distributions were also mapped to identify geographic hotspots to spatially guide future surveillance efforts. In Chapter III, I present a framework for understanding and predicting orthohantavirus traits based on reservoir host phylogeny, as opposed to the traditional geographic dichotomy used to group orthohantaviruses. This framework establishes three distinct orthohantavirus groups: murid-borne orthohantaviruses, arvicoline-borne orthohantaviruses, and non-arvicoline cricetid-borne orthohantaviruses, which differ in several key traits, including the human disease they cause, transmission routes, and virus-host fidelity. In Chapter IV, I compare rodent communities and orthohantavirus prevalence among grassland management regimes. Sites that were periodically burned had high rodent diversity and a high proportion of grassland species. However, rodent seroprevalence for orthohantavirus was also highest in burned sites, representing a trade-off in habitat management outcomes. The high seroprevalence in burned sites is likely due to the robust populations supported by the high quality habitat resulting from prescribed burning. In Chapters V and VI, I describe Ozark virus and Sager Creek virus, two novel orthohantaviruses discovered from specimens collected during Chapter IV. Both chapters report full genome sequences of the respective viruses and compare both nucleotide and protein phylogenies with related orthohantaviruses. Additionally in Chapter VI, I support the genetic analyses with molecular and ecological characterizations, including seasonal fluctuations in host abundance, correlates of prevalence, evidence of virus shedding, and information on host cell susceptibility to Sager Creek virus.

One Immune System Plays Many Parts: The Dynamic Role Of The Immune System In Chronic Pain And Opioid Pharmacology, Sanam Mustafa, Juliana E Bajic, Benjamin Barry, Samuel Evans, Kariel R Siemens, Mark R Hutchinson, Peter M Grace

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The transition from acute to chronic pain is an ongoing major problem for individuals, society and healthcare systems around the world. It is clear chronic pain is a complex multidimensional biological challenge plagued with difficulties in pain management, specifically opioid use. In recent years the role of the immune system in chronic pain and opioid pharmacology has come to the forefront. As a highly dynamic and versatile network of cells, tissues and organs, the immune system is perfectly positioned at the microscale level to alter nociception and drive structural adaptations that underpin chronic pain and opioid use. In this review, …

An Examination Of The Association Of Religiosity, Purity Culture, And Religious Trauma With Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety, Kaelyn R. Griffin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While no consistent definition yet exists for religious trauma, religious abuse is typically defined as a misuse of authority by a spiritual leader to coerce, control, or exploit those under their leadership, which may in turn lead to the experience of religious trauma. Numerous studies suggest that experiencing abuse within a religious environment is a both global phenomenon and common experience. The impact of religious abuse has recently gained greater media attention, specifically related to the social and psychological impact of leaving high-cost religious groups (i.e., those with rigid rules or groups from which departure leads to isolation and rejection …

Inviting The Outside In: Nature's Contribution To Counselor Wellness, Naomi Medina

Dissertations

The positive influence of nature on client wellness and psychological health (BonhamCorcoran et al., 2022) is well reflected in the emergence of nature-based counseling interventions such as wilderness therapy, walk talk therapy, and horticulture therapy, among other counseling modalities that involve aspects of the natural world (Lewis et al., 2022). This suggests that the inclusion of nature within the counseling session could also contribute to the wellness of the counselor. The purpose of this research was to determine the extent to which presence of nature contributes to counselor wellness and which of the five senses may play a greater role …

Lived Experiences Of School Counselors Working In Conjoint Roles In A Multisystem Framework To Address The Mental Health Needs Of Students, Angela Cano Sampson

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of school counselors working in conjoint roles as social–emotional leaders and mental health professionals (MHPs) to address the mental health needs of students through multisystem collaboratives (MSCs) and school-based systems of mental health care (SBSMHC).

