Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Investigating Pre-Health Students’ Science Identity And The Factors That Influence Them To Change Programs Or Tracks, Taylor Humphreys

The Cardinal Edge

Retention rates for undergraduate students in pre-health programs or tracks have had a continual decline as students progress through their bachelor’s degrees. While numerous articles publish statistics regarding students on a pre-med track with intentions to apply to medical school, information is not available for pre-health students applying to other health professional schools. It is important to know what measures can be taken or resources offered to improve the retention rates across these programs or tracks.

Peer-led focus groups were used to elicit uncensored responses from students. Focus groups allowed for a small number of participants with similar interests or …

Avaren-Fc, A Novel Immunotherapeutic, Recruits Nk Cells In B16f10 Melanoma Tumor Tissue, Sreevatsa Vemuri, Katarina L Mayer, Nobuyuki Matoba

The Cardinal Edge

Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the US, with limited effective immunotherapeutic options available for patients. Avaren-Fc (AvFc) is a novel experimental immunotherapeutic agent with a unique “lectibody” property. It is capable of targeting cancer cells through the selective recognition of high mannose glycans, which are aberrantly overrepresented on the surface of malignant cells. Upon binding to cancer cells, AvFc can interact with circulating effector immune cells equipped with Fc receptors, such as natural killer (NK) cells to induce antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and kill the cancer cells. Previous work has shown that AvFc effectively induces ADCC activity …

Cellular Senescence In Peripheral Tissues After Spinal Cord Injury, Tanisha A. Valdez, Benjamin R. Rood, Lukasz P. Slomnicki, Yonglin Gao, Mason Miller, Kariena Andres, Scott R. Whittemore, Michal Hetman

The Cardinal Edge

Cellular senescence is the phenomenon in which cells undergo permanent cell cycle arrest and is caused by natural aging or pathological mechanisms. Depending on the physiological context, pathological senescence can potentially be implicated in chronic inflammation but may also have a role in promoting tissue repair. Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a whole-body injury, in which patients with SCI often experience complications in organ systems outside of the CNS. Our recent data has shown that senescence can develop in the spinal cord after SCI but the extent that senescence contributes to dysfunctions of peripheral tissues remains unclear. This study sought …

Utilization Of An Alternative Responder Model To Address Behavioral Health Care Related Calls To 911 In Louisville, Kentucky, Jacelyn Grimes, Paige Roberson, Mads Priddy, Brian Schaefer

The Cardinal Edge

In March 2022, Louisville Metro launched the Crisis Call Diversion Program (CCDP) which is redefining how the city responds to 911 behavioral health emergencies. The CCDP is an alternative responder model that works to deflect 911 calls from law enforcement and provide the individual in crisis with “someone to talk to,” “someone to respond,” and “a place to go.” The UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences was contracted to evaluate the intervention and in this poster, we will describe how the CCDP works, the evaluation design, and outcomes in the first year of operations.

The Relationship Between Protein Synthesis And Aging, Christopher A. Jackel

The Cardinal Edge

Aging is a complex process influenced by various cellular mechanisms, with several distinctive features associated with its progression. Among the hallmarks of aging is the loss of proteostasis, or disruption in the balance of proteins within the cell. Recent research has made significant strides in unraveling the intricate relationship between proteostasis and aging. Notably, studies have demonstrated that decreased protein synthesis can extend the healthspan of organisms. Moreover, inhibition of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 1 has been shown to selectively reduce the lifespan limiting proteins while promoting autophagy, thereby extending organismal lifespan. Thus, this paper aims to review …

Anti-Aging Properties Of Cosmetics, Anna Lipinski

The Cardinal Edge

It is well established that external factors, specifically UV exposure, are among the highest contributors to the biological aging of the skin. Prolonged exposure may disrupt skin cell homeostasis through shifts in proteostasis, accumulation of reactive oxidative species, premature cellular senescence, and inflammatory pathways. Cosmetic companies have responded to this by producing products marketed as "youthful" and "anti-aging" by including specific compounds into formulas to combat skin aging. This review discusses the specific mechanisms of anti-aging formulas, including polyphenols as senotherapeutic agents and L-ascorbic acid as an anti-inflammatory compound, in resisting the biological aging of the skin.

