Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Risk Factors Associated With Coronary Artery Disease In Individuals After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery, Deborah Benderman King

MSN Research Projects

Since the early 1960s coronary artery disease (CAD) has been the nation's leading killer of middle-aged men. Even with development of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, the recurrence rate remains high. The research question addressed in this descriptive study was what risk factors associated with CAD can be identified in individuals after CABG surgery? Using Becker's Health Belief Model as a theoretical framework, a convenience sample of 69 postoperative CABG clients from a rural Mississippi cardiac rehabilitation program completed researcher-developed surveys. Descriptive analysis identified the following risk factors in the sample : Forty-three (63%) of subjects reported eating fried …

Coping Mechanisms Utilized By Women Survivors Of Breast Cancer, Elizabeth Polk Thomas

MSN Research Projects

The suspected and confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer evokes feelings of fear, anxiety, guilt, frustration, and vulnerability in an individual. A woman diagnosed with breast cancer may utilize a variety of coping mechanisms. This descriptive study sought to identify the most common and most effective coping mechanisms utilized by women survivors of breast cancer answering the following research question: Which coping mechanisms are most effective and most frequently utilized by women survivors of breast cancer? This study used the theory of Lazarus and Folkman (1984) as a framework for understanding coping. The final sample (N = 20) consisted of women …

Relationship Between Selected Demographic Variables And Self-Esteem In Female Adolescents In The Rural South, Denise Tennison

MSN Research Projects

Self-esteem is recognized as a basic personality- characteristic of positive and productive behavior. The view the adolescent female has of herself is of utmost importance and may have an impact on behavior, achievement, social functioning, and physical and emotional health. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a relationship between sociodemographic variables and self-esteem in adolescent females. Roy's Adaptation Model was used to guide this descriptive correlation investigation. Data were collected from a sample of 3 0 adolescent females from a small rural high school in East Central Mississippi. Participants were surveyed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem …

Health Beliefs And Practices Among African American Men Concernign Prostate Cancer Screening, Beverly A. Howard

MSN Research Projects

African American men have the highest incidence of prostate cancer in the United States and the world (American Cancer Society [ACS], 1996). Nevertheless, studies have indicated that African American men are the least likely to participate in prostate cancer screening programs (Myers, Wolfe, Balshem, Ross, & Chodak 1994; Underwood, 1991). Many researchers have hypothesized that health beliefs influence health practices. Therefore, this study examines the health beliefs and practices among African American men concerning prostate cancer screening. Becker's Health Belief Model was used as the conceptual framework for this study. The research questions examined the health beliefs and practices among …

The Effect Of An Osteoporosis Health Promotion Education Program For Perimenopausal And Postmenopausal Women, Donna G. Cobb

MSN Research Projects

Development of osteoporosis has been a major concern for women who are menopausal since this bone disorder is a major cause of fractures in the spine, hip, wrist, and other bones. A relationship has been suggested between osteoporosis prevention and health-promoting behaviors, yet little is known about the attitudinal variables that may predict osteoporosis preventive behaviors among menopausal women. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effect of an educational program on behaviors related to osteoporosis prevention. A pre-experimental design was used to test the null hypothesis; There will be no difference in health promotion behaviors of women …

Coping Strategies Of Mothers With Developmentally Delayed Children Who Attend A Support Group And Who Do Not Attend A Support Group, Donna Salvo Foster

MSN Research Projects

When faced with stress, behavioral and psychological reactions occur to decrease the person's perception of the stress. Rearing a child with developmental delay is one such stressful event. The purpose of this investigation was to explore coping strategies of mothers who are rearing a child with developmental delay. Two hypotheses were generated; There will be no statistically significant differences in perceived coping strategy scores used by mothers with developmentally delayed children in a support group and those not in a support group, and there will be no statistically significant differences in perceived effectiveness of coping strategy scores used by mothers …

The Impact Of An Educational Program On Asthma Symptoms And Knowledge In The Late Adolescent, Jeanette Arnold Lawson

MSN Research Projects

Despite advances in medical technology, statistical evidence indicates that asthma related morbidity and mortality rates continue to rise, especially in the late adolescent population. Current research literature suggests that patient education may be beneficial in obtaining and maintaining asthma control in the pediatric and adult populations. Currently, however, there is little research available regarding the impact of education in the late adolescent population. This study, therefore, sought to determine the impact of an educational program on asthma symptoms and knowledge among late adolescents. Becker's Health Belief Model was used as the theoretical framework. A quantitative, quasi-experimental design was utilized to …

Incidence Of Documented Exercise Prescription In Nurse Practitioner Client With A Diagnosis Of Cardiovascular Disease, Shannon Phillips

