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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Assessing Postpartum Fatigue, Diane Gardner, B. Campbell Nov 2011

Assessing Postpartum Fatigue, Diane Gardner, B. Campbell

Diane Huber

No abstract provided.


Prion Diseases--An Evidence-Based Protocol For Infection Control, Victoria Steelman Nov 2011

Prion Diseases--An Evidence-Based Protocol For Infection Control, Victoria Steelman

Victoria J. Steelman

Prion diseases are fatal, infectious, neurodegenerative disorders with special implications for infection control in the OR. The causative agent is highly resistant to disinfection and sterilization processes and has been transmitted during health care interactions. It is important to use evidence gained through research and case reports to minimize risk of infection. This article describes an infection control protocol developed for identifying high-risk patients, providing perioperative care, decontaminating the OR, and protecting health care personnel. This protocol provides multidisciplinary team members with a guideline for preventing transmission of these fatal diseases.


Latex Allergy: Implications For The Nurse Anesthetist, Victoria Steelman Nov 2011

Latex Allergy: Implications For The Nurse Anesthetist, Victoria Steelman

Victoria J. Steelman

No abstract provided.


Preventing Allergic Reactions To Latex, M. Titler, Victoria Steelman Nov 2011

Preventing Allergic Reactions To Latex, M. Titler, Victoria Steelman

Victoria J. Steelman

No abstract provided.


Milwaukee Police Department Retirees: Cardiovascular Disease Risk And Morbidity Among Aging Law Enforcement Officers, Sandra L. Ramey, Nancy R. Downing, W. D. Franke Nov 2011

Milwaukee Police Department Retirees: Cardiovascular Disease Risk And Morbidity Among Aging Law Enforcement Officers, Sandra L. Ramey, Nancy R. Downing, W. D. Franke

Sandra L. Ramey

This study explored the self-reported prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and accompanying risk factors among 165 male retirees 43 years and older (M = 56.2, SD = 7.1) from the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) compared to 671 individuals of similar age and income who responded to the 2005 Wisconsin Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). CVD and other risk factors were more prevalent in the MPD retirees than the general population (CVD 15.2% vs. 9.5%, p = .036; hypertension 51.5% vs. 36.2%, p = .001; hypercholesterolemia 62.4% vs. 44.4%, p = .001; overweight and obesity 85.1% vs. 74.7%, p = …


A Meta-Analysis Of Effects Of Heparin Flush And Saline Flush: Quality And Cost Implications, C. Goode, M. Titler, Barbara Rakel, D. Ones, Charmaine Kleiber, S. Small, P. Triolo Nov 2011

A Meta-Analysis Of Effects Of Heparin Flush And Saline Flush: Quality And Cost Implications, C. Goode, M. Titler, Barbara Rakel, D. Ones, Charmaine Kleiber, S. Small, P. Triolo

Barbara A. Rakel

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to estimate the effects of heparin flush and saline flush solutions on maintaining patency, preventing phlebitis, and increasing duration in peripheral heparin locks. The average effect size (d value) across 15 studies with a total sample size of 3,490 was .0573 for patency (clotting). The 95% credibility interval ranged from -.2267 to .3413. The average effect size across 13 studies with a total sample size of 2,356 was -.0757 for phlebitis. The 95% credibility interval ranged from -.2497 to .0983. The average effect size for duration across six samples with a total sample size …


Iatrogenesis In The Elderly. Impaired Skin Integrity, Lisa Skemp Kelley, Paula Mobily Oct 2011

Iatrogenesis In The Elderly. Impaired Skin Integrity, Lisa Skemp Kelley, Paula Mobily

Paula Mobily

Risk factors that contribute to pressure ulcer formation include immobility and inactivity, age, malnutrition, fecal and urinary incontinence, and a decreased level of consciousness. Gerontological nurses should collaborate with other health disciplines (eg, the physician, physical therapist, and dietitian) to plan and provide preventive treatment measures for the elderly person with potential for impaired skin integrity: pressure ulcers. Gerontological nurses must continue the development and refinement of tools with which to predict the degree of risk for impaired skin integrity, as well as use a consistent method of grading pressure ulcers.


