Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Synthesis And Characterization Of Antiviral Drug Candidate Molecules Against The Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Ali Abbas Sabi

Dissertations

Abstract

Pyrrole-imidazole polyamides (PAs) are small molecules that typically develop H-bonds to bind to the minor groove of DNA. PAs are of interest because they can be designed to recognize DNA sequences. PAs have numerous biomedical applications in areas like regulation of gene expression and antimicrobial activity. Specifically, polyamide UMSL1011 (a polyamide synthesized in Dr. Bashkin's lab) inhibits replicating vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) by binding the viral RNA inside the nucleocapsid, as indicated by research at Professor Ming Luo's lab at Georgia State University. However, some reports have revealed that polyamides have a low affinity for “simple” double-stranded RNA. Nevertheless, …

Increasing Adherence Of Pump Integration With Electronic Medical Record Through Simulation, Judi Reeves

Dissertations

Problem: Intravenous (IV) medication errors account for one-third of the medication errors made by nurses in the United States. A measure to combat medication errors is the development of IV pump integration where the IV pump is electronically connected to the electronic medical record (EMR). With IV pump integration, the nurse is responsible for turning on the pump, scanning the medication and the IV pump, and confirming in the EMR. Human error is removed when the IV pump integration system automatically programs and starts the IV pump. This is a technical system which requires the nurse to have expertise in …

Suicide Mortality Of Emergency Department Patients, Briony Marie Dubose Mhi, Rn, Lss, Bb

Dissertations

Purpose The purpose of this retrospective comparative study is to describe relationships among biological, psychological, sociocultural factors and emergency department (ED) care among discharged ED patients and describe the association of these variables with subsequent suicide mortality.

Rationale Identifying patients who are most at risk of suicide mortality post ED discharge can focus resources, refine interventions, and prevent suicide. Additionally, recognizing patterns of ED care including ordering of a psychiatric evaluation and disposition status can provide data for potential practice changes.

Background Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and has been since 2008. Suicide …

A Descriptive Study Of Health-Related Risks And Outcome Differences By Loneliness Status In A Sample Of Older Veterans, Rachael Beard

Dissertations

There is a need to understand the influences and outcomes related to loneliness in veterans living with complex illness. Patients require self-care to manage complications and exacerbations associated with complex illness. Deficits in self-care result in negative health outcomes and drive resource utilization upward. The identification of potential factors related to self-care is important. Loneliness may be one factor that influences patients’ ability and desire to care for themselves. Descriptive correlational design was used to evaluate loneliness both as a predictor and outcome in veterans admitted to the hospital for three complex respiratory illnesses (heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, …

Timing Of Therapeutic Hypothermia & Short-Term Infant Outcomes, Brooke Rakes

Dissertations

Background: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) can result in devastating long-term neurological morbidity and/or death. Current evidence recommends initiating Therapeutic Hypothermia (TH), as early as possible, however, research specifically describing TH timing in relation to short-term infant outcomes is limited with mixed results.

Purpose: Examine TH timing (TH initiation time & time to target temperature) on short-term outcomes (neonatal seizure; brain injury) of infants >35weeks, with suspected HIE, born at a large urban women’s medical center.

Methodology: Retrospective, cross-sectional, correlational design examining data extracted from electronic health record from November 1, 2012- March 31, 2020. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed.

Results …

The Covid-19 Pivot To Online Education And Bsn Graduates’ Readiness To Practice, Abigail Schulte

Dissertations

There is a major nursing shortage worldwide, and amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential to invest in the acceleration of nursing education to meet global needs. Nursing schools had to pivot to online education overnight, and many are unsure how this has impacted students. The purpose of this study is to see if the pivot to online education, prompted by COVID-19, impacted the readiness to practice and grade point averages (GPA) of graduating Bachelor of Nursing students. In this quantitative study, a casual-comparative survey design is used to test for readiness to practice and program modality. A cross-sectional design …

Life Satisfaction: Aging Female Informal Caregivers Of Persons With Dementia, Deborah Ann Monson

Dissertations

Purpose/Aims

The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between aging female informal caregivers of persons with dementia (PWD) and care recipients’ PWD demographic factors, aging female informal caregivers of PWD social support factors, positive and negative feelings, a sense of flourishing, stress, and life satisfaction.