A Hopeful Overview On Aging, Rafael Demarco

The Cardinal Edge

N/A

An Analysis Of The Environmental Account Of Obesity As A Form Of Financial Neo-Imperialism, Zahara Alzubaidi

The Cardinal Edge

Socioeconomic developments of the past half-century have created mass social concern over an “obesity epidemic.” This concern is given a sense of legitimacy by studies that warn of a totally obese America in only a few decades, and children being more likely than ever to be diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. The “environmentalist account” of obesity asserts that factors like genetics, food availability, and social or political climate are the major determinants of an “obesogenic environment” – that is, an environment of obese adults likely to raise obese children. Some feminist thinkers argue that the environmentalist account is necessary to …

Autoimmunity And The Epigenome, Jeffrey S. Miller Jr

The Cardinal Edge

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of A Virtual Covid-19 Interprofessional Educational Module On Knowledge, Confidence, Attitude, And Practice Among Health And Allied Health Professions Students, Tsu-Yin Wu, Jenni L. Hoffman, Grigoris Argeros, Sarah Lally, Andrea Gossett Zakrajsek, Jillian Graves, Alice Jo Rainville, Olivia Ford, Angela Lukomski, Renuka Roche, John Sonnega, Joan E. Cowdery Phd

Journal of Interprofessional Practice and Collaboration

Purpose: The purpose of this research study was to examine the effect of an innovative, online COVID-19 interprofessional educational module among health and allied health professions students.

Methods: This study utilized a pre- and posttest design with quantitative and qualitative data collected winter 2023 and spring/summer 2023 semesters, and consisted of health and allied health professions students (N=143) from three Midwestern, urban, public universities. Participants completed a pretest, then an IPE module on COVID-19, and a posttest immediately after the educational intervention, and another (the same) posttest one month later. Quantitative and qualitative data were subject to statistical …

How Speech-Language Pathologists Can Collaborate With A Well-Meaning Judiciary To Improve Jury Instructions, Lillian N. Stiegler, Rebecca L. Parker

Journal of Interprofessional Practice and Collaboration

Abstract

Purpose: Many U.S. adults are called upon to fulfill civic responsibilities through jury duty. Jury participation is a responsibility, but it is also a privilege that ensures the balance of power between government and citizens. Problems arise when jury instructions are presented using complex language that challenges the comprehension of laypersons with and without language and literacy differences, negatively influencing the juror’s participation experience and trial outcomes. In spite of plain language mandates and clear findings regarding the average literacy abilities of U.S. adults, much of the legal community persists in the use of difficult jury instructions.

Method: Academic …

Understanding A College Of Health And Human Service’S Needs Around Interprofessional Education, Research, And Practice: A Needs Assessment, Jenni L. Hoffman, Jillian Graves, Andrea Gossett Zakrajsek

Journal of Interprofessional Practice and Collaboration

Introduction: A needs assessment can demonstrate when improvement is needed for an organization to function more optimally.

Methods: A college’s emerging interprofessional education center provided the impetus for the needs assessment in an effort to identify and respond effectively to faculty interprofessional education needs.

Results: Twenty-four health professions faculty from the college completed the needs assessment survey, which indicated their experiences with interprofessional education as well as their needs to enhance interprofessional education support at the university.

Discussion: The results of this needs assessment will drive the center’s strategic activities and indicate areas of future research in understanding faculty needs. …

Food Safety, Livestock Health, And Productivity Of A Layer Farm Following Implementation Of A Certified Haccp System In Japan, Hiroshi Akaike, Makoto Nagai, Tomomitsu Alexandre Okatani, Sumalee Boonmar, Yukio Morita

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

This study examined the safety and productivity of a layer farm over a 3-year period following the implementation of a farm Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system in 2019. The critical control point was “automatic egg collection” and no deviations from critical limits were observed, indicating the eggs were safe. In addition, the egg production rate increased and the feed conversion rate decreased. In contrast, the viability after the introduction of a farm HACCP system, in which the replenishment of new hens was discontinued after forced molting, showed an increasing trend. These results suggest that the HACCP system …

Introduction—Bioethics After Dobbs, James Toomey

Pace Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Alabama Embryo Decision In Ethics, Law, And Politics, I. Glenn Cohen

Pace Law Review

No abstract provided.

Legal Disputes Over Frozen Embryos After Dobbs: A Retrospective Study Of Claims, Contracts, And Liability In Cases Of Divorce Or Separation, Gerard Letterie, Dov Fox

Pace Law Review

This study reviewed legal claims and clinic liability over disputed frozen embryos in cases of divorce or separation. Our data shows that one-third of cases had no prior arrangement regarding disposition about what to do in the event of separation or divorce. When agreements were in place they were rarely clear enough to determine the court’s resolution in these cases. In a post-Dobbs era, absence of adequate guidance could have significant implications regarding liability for all parties.

