Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Price Of Palliative Care: Towards A Complete Accounting Of Costs And Benefits, Alexander A. Boni-Saenz, David Dranove, Linda L. Emanuel, Anthony T. Lo Sasso

All Faculty Scholarship

The costs and benefits of hospice and palliative care have recently received attention for many compelling reasons. First, the cost of medical care over a lifetime is largely expended near the end-of-life. The impending demographic bulge of aging baby boomers will only heighten concerns about costs. Second, hospice and palliative care have been offered as potential vehicles for reducing late-in-life spending. Third, palliative care has gained legitimacy as a distinct medical specialty, having as it does a characteristic philosophy, specialized skill sets, and specific service delivery needs. This philosophy of care is consistent with and, to some degree, builds on …

Obesity: Prevalence, Theories, Medical Consequences, Management, And Research Directions, C. Wilborn, J. Beckham, B. Campbell, T. Harvey, M. Galbreath, P. La Bounty, E. Nassar, J. Wismann, R. Kreider

Physical Therapy

No abstract provided.

Variation In Periodontal Diagnosis And Treatment Planning Among Clinical Instructors, Sharon K. Lanning, Scott D. Pelok, Brent C. Willians, Philip S. Richards, David P. Sarment, Tae-Ju Oh, Laurie K. Mccauley

Periodontics Publications

Consistency in clinical decision making may be necessary for reliable assessment of student performance and teaching effectiveness, yet little has been done to examine variation in periodontal diagnosis and treatment planning among dental school faculty. The purpose of this investigation was to examine variation among faculty in diagnosis and management of common periodontal diseases. Twenty-seven clinical instructors (periodontists, general dentists, dental hygienists, and first- and second-year periodontal graduate students) reviewed three web-based cases and answered a brief questionnaire focusing on radiographic interpretation, periodontal diagnosis, and treatment planning. Response rates for the three cases ranged from 62 percent to 70 percent. …

Medical Education Digest, Vol. 7 No. 1 (January/February 2005), Nova Southeastern University

Medical Education Digest

No abstract provided.

Obesity: Prevalence, Theories, Medical Consequences, Management, And Research Directions, C. Wilborn, J. Beckham, B. Campbell, T. Harvey, M. Galbreath, P. La Bounty, E. Nassar, J. Wismann, R. Kreider

Pharmacy

No abstract provided.

Prenatal Stress And Stress Physiology Influences Human Fetal And Infant Development, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Calvin J. Hobel, Curt A. Sandman, Laura M. Glynn, Pathik D. Wadhwa

Psychology Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"Prenatal stress has been proposed as a risk factor that may have developmental consequences persisting throughout the lifespan. Exposing rodents to stress during pregnancy has consequences for brain development, stress regulation, learning, emotionality (increased anxiety), and social behavior (increased withdrawal) of the offspring (Weinstock, 2001; Chapillon et al., 2002). Additionally, non-human primates who experience stress during pregnancy have offspring with enhanced behavioral reactivity to stressors later in life (Clarke et al., 1994), lowered levels of motor behavior (Schneider, 1992), compromised neuromotor responses (Schneider and Coe, 1993), irritable temperament (Schneider et al., 1992), and attentional problems (Schneider et …

Spirituality And The Cognitively Impaired, Kathy Fogg Berry

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Discuss the need to acknowledge and nurture the spirituality of older adults with cognitive impainnent to enhance their health and well-being.

2. Provide tools and suggestions for use in nurturing the spirituality of older adults with cognitive impainnent.

3. Review the response of one resident with cognitive impainnent to spiritually-based programming and support

Case Study For People Who Are Aging: Workworld© Choice Exploration Software, David Ruth, Mark Hill

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. To illustrate the usefulness of WorkWORLD, a software package for older Americans with disabilities who have not yet reached retirement age, to determine the financial effects of earnings and the use of work incentives associated with benefits.

2. To show how the software can be accessed and continually updated.

3. To explore the possibility of enhancing WorkWORLD to be useful for those who have reached retirement age but who desire to continue or begin working.