Background/Rationale

Older adults with dementia are living longer and the majority are receiving care by aging female informal caregivers. Dementia incrementally worsens over time impacting informal caregiver life satisfaction. Most studies have focused on negative aspects of informal caregiving. Therefore, this study investigated both positive and negative aspects of caregiving.

Conceptual Basis …

Novel Insights Into The Anti-Diabetic Mechanism(S) Of Withania Coagulans And Its Active Constituent, Coagulansin-A, Mariyam Khalid Naeem

Dissertations

Type 2 diabetes mellitus has become a serious medical challenge of the 21st century with a dramatic surge in diabetes cases since the last decade. It accounts for 90-95% of all cases of diabetes mellitus. The interplay between insulin resistance and beta cells dysfunction plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterized by peripheral insulin resistance in skeletal muscles that leads to a constellation of metabolic disorders, and exhaustion of pancreatic beta cells to maintain euglycemia. The inability of pancreatic beta cells to compensate insulin demand in an insulin-resistant state, result in …

Role Of Nerolidol, An Aliphatic Sesquiterpene, In Colon Inflammation, Vishnu Raj

Dissertations

Inflammatory bowel diseases, which comprise Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are chronic and progressive immune-mediated inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Both genetic and environmental factors influence this condition. Conventional therapy to suppress aberrant immune responses seen in IBD with corticosteroid or with biological agents has a high relapse rate that limits their use. Therefore, approximately 40% of IBD patients switch to alternative therapies that include dietary supplements rich in phytochemicals. Nerolidol (NED) is a naturally occurring sesquiterpene alcohol present in various plants and has potent anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, in the current study, the role of NED …

Establishing The Roadmap For The Implementation Of Genomic Medicine And Pharmacogenomics In The United Arab Emirates, Azhar Talal Mahmoud Rahma

Dissertations

The slow clinical application of genomic medicine and Pharmacogenomics (PGx) is attributed mainly to lack of knowledge of genomic medicine and PGx and confidence among healthcare professionals, scarcity of infrastructure, and absence of stakeholders’ interest. The objective of this study is to lay out a strategic plan for the implementation of genomic medicine and PGx in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by exploring multiple areas: (1) the educational environment of genomic medicine and PGx in colleges and universities; (2) knowledge, and attitude of the medical and health sciences students, academics, and the healthcare providers; (3) the current infrastructure of genetic …

Delineating The Binding Sites Of Mason-Pfizer Monkey Virus (Mpmv) Gag Precursor Polyprotein (Pr78gag) On Genomic Rna For Its Selective Packaging, Fathima Nuzra Nagoor Pitchai

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Integration Of Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-12 In Clinical Practice, Norman Njihi

Dissertations

Abstract

Problem: Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a high symptom disease in which patients tend to decompensate frequently, most often leading to hospitalization and poor quality of life.

Methods: This project involved educating nurses about using patient reported outcome(PRO) tools with an emphasis on the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-12 (KCCQ-12). Pre and post surveys using a Likert scale tool designed by the author were used to determine if a change in knowledge occurred. Satisfaction of the providers was assessed using a survey, also designed by the author. A retrospective review of 13 patients was done to establish patients’ baseline KCCQ-12. …

A Sequential Explanatory Mixed Methods Study Of Chief Nurse Executives On Creating A Culture Of Inclusiveness, Toloue Aria

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to identify and describe the leadership strategies that exemplary chief nurse executives use in inpatient acute care hospitals located in Southern California to create an organizational culture of inclusiveness using Kennedy’s (2008) 5 leadership qualities of cultural differences.

