Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Trade-Offs Between Survival And Reproduction In Starvation-Selected Drosophila Melanogaster, Tammara Beeghly

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Evolutionary outcomes are demonstrated by traits that affect an organism’s schedule of reproduction and survival. These life history traits are reflected in an organism’s physiology, development and behavior. Environmental changes, such as availability of nutritional resources, can profoundly affect evolutionary outcomes of individuals and populations. When shortages arise, there will be trade-offs in the allocation of resources, where one trait prevails at the expense of another.

In the laboratory, we can mimic conditions in nature and study the specific effects of the conditions that we re-create. In our case, over 100 generations of Drosophila melanogaster have been selected for starvation …

Reconciling Incongruencies: Examining The Meaning And Influencing Factors Of Oncology Nurses' Professional Quality Of Life, Rebecca Lynne Boni

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nurses often witness suffering and loss. These experiences are intrinsic to the practice of nursing and can exert a strong, cumulative effect on nurses’ professional quality of life (QOL). Stamm (2010b) conceptualizes professional QOL as a composite of compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction. Inferior professional QOL has been linked to numerous negative healthcare outcomes. Oncology nurses are particularly vulnerable to compassion fatigue. The Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), created by Stamm (2009), is the current survey used to measure professional QOL, but it may not be specific enough for oncology nurses.

The purpose of this grounded theory study was …

A Retrospective Survey Of Exercise Habits In Low-Income Female Senior Citizens, Kelly L. Bumgarner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

American adults spend at least 50% of their time sedentary with the most inactive demographic being low-income women over 60. This is detrimental because routine physical activity benefits for senior women include balancing hormones, maintaining bone mineral density, and decreasing the risk of breast cancer. Statements like “good exercise habits begin during youth; children should play sports to establish healthy habits they’ll continue throughout their lives” are common, but not clearly supported by literature. Objective: The purpose of this retrospective, cross-sectional study was to identify whether physical activity/exercise habits during youth and young adulthood predict old age physical activity/exercise habits …

Community Exposure To Particulate Matter And Its Impact For Students And Residents Near A Construction Asphalt Plant: A Case Study, Aman Gebremariam Gebreselassie

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Particulate matter (PM) consists of various small particles in the atmosphere that has been associated with environmental health risk factors for many deadly diseases. PM2.5 is particulate matter 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, PM10 is particulate matter 10 micrometers or less in diameter and are both respirable particles that can penetrate the lungs and increase risk of cardiovascular problems and respiratory illness, among other health issues. Exposure to particulate pollution in the environment tends to cause lost income from work absence, students’ absences from school, hospital admissions as well as emergency and doctor room visits.

Although asphalt plants are …

Disparities In Administrative Pediatric Asthma Prevalence In Clark County, Aaliyah Goodie

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Objective: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases affecting young children nationally and globally. Asthma affects more than 25 million people in the nation, of which 6

million are children. Lifetime asthma prevalence for children in Nevada is 11.5% (CDC, 2016). This is likely an underestimate due to a large undocumented Hispanic population. In Clark County School District (CCSD) during the 2016-2017 school year, 20,235 students (8%) listed asthma in school records as a health concern. Asthma burden varies by sociodemographic group with highest rates documented among Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and pediatric populations. The Centers for Disease Control …

Visual Attention And Emotion Regulation In Schizophrenia, Bern Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Emotion regulation and emotion processing deficits cut across the varying symptom presentations of schizophrenia. Emotion processing deficits are inadequately treated by pharmacologic interventions and are related to real-world functional impact and disability. This study investigated behavioral and psychophysiological responses to a series of emotion regulation tasks while concurrently collecting eye tracking data as an index of visual attention. A brief neurocognitive assessment was also completed in order to examine potential cognitive determinants of emotion. Participants completed tasks designed to assess cognitive change and directed attention strategies for down-regulation of unpleasant and pleasant emotion. For each of our two unpleasant emotion …

Benson’S Relaxation Response: Psychological And Physiological Responses Among Patients With Copd, Crista Reaves