Male Caregivers: Breaking Through The Male Self-Sufficiency Barrier To Help Those In Need, James J. Hutchinson

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. To generate awareness of characteristics and issues specific to male caregivers;

2. To examine successful strategies for education and awareness programs that motivate male caregivers to request services when needed;

3. To identify effective services targeted to male caregivers that have been initiated by three Area Agencies on Aging that received funding from the Virginia Department for the Aging.

Partnership For Prescription Assistance Of Virginia (Pparx), Sarah Huddle

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. To inform Virginia's older adult population and those who serve them about the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, a new program to help qualifying patients who lack prescription drug coverage get the medicines they need through the public or private program that best suits them, including the new Medicare prescription drug benefit.

2. To demonstrate, to older adults and those who assist them, the accessibility and ease of use of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance of Virginia.

Materials-Handling Hazard Controls: Assessment Of Haddon’S Injury Control Strategies, Roger C. Jensen, P. Patton, J. Griffith, C. Hogan

Safety Health & Industrial Hygiene

This investigation assessed the applicability of Dr. William Haddon’s strategies for controlling hazards involving materials-handling operations in industrial and mining workplaces. Published over 20 years ago, Haddon’s strategies purport to include all strategies for preventing and mitigating harm to people, property, and the environment. Students in an undergraduate class were assigned to find tactical examples of each of Haddon’s strategies applicable to material handling. Haddon’s tenth strategy involving medical care and rehabilitation was not included. Their classifications were analyzed to identify points of confusion as well as points of general agreement. Students found numerous tactics for strategies involving engineering and …

Are Warnings On Plastic Films Adequate?, David S. Leonard, Roger C. Jensen, Tammy Lynn

Safety Health & Industrial Hygiene

Warnings are used to inform users of hazards that may be associated with many products. Often these warnings deal with the operation of tools, appliances, and other items for which the user may have some reason at least, to look for information on the product regarding its use. Plastic film presents a serious hazard to young children. Because the film will adhere to the flesh, if it covers the airways for the child, suffocation may result. Because young children may play with them, it is important that such films be kept away from them. Warnings need to be adequate to …

Safety Training: Flowchart Model Facilitates Development Of Effective Courses, Roger C. Jensen

Safety Health & Industrial Hygiene

Few SE&H professionals have time to keep up with the voluminous literature about safety and health training. An easier strategy involves adopting a model of the training process, such as the one described in this article. The model is presented as a flowchart to show the relationships among the component processes for all safet\' and health training. It is intended to be a flexible model, suitable for tailoring to organizational needs, and easy to conceptualize. By learning this model, SH&E professionals will have a solid understanding of Ihe processes involved in developing and implementing an effective safety training program.

Comparison Of Warning Labels On Plastic Bags, Tammy Lynn, Roger C. Jensen

Safety Health & Industrial Hygiene

Most plastic bags in our society contain a warning about the suffocation hazard, yet the U.S,. Consumer Product Safety Commission still receives approximately 24 reports annually describing deaths of children who suffocated due to plastic bags.

This study examined three of the warning features on plastic bags: (1) border versus no border, (2) position of the signal word relative to the text, (3) all capital letters versus sentence case. Ratings provided by more than fifty students indicated highly significant effects of the border on noticeability, and position and letter case on reading likelihood. Strongest effects were from presence of a …

University Of South Alabama College Of Medicine Annual Report For 2005-2006, College Of Medicine

COM Annual Reports

The annual report of the 2005-2006 academic year highlights the accomplishments of our students, faculty, and programs in the areas of scholarship, research, patient care, and community service.

Faculty And Program Predictors Of Pass Rates Of Graduates Of Nursing Programs In West Virginia On The National Council Licensure Examination For Registered Nurses 1991 To 2000, Lynda F. Skinner Turner

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between mean student program scores on standardized pre-graduation nursing tests, program attendance policies, grading scales, policies on repeating nursing courses, faculty turnover, degree, teaching experience, clinical nursing experience, part-time faculty, national certification, and NCLEX-RN success in West Virginia nursing programs from 1991-2000. A causal comparative and correlational design was used to investigate the relationship between the dependent variable of NCLEX-RN pass rates and the independent variables. The population of this study consisted of 19 undergraduate nursing programs preparing graduates for entry into practice as registered nurses. Data collection tools utilized …

Effects Of Aging On Pressure-Induced Mapk Activation In The Rat Aorta, Kevin M. Rice