Methodology: A sequential mixed methods research design was selected to answer this study’s research questions. The researcher was a part of a thematic group of 10 peer researchers and 7 faculty advisors. Through purposeful sampling, the researcher selected 18 exemplary chief nurse executives for survey data collection using instrumentations developed …

Baccalaureate Nursing Students' Lived Experiences Of A Leadership Role During Clinical Practicum, Gisela E. Schmidt

Dissertations

Problem

Leadership is an essential component of professional nursing practice used in many aspects of the Registered Nurse (RN) role. Baccalaureate nursing (BN) programs have the responsibility of preparing graduating nursing students with leadership orientation and practice. Excellent professional preparation of RNs starts with their education during nursing school. The fast-paced and high-demand healthcare environment needs RNs who can be accountable for patient care that enables excellent patient outcomes and sound patient-centered care. Taking this into consideration, nursing educators are in a special position to promote nursing education which prepares their students with leadership education and training. The purpose of …

Healthcare Leadership In The Context Of Cognitive Diseases Of Aging: A Community-Based Participatory Research Model, Dean Sherzai

Dissertations

The Problem

The world is facing a tsunami of chronic diseases of the brain such as dementia, Parkinson's, and stroke. But all populations are not affected equally. Though we are all at greater risk of developing these diseases, minority communities such as the Black and Hispanic populations are at much greater risk of succumbing to these conditions. To date we have spent billions of dollars on research and public health measures that have repeatedly failed, but over the last decade it has become evident that much of these diseases can simply be averted through effective public health and community-based measures …

Solving The Continual Improvement And Innovation Challenge For The Benefit Of Patients: How An Effective Pharmaceutical Quality System (Pqs) And Risk-Based Approach Could Transform Post-Approval Change (Pac) Management, Emabelle Ramnarine

Dissertations

Patients deserve their medicines on time every time. Regulators safeguard public health by ensuring availability of safe, effective, high-quality medicines. Pharmaceutical companies must continually improve and innovate to deliver such medicines. In spite of these patient-centric objectives, drug shortages have continued to grow as a global public health concern. The drug shortage problem has existed for decades though there has been no shortage of effort, recommendations, papers, and expectations to resolve it. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic even exceptional measures were rapidly implemented to prevent shortages, yet no long-term solutions have been found.

This research hypothesis was that due to …

How Faculty And Student Preferences For Active And Traditional Instructional Methods Relate To Their Beliefs, Quantity, And Quality Of Experiences, Knowledge Of The Benefits, And Professional Training, Tammy R. Shilling

Dissertations

Purpose

The complexity of preparing students for clinical practice and the mitigating factors that influence pedagogical preferences impact the current realities of health professional education. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study is to explain the relationships between faculty preferences and student preferences for active over traditional methods and their beliefs, the frequency and positiveness of their experiences, and the amount and extent of the knowledge or training they have had regarding active and traditional teaching methods. Results may further inform and refine health professional education infrastructure changes to support faculty in pedagogical change as they prepare students with the …

Time To Medical Help-Seeking For Adults Who Experience Symptoms Of Stroke In A California-Mexico Border Region, Jean Rockwell

Dissertations

Background: Acute thrombolytic therapy for ischemic stroke must be administered within 4.5 hours of stroke symptom onset. Despite its proven efficacy fewer than 12% of those suffering acute ischemic stroke receive this treatment. The most common reason for low utilization is late medical help-seeking. Though the relationship among predictor variables and time to medical help-seeking have been explored in previous studies, it stills remains uncertain which predictors are most influential. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with time to medical help-seeking for patients who experienced symptoms of stroke within a U.S. Southern California-Mexico border region. This …

Feasibility Of Online Nutritional Counseling And/Or Remote Self Weighing In Pregnant Women With Obesity, Rebecca Mattson