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this ex post facto descriptive study was to determine the incidence of documented exercise prescription in nurse practitioner clients with a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. Pender's Health Promotion Model provided the theoretical framework for this study. Nurse practitioners providing primary care in the State of Mississippi was the target population, with four nurse practitioners providing care in clinics representing the four geographical regions of Mississippi (Northeast, Southwest, Southeast, and Northwest) selected as a nonrandom sample of convenience. At each clinic, from the total population of records in which clients were aged 25 to 65 years with a …

Effects Of An Otitis Media Prevention Program On Healthy Infants, Rena D. Matthews

MSN Research Projects

Otitis media (OM) is the leading illness among infants and children. Risk factors have been identified which increase occurrence of OM in infants. The purpose of the quasi- experimental study was to determine if teaching OM prevention to parents of healthy infants would reduce the occurrence rate of OM. The theoretical framework for the research was based on the Health Promotion Model (Pender, 1996) which focuses on the integration of health-promoting behavior into lifestyles. The research hypothesis was that there would be no statistically significant difference in the effects of an OM prevention program on healthy infants and a control …

Coping Strategies Of Mothers With Developmentally Delayed Children Who Attend A Support Group And Who Do Not Attend A Support Group, Donna Salvo Foster

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this investigation was to explore coping strategies of mothers who are rearing a child with developmental delay.

Alternative Health Care Practices Of Patients Who Attend Nurse Practitioner Clinics In North Mississippi, Wesley Barrett

MSN Research Projects

As many as one out of three Americans uses alternative health therapies. The purpose of this study was to describe the type and frequency of alternative health care practices and sociodemographics of patients in nurse practitioner clinics in North Mississippi in order to determine implications for nurse practitioners. Leininger's Theory of Cultural Care Diversity and Universality served as the conceptual framework for this study. The researcher, using a descriptive study design, sought to answer the following questions: 1) What are the characteristics of patients who use alternative health care practices? 2) What types of alternative health care practices are being …

Nurse Practitioners' Spiritual Perspectives And Attitudes Toward Providing Spiritual Care, Dennis R. Long

MSN Research Projects

Spirituality is viewed by many nursing theorists as an integral subset of personhood. However, current literature suggests that spirituality may be overlooked by health care providers when rendering holistic care. The purpose of this study was to assess the spiritual perspectives of nurse practitioners and ascertain attitudes toward providing spiritual care. A descriptive study was conducted to answer the following research questions : What are the spiritual perspectives of nurse practitioners and what are nurse practitioners' attitudes toward providing spiritual care? The theoretical framework was based on Ellison's (1983) Conceptualization of Spiritual Well- Being. The sample (N = 80) of …

Self-Esteem Levels Of Pregnant Adolescents From Different Races, Stephanie M. Gale

MSN Research Projects

Effective pregnancy prevention in adolescence remains elusive to researchers and health care providers. Several studies have been conducted on the relationship between self-esteem and race and between self-esteem and pregnancy in adolescent populations. The purpose of this study was to determine if a difference exists between self-esteem levels and race in pregnant adolescents. Leininger's Cultural Care Theory was the theoretical framework used in this study. The null hypothesis was there is no difference between self-esteem levels and race in pregnant adolescents. The setting for this descriptive comparison study was a prenatal clinic for underserved populations in the Southeastern United States. …

Windlass Taping Technique For Symptomatic Relief Of Plantar Fasciitis, Beth Anne Ernst

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the biomechanical and symptomatic effects of a newly described taping technique to support the longitudinal arch in symptomatic plantar fasciitis patients. The subjects were 20 individuals all diagnosed by a physician with unilateral plantar fasciitis, ambulating full weight-bearing without an assistive device.

Measurements were taken pre and post-taping for calcaneal position, tibial position and navicular height, with the subjects serving as their own control. The subjects also reported pain level pre and post tape using a visual analog scale. The statistical analysis performed on the biomechanical data was the t-test, and Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed ranks test was …

Reliability Of The Modified-Modified Schober Method Of Measuring Lumbar Range Of Motion, Mira H. Mariano

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of the Modified-modified Schober (MMS) method of measuring lumbar flexion and extension on subjects with low back pain. Thirty patients (19 females, 11 males) between the ages of 18 to 61 years (mean=40.0, SD=l 1.7) were measured by two physical therapists who each had six years of orthopedic experience.