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

With age, the cardiovascular system experiences substantial alterations in cellular morphology and function. The factors regulating these changes are unknown; however, the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways have emerged as critical components for mediating numerous cellular responses including control of cell growth, differentiation and adaptation. Here we compare the expression, basal activation and the ability of increased pressure to activate the MAPK pathways in adult (6 month old), aged (30 month old) and very aged (36 month old) Fischer 344 x Brown Norway F1 Hybrid rats. Histochemical analysis demonstrated an age-related increase in tunica media thickness of approximately 11% …

The Effectiveness Of Memory Training Programs In Improving The Subjective Memory Characteristics Of Healthy Older Adults With Memory Complaints : A Meta-Analysis, Kimilee Y. Wilson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The focus of this study was to examine the effectiveness of memory training programs in improving the metamemory (i.e., subjective memory characteristics) of healthy older adults by integrating recent research findings in a meta-analysis. In particular, the following research questions were proposed: (a) How effective are memory training programs in improving the subjective memory characteristics of healthy older adults with memory complaints? (b) Which components of the memory training programs increase the effectiveness of memory training (in terms of metamemory characteristics)? (c) How do the results of this meta-analysis compare to those reported by Floyd and Scogin (1997)? Studies that …

Mechanisms Of Growth Hormone Enhancement Of Excitatory Synaptic Transmission In Hippocampus, Ghada Saad Zaglool Ahmed Mahmoud

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Growth hormone (GH) deficiency is associated with impaired learning and memory. One possible target for GH effects on memory is the hippocampus, a brain region containing GH receptors (GHRs). To determine if GH acutely alters hippocampal function, recombinant human GH (rhGH) was applied to in vitro rat hippocampal brain slices. Extracellular recordings were used to assess effects of GH on the field EPSP (fEPSP) and long-term potentiation (LTP) of the fEPSP. GHR expression was measured in GH-treated and control rat hippocampal slices using RT-PCR. The GH signaling pathway was investigated by studying the effect of GH on the fEPSP after …

Discovering The Barriers To Health-Promoting Lifestyles Among Appalachian Veterans With Uncontrolled Hypertension, Tara L. Porter

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to discover the barriers to health promoting lifestyles among the Appalachian veteran population with uncontrolled hypertension.

Design: A quantitative research study was conducted over five months using a non-experimental, descriptive research design. Pender’s Health Promotion Model served as the study’s framework. Subjects were recruited from a primary care setting through advertisement within the hospital. A convenience sample of thirty-two subjects was obtained.

Method: The Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) II survey assessed for barriers to controlled hypertension in the following areas: health-promoting lifestyle, health responsibility, stress management, spiritual growth, interpersonal relationships, nutrition, and …

Effects Of Tamoxifen On Mitochondrial Nos Activity: Alteration In The Intramitochondrial Ca2+ Homeostasis, Sandeep S. Joshi

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Tamoxifen (Tam) is an anticancer drug that induces oxidative stress and apoptosis via mitochondria- and nitric oxide (NO)-dependent pathways. Here, we report that therapeutic concentrations of Tam stimulate the mitochondrial NO synthase (mtNOS) activity of isolated rat liver mitochondria by increasing the intramitochondrial ionized Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_m). Tam decreases transmembrane potential (∆ψ) due to increased [Ca²⁺]_m that neutralizes the negative charges of the inner mitochondrial membrane. Thus, the present study reports a novel mechanism for the widely used anti- caner drug, Tam.

Environmental Illness May Have Contributed To The Origins Of Transylvanian Vampire Myths, Catherine L. Zeman, Ioan Seuleanu, Miheal Sinca, Alin Sinca, Daniella Moga, Mariana Vlad

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

Field and ethnographic data are utilized to illustrate that significant contamination of rural wells with nitrates, bacteria and protozoa both currently and in the past are fertile ground for the development of myths surrounding spirit and blood stealing mythical creatures. The very real problem of methemoglobinemia, an environmentally induced hypoxia, in rural Transylvania is an ideal situation for physiological confirmation of and, perhaps, cultural etiology determination of the myth of vampirism. Ethnographic accounts of vampire and werewolf myths are correlated with the field data.