Dissertations

Purpose

The purpose of this feasibility study is to determine the magnitude of effect using a combination of weekly weights and an online registered dietician to control excessive gestational weight gain in pregnant women with obesity using a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Specific Aims

There are three specific aims. Aim 1: Describe the study population in terms of sociodemographic influences (e.g., ethnicity, age, weight, and height) and obstetrical influences (i.e., parity and pregnancy weight). Aim 2: Measure participant satisfaction with the study interventions of weekly weighing and online nutrition counselling. Aim 3: (a) Explore the differences in gestational weight …

Coping Skills, Emotional Intelligence, Attachment, And Resilience On Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder In Private Sector Emergency Medical Technicians, Brenda-Joyce Gonzales Orozco Markert-Green

Dissertations

Problem

Private sector Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are first responders who respond to traumatic incident scenes along with firefighters and police officers. However, news agencies and the public do not acknowledge private sector EMTs with the same vigor or accolade as public sector EMTs, nor are the risks to life, health, and mental well-being recognized among this population. Thus, the research literature has been sparse regarding how private sector EMTs experience PTSD, and what unique risk factors and needs may be present.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between PTSD symptoms and coping skills, …

Relationships Among Nursing Presence, Openness, And Fatigue In Acute Care Nurses, Barbara Therese Pudelek

Dissertations

Nursing presence was first identified when Florence Nightingale established a physical nursing presence or "being" and providing compassionate care or "doing" in the military hospitals during the Crimean War (Watson, 1998; Boeck, 2014; Dossey, 2000). Nursing presence has been a central focus in nursing throughout the past several decades (Turpin, 2014) and has been positively linked to the development of nurse-patient relationships. Nursing presence has been hypothesized to transpire when a joint relationship develops between the patient and the nurse. The patient allows the nurse into a relationship in which the nurse recognizes the patient as a unique being and …

Ethical Health Care In An African Context: Linking Conventional Medicine And Traditional Healing Practices In Igboland, Nigeria., Michael Osondu Okoro

Dissertations

This dissertation argues that in Nigeria’s Igboland, a health care ethic reflective of the Roman Catholic Christian faith must build links between the rightful practices of both conventional Western medicine and traditional Igbo healers. It calls such a health care ethic an “integral health care ethic” in the Nigerian Igbo context.The inspiration for this dissertation comes from the growing respect given to indigenous people and their knowledge by the Roman Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council and, more specifically, the attention Pope Francis has given to indigenous people in his writings and speeches. For example, in his remarks on …

Traits Of Character That Facilitate Formation Of Exemplary Nurses In Bachelor Of Science Nursing Programs, Jean Marks

Dissertations

Constructivist grounded theory methods were applied in this study to explore traits of character that facilitate the formation of exemplary nurses in Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSN) programs. Interest in this study was prompted by a desire to examine attributes beyond academics alone that contribute to the formation of excellent nurses. The intent was to promote clarity in describing these attributes for further scholarly discussion.

Framing this study was Aristotle’s doctrine of the golden mean (Aristotle, 350 B.C.E./1934). Operational definitions consistent with this doctrine were created for the concepts of character, character traits, and exemplary nursing practice. The concept …

Childbirth And Control Behind Bars: A Descriptive Qualitative Analysis Of The Maternal Perception Of Control In Women Who Have Given Birth While Incarcerated, Lorin Raines

Dissertations

The perception of control during childbirth has been widely studied in various setting and groups. Many factors have been found to aid or impede the perception of control for birthing women. Significance of that perception of control during childbirth has also been measured in past studies. This descriptive qualitative study advances the knowledge of the perception of control during childbirth and examines a population that has thus far been excluded. Four previously incarcerated women participated in semi-structured interviews about their experience of giving birth while incarcerated and their perception of control during that time. The women were from diverse backgrounds …

A Signal Detection Framework For Evaluating The Effects Of Feedback On Stroke Recognition, Jordan D. Bailey

