Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Determining Patient Activation Levels Among Patients Who Are Receiving Rehabilitation Services In A Rehabilitation Or Long-Term Care Facility, Danielle S. Vittatoe

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Research shows that one of the major contributors for an extended stay in a long-term care facility is lack of knowledge regarding goals for rehabilitation after being discharged from an acute care facility. It is important to determine patients’ levels of engagement because individuals who are actively involved in discharge planning and rehabilitation goals are able to manage their ongoing care more effectively, which results in increased quality of life. The data was collected using a survey method and the instrument used was the Patient Activation Measure or PAM which is a highly accurate and reliable tool. The 22 question …

What Do Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Experience In Receiving Care In Appalachia, Brittany L. Thomas

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This qualitative research study explores what veterans living in the Appalachian region experience in receiving care for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder through personal interviews. These interviews will give insight into how veterans in Appalachia perceive their care through specific questions pertaining to healthcare for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

A convenient sample of veterans attending the specific study site was used for this study. An email, which contained information about the background and nature of the study was used for participant recruitment of veterans. In addition, flyers with the same information were posted throughout the study site. This study will highlight specific details …

Redesign Of Trans-Splicing Molecules For The Correction Of Dystrophia Myotonica Type 1 Toxic Rna Transcripts, Eleanor G. Harrison

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Dystrophia myotonica (DM1), one of the most common forms of muscular dystrophy, is caused by a repeated trinucleotide expansion in the DMPK gene. This mutation results in the accumulation of toxic cellular RNA transcripts. Spliceosome-mediated RNA trans-splicing (SMaRT) technology is a form of gene therapy that possesses the potential to correct these toxic RNA transcripts and thus cure the disease. Despite its promise, prior research applications of SMaRT technology to DM1 have been hampered by poor efficiency and have not been validated in a relevant model of the disease. In order to improve the efficiency of trans-splicing, this study examined …

Examining General Versus Condition-Specific Health Related Quality Of Life Across Weight Categories In An Adolescent Sample, Autumn G. Dalton

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Approximately 34% of adolescents are overweight or obese which can be accompanied by physical, psychosocial, and economic consequences. Increasingly, pediatric overweight/obesity research has focused on Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) as a health outcome. This study examined differences in HRQoL across weight categories in adolescents, specifically, the sensitivity of using a general versus condition-specific measure. Further, the influence of gender was explored.

Data were extracted from Wave 2 of Team Up for Healthy Living, a school-based obesity prevention program targeting adolescents in Southern Appalachia. Participants (N = 918; 50% Female; 93% Caucasian; 90% 9^th graders) completed …

A Systematic Column Performance Comparison For The Confirmation Of Opioids Used In Pain Management By Lc-Ms, Derek Stallard

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this study, three different chromatographic column chemistries (C18, Pentafluorophenyl (PFP), Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography (HILIC)) were compared under optimal conditions to determine which stationary performed best in the separation and detection of a mixture of opioids using LC-MS. Furthermore, these stationary phases were examined in three different column technologies – traditional silica, porous shell, and porous polymer (PRP). The PRP column had the best peak shape for all 13 opioids and dominated for later-eluting compounds. In terms of column reproducibility, the Hamilton C18 column had the lowest %RSD values. The Kinetex HILIC produced the most theoretical plates and best resolution …

Perceived Barriers To Obtaining Psychiatric Treatment At Johnson City Community Health Center, Mychal Bolton

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceived barriers to obtaining psychiatric treatment at the Johnson City Community Health Center. The context of the study was a rural area in Eastern Tennessee. Five patients with confirmed DSM-IV mental health diagnoses were recruited during treatment and interviewed at the Johnson City Community Health Center after their scheduled appointments with a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (MHNP). The semi-structured interview focused on perceived barriers to obtaining treatment, perceptions of treatment received, and perceived availability of treatment. From those interviews, two themes were identified and each of which had two sub-themes identified: …

Rural Pediatric Primary Care Practice Patterns As A Result Of An On-Site Behavioral Health Consultant: A Retrospective Analysis, Kayla D. Mccarter

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Nationally, it has been estimated that 10 to 21% of children with psychosocial concerns are seen in primary care settings (Jellinek et al., 1999; McInerny, Szilagyi, Childs, Wasserman & Kelleher, 2000; Palermo et al., 2002). Often, however, children go undiagnosed with/treated for psychosocial concerns in pediatric primary care due to lack of physician time and poor referral rates to mental health providers. Evaluations of integrated care models, in which a behavioral health consultant is present in primary care practices, has shown to increase the availability of mental health services (Stancin, Perrin, & Ramirez, 2009). Using extant data from patient records …

The Johnson City Community Health Center: A Qualitative Analysis Of The Center's Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, And Threats In Johnson City, Tennessee, Enrique A. Cruz Enriquez

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Johnson City Community Health Center is one of over 1200 community health centers serving over 22 million patients across the United States. Community health centers primarily serve patients with low income or without health insurance, but most serve all the members of their communities. These centers provide many services and treat health problems in a holistic manner in order to improve the health of their communities and also allow the members of those communities to progress. The Johnson City Community Health Center is compared to successful CHCs from across the nation to determine if it has characteristics to be …