Each subject was evaluated twice, in random order, by each tester using the MMS method. Trials 1 and 2 were used to calculate intratester reliability for each tester and intertester reliability was calculated between the two testers. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) …

Rethinking The Nursing Paradigm: The Ethics Of Gatekeeping In American And British Nursing, David C. Grandy

Honors Theses

In the British National Health Service (NHS), the general practice physician (GP) serves as gatekeeper to resources.1 In the United States, managed care physicians, who attempt to contain health care expenditures by establishing priorities and strictly regulating treatment accessibility, necessarily employ gatekeeping responsibilities in practice.2 However, both systems of health care generally overlook the potential contribution of nurses in identifying and implementing effective methods of resource allocation. The central focus of this thesis includes two primary assertions. First, I will argue that nurses currently function as gatekeepers both in England and the United States, and that the traditional nursing paradigm …

Effect Of Peer Group Discussion On Self-Concept In The Gifted Adolescent Population, Helena Ann Rizer

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this research study was to determine whether peer group discussions improve self-concept in the gifted adolescent population. The researcher also sought to ascertain what reflective themes emerged from journals written following the peer group discussions. The Theory of Modeling and Role-Modeling served as the theoretical framework for this quasi-experimental study. The sample consisted of 21 students enrolled in the 11th grade of a residential high school for mathematics and sciences. The school was located on a university campus in the southern region of the United States. The 21 students were randomly assigned to either the experimental (n …

A Comparison Of Speech Onset Latencies Between Persons Who Stutter And Persons Who Do Not Stutter Across Varied Phonological Priming Conditions, Brian Joseff Riffel

Dissertations and Theses

A recent theory of stuttering, the "Covert Repair Hypothesis of Disfluencies" (Kolk & Postma, in press; Postma & Kolk, 1992, 1993), accounts for the difference between persons who stutter (PWS) and persons who do not stutter (PWNS) by concluding that PWS are slower than PWNS in their phonological encoding abilities. This belief is supported through experimental studies by Bosshardt (1990) and Postma et al (1990), both of which found PWS to be slower than PWNS in silent reading tasks. In addition, Wijnen and Boers (1994) found that PWS demonstrate longer speech onset latencies than PWNS at baseline, but then approximate …

Effects Of Orofacial Clefts On Early Career Maturity, Jeanniekay Mccall

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate career maturity in 14- and 17- year-old male and female adolescents with cleft lip and palate. Career maturity is defined as the repertoire of behaviors pertinent to identifying, choosing, planning, and executing career goals available to a specific individual as compared with those possessed by a peer group. Clefting is a congenital anomaly that occurs in approximately 1 in every 600 newborns and can result in facial scarring and speech deviations that may last throughout life, and may result in complications such as withdrawal, inhibition, lower self-esteem, and increasing self-doubt regarding interpersonal …

Nurse Practitioner's Beliefs Regarding Controlled Substance Prescriptive Priviledges, Holly Taylor Robertson

MSN Research Projects

Prescriptive authority for controlled substances for advanced practice nurses has been a very controversial topic over the past years and continues to be an issue today. Research has shown that nurse practitioners prescribe medications appropriately but that barriers to nurse practitioner’s prescribing practices remain even th o u ^ legal authority has been granted. This descriptive study sought to describe the beliefs of nurse practitioners in the state of Mississippi concerning prescriptive privileges of controlled substances. Erickson, Tomlin, and Swain’s Theory of Modeling and Role-modeling (1983) provided the conceptual framework for this study. The research question asked in this study …

Pregnancy, Bedrest, And The Family: Development Of Communicative Tools Which Reflect The Stressors And Coping Strategies Of Childbearing Families Requiring Bedrest During Pregnancy, Amy R. H. Weeks

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Receptive Language And Cognitive Skills In Preschool-Aged Children With Cerebral Palsy, Susan Elizabeth Panton

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between receptive language skills and nonverbal cognitive skills in preschool children with cerebral palsy and a mild to severe motor speech impairment. In addition, the relationship between the severity of motor impairment and receptive communication and nonverbal cognitive skills was also examined. Fifteen subjects, 10 males and 5 females, were included in this study. The subjects are part of a larger longitudinal study being completed within Portland State University's Speech and Hearing Sciences Program. All of the subjects participated in two in-home assessment sessions, which were approximately 2 hours long. …

Real Ear To Coupler Differences In Children And The Effects Of Hearing And Microphone Location, Cindy Richardson

Dissertations and Theses

The early identification of hearing loss and selection of appropriate amplification are the most important goals for children with hearing impairment. Selection of appropriate amplification for a pediatric population involves maximizing the hearing impaired child's residual hearing, for development of speech and language. In addition, it is important to consider the acoustic differences between the 2 cc coupler versus the real ear.