Are Embryos Or Fetuses Brain Dead? Implications For The Abortion Debate, Greer Donley

Pace Law Review

Most state abortion definitions exclude the removal of a dead fetus, attempting to distinguish miscarriage and abortion care. But what does “dead” mean at the earliest stages of potential life? There is a consensus at the end of life that death not only encompasses the cessation of cardiac activity, but also brain death. This symposium essay considers whether life can only begin with the emergence of brain life and if so, how that might impact the abortion debate. The most rudimentary brain waves cannot be detected in an embryo before roughly the eighth week of pregnancy; the capacity for feeling …

Personhood, Politics, Assisted Reproduction, And The Law Post-Dobbs, Myrisha S. Lewis

Pace Law Review

With the end of the federal constitutional right to abortion, state legislatures and state courts have become far more important in the sphere of reproductive rights. Before Dobbs, anti-abortion advocates had significant (albeit increasingly porous) ceilings on what they could prohibit in relation to reproductive health care. A significant check on those actions is now gone.

In the wake of Dobbs, societal debates about personhood have increased and expanded in terms of their practical implications. Before Dobbs, anti-abortion advocates admitted that Roe and subsequent cases limited the scope of their arguments, especially in relation to the legality …

Patient-Practitioner Relationship In The Post-Dobbs American Landscape, Lynette B. Martins, Scott J. Schweikart

Pace Law Review

The patient-practitioner relationship is among the most sacred and fundamental in health care, particularly in the realm of reproductive care. Laws regulating what practitioners can and cannot discuss in the exam room with patients have made a resurgence in the post-Dobbs era. In the reproductive care context, these restrictive laws impact patients’ access to critical medical services but also the fundamental underpinnings of the patient-practitioner relationship. In a post-Dobbs era, laws restricting abortion are increasingly dangerous to the health of those seeking these services. With no federal protection for access to abortion services and abortion services hinging on …

When To Save The Baby: A Fundamental Conditions Approach, S. Matthew Liao, Jordan Liebman, Corine Astroth

Pace Law Review

Parents and physicians often grapple with the agonizing decision of whether to continue life-sustaining treatment for critically ill infants. In this paper, we introduce a novel framework called the Fundamental Conditions Approach (FCA) to guide these difficult choices. Building on S. Matthew Liao’s work, the FCA evaluates whether an infant possesses or can develop the fundamental capacities necessary for engaging in basic activities that constitute a good life. These capacities include the ability to think, respond to facts, develop interpersonal relationships, and interact with one’ environment. We argue that if an infant lacks nearly all of these fundamental capacities and …

Dobbs And Sterilization Decision-Making: Understanding The Coercive Spillover Effects In Reproductive Choice, Thomas Wilson Williams

Pace Law Review

The Supreme Court majority in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization argued their decision would have limited impact beyond abortion rights. This Article examines how Dobbs and subsequent state abortion restrictions are likely to increase women’s reliance on permanent sterilization procedures, particularly among already marginalized populations. Drawing on emerging data and historical context, I argue that some post-Dobbs sterilizations should be understood as effectively coerced by state policies, implicating reproductive justice concerns and potentially undermining fundamental rights established in Skinner v. Oklahoma. Then, I demonstrate how interdisciplinary bioethics frameworks and methodologies can help courts better understand the full …

Comparative Efficacy And Safety Of Transcatheter Versus Mitral-Valve Surgery In Elderly Patients With Mitral Regurgitation: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Saif Almuzainy, Mohamed Lemine, Rayan Aljubeh, Sami Alsalem

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Objectives: Mitral valve surgery is the reference treatment for severe symptomatic mitral regurgitation (MR). Percutaneous mitral valve interventions, such as the MitraClip procedure, offer an alternative, particularly for high-risk patients. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to analyze the safety and effectiveness of transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) compared to surgical mitral valve repair or replacement (SMVR) in elderly patients with mitral regurgitation. Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, Ovid, EBSCO, and ProQuest through July 2024. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials and observational comparative studies of TMVR versus SMVR for patients with MR, reporting outcomes such as …

Exploring Pcat3 Expression In Arthritis: Proinflammatory Marker Patterns And P53 Involvement, Aida H. Alobaidi, Entkhab M. A. Alanisi, Khalid A. Alyodawi

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

This study investigated the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) PCAT3 in arthritis, focusing on its impact on proinflammatory markers. Researchers analyzed both mRNA and protein levels of various proinflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-13) in arthritis patients and compared them to healthy controls. Additionally, PCAT3 expression was assessed in both patient groups and further investigated using siRNA knockdown in the human synovial cell line SW982. Results revealed distinct expression patterns of proinflammatory markers in arthritis patients, with TNF-α and IL-6 showing the highest levels. PCAT3 expression was significantly elevated in arthritis patients compared to controls. …