Birthing Positions: Is There A Connection Between Acutal Nursing Experience And Evidence-Based Research?, Leah M. Latham

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objectives of this study were to determine whether there was an association between clinical nursing knowledge of four birthing positions and current evidence-based research of those same positions and also to identify possible areas where nursing knowledge of those birthing positions was inadequate. This pilot study used convenience sampling to survey registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) on labor and delivery units. The survey was distributed to three hospitals in the southeastern United States, and twenty-four RNs and LPNs participated. Participants’ knowledge did not reflect current clinical evidence in two key areas, (1) the best position to …

The Impact Of Inappropriate Gestational Weight Gain On Pregnancy, Delivery, And Neonatal Outcomes, Morgan L. Isom

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Inappropriate weight gain during pregnancy is a widespread problem associated with adverse maternal and newborn outcomes. This study’s objective was to examine the impact of gestational weight gain (GWG) above and below the Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines on pregnancy, delivery, and newborn outcomes in a rural population. Women were recruited at the first prenatal visit, and data was collected through research interviews and examination of prenatal and delivery medical records. Prepregnancy weight and weight at delivery were obtained, and the final sample (n=913) was restricted to women with singleton pregnancies. Participants were categorized by prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) …

9-Phenanthrol And Flufenamic Acid Inhibit Calcium Oscillations In Hl-1 Mouse Cardiomyocytes, Rees A. Burt

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Electrical potentials exist across the membranes of nearly every cell type in the body. In addition, excitable cells, such as neurons, myocytes and even some endocrine cells elicit electrochemical fluctuations, action potentials (AP), in the cell membrane to initiate cell-to-cell communication or intracellular processes. The basis for the electrical potential is rooted within an array of complex interactions between monovalent ions and their associated membrane channels and transporters that regulate the flux of these charged species across the hydrophobic bilayer. Here, an expansion of our recently published work [1] will serve to explore the modern concepts regarding the …

Neuromodulation Therapy Mitigates Heart Failure Induced Hippocampal Damage, Timothy P. Diperi

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. Nearly half of the people diagnosed with heart failure (HF) die within 5 years of diagnosis. Brain abnormalities secondary to CVD have been observed in many discrete regions, including the hippocampus. Nearly 25% of patients with CVD also have major depressive disorder (MDD), and hippocampal dysfunction is a characteristic of both diseases. In this study, the hippocampus and an area of the hippocampal formation, the dentate gyrus (DG), were studied in a canine model of HF. Using this canine HF model previously, we have determined that myocardial …

Measuring The Effects Of Ctrp3 And Metformin On H4iie Hepatocyte Metabolism Using Seahorse Extracellular Flux Analyzer, Forrest J. Longway

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) results from an unequal uptake/storage and export/oxidation of lipids within the liver and is often a secondary disease to type II diabetes (22). NAFLD causes this imbalance of lipids by altering glucose and lipid metabolism, which corresponds to a decrease in mitochondrial function leading to failure of the liver. One established treatment for type II diabetes and NAFLD is the drug metformin, which has similar properties to the newly discovered CTRP 3 protein which is part of a group of bioactive molecules secreted by adipose tissue, collectively termed adipokines (2-4). Both have similar effects on …

Portion Size Selection In Relation To Hemoglobin A1cs, Brian L. Dixon

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Obesity has been recognized as an increasing issue within our country. Obesity contributes to many health related issues, including type 2 diabetes mellitus. Portion size is a factor that has generated clinical research interest. The aim of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between management of diabetes measured by hemoglobin A1c and portion size selection for type 2 diabetics. In this study, subjects selected portion sizes of four different foods. Data were compared to recent A1c levels. Due to the small sample size, nonparametric statistical analysis was used. The relationship of grain portion weight selection and …

"Nursing Contamination: Wearing Scrubs In Public", Kemble Green

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Nurses are frequently seen in public in their “scrubs,” which could mean that contaminated clothing is being brought into the community, thereby posing an infection risk. The purpose of this study is to investigate if and which contaminants are present on the fabrics and the actions nurses are taking to eliminate contamination risks.

Eleven scrub tops were worn on hospital units over one twelve-hour shift. The contaminated scrubs and three control tops were then swabbed and used to inoculate agar plates. After incubation, colonies were counted, streaked onto nutrient and Mannitol-salt agar for isolation, and incubated. Using API Staph strips …

The Prevalence Of Smoking In Nursing Students, Jennifer Trotter

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Tobacco use is one of the most preventable sources of death and disease, and yet remains a worldwide problem. With the rising costs of healthcare, the focus of efforts to control them has honed in on lifestyle behaviors that contribute to the escalating costs. Within the scope of this scrutiny, the prevention or cessation of smoking and tobacco usage has become a global priority and a major focal point of worldwide anti-tobacco initiatives. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified cessation interventions by health care professionals as a crucial factor in successful patient smoking cessation, and studies have shown that …