During the hearing aid selection process, it is customary to predict how a hearing aid will respond in the real ear, based upon a given 2 cc coupler response. Killion and Monser (1980) developed a formula for converting …

Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization Analysis Of Human Embryos Derived From In Vitro And In Vivo Matured Oocytes, Constance Descisciolo

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Despite adequate hormonal stimulation, oocytes collected for the purpose of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer display several levels of nuclear maturity. Preovulatory or mature oocytes, technically those that are Metaphase I or II, are inseminated shortly after aspiration and assessed for fertilization the following day. Prophase I oocytes, also called germinal vesicle-bearing or immature oocytes, require a 24-36 hour period in culture before being exposed to spermatozoa. During this time, the majority of Prophase I oocytes complete nuclear maturation in vitro, progressing from germinal vesicle breakdown through first polar body extrusion. If inseminated, many in vitro matured oocytes fertilize …

Characterization Of The Fast Axonally Transported Proteins In The Rat Optic Pathway, Surafel Mulugeta

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

The fast axonally transported proteins represent a subset of neuronal proteins that are conveyed anterogradely as secretory vesicle constituents from the perikarya. Although fast transport displays properties consistent with the general secretory pathway, neuronal structure presents special problems which may require modifications of the general pathway. The elucidation of these special modifications is essential for a more complete understanding of neuronal function both in normal and pathological conditions. In order to characterize the fast transported (FT) proteins and to better understand fast transport trafficking, the FT of radiolabeled retinal ganglion cell (RGC) proteins in the adult rat optic pathway was …

The Cellular And Molecular Dynamics Of The Queuosine Modification In Transfer Rna: Definition, Modulation, Deficiencies And Effect Of The Queuosine Modification System, Rana C. Morris

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

The presence of the queuosine modification in the wobble position of tRNA^asn, tRN^asp, tRNA^his, and tRNA^tyr is associated with a decrease in cellular growth rate, an increase in the ability to withstand environmental stress, and differentiation of pleuripotent cells into mature phenotypes. The loss of this normal modification is strongly correlated with neoplastic transformation and tumor progression of a wide variety of cancers.

The "normal" system for formation of the queuosine modification in tRNA was studied in human fibroblast cell cultures and in mouse, rat and human liver tissues. The queuosine modification system …

Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase And Growth Factor Regulation Of Flow-Mediated Vascular Remodeling, David Anthony Tulis

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

This study was designed to characterize structural remodeling of male Wistar rat mesenteric arteries exposed to elevated blood flow in vivo for 1, 3, or 7 days. A series of arterial ligations induced blood flow increases in ileal and second-order branch arteries compared to same animal control vessels. Neither mean carotid nor local mesenteric arterial pressures changed significantly pre- to post-ligation. The primary flow-mediated force in both vessels was shear stress with possible involvement of acute stretch-induced wall stress in the ileal artery. Significant luminal expansion and medial wall hypertrophy occurred in the ileal and second-order arteries in a time-dependent …

A Comparison Of Factors Associated With Referrals, Service Placements And Length Of Service For African-American And Caucasian Youth With Serious Emotional And Behavioral Disturbances Served Through The Comprehensive Services Act In Virginia, Vanessa B. Sheppard

Health Services Research Dissertations

Despite the efficacy of community-based treatment, many emotionally and behaviorally disturbed youth still receive restrictive service placements. This is quite problematic for minority youth since studies have reported they are more at risk of out-of-home placements. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in referrals, out-of-home placements, residential placements and length of service for African-American and Caucasian youth. This historical cohort study was a secondary analysis of data from the Comprehensive Services Act in Virginia. The sample consisted of 2,883 youth ages 10-19. Multiple logistic regression was employed for data with dichotomous outcomes in order to adjust for …

The Effect Of Growth Hormone Release On Plasma And Erythrocyte Selenium And Zinc Levels In Children, Maria Estela Legal De Reid

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Research studies have suggested that selenium may be important in the release of growth hormone, GH. A selenium-containing amino-acid residue, selenocysteine, has been identified as part of the active site of the three isoenzymes (Type I, II and III iodothyronine 5' -deiodinase) responsible for the synthesis of active thyroid hormone, T_3, which is reported to stimulate GH secretion. The importance of zinc in growth is well- documented because of its involvement in transcription and expression of GH and its intermediary, insulin growth factor I or IGF- I. Thus, selenium and zinc levels in plasma may be altered in response …

Electromyography (Emg) Signal Classification By Artificial Neural Networks, Behnam Dashtipour

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

EMG signal processing is one of the active fields of biomedical signal processing. One unanswered question is how to determine whether a muscle is fatigued by analyzing the EMG signal. Fatigue detection could be useful in several different practical situations. There are several studies which show there are differences between EMG signal features before fatigue and after fatigue. Generally studies are based on an analytical analysis of the EMG signal instead of a quantitative analysis. In all previous studies in EMG signal processing for fatigue/nonfatigue detection, the result is that there exist some differences between the EMG signal before muscle …