Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Topiramate For Weight Loss In Adults With Obesity And Loss Of Control Eating After Bariatric Surgery, Amanda Faxon

Yale School of Medicine Physician Associate Program Theses

Diagnostic criteria for binge eating disorder may preclude a diagnosis in post-bariatric surgery patients because they require consumption of abnormally large quantities. Loss of control eating is considered the salient feature of binge eating disorder in some eating disorder literature, and some of the field is moving towards excluding the quantity of food criterion. Loss of control eating is associated with poorer weight outcomes post-surgery. Topiramate, an anticonvulsant, has been shown to improve weight outcomes in patients with binge eating disorder after surgery, therefore its evaluation in patients with loss of control eating and obesity post-surgery is warranted. We aim …

Climate Change Could Make Allergy Season Longer, Odu Expert Says, Amber Kennedy

News Items

No abstract provided.

Odu’S Peter Bernath Participates In Study That Reveals Damage To Ozone Layer From Extreme Wildfires, Tiffany Whitfield

News Items

No abstract provided.

Depression And Factors Impacting Quality Of Life Among Adults With Asthma Presence In Nevada, Elizabeth D. Kahane, Lung-Chang Chien, Brian Labus, Dharini M. Bhammar, Jocy-Anna Chevalier, Sheniz Moonie

Epidemiology & Biostatistics Faculty Research

Background: Asthma, a chronic, non-communicable disease has been shown to negatively affect mental health and quality of life among adults. Annually approximately 8% of adult Nevadans report current asthma symptoms and 12.6% report having a lifetime diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between asthma and depression and explore quality of life factors affecting adult Nevadans with asthma. Methods: Using behavioral risk factor surveillance system (BRFSS) data, this study evaluated the association between self-reported asthma and depression in Nevada using weighted multiple logistic regression. BRFSS asthma call-back survey (ACBS) data were used to determine the frequency …

Intensive Versus Standard Treatment Of Hyperglycemia In Acute Ischemic Stroke Patient: A Randomized Clinical Trial Subgroups Analysis, Michael T. Torbey, Qi Pauls, Nina Gentile, Mercedes Falciglia, William Meurer, Creed L. Pettigrew, Valerie L. Durkalski-Mauldin, Thomas Bleck, Askiel Bruno

Neurology Faculty Publications

Background: Benefit from blood glucose (BG) control during acute ischemic stroke may depend on glycemic parameters. We evaluated for associations between the SHINE (Stroke Hyperglycemia Insulin Network Effort) randomized treatment group and the SHINE predefined 90-day functional outcome, within-patient subgroups defined by various glycemic parameters.

Methods: The SHINE Trial randomized 1151 patients within 12 hours with acute ischemic stroke and hyperglycemia to standard (target BG 80-179 mg/dL) or intensive (target BG 80-130 mg/dL) BG control for 72 hours. We predefined 6 glycemic parameters: acute BG level, absence versus presence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes, hemoglobin A1c, glycemic gap …

Children Receiving A Nutrition And High-Quality Early Childhood Education Intervention Are Associated With Greater Math And Fluid Intelligence Scores: The Guatemala City Municipal Nurseries, Ana M. Palacios, Lisa A. Villanueva, Matthew B. Flynn, Erik Parker, Stephanie Dickinson, Helen W. Bland, Greg A. Reinhart

Health Policy & Community Health: Faculty Publications

Background: About 47% of children < 5 years of age are stunted in Guatemala. In this study, the investigators aimed to compare growth and cognitive outcomes between children in second grade that attended five Guatemala City Municipal Nurseries (GCMN) vs. same sex, grade, and age-matched children. Methods: A cross-sectional design nested in a retrospective cohort was implemented between 2015 and 2019. Children that attended the GCMN and matched controls completed a math test and validated receptive language and fluid intelligence tests. The primary caregivers completed a sociodemographic survey. General and generalized linear mixed effect models were used to compare children that attended the GCMN vs. controls. The models were adjusted by maternal education, sex, asset score, and other relevant covariates. Results: Children that attended the GCMN exhibited greater math and fluid intelligence scores relative to the controls in the adjusted models (ß = 6.48; 95% CI (2.35–10.61)) and (ß = 1.20; 95% CI (0.12–2.29)), respectively. Lower odds of stunting were significant for children who went to any early childcare institution (AOR = 0.28; 95% CI (0.09–0.89)). Conclusions: The importance of integrating nutrition and high-quality early childhood education interventions in cognitive and growth outcomes is highlighted in this study. The GCMN model may be a scalable model in similar low-resource settings.