The role of the school counselor has expanded into becoming a social–emotional leader and school MHP advocating for comprehensive social–emotional learning and the “school-linked” movement that coalesced their exclusive professional proficiency with both school-based and community resources working to enhance initiatives for student psychosocial development in ways that would increase student assets …

Depression, Stress And Regional Cerebral Blood Flow, Joshua Chiappelli, Bhim M Adhikari, Mark D Kvarta, Heather A Bruce, Eric L Goldwaser, Yizhou Ma, Shuo Chen, Seth Ament, Alan R Shuldiner, Braxton D Mitchell, Peter Kochunov, Danny Jj Wang, L Elliot Hong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Decreased cerebral blood flow (CBF) may be an important mechanism associated with depression. In this study we aimed to determine if the association of CBF and depression is dependent on current level of depression or the tendency to experience depression over time (trait depression), and if CBF is influenced by depression-related factors such as stressful life experiences and antidepressant medication use. CBF was measured in 254 participants from the Amish Connectome Project (age 18-76, 99 men and 154 women) using arterial spin labeling. All participants underwent assessment of symptoms of depression measured with the Beck Depression Inventory and Maryland Trait …

Association Between The Epigenetic Lifespan Predictor Grimage And History Of Suicide Attempt In Bipolar Disorder, Camila N C Lima, Emese H C Kovács, Salahudeen Mirza, Alexandra Del Favero-Campbell, Alexandre Paim Diaz, Joao Quevedo, Benney M R Argue, Jenny Gringer Richards, Aislinn Williams, John A Wemmie, Vincent A Magnotta, Jess G Fiedorowicz, Jair C Soares, Marie E Gaine, Gabriel R Fries

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Bipolar disorder (BD) has been previously associated with premature mortality and aging, including acceleration of epigenetic aging. Suicide attempts (SA) are greatly elevated in BD and are associated with decreased lifespan, biological aging, and poorer clinical outcomes. We investigated the relationship between GrimAge, an epigenetic clock trained on time-to-death and associated with mortality and lifespan, and SA in two independent cohorts of BD individuals (discovery cohort - controls (n = 50), BD individuals with (n = 77, BD/SA) and without (n = 67, BD/non-SA) lifetime history of SA; replication cohort - BD/SA (n = 48) and BD/non-SA (n = 47)). …

Impact Of Personalized Interactive Storytelling On Suspension Of Disbelief In Clinical Simulation, Audra Renee-Smith Xenakis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The literature review found suspension of disbelief (SOD) in clinical simulation heavily weighted on educators alone within high-fidelity environments. The project examined a co-created narrative background story applied to a simulated patient’s clinical profile to determine achieving an improved connectedness toward the simulated patient leading to enhanced SOD and enhanced levels of learning and reaction. The studied population was third-semester associate degree nursing students over 18 years of age with prior clinical simulation experience who were not repeating the semester. The research methodology used a quantitative experimental design with cluster sampling, randomization, and post-Likert-scored questionnaires. The intervention group co-created personalized …

Mental Confidence In Alzheimer's Disease, Harrison Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A simple symptom like forgetfulness can lead to a gradual, subtle decline in the individual’s sense of identity. In dementia, self-efficacy is the foundation that allow individual to prolong their capacity of independence and identity. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prominent form of dementia with tens of millions in the world currently living with Alzheimer’s disease. AD is most often associated with impaired memory, confusion, language impairment, and unpredictable, agitated, aggressive, and paranoid behavior. While there are many studies examining the quality of life in individuals with AD, there are fewer investigating the psychological effects of AD on the …

Predicting E-Cigarette Use Among Emerging Adults Using Perceived Social Norms And Outcome Expectancies, Stephen N. Hanson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Despite low rates of combustible tobacco use rates among adolescents and young adults, e-cigarettes continue to gain popularity. A few factors have been shown to be related to e-cigarette use based on prior research. One such example is social enhancement expectancies. Additionally, greater perceptions of harm have been found to be inversely related to e-cigarette use such that those that expect increased risk to their health are less likely to report using e-cigarettes. I hypothesized that social enhancement expectancies would mediate the relationship between perceptions of social norms and e-cigarette dependence. I also hypothesized that perceived harm, such as greater …

The Effect Of Minority Stress On Sexual Minority College Students' Mental Health: The Role Of General Social Support And Sexuality-Specific Social Support, Lee A. Golembiewski

