Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Emergency Contraception: A National Survey Of Nurse Practitioners' Attitudes And Management Practices, Rachel D. Kirksey

MSN Research Projects

The focus of this descriptive study was nurse practitioners' attitudes and management practices regarding emergency contraception.

Outcomes Of An Abstinence Education Program On The Perceptions Of Risks And Intentions About Sexual Activity Among Eighth-Grade Students, Cindy Holcomb

MSN Research Projects

The rate of teenage sexual involvement is at an all-time high. Traditional sex education is obviously not working. Abstinence education programs have been initiated within some school districts in an effort to decrease the number of adolescent pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate the perceptions of risks and intentions of sexual activity in eighth-grade students before and after an abstinence education program. Pender's Health Promotion Model was utilized as the theoretical framework for this research. Two null hypotheses were used throughout this study. The first hypothesis stated that there would be no …

Preconception Health Care Practices Of Nurse Practitioners In The Primary Care Setting, Charlotte Anne Williams

MSN Research Projects

The United States Public Health Service recommends that age appropriate preconception care be provided to all women of reproductive age. Preconception health care provides a woman the opportunity to assess her health status before pregnancy, make appropriate health promoting behavior changes and increase the potential for a healthy pregnancy outcome. Neural tube defects, fetal alcohol syndrome, congenital malformations and low birth weight are examples of adverse infant conditions that can be reduced through preconception health care interventions. Current research suggests that preconception health care according to United States Public Health Service recommendations is not practiced in the primary care setting. …

Facilitators And Barriers To Initiation Of Hormone Replacement Therapy By Nephrology Health Care Providers, Lynn Tramel

MSN Research Projects

Cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and dementia are three disease processes that have been directly linked to estrogen deficiency. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death for all postmenopausal women, including those with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Osteoporosis and dementia are disease processes that profoundly affect the quality of life for postmenopausal women. Currently, 34% of women in the general population receive hormone replacement therapy (HRT), while only 10% of women with ESRD receive this therapy. Therefore, the purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the facilitators and barriers of nephrology health care providers to initiation of HRT …

Effects Of An Educational Program On Breast Health Promotion In Elderly Women, Patricia A. Bader

MSN Research Projects

Breast cancer risk increases with age, and disease mortality has a direct correlation to the stage of detection. Mammography remains the gold standard for early detection of the disease, yet females aged 65 and over have demonstrated a lack of compliance with recommended screening frequency. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an educational program on the variables of perceived susceptibility to breast cancer, benefits of and barriers to mammography, and intention to obtain mammography. The variables are constructs of the Health Belief Model which served as the theoretical framework for the study. The variables were …

Rural Elders' Knowledge Of Nurse Practitioners As Health Care Providers, Tim Watson

MSN Research Projects

The population of America is growing older every year. Thirteen percent of the population is at least 65 years old. Many elders have limited health care choices because fewer physicians are locating their practices in rural areas. Nurse practitioners are now practicing in underserved areas such as rural communities. The purpose of this descriptive exploratory study was to explore baseline knowledge of rural elders concerning the role of nurse practitioners as health care providers. Becker's Health Belief Model was used to guide the research. The research question was as follows: What is rural elders' knowledge of nurse practitioners as health …

Discrimination Of Computer-Graphic Stimuli By Mice: A Method For The Behavioral Characterization Of Transgenic And Gene-Knockout Models., T J Bussey, L M Saksida, L A Rothblat

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

An automated method is described for the behavioral testing of mice in an apparatus that allows computer-graphic stimulus material to be presented. Mice responded to these stimuli by making a nose-poke toward a computer monitor that was equipped with a touchscreen attachment for detecting responses. It was found that C57BL/6 mice were able to solve single-pair visual discriminations as well as 3-pair concurrent visual discriminations. The finding that mice are capable of complex visual discriminations introduces the possibility of testing mice on nonspatial tasks that are similar to those used with rats, monkeys, and humans. Furthermore, the method seems particularly …

[Book Review Of] The Healer's Calling: A Spirituality For Physicians And Other Health Care Professionals, By Daniel P. Sulmasy, Paul Flaman

The Linacre Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Psychosocial Correlates Of Physiologlcal Improvement In Female Cardiac Patients: Improving Effectiveness Of Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs, Linda A. Halvorsen

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between a set or psychosocial variables and a set of physiological variables for a cohort of female cardiac rehabilitation patients. The independent variable set included initial denial, inlcnwl locus of control, perceived mental health status, and perceived physical health status. Dependent variables included change scores for metabolic equivalents and resting heat rate. The sample consisted of76 women who were enrolled in a Phase II cardiac rehabilitation program. Demographic information including number of completed rehabilitation sessions, age, martial status, and diagnosis was provided. A series of bivariate correlations were conducted to …

What's Happening: August 1, 2001, Maine Medical Center

What's Happening

No abstract provided.