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death in the United States. In patients with COPD, distress is significantly prevalent and can have adverse psychological and physiological effects. Considering the increased rate of COPD, a mind-body intervention focusing on the reduction of both psychological and physiological responses such as anxiety, elevated blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), dyspnea, and respiratory rate must be integrated into the patient’s plan of care. The relaxation response (RR) is a term coined by Dr. Herbert Benson in the 1970s describing the body’s ability to counter the fight-or-flight response to decrease …

Carbon Management And Volatile Fatty Acid Production In Primary Clarifiers At A Wastewater Treatment Plant, Brittany Nicole Radke

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An increasing number of treatment plants are required to remove nutrients from domestic wastewater to lessen the impact of nutrient loading to water bodies. Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (EBPR) is one of the processes commonly used to remove phosphorus from domestic wastewater. The presence of an adequate quantity of volatile fatty acids (VFA) in the wastewater influent to EBPR is important for process efficiency and stability. The objective of this research was to investigate the production of VFAs through fermentation of sludge in primary clarifiers as it related to improving nutrient removal, primarily targeting phosphorus.

The research tested, in full-scale, …

An Evaluation Of Factors Associated With The Perceptions Of Diabetes In A Filipino American Sample Residing In Clark County, Nevada, Lawrence Nartatez Sagadraca

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study assessed beliefs about the contribution of the Filipino diet and genetics to diabetes burden and its ability to control it without medical interventions. The data from a need’s assessment survey of 200 Filipino Americans residing in Clark County, Nevada, were analyzed by using the logistic regression model. A significant proportion of the participants believed that diabetes is a problem in the Filipino community (79%) and is related to the Filipino diet (75%) and genetics (69.0%), and that it can be controlled without medical intervention (52.4%). In univariate analyses, age (Odds ratio [OR]: 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01 …

A Community Of Care: Patterns Of Pathology And Trauma With A Focus On The Bioarchaeology Of Care At Carrier Mills, Il (10,000 – 1000 Bp), Alecia Schrenk

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Illness and injury are universal human experiences which are endowed with cultural meaning. Bioarchaeology has only recently begun to engage with the socioeconomic impacts of illness, injury, impairment, and healthcare provisioning in the past. This study examines how the Middle Archaic (6000 – 300 BC) and Early Woodland (1000 – 200 BC) hunter-gatherer community of Carrier Mills, Illinois was affected by and managed the socioeconomic burdens of poor health. The data presented in this study used bioarchaeological analyses to reveal patterns of poor health and healthcare provisioning within the Carrier Mills community. Bioarchaeology is ideally situated for such investigations since …

Effect Of Bundled Payments As A Care Improvement Initiative On Hospital Care Of Total Joint And Sepsis: A Perspective On Organizational Effectiveness, Pearl Kim

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study investigates the potential impact of the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative from Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services on hospital performance and behavior related to effectiveness and efficiency. The BPCI is under the Affordable Care Act and provides hospitals with a fixed amount of reimbursement for a total episode of care. Building on the agency theory, I argue that the BPCI initiative has the potential to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of hospital care. This quasi-experimental study examines the changes in hospital care outcomes of patients with replacement of the lower extremity or sepsis in BPCIparticipating …

Disaggregated Hispanic Groups And Cancer: Importance, Methodology, And Current Knowledge, Paulo S. Pinheiro, Karen E. Callahan, Erin N. Kobetz

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Cancer is the leading cause of death among Latinos/Hispanics, the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States. Their cancer burden has nearly doubled in 15 years, with 129,000 new cancer cases nationwide in 2014. As this relatively young Hispanic population ages, this burden will inevitably increase; thus, accurate characterization of the Hispanic cancer experience is critical. In this chapter, we summarize the current knowledge on cancer in Hispanics, with a focus on the imperative of disaggregating by specific Hispanic group (Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Central Americans, South Americans, and Dominicans) and nativity. We also describe for the first time …

A Systematic Review Of Gambling-Related Findings From The National Epidemiologic Survey On Alcohol And Related Conditions, Jasmine M.Y. Loo, Shane W. Kraus, Marc N. Potenza

Psychology Faculty Research

Background and aims: This systematic review analyzes and summarizes gambling-related findings from the nationally representative US National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) data. Methods: Systematic literature searches in accordance with PRISMA guidelines found 51 eligible studies that met inclusion criteria. Eight studies utilized both Waves 1 and 2 NESARC data, and selection of sample sizes varied from 185 to 43,093 individuals, consistent with specified research objectives of each study. Results: The prevalence of lifetime pathological gambling was 0.42% (0.64% among men, 0.23% among women), while past-year prevalence was 0.16%. Pathological gambling rates were generally higher in populations …