Screening For Acute Confusion In Elderly Long-Term Care Residents, Kennith Culp, Toni Tripp-Reimer, K. Wadle, B. Wakefield, J. Akins, Paula Mobily, M. Kundradt Oct 2011

Screening For Acute Confusion In Elderly Long-Term Care Residents, Kennith Culp, Toni Tripp-Reimer, K. Wadle, B. Wakefield, J. Akins, Paula Mobily, M. Kundradt

Paula Mobily

While acute confusion (AC) is frequently studied in the hospitalized elderly population, this phenomena has been largely ignored in elders who are residents in long-term care (LTC) facilities. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of AC in older LTC residents, the antecedent conditions present at the time of the AC event and the recognition rate of AC when assessed by staff nurses in two LTC facilities. This is a descriptive, longitudinal study with a 14 day follow-up period which incorporates a screening algorithm using AC instruments with established psychometric properties. A behavioral symptom instrument was also …


Family Perceptions Of Medication Administration At School: Errors, Risk Factors, And Consequences, D. Clay, K. Farris, Ann Mccarthy, M. Kelly, R. Howarth Oct 2011

Family Perceptions Of Medication Administration At School: Errors, Risk Factors, And Consequences, D. Clay, K. Farris, Ann Mccarthy, M. Kelly, R. Howarth

Ann Marie McCarthy

Medications are administered every day in schools across the country. Researchers and clinicians have studied school nurses' and educators' experiences with medication administration, but not the experiences of children or their parents. This study examined medication administration from the child and parent perspectives to (a) determine problems children experience with medicines at school, (b) clarify risk factors for medication errors, and (c) examine the perceived impact of medication errors on school performance and social relationships. Participants included children ages 8 to 18 years (n=157) being treated at a large Midwestern Children's Hospital in diabetes, asthma, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder …


Factors Explaining Children's Responses To Intravenous Needle Insertions, Ann Mccarthy, Charmaine Kleiber, Kirsten Hanrahan, M. Zimmerman, N. Westhus, S. Allen Oct 2011

Factors Explaining Children's Responses To Intravenous Needle Insertions, Ann Mccarthy, Charmaine Kleiber, Kirsten Hanrahan, M. Zimmerman, N. Westhus, S. Allen

Ann Marie McCarthy

BACKGROUND: Previous research shows that numerous child, parent, and procedural variables affect children's distress responses to procedures. Cognitive-behavioral interventions such as distraction are effective in reducing pain and distress for many children undergoing these procedures. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this report was to examine child, parent, and procedural variables that explain child distress during a scheduled intravenous insertion when parents are distraction coaches for their children. METHODS: A total of 542 children, between 4 and 10 years of age, and their parents participated. Child age, gender, diagnosis, and ethnicity were measured by questions developed for this study. Standardized instruments were …


Renal Osteodystrophy In Older Adults With End-Stage Renal Disease, C. Roth, Kennith Culp Oct 2011

Renal Osteodystrophy In Older Adults With End-Stage Renal Disease, C. Roth, Kennith Culp

Kennith R. Culp

No abstract provided.


Acute Confusion Indicators: Risk Factors And Prevalence Using Mds Data, J. Mentes, Kennith Culp, Meridean Maas, M. Rantz Oct 2011

Acute Confusion Indicators: Risk Factors And Prevalence Using Mds Data, J. Mentes, Kennith Culp, Meridean Maas, M. Rantz

Kennith R. Culp

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to use Minimum Data Set (MDS) data from LTC (long-term care) in one Midwestern state to test whether risk variables derived from a conceptual model developed from findings in acute care predicted acute confusion in long-term care residents. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: MDS nursing home records. POPULATION: The sample was composed predominantly of women (n = 1,775). INTERVENTIONS: The 1995 MIS annual reviews of nursing home residents from a Midwestern state provided the data for analysis; however missing data, on the average about 10% for the acute confusion/delirium indicators, reduced the sample to 2,318. …


Screening For Acute Confusion In Elderly Long-Term Care Residents, Kennith Culp, Toni Tripp-Reimer, K. Wadle, B. Wakefield, J. Akins, Paula Mobily, M. Kundradt Oct 2011

Screening For Acute Confusion In Elderly Long-Term Care Residents, Kennith Culp, Toni Tripp-Reimer, K. Wadle, B. Wakefield, J. Akins, Paula Mobily, M. Kundradt

Kennith R. Culp

While acute confusion (AC) is frequently studied in the hospitalized elderly population, this phenomena has been largely ignored in elders who are residents in long-term care (LTC) facilities. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of AC in older LTC residents, the antecedent conditions present at the time of the AC event and the recognition rate of AC when assessed by staff nurses in two LTC facilities. This is a descriptive, longitudinal study with a 14 day follow-up period which incorporates a screening algorithm using AC instruments with established psychometric properties. A behavioral symptom instrument was also …


Modeling Mortality Risk In Hemodialysis Patients Using Laboratory Values As Time-Dependent Covariates, Kennith Culp, M. Flanigan, E. Lowrie, N. Lew, B. Zimmerman Oct 2011

Modeling Mortality Risk In Hemodialysis Patients Using Laboratory Values As Time-Dependent Covariates, Kennith Culp, M. Flanigan, E. Lowrie, N. Lew, B. Zimmerman