Integrated Western And Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy In A Dog With Acute Pancreatitis, Chen-Yin Liao, Cheng-Hung Lai

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

A 23kg, 12-year-old intact male Siberian Husky crossbred dog was brought to the animal hospital on October 25, 2020 due to sudden anorexia, vomiting and praying posture for two days. After physical examination, completed blood count (CBC), serum biochemistry profile, canine SNAP cPL test, abdominal radiography and ultrasonography were performed for differential diagnosis. According to clinical symptoms, medical history, and diagnostic test results, it was diagnosed as acute pancreatitis (AP). Integrated Western and traditional Chinese medicine therapy was used, including supporting treatment, aquapunture and traditional Chinese herbal formulas. The clinical signs showed significant improvement after treatment. The results indicated that …

The Effect Of A Structural Wellness Intervention On Id Fellows And Faculty, Michael T. Czapka, Christopher Lehmann, John Flores, Erica Mackenzie, Elizabeth Bell, Aniruddha Hazra

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Physician burnout is prevalent amongst Infectious Diseases (ID) physicians and trainees in the United States. There is limited data assessing the impact of structural interventions in reducing burnout among medical professionals.

Methods: The multifaceted intervention included increased faculty presence over the weekend and faculty support during the week. ID fellows were surveyed before and after the intervention and faculty were surveyed after the intervention using the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Medical Personnel and additional questions regarding wellness and time for education. Pre- and post-intervention responses were compared. Free response answers were analyzed to determine major themes. Metrics of clinical …

Evolution Of International Collaboration In China’S Biomedical Technology And Policy Implications, Xinyu Liu, Fang Wang, Liang Xi

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

In light of the rapid advancement of biomedical technologies and intensifying geopolitical competition over technological dominance, international cooperation in this field has garnered significant attention among scholars, policymakers, and industry leaders. This study employs comprehensive patent data spanning from 2002 to 2023 across the global biomedical landscape to systematically investigate the characteristics and evolution patterns of both global and Chinese biomedical inventions. Employing econometric analysis of patents and social network analysis, the research examines three key dimensions: patent output, technological pathways, and collaboration networks. Three research findings are derived. Firstly, China has transitioned from a “catch-up collaborator” to a critical …

Dehydration And Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Study Of A Translational Rodent Model Of Conditions In Professional Combat Sports, Alexander S. Martinie, Corey Peacock, Chris Algeri, Bill Kochen

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Traumatic brain injuries are a widespread public health issue, with athletes being at an increased risk of traumatic brain injury, especially in contact sports. Dehydration and rehydration prior to use of a weight drop served as a model for conditions experienced by professional boxers in a rodent model of traumatic brain injury. Following dehydration, rehydration, and traumatic brain injury procedures, subjects’ symptoms were assessed using the novel object recognition task, sucrose preference test, open field maze, and elevated zero maze. There were significant effects of both dehydration and TBI on time to righting, and there was a significant interaction between …

Enhancing Occupational Therapy Students’ Education In Animal-Assisted Therapy: Students’ Experience, Jessica Hill, Sophie Mensforth, Lucy Waldby, Jennifer Fleming, Teresa Quinlan, Carlie Driscoll

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Animal-assisted therapy has been gaining increased attention in occupational therapy practice and research. Yet the topic remains missing from university curricula at an international level. The aim of this study was to describe how animal-assisted therapy might be introduced to occupational therapy curricula and explore the experience of students who were able to implement their knowledge within a student-led clinic. Nine occupational therapy students engaged in individual semistructured interviews, allowing them to describe their experience participating in a student-led canine-assisted therapy clinic. Transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Four themes emerged describing the students’ experience: outside my comfort zone, …

Utilization Patterns In Frailty: Don’T Miss The Forest For The Trees, Kathryn E. Callahan

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Nature Healing Mental Stress: What U.S. Healthcare Can Learn From Other Nations, Shannon Frank-Richter, Lindsay Gietzen

Pacific Journal of Health

The United States healthcare system lags many developed nations in healthcare access and practices, especially surrounding ecotherapy [1]. Ecotherapy is the practice of mindfulness in tandem with intentional immersion among natural spaces or with natural elements. Research from Asia, Europe and Canada indicate immense benefits from ecotherapy, or mindful nature immersion, as an effective treatment for burnout and stress. By adopting regular nature engagement, the U.S. could significantly improve mental health and reduce occupational stress. This literature review examines how nature immersion, especially with mindfulness, positively affects the brain and nervous system. Key components in nature are identified, such as …