Sex Differences In Cognitive Changes In De Novo Parkinson’S Disease, Ece Bayram, Sarah J. Banks, Guogen Shan, Nikki Kaplan, Jessica Z.K. Caldwell

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Objective: To evaluate the sex differences in cognitive course over 4 years in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) compared to controls. Methods: Four-year longitudinal cognitive scores of 257 cognitively intact PD, 167 PD-MCI, and 140 controls from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative were included. Longitudinal scores of men and women, and PD with and without MCI were compared. Results: Women had better verbal memory, men had better visuospatial function. There was no interaction between sex, diagnostic group, and/or time (4-year follow-up period). Conclusions: Sex differences in cognitive course in de novo PD are similar …

Selecting The Best Measure For Hospital-Acquired Deconditioning, Carmen E. Capo-Lugo, Erik H. Hoyer, Daniel Young

Integrated Health Sciences Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

Trends And Disparities In Self-Reported And Measured Osteoporosis Among Us Adults, 2007-2014., Qing Wu, Yingke Xu, Ge Lin

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

(1) Background: Studies examining osteoporosis trends among US adults by different socioeconomic status (SES) are limited. The prevalence of self-reported osteoporosis in the US is rarely reported. (2) Methods: Data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2007–2008 and 2013–2014 cycles were analyzed. Age-adjusted prevalence of self-reported and that of measured osteoporosis were calculated overall and by sex, race/ethnicity, education attainment, and SES. (3) Results: The prevalence of self-reported osteoporosis was higher than that of measured osteoporosis in all three survey cycles for women, and in 2007–2008 and 2009–2010 for men. Participants with high school/GED or higher …

Trends And Associated Factors Of Use Of Opioid, Heroin, And Cannabis Among Patients For Emergency Department Visits In Nevada: 2009-2017, Pearl C. Kim, Ji Won Yoo, Chris R. Cochran, Seong-Min Park, Sungyoun Chun, Yong-Jae Lee, Jay J. Shen

School of Medicine Faculty Research

To examine trends and contributing factors of opioid, heroin, and cannabis-associated emergency department (ED) visits in Nevada. The 2009 to 2017 Nevada State ED database (n = 7,950,554 ED visits) were used. Use of opioid, heroin, and cannabis, respectively, was identified by the International Classification of Diseases, 9th & 10th Revisions. Three multivariable models, one for each of the 3 dependent variables, were conducted. Independent variables included year, insurance status, race/ethnicity, use of other substance, and mental health conditions. The number of individuals with opioid, heroin, cannabis-associated ED visits increased 3%, 10%, and 23% annually from 2009 to 2015, particularly …

Calcium Pyrophosphate Deposition Disease In The Achilles Tendon, Kai-Yu Ho, Jing Nong Liang

Physical Therapy Faculty Research

The classic sonographic presentation of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposits in the Achilles tendon is reported.

A Prospective Clinical Study On Implant Impression Accuracy, Motaz Osman, Hassan Ziada, Ahmed Suliman, Neamat Hassan Abubakr

Dental Medicine Faculty Research

Background An accurate impression is crucial to the long-term success of dental implants. This investigation evaluated the accuracy of the open and closed implant impression techniques in partially edentulous patients who received two adjacent implants. Material and methods Forty patients received Osstem Implants (Osstem Implant System, Seoul, Korea). Two impressions were made for each patient, one using an open tray and a second with a closed tray technique. The horizontal distances between two impression copings were measured and compared to similar measurements on the master casts. Also, under a stereomicroscope (AmScop14370, Myford Road, #150, Irvine, CA 92606 USA) at a …