Kennith R. Culp

Proportional hazards analyses assume that the magnitude of mortality risk for a predictor variable remains proportional over time. In a time-dependent model, the explanatory variable violates this assumption, and repeat observations are required to accommodate the change in risk that occurs over time. Using a retrospective cohort design, we tested the following laboratory values for a time-by-covariate interaction: hematocrit (HCT), serum albumin (ALB), and serum creatinine (CR). A random sample of 4,083 hemodialysis patients whose specimens were analyzed in a central laboratory over a 3-year period served as the study group. Using the baseline observation, we discovered significant probability values …


Clinical Profile Of Acute Confusion In The Long-Term Care Setting, P. Cacchione, Kennith Culp, J. Laing, Toni Tripp-Reimer Oct 2011

Clinical Profile Of Acute Confusion In The Long-Term Care Setting, P. Cacchione, Kennith Culp, J. Laing, Toni Tripp-Reimer

Kennith R. Culp

Aspects of acute confusion (AC) including risk factors, behavior patterns, and outcomes are not well documented in long-term care (LTC) residents. The purpose of this prospective study was to describe the clinical profile of AC in LTC including risk factors, behavior patterns, etiologies, and 3-month outcomes. Seventy-four elderly LTC residents were assessed for AC, depression, and global cognitive impairment. Risk factors associated with AC included hearing deficits, depression, pulmonary disorders, and abnormal serum sodium or potassium levels. Behavior patterns of acutely confused residents included hyperactive (n = 9, 31%), hypoactive (n = 8, 28%), and mixed (n = 7, 24%). …


Candidate Genes For Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip And Palate And Maternal Cigarette Smoking And Alcohol Consumption: Evaluation Of Genotype-Environment Interactions From A Population-Based Case-Control Study Of Orofacial Clefts, P. Romitti, A. Lidral, R. Munger, Sandra Daack-Hirsch, T. Burns, J. Murray Oct 2011

Candidate Genes For Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip And Palate And Maternal Cigarette Smoking And Alcohol Consumption: Evaluation Of Genotype-Environment Interactions From A Population-Based Case-Control Study Of Orofacial Clefts, P. Romitti, A. Lidral, R. Munger, Sandra Daack-Hirsch, T. Burns, J. Murray

Sandra Daack-Hirsch

Previous studies suggest that the relationship between genes and nonsyndromic cleft lip +/- cleft palate (CLP) or cleft palate only (CP) may be modified by the environment. Using data from a population-based case-control study, we examined allelic variants for three genes, i.e., transforming growth factor alpha (TGFA), transforming growth factor beta 3 (TGFB3), and Msh (Drosophila) homeobox homolog 1 (MSX1), and their interactions with two exposures during pregnancy (maternal cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption) as risk factors for CLP and CP. For each cleft phenotype, risk estimates associated with most allelic variants tended to be near unity. Risk estimates for …


Maternal Alcohol Use And Risk Of Orofacial Cleft Birth Defects, R. Munger, P. Romitti, Sandra Daack-Hirsch, T. Burns, J. Murray, J. Hanson Oct 2011

Maternal Alcohol Use And Risk Of Orofacial Cleft Birth Defects, R. Munger, P. Romitti, Sandra Daack-Hirsch, T. Burns, J. Murray, J. Hanson

Sandra Daack-Hirsch

Maternal alcohol use during pregnancy is a known cause of birth defects associated with the fetal alcohol syndrome, but its role in more common, isolated, craniofacial birth defects is not well understood. A population-based, case-control study of orofacial clefts was conducted in Iowa using births during 1987-1991. Cases were identified by the Iowa Birth Defects Registry and classified as having a cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CLP) or cleft palate only (CP) and whether the cleft was isolated or occurred with other birth defects. Controls were selected from normal Iowa births. Maternal alcohol use during pregnancy was classified …


Interferon Regulatory Factor 6 (Irf6) Gene Variants And The Risk Of Isolated Cleft Lip Or Palate, T. Zucchero, M. Cooper, B. Maher, Sandra Daack-Hirsch, B. Nepomuceno, L. Ribeiro, D. Caprau, K. Christensen, Y. Suzuki, J. Machida, N. Natsume, K. Yoshiura, A. Vieira, I. Orioli, E. Castilla, L. Moreno, M. Arcos-Burgos, A. Lidral, L. Field, Y. Liu, A. Ray, T. Goldstein, R. Schultz, M. Shi, M. Johnson, S. Kondo, B. Schutte, M. Marazita, J. Murray Oct 2011