Psychological Distress And Back Pain, Richard Strunk

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

Chronic low back pain has become a major health problem in today's society. Low back pain disability is the most expensive benign condition in industrialized countries and is the number one cause of disability in people less than 45 years old (1). Low back pain lasting for longer than one day affects 40 percent of adults in any one-year period (2). In addition, there still is a lot uncertainty as to how structural or morphologic changes in the lumbar spine relate to a patient's clinical symptoms as seen on special imaging studies (3). Further investigations have showed this relationship to …

Information Interface - Volume 33, Issue 1 - January/February 2005, George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

Information Interface (1976 - 2009)

News and information about Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library of interest to users. Includes articles on journal subscription renewals and database search tips.

Managed Mental Health Care: Findings From The Literature, 1990–2005, D. Richard Mauery, Lissette Vaquerano, Rachel Sethi, Joanne Jee, Lisa Chimento

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Synthetic Vision Systems: Flightpath Tracking, Situation Awareness, And Visual Scanning In An Integrated Hazard Display, Amy L. Alexander, Christopher D. Wickens

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2005

Twenty-four certified flight instructors participated in an experiment designed to examine the viability of three Integrated Hazard Display (IHD) formats representative of Synthetic Vision System (SVS) technology (2D coplanar, 3D exocentric, split-screen; Wickens, 2003) in supporting flightpath tracking and situation awareness (SA). SA was probed through the use of two techniques, a memory-based technique called SAGAT and a variant of a perception-based technique called SPAM. Overall, the 3D exocentric display appeared to be the worst display format in terms of supporting SA and utilizing visual attention for the betterment of performance. There was an apparent speed-accuracy tradeoff between the memory-based …

Emerging Technologies For Deployable Aircrew Training, Benjamin Bell

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2005

Flight training devices commonly used for aircrew training offer high-fidelity simulation, wide fieldof- view projection, detailed terrain, and realistic instrumentation and controls. Despite the significant investment needed to acquire and operate them, high-fidelity training devices enjoy widespread acceptance among end-users, air carriers, and military organizations.

Human Factors Issues Of Tcas: A Simulation-Based Study, P. Cabon, F. Rome, A. Favresse, R. Mollard, S. Figarol, B. Hasquenoph, C. Houvenagel

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2005

Since its introduction in the 90’s, TCAS II, presented as a straightforward and very reliable technological tool, has significantly reduced the risk of collision. Paradoxically, the introduction of this system has been accompanied with numerous incidents and one major accident in 2002, mainly due to unclear rules, poor air-ground cooperation and poor human decision. In order to investigate these potential human factors issues, a part-task air-ground simulation was conducted: 10 pilots and 10 controllers were involved in the simulations of 4 scenarios containing TCAS occurrences. Data collected included video camera recordings for behavioral analysis, Heart Rate (HR) for stress evaluation, …

Investing In Safer Communications: Phraseology And Intelligibility In Air Traffic Control, Ana Margarida Casaca, Teresa C. D'Oliveira

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2005

Communications are central to air traffic control and any potential intervention that might contribute to its increased efficacy is considered relevant. This paper explores two main characteristics associated with communications: aeronautical phraseology and intelligibility. Although phraseology may contribute to an increased precision of the message, several factors may hinder it through speech intelligibility. In this study, air traffic controllers were asked to reproduce several messages that vary in phraseology correctness and speech intelligibility. Results suggest that considerable attention should be given to factors affecting speech intelligibility as increased numbers of errors and omissions were reported in messages with this characteristic.

Development And Integration Of Human-Centered Conflict Detection And Resolution Tools For Airborne Autonomous Operations, Riva Canton, Mohammad Refai, Walter W. Johnson, Vernol Battiste

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2005

Today’s crowded airspace burdens both the pilot and controller with a heavy workload pertaining to the maintenance of conflict-free flight. Conflict detection and resolution (CD&R) tools have become a key element in modern flight systems and future airspace concept simulations. In this paper we describe an automated resolution tool that was developed at NASA Ames Research Center as part of an experimental evaluation of the Distributed Air-Ground concept. The tool is based on an analysis of conflict geometry and was developed as an intent (i.e. flight plan) resolution system. A key simplifying concept used in the development of airborne automated …