Outcomes In Patients With Gunshot Wounds To The Brain, Leigh Anna Robinson, Lauren M. Turco, Bryce Robinson, Joshua G. Corsa, Michael Mount, Amy V. Hamrick, John Berne, Dalier R. Mederos, Allison G. Mcnickle, Paul J. Chestovich, Jason Weinberger, Areg Grigorian, Jeffry Nahmias, Jane K. Lee, Kevin L. Chow, Erik J. Olson, Jose L. Pascual, Rachele Solomon, Danielle A. Pigneri, Husayn A. Ladhani, Joanne Fraifogl, Terry Curry, Todd W. Costantini, Manasnun Kongwibulwut, Haytham Kaafarani, Janika San Roman, Craig Schreiber, Anna Goldenberg-Sandau, Parker Hu, Patrick Bosarge, Rindi Uhlich

School of Medicine Faculty Research

Introduction: Gunshot wounds to the brain (GSWB) confer high lethality and uncertain recovery. It is unclear which patients benefit from aggressive resuscitation, and furthermore whether patients with GSWB undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) have potential for survival or organ donation. Therefore, we sought to determine the rates of survival and organ donation, as well as identify factors associated with both outcomes in patients with GSWB undergoing CPR. Methods: We performed a retrospective, multicenter study at 25 US trauma centers including dates between June 1, 2011 and December 31, 2017. Patients were included if they suffered isolated GSWB and required CPR at …

Utilizing The Community-Based Research Approach To Examine Mental Health And Support Services Issues Related To Hiv-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder, Renato M. Liboro

Psychology Faculty Research

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated neurocognitive disorder is an emergent public health problem known to HIV researchers and scientists, but unfortunately, is a concern that still needs to be better recognized by people living with HIV and HIV service providers. Research studies have reported that between 30 to 50% of people living with HIV who have access to combination antiretroviral therapy are and will be affected by this disorder. This raises the need to find more appropriate research approaches for examining issues that will significantly impact people living with HIV experiencing or at risk of developing neurocognitive impairments. People living with …

Characteristics Of Medial-Lateral Postural Control While Exposed To The External Perturbation In Step Initiation, Yun-Ju Lee, Jing Nong Liang, Bing Chen, Alexander S. Aruin

Physical Therapy Faculty Research

Controllability of posture in the medial-lateral direction is critical for balance maintenance, particularly in step initiation. The objective of the current study was to examine the effects of external perturbation and landing orientation on medial-lateral control stability in step initiation. Eleven young healthy participants stood on the force platform and waited for the instruction of taking a step while experiencing a pendulum perturbation applied at the lateral side of the right shoulder. Eight experimental conditions were conducted by two levels of step side (right or left), two levels of perturbation (with or without), and two levels of landing orientation (forward …

Understanding Prediabetes Through Facebook: Pilot Study Protocol And Lessons Learned, Xiaomeng Xu, Michelle Litchman, Perry Gee, Se-Hee Jung, Webb Whatcott, Loni Chacon, John Holmes, Sankara Subramanian Srinivasan

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Purpose/Background: Type 2 Diabetes is a serious contributor to mortality and morbidity. Rural populations (including those in Mountain West regions) exhibit greater health disparities than their urban counterparts for many conditions, including diabetes. It is therefore vital to address this important health issue, especially among rural populations. One way to address diabetes is with prevention, starting with enhanced detection of prediabetes. According to the CDC, more than 84 millions Americans (one in three adults) has prediabetes, but nine out of ten are not aware of their condition, which hampers prevention efforts. Infodemiology has been used successfully to track health information …

“Making Do, As Best As We Can” Cancer In American Samoa: Qualitative Methods And Results, Va'atausili Tofaeono, Tyran Terada, Luana Sue Kaopua, Angela Sy, Luana Yoshikawa

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Purpose/Background: The United Nation outlines a blueprint for addressing social determinants of health (SDOH), reconciling disparities between and within countries. Indigenous people living in Small Island Developing States like the U.S. territories experience health disparities. In American Samoa (AS), SDOH involving political, social, and data limitations provide challenges to in-country research and health services delivery capacity including cancer prevention and treatment. For example, in AS less than 7% of age-eligible adults participated in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, while the Healthy People 2020 target is 70% screened. In 2004 a cancer awareness and service needs assessment in AS funded by the …

Pre-Diabetes In The Hispanic Population: Adolescents To Adulthood, Mary Nies, Tanna Woods

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Purpose/Background: Preventing prediabetes from developing into diabetes has led to successful programs like the Diabetes Prevention Program, although translation to minority populations is not readily available. Since minorities endure a disproportionate effect from diabetes and its complications, finding tailored interventions that work for minorities and can prevent the progression of prediabetes is crucial