Interferon Regulatory Factor 6 (Irf6) Gene Variants And The Risk Of Isolated Cleft Lip Or Palate, T. Zucchero, M. Cooper, B. Maher, Sandra Daack-Hirsch, B. Nepomuceno, L. Ribeiro, D. Caprau, K. Christensen, Y. Suzuki, J. Machida, N. Natsume, K. Yoshiura, A. Vieira, I. Orioli, E. Castilla, L. Moreno, M. Arcos-Burgos, A. Lidral, L. Field, Y. Liu, A. Ray, T. Goldstein, R. Schultz, M. Shi, M. Johnson, S. Kondo, B. Schutte, M. Marazita, J. Murray

Sandra Daack-Hirsch

BACKGROUND: Cleft lip or palate (or the two in combination) is a common birth defect that results from a mixture of genetic and environmental factors. We searched for a specific genetic factor contributing to this complex trait by examining large numbers of affected patients and families and evaluating a specific candidate gene. METHODS: We identified the gene that encodes interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6) as a candidate gene on the basis of its involvement in an autosomal dominant form of cleft lip and palate, Van der Woude's syndrome. A single-nucleotide polymorphism in this gene results in either a valine or …


Depression And Dispiritedness In Later Life: A 'Gray Drizzle Of Horror' Isn't Inevitable, Howard Butcher, M. Mcgonigal-Kenney Oct 2011

Depression And Dispiritedness In Later Life: A 'Gray Drizzle Of Horror' Isn't Inevitable, Howard Butcher, M. Mcgonigal-Kenney

Howard K. Butcher

The misconception that aging and depression are inevitably entwined is not only common but also dangerous. It can lead to a variety of adverse events, which might have been avoided had the depression been recognized and treated. However, recognizing depression in older adults can be difficult as it may present differently in this population than it does in younger adults. Furthermore, while treatment options are similar, adjustments may need to be made to deal with the physiological changes inherent to age. The authors address the recognition and treatment of depression in older adults. They also propose a diagnosis of dispiritedness, …


Pain-Sensitive Temperament And Postoperative Pain, Charmaine Kleiber, M. Suwanraj, L. Dolan, Mary Berg, A. Kleese Oct 2011

Pain-Sensitive Temperament And Postoperative Pain, Charmaine Kleiber, M. Suwanraj, L. Dolan, Mary Berg, A. Kleese

Mary Berg

PURPOSE: To describe the relationship between pain-sensitive temperament and self-report of pain intensity following surgery. DESIGN AND METHODS: Fifty-nine adolescents and young adults (average age 14 years) undergoing spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis completed the Sensitivity Temperament Inventory for Pain-Child version (STIP-C). The Pearson correlation between STIP-C scores and the highest pain intensity for each of the first three postoperative days was investigated. RESULTS: There was a small but significant correlation between the Perceptual Sensitivity and Symptom Reporting subscales of the STIP-C and pain intensity measured on the third postoperative day. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Aspects of the pain-sensitive temperament may …


Alcohol Exposure As A Risk Factor For Adverse Outcomes In Elective Surgery, Bharath Nath, Youfu Li, James Carroll, Gyongyi Szabo, Jennifer Tseng, Shimul Shah Mar 2011

Alcohol Exposure As A Risk Factor For Adverse Outcomes In Elective Surgery, Bharath Nath, Youfu Li, James Carroll, Gyongyi Szabo, Jennifer Tseng, Shimul Shah

Gyongyi Szabo

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Alcohol consumption is a well-documented determinant of adverse perioperative outcome. We sought to determine the effect of active alcohol consumption following elective surgery. METHODS: We queried discharge records from the American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP, 2005-2007) for all elective adult admissions. The 7,631 (2.5%) patients with documented alcohol use (active alcohol use of at least two drinks per day within 2 weeks of surgery; ETOH use) underwent elective surgery; 301,994 (97.5%) patients denied ETOH use. Multivariate analysis was performed with adjustments for demographic and comorbid factors. Primary outcome measures included length of …


Seroepidemiology Of Toxoplasmosis In Renal Patients Seroepidemiology Of Toxoplasmosis In Renal Patients, Init Ithoi Mar 2011

Seroepidemiology Of Toxoplasmosis In Renal Patients Seroepidemiology Of Toxoplasmosis In Renal Patients, Init Ithoi

Init Ithoi

Toxoplasmosis is an important parasitic disease in immunosuppressed patients. This prospective study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence, associated risk factors and the incidence of clinically confirmed toxoplasmosis among renal patients at the University of Malaya Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We interviewed 247 renal patients, each of whom answered an epidemiological questionnaire, and collected blood samples for measurement of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies by ELISA. Overall seroprevalence of latent toxoplasmosis was observed in 126 (51%) renal patients. Race (Malays), marital status (married) and primary level of education, were all factors associated with a greater chance of Toxoplasma infection. …