Pragmatic Behaviors And Competency Levels Of Typically Developing And High Risk African American Preschoolers, Jennifer Dodd

Masters Theses

The pragmatic behaviors and competency levels of typically developing (TD) and high risk (HR) African American preschool children were assessed through the use of the Pragmatic Coding System (PCS, Hyter & Dodd, 1999). Ten children were videotaped within two play settings (i.e., dramatic play and manipulative toy play) for a total of twenty minutes. Results indicated that TD and HR children used the same types of pragmatic behaviors in both play settings. Frequency differences, however, were found between the two groups. Typically developing children produced a significantly greater number of initiations, total responses, multi word responses, one word responses, no …

Giant Hypothalamic Hamartoma And Associated Seizure Types, M K. Chishti, Ashfaq A. Razzaq

Section of Neurosurgery

No abstract provided.

The Music Channel: Integrating The Harp Into The Communication Process Of Children With Autism, Lori A. Kissinger

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study was undertaken to determine if the harp could be used as a communication channel for children with autism. The two research questions guiding this study were: (1) Will a child with autism utilize the harp to try to communicate a message? And (2) if the harp is utilized by a child with autism as a communication channel, can the receiver decode the intended message? Two qualitative case studies using constant comparison analysis were conducted over a six-day observation period. Five predominant responses emerged: (1) initial reaction to the instrument, (2) bonding with the instrument, (3) socialization through …

Disordered Eating And Its Psychosocial Correlates Among Hispanic Adolescent Females, Annette Santiago

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the incidence of disordered eating and its relationship with acculturation, depression, and body dissatisfaction among Hispanic adolescent females. One hundred and five students enrolled at two midwestem high schools completed a Student Demographic Questionnaire, the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (Marin & Gamba, 1996), the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996), the Body Dissatisfaction Subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory (Gamer, Olmstead, & Polivy, 1983), and the Eating Attitudes Test (Gamer, Olmstead, Bohr, & Garfinkel, 1982). Two null hypotheses were examined. The first investigated the relationship among acculturation, depression, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating utilizing …

Benign And Malignant Mesothelioma, C. Jatupparisuthi, K. Kawkitinarong, N. Voravud

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Thinness In Women: The Impact Of Female Body Weight On Relationship Satisfaction And Commitment, Wendy Walter Campbell

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study represents an investigation of the impact of weight change on romantic relationships, and the hypothesized gender difference in the importance assigned to a partner's weight. Participants were 221 undergraduate students (148 women and 73 men) from a medium sized Midwestern University. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions in which their weight in a photo image was increased, decreased or left unchanged. Upon inspecting the image, participants were asked to complete measures of relationship satisfaction and commitment (including among others, items from the Dyadic Adjustment Scale [DAS]), the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale [KMSS], as well …

Analysis Of Factors Involved In Ratings Of Treatment Acceptability For Trichotillomania, Amy J. Elliott

Dissertations

Based on the literature, trichotillomania (or chronic hair pulling) appears to be responsive to behavioral interventions, with habit reversal as the most promising intervention. Habit reversal has been shown effective with children and adults of varying levels of severity, but some have questioned the generality and acceptability of the procedure. Little is known about the acceptability of interventions for habit disorders. These two research studies were designed to answer questions regarding the acceptability of behavioral and pharmacological interventions for trichotillomania and to expand the conceptual knowledge of treatment acceptability.

Study 1 compared the acceptability of four interventions targeting trichotillomania. The …

Quality Of Life Factors Among Recovering Alcoholics, George Edwin Compton Jr.

Dissertations

The inspiration for undertaking the current research came from the Student Investigator’s own experience of 19 years in recovery from alcoholism. During his early years in graduate school, the Student Investigator witnessed occasional misunderstandings among some academics and helping professionals regarding the nature of alcoholism, and, specifically, the tasks involved in sustaining enduring recovery from alcoholism. Thus, this dissertation research, which has sought to examine, through qualitative research methodology, the factors involved in achieving and sustaining quality of life in extended recovery from alcoholism was undertaken.

Several authors have noted the need for research which focuses on long-term recovery from …

Ethics In Medical Research Involving Human Subjects, S. Thamaree

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Quanlitative Liver Function Assessment, S. Wittayalertpanya

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Problem Based Learning, Jamsheer J Talati

Section of Urology

No abstract provided.