Materials & Methods: Searching four electronic databases yielded 1,606 articles relating to prediabetes interventions in Hispanics across the lifespan. Research had to be published during the timeframe of 2008 to 2018 and include intervention as a focus. Titles and abstracts were read to narrow results. An additional …

Knowledge And Attitudes Of Guam Residents Towards Cancer Clinical Trial Participation, Munirih R. Taafaki, Amy C. Brown, Eunjung Lim, Kevin Cassel, John J. Chen, Yvette C. Paulino

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Purpose/Background: Currently there are no cancer clinical trials conducted in Guam, but interest is growing. Limited information exists on the knowledge and attitudes of Guam’s population towards cancer clinical research, yet cancer is the second highest cause of death in Guam and among the CHamoru people, Guam’s indigenous population. CHamoru people suffer the highest rates of cancer mortality compared to other ethnic groups in Guam. The purpose of this study was to determine differences in knowledge and attitudes towards cancer clinical trials participation, and attitudes towards traditional medicine.

Materials & Methods: A telephone survey instrument was designed, pilot-tested, IRB-approved, and …

Community Assessment On Colorectal Cancer Screening Knowledge, Attitudes, Behavior, And Health Literacy In American Samoa: Methods And Results, Va'atausili Tofaeono, Angela Sy, Lana Sue Kaopua, Kathy Tong, Kevin Cassel, Luana Yoshikawa

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

urpose/Background: “Weaving” Indigenous and Western knowledges are understood to advance health equity for the Indigenous community whose own knowledge and values are often subsumed. Partnerships that support Indigenous leadership and bring Indigenous knowledge to greater parity with Western knowledge are imperative. Indigenous people living in Small Island Developing States like the U.S. territories experience health disparities. The WHO has declared non- communicable diseases as a global health epidemic, including cancer disparities. In American Samoa (AS) less than 7% of age-eligible adults participated in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, while the Healthy People 2020 target is 70% screened. CRC may be prevented …

Changes In Gender Representation In Pharmacy Research Literature, Elaine Nguyen, Renee Robinson, Rebecca Hoover

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Purpose/Background: Many health disciplines, such as pharmacy, have been historically male dominated. However, female gender representation continues to increase in health care and especially in pharmacy with women representing 57.5% of pharmacists in 2017.

Shifts in workforce gender representation have not always translated to research and publication. Limited data exist regarding women’s authorship in pharmacy research literature. The purpose of our analysis was to determine whether the percentage of women as first authors of research articles in the pharmacy literature has increased over the past decade.

Materials & Methods: We conducted a retrospective bibliometric analysis. Citations from key pharmacy practice …

Effect Of Socio-Demographics, Health-Related Problems, And Family Structure On Chronic Absenteeism Among Children, Eunjung Lim, James Davis, So Yung Choi, John J. Chen

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Purpose/Background: From 5 to 7.5 million school children are chronically absent, defined as missing ≥15 days of school within a year. Students miss schools due to various reasons such as health, socioeconomic status, and environmental factors. We examined child’s health and behavior, family structure, and socio-demographics to understand chronic absenteeism.

Materials & Methods: The population included children ages 6 to 17 years from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) years 2008-2013. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to identify the risk factors of chronic absenteeism, adjusting for the complex sampling design.

Results: Among socio-demographic variables, age ≥14 years, race/ethnicity, lower-income family, …

Human Papillomavirus (Hpv) Vaccination Status Among University Freshmen In Hawai‘I, May Rose I. Dela Cruz, Myron B. Thompson, John J. Chen, Carolyn Ma

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Purpose/Background: The HPV vaccine provides immunity against nine HPV strains that cause cancer and genital warts. It is recommended for 11 to 12 year olds, and "catch-up" immunization is recommended for females 13 to 26 years old and males 13 to 21 years old. College students represent an important population for HPV vaccination due to their increased risk for HPV infection. Despite the benefits of the HPV vaccine, its coverage rates are low in Hawaii. Hawai‘i is the home of two large universities on two islands that are representative of Hawai‘i’s populations, including Native Hawaiians, Filipinos, and Pacific Islanders. The …