Dissertations

The impact of stroke on the lives of individuals and the healthcare system is considerable. Damage from stroke can be reduced if the treatment is administered at the appropriate time so early recognition is essential. One problem is that strokes present in a variety of ways that sometimes do not fit into the Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties and Time (FAST; American Heart Association, 2019) acronym. Signal detection is one way to measure decision making under conditions of uncertainty (e.g., discriminating stroke symptoms and risk factors from other symptoms, and non-risk factors). The methodology also allows us to consider …

Acculturation, Psychological Well-Being And Substance Use Behaviors In Asian Indian Americans, Sonia Y. Amin

Dissertations

The American population is becoming more diversified with increases in the number of immigrants and refugees entering the country. These new Americans bring distinct cultural values, traditions, and worldviews. With this diversity, an important need has arisen to better understand the interplay of culture, physical, and mental health concerns that affect specific racial and ethnic populations. This increase in knowledge and awareness will aid in the development and provision of culturally-sensitive mental health services. The stress of immigration and the multifaceted sociocultural and psychological adaptations involved in adjusting to living in a new country with a Eurocentric dominant culture can …

Cardiac Electrophysiology: Exploring Racial And Gender Outcomes Of Treatment Of Paroxysmal And Persistent Atrial Fibrillation Using Sotalol And Dofetilide, Nicole Lanette Bradford-Love

Dissertations

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the association between gender and racial lines in the conversion and sustainment of normal sinus rhythm (NSR) from paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) and persistent atrial fibrillation using the anti-arrhythmic drugs (AADs) sotalol and dofetilide.

Methods

A secondary data analysis was performed to assess the relationships of the independent and dependent variables listed above. Using SPSS v. 24 descriptive statistics were obtained and initially evaluated for accuracy with histograms. A cross-tabulation frequency table was produced to determine the number of variables that fell into each dependent category. Following this, the frequencies were …

A Phenomenological Study Of Faculty Members’ Experiences With Attempting To Integrate Religion And Spirituality Into Counseling Psychology Doctoral Training, Theresa M. Nutten

Dissertations

Religion and spirituality (R/S) are two of several multicultural variables salient to some clients seeking counseling, therefore psychologists are expected to be sensitive to and respectful of R/S in professional duties (APA, 2017a; APA, 2017b). However, research has shown that the integration of topics of R/S into the training of psychology graduate students has been minimal at best (Brawer et al., 2002, Hage et al., 2006, Saunders et al., 2014; Schafer et al., 2011; Schulte et al., 2002; Vogel et al., 2013). There are potential logistical and personal barriers to the inclusion of religion and spirituality into mental health training …

Employees Support As A Determinant Of Merger Success: Exploring The Organizational Context And Its Interventions During Post-Merger Integration, Abdulla Humaid Saif Aljarwan Alshamsi

Dissertations

Mergers is an extreme form of organizational change, which usually has an adverse impact on the merging organizations employees’ wellbeing. In literature it was argued that organizational integration after merger, which is referred to as Post-Merger Integration (PMI) is usually resisted by employees, which is considered as a major contributor to the high failure rates of mergers. It was further argued that employees’ resistance toward integration is attributed to stress, uncertainty, ambiguity and lack of clarity on the changes that merger and integration initiate. Therefore, PMI activities were assumed to psychologically traumatize employees and jeopardize their sense of belonging, attachment, …

Utilization Of Asthma Guidelines In Primary Care, Kate R. Miller

Dissertations

Background: Chronic lower respiratory disease, including asthma, is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. Financially, asthma accounts for approximately 54 billion dollars in healthcare spending annually. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute [NHLBI] established guidelines to reduce impairment and to reduce future asthma attacks.

Purpose: This Quality Improvement (QI) pilot implemented the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and the Asthma Action Plan (AAP) per NHLBI guidelines. This project aimed to increase provider use of the ACT and AAP to 50% in patients with a diagnosis of asthma over one month.

Methods: A convenience sample of six adult …