Translation Of Policy For Reducing Undernutrition From National To Sub-National Levels In Rwanda, Elyse Iruhiriye, Deanna K. Olney, Edward A. Frongillo, Emmanuel Niyongira, Simeon Nanama, Eugene Rwibasira, Paul Mbonyi, Christine E. Blake

Faculty Publications

Understanding how countries improve children’s nutrition can inform policies and contribute to further improvements. We examined the relationship between improvements in nutrition in Rwanda (1992–2017) and political commitment to- and policy coherence in- nutrition. We reviewed nutrition-relevant Rwandan policies and programs (2000–2018) and conducted 90 semi-structured interviews with national (n = 32), mid-level (n = 38), and community (n = 20) nutrition stakeholders and 40 community-level focus group discussions (FGDs). FGDs and sub-national interviews were conducted in ten purposefully selected districts, five each in which stunting decreased (reduced) and increased or stagnated (non-reduced) between the 2010 and 2014/15 Rwanda Demographic …

The Individualized Education Program (Iep) Team As Interprofessional Health Care Team: Team Members' And Pediatric Residents' Perceptions, Tara Minor

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Background: Interprofessional health care teams have been widely studied. Neglected in the discussion of interprofessional health care teams, however, are Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams, despite their integral connection to children's health care. This study explored the concept of IEP teams as interprofessional health care teams by examining how IEP members, including pediatricians, conceptualize individuals' team roles and whether a simulated IEP meeting affects pediatric residents' attitudes about the interprofessional nature of and their roles on IEP teams.

Methods: Pediatric residents (n=18) from a large, urban academic medical center participated in a simulated IEP meeting. Quantitative data from the Interprofessional …

Lactoferrin- And Dendrimer-Bearing Gold Nanocages For Stimulus-Free Dna Delivery To Prostate Cancer Cells, Jamal Almowalad, Partha Laskar, Sukrut Somani, Jitkasem Meewan, Rothwelle J. Tate, Christine Dufès

School of Medicine Publications

Background: The use of gene therapy to treat prostate cancer is hampered by the lack of effective nanocarriers that can selectively deliver therapeutic genes to cancer cells. To overcome this, we hypothesize that conjugating lactoferrin, a tumor-targeting ligand, and the diaminobutyric polypropylenimine dendrimer into gold nanocages, followed by complexation with a plasmid DNA, would enhance gene expression and anti-proliferation activity in prostate cancer cells without the use of external stimuli.

Methods: Novel gold nanocages bearing lactoferrin and conjugated to diaminobutyric polypropylenimine dendrimer (AuNCs-DABLf) were synthesized and characterized. Following complexation with a plasmid DNA, their gene expression, cellular uptake and antiproliferative …

Introspective Meditation Before Seeking Pleasurable Activities As A Stress Reduction Tool Among College Students: A Multi-Theory Model-Based Pilot Study, Manoj Sharma, Amar Kanekar, Kavita Batra, Traci Hayes, Ram Lakhan

Social and Behavioral Health Faculty Research

In the realm of behavioral interventions, a combined approach of yoga and a cognitive-behavioral strategy in the form of introspective meditation (manan-dhyana) may offer benefits as a stress management tool. This pilot study focuses on introspective meditation performed before seeking pleasurable activities, which is a self-reflection about whether to pursue a goal that will bring sensory pleasure in life. A non-probability sample of college students was recruited from a mid-sized Southern University of the United States using a 52-items web-based survey built in Qualtrics. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistics were used to analyze data. Of total 65 students, only 21.5% …

A Contemporary Shared Governance Structure And Its Role In Managing Nurse Turnover, Kagale Kiwanuka

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Nurse turnover can adversely impact any health system's financial performance and the clinical practice environment, and it is detrimental to patient safety and quality of care.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was for nurses on a Labor and Delivery and Antepartum unit at a 382-bed community hospital in Austell, GA(P), does the utility of a contemporary shared governance structure in everyday practice (I) compared to the current shared governance structure (C) decrease nurse turnover rates (O) within four weeks (T)?

Evidence: Shared governance permits the reduction of turnover and the intent to …

Oral Care Bundle Impact On Staff Assisted Oral Care, Sabrina Oliver

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Non-ventilator hospital acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP) is more common than ventilator acquired pneumonia. Oral care is the only modifiable risk factor for all patient populations.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: In non-ventilated patients in a tertiary care setting (P), how does implementing an oral care bundle (I) compared to the current practice of individual tasks without a bundle (C) affect adherence to facility oral care standard of patients receiving oral care at least once a day (O) over six weeks (T)?

Evidence: Lack of an oral bundle that has been proven to decrease …

Idiopathic Midaortic Syndrome, David Saul, Rahul Nikam, Vinay Kandula, Achala Donuru

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

Midaortic syndrome (MAS) is characterized by narrowing of the descending aorta between the distal aortic arch and the aortic bifurcation. We present the case of a 4-year-old male presenting with a murmur and diagnosed with MAS. He was treated with a thoracoabdominal bypass graft.