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Sexual minority (SM) college students continue to face greater mental health problems relative to their heterosexual peers (Woodford et al., 2014; Wilson & Liss, 2022). According to minority stress theory, SM individuals face distal (e.g., heterosexist discrimination) and proximal (e.g., expectations of rejection, internalized homophobia, and concealment) stressors related to their SM identity which can have negative effects on their mental health (Douglass & Conlin, 2020; Meyer, 2003). However, social support has been hypothesized to help protect against the effects of minority stress experienced by SM individuals (Cohen & Wills, 1985; Moody & Smith, 2013). Most of the existing research …

Cms Emergency Preparedness Rule: Examining The Relationship Between Nursing Home Facility Characteristics And Regulatory Deficiencies, Tihara Richardson Sommers

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The effects of Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters have increased the focus on nursing homes, particularly nursing home emergency preparedness. Nursing home administrators and direct care employees have described the challenges faced when responding to an emergency event. Due to numerous emergency preparedness insufficiencies, requirements were implemented to protect the vulnerable population of older adults who reside in nursing homes. In 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) added specific emergency preparedness requirements to the existing fire safety requirements for regulated nursing homes. These deficiency evaluations are the only routinely collected source of information detailing compliance with the …

Inner Portraits, Bethany Salisbury

Graduate Theses

This paper investigates the many interconnected layers of women’s mental health through portraiture and how animal and plant symbolism can represent the way women's hormones and bodily health affect their mental health. I reveal how the artwork created presents these connections and inner mental health narratives to the viewer, creating a space of empathy, destigmatization, and self-reflection. This body of portraiture art connects five women through a series of both two-and three-dimensional portraits based on interviews using my own adaptation of Sara Lawrence-Lightfoots’ (1983) portrait methodology.

Women and non-binary individuals have always dealt with difficult interactions of bodily and mental …

Ethical Hazards Of Health Data Governance In The Metaverse, Kristin Kostick-Quenet, Vasiliki Rahimzadeh

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Metaverse-enabled healthcare is no longer hypothetical. Developers must now contend with ethical, legal and social hazards if they are to overcome the systematic inefficiencies and inequities that exist for patients who seek care in the real world.

Comparison Of Neurocognitive And Quality-Of-Life Outcomes In Pediatric Craniopharyngioma Patients Treated With Partial Resection And Radiotherapy Versus Gross-Total Resection Only, Guillermo Aldave, M Fatih Okcu, Murali Chintagumpala, Lucia Ruggieri, Charles G Minard, Fatema Malbari, Lisa E Mash, Arnold C Paulino, Susan Mcgovern, Uma Ramaswamy, William Whitehead, Lisa S Kahalley

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: The optimal management of pediatric craniopharyngioma patients remains controversial, shifting from radical resection (gross-total resection [GTR]) to a more conservative approach with partial resection/biopsy followed by radiotherapy (PR+RT). To the authors' knowledge, no previous studies have compared neurocognitive and quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes between the two main treatments. In this study, the authors compared changes in intellectual, adaptive, and QOL scores in children treated for craniopharyngioma with GTR and those treated with PR+RT.

METHODS: Patients underwent annual neurocognitive and QOL evaluations for up to 10 years posttreatment, including the Full-Scale IQ, Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI), Working …

Assessment Of The Knowledge, Attitude, And Practice Towards Expired Drug Disposal Among The Community In Beirut City, Lebanon, Nada Khansa, Azza A. K. Gazy, Abdalla El-Lakany, Souraya Domiati

BAU Journal - Health and Wellbeing

The global increase in pharmaceutical spending has led to enhanced international awareness of the unused and expired drug issues due to improper drug disposal's harmful economic, environmental, and health effects. Consequently, the study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice toward expired drug disposal among the community in Beirut City, Lebanon. A cross-sectional, observational, questionnaire-based study was conducted. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. The fact that improper disposal of expired medicine affects the environment and health was acknowledged by 70.7% of the 450 participants. Even though 72.2% of the participants knew that the best method for …