Digest Of The Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine (Fall 2001), Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine

Digest

The Fall 2001 issue of the Digest of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine includes the following articles:

• PCOM Updates
• Digest Takes the Gold
• Comfort Zone
• Cover Story: OMM Fellows: Keeping the Osteopathic Tradition Alive
• Faculty Profile
• At The Heart of Clinical Research
• Donor Profile
• Class Notes
• In Memoriam
• My Turn
• Annual Fund
• PCOM Events

Quality Of Life As Defined By Chinese Americans With Disabilities: Implications For Rehabilitation Services, Nan Zhang Hampton, Vickie Chang

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

We hypothesized that Chinese Americans with disabilities may remain culturally attached to their ancestors' homeland and this cultural attachment may have influences on the concept of Quality of Life (QOL). That is, QOL may be perceived, by Chinese Americans with disabilities, not only as an individual's satisfaction with his or her life, but also the person's fulfillment of his or her responsibilities to his or her family and community. Of course, this hypothesis needs to be examined. Such an investigation may provide rehabilitation counselors with insights into the meaning of QOL from the viewpoint of Chinese Americans with disabilities. It …

A Critical Step In The Operative Management Of Non-Functioning Asymptomatic Incidentaloma, M H. Ather, S Altaf, A Memon

Section of Urology

No abstract provided.

Women's Experiences With Chronic Heart Failure, Denise M. Boren Phd, Msn, Cns

Dissertations

Nationwide, approximately 4.1 million Americans suffer from chronic heart failure accounting for estimated direct and indirect costs of over $21 billion spent annually for health care. The incidence of heart failure has doubled each decade since the 1940's and slightly more men were inflicted with the illness. This trend changed three years ago, with a decline in the overall incidence of heart failure and a slight predominance of the illness in women rather than men. The incidence of this condition was reduced in males nearly three times that of females. Women survive longer after diagnosis, however they are hospitalized more, …

Therapeutic Alliance: Development, Evaluation, And Application Of The Kim Alliance Scale, Son Chae Kim Phd, Msn, Fnp, Rn

Dissertations

The quality of therapeutic alliance between the patient and healthcare provider is a pivotal contributing factor toward optimal healthcare in the current context of rising healthcare costs, shorter hospital stays, and patient's rights. The availability of a well-designed and sound therapeutic alliance instrument can provide understanding and insight into improving the quality of healthcare. The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid therapeutic alliance instrument, to evaluate its psychometric properties, and to explore its usefulness in predicting patient satisfaction. The retroductive triangulation method provided a framework for the development of the instrument, the Kim Alliance Scale …

An Evaluation Of Progressively Loaded Root Form Dental Implants Placed Into Extraction Sites, Franco Audia

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The conventional protocol for placement of endosseous root form implants requires up to twelve months of ossification of the extraction socket prior to implant placement. An alternative approach includes the immediate placement of dental implants into a prepared extraction socket following tooth removal. The purpose of this study was to compare conventionally placed non-loaded dental implants with those placed immediately into extraction sockets and progressively loaded in adult patients. A total of twenty implants were placed in eighteen patients and followed for a twelve-month period.

Clinically, no significant differences between conventional and immediately placed dental implants were observed. Radiographically, immediately …

A Model For Hiv/Aids Risk Behaviors Of Students In Armenia, Talin Babikian

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Without a cure in now its third decade, AIDS is a concern for both the medical and social science disciplines. Most at risk for a nationwide AIDS epidemic are developing countries, which often lack the necessary resources and knowledge to minimize the spread of the disease. There are an estimated 1500 HIV cases in Armenia, 81.5% of which occur in the 20-39 age group. Armenia’s current economic and political instability, increase in sexually transmitted infections (STI), prostitution, and injecting drug use, and the alarming incidence rates in neighboring countries amplify its risk for a national epidemic.

The goals of this …

A Novel Strategy Utilizing Co-Expression Of Murine Il-12 And Antisense Tgf-Pl Against H238 Tumor Formation, Craig A. Seheult

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Cytokines have a profound effect on immune modulation, thus playing a significant role in cancer gene therapy. A variety of human carcinomas secrete transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), a cytokine with potent immunosuppressive properties. Suppressing TGF-β could be a key to successfully combating malignancies, such as gliomas, mammary, and colon cancers, that over-express TGF-β. Conversely, interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a potent immunostimulatory cytokine capable of regulating T and NK cell-mediated cytotoxic responses (Trinchieri, 1994) during an anti-tumor response. Activation of the immune system with such immunostimulatory cytokines renders it inert to the suppressive effects of TGF-β. To better understand these processes our …

Effects Of Liposome-Encapsulated Tnf-Alpha And Radiation Against Colon Cancer, Dong Won Kim

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Previous studies have shown that tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) can augment the antitumor effects of radiation, inhibiting tumor progression to a greater extent than either modality alone. However, nonspecific toxicities associated with TNF-α have limited its use as an adjuvant. This limitation is potentially resolved with the encapsulation of TNF-α in sterically stabilized, PEGylated liposomes (STEALTH®). Thus, the overall hypothesis of the research was that the combination of radiation with STEALTH® liposome encapsulated TNF-α (SL-TNF-α) will have greater efficacy and fewer dose-limiting side effects in the LS174T human colorectal tumor xenograft model compared to the combination of free TNF-α and …