Practical Needs And Considerations For Refugees And Other Forcibly Displaced Persons With Neurological Disorders: Recommendations Using A Modified Delphi Approach, Shawheen Rezaei, Foksouna Sakadi, Fu-Liong Hiew, Ildefonso Rodriguez-Leyva, Jera Kruja, Mohammad Wasay, Osheik Abuasha Seidi, Saad Abdel-Aziz, Shahriar Nafissi, Farrah Mateen

Section of Neurology

Background: There are >70 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, including refugees, internally displaced persons, and asylum seekers. While the health needs of forcibly displaced people have been characterized in the literature, more still needs to be done globally to translate this knowledge into effective policies and actions, particularly in neurology.
Methods: In 2020, a global network of published experts on neurological disease and refugees was convened. Nine physician experts from nine countries (2 low, 1 lower-middle income, 5 upper-middle, 1 high income) with experience treating displaced people originating from 18 countries participated in three survey and two discussion rounds in …

Identifying And Reporting Position-Specific Countermovement Jump Outcome And Phase Characteristics Within Rugby League, John J. Mcmahon, Jason P. Lake, Paul Comfort

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The countermovement jump (CMJ) has been suggested to be an important test of neuromuscular performance for rugby league (RL) players. Identifying force platform-derived CMJ variables that may be more applicable to RL positions (e.g., forwards and backs) has yet to be fully explored in the scientific literature. The aim of this study was to identify RL position-specific CMJ force-time variables. Specifically, we aimed to compare select forcetime variables from the countermovement (i.e., the combination of unweighting and braking) and propulsion phases of the CMJ between the global forwards and backs positional groups. We also aimed to compare typical (i.e., jump …

Newborn Screening: Review Of Its Impact For Cystinosis, Katharina Hohenfellner, Ewa Elenberg, Gema Ariceta, Galina Nesterova, Neveen A Soliman, Rezan Topaloglu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Newborn screening (NBS) programmes are considered to be one of the most successful secondary prevention measures in childhood to prevent or reduce morbidity and/or mortality via early disease identification and subsequent initiation of therapy. However, while many rare diseases can now be detected at an early stage using appropriate diagnostics, the introduction of a new target disease requires a detailed analysis of the entire screening process, including a robust scientific background, analytics, information technology, and logistics. In addition, ethics, financing, and the required medical measures need to be considered to allow the benefits of screening to be evaluated at a …

Barriers And Enablers For Older Adults Participating In A Home-Based Pragmatic Exercise Program Delivered And Monitored By Amazon Alexa: A Qualitative Study, Paul Jansons, Jackson Fyfe, Jack Dalla Via, Robin M. Daly, Eugene Gvozdenko, David Scott

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: The remote delivery and monitoring of individually-tailored exercise programs using voice-controlled intelligent personal assistants (VIPAs) that support conversation-based interactions may be an acceptable alternative model of digital health delivery for older adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate the enablers and barriers for older adults participating in a home-based exercise program delivered and monitored by VIPAs. Method: This qualitative study used videoconferencing to conduct semi-structured interviews following a 12-week, prospective single-arm pilot study in 15 adults aged 60 to 89 years living alone in the community. All participants were prescribed an individualized, brief (10 min, 2–4 times …

Survey Analysis Of Overall Job Satisfaction Of Physician Assistants, Clare Lookian Pa-C, Claire Keaton Pa-C, Kasey Keane Pa-C, Erin Schulte Pa-C, Abby Atchley Pa-C, Edwin Welsh Pa-C, Devon Gersh Pa-C, Jack Carter Pa-C, Ryan Krasnosky Mpas, Pa-C, Dfaapa, Drph

Journal of Nursing & Interprofessional Leadership in Quality & Safety

Background: Over the last three decades, the physician assistant (PA) profession has seen an increase in the number of women in the profession, a decline in the age of new PA graduates, a movement toward specialty practice, and an exponential growth in the workforce as a whole. Historically, surveys reveal the majority of PAs are satisfied with their career choice and current job. Although a majority of PAs report high job satisfaction, career burnout is still significant within the profession. Career burnout among health care providers continues to rise due to the strains of the US healthcare system, growing patient …

Utilization And Workforce Integration Of Physician Assistants, Tara Harkins Pa-C, Jason Thomas Pa-C, Brian Fontenot Pa-C, Joseph Day Pa-C, Marielle Faraone Pa-C, Alexandra Borden Pa-C, Megan Lomax Pa-C, Darius Dranginis Pa-C, Ryan Krasnosky Mpas, Pa-C, Dfaapa, Drph, Angelo P. Giardino Md, Phd

Journal of Nursing & Interprofessional Leadership in Quality & Safety

Background: The healthcare field is experiencing rapid growth in the number of advanced practice providers (APPs) with projections that demonstrate that this trend will only continue. Even though the number of APPs is growing, the development of facility-specific APP management infrastructure often grows at a slower pace. Specific policies and procedures on APP utilization and clinical efficiency metrics are lacking. This can lead to deficiencies in the understanding of the education and practice boundaries of APPs.

Objective: Our study aimed to analyze the growth and utilization of physician assistants (PAs) in several hospitals located within Texas Medical Center (TMC) …

Health Choice Or Health Coercion? The Osha Emergency Temporary Standard Covid-19 Vaccination Mandates: Ax Or Vax, Savannah Snyder

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

No abstract provided.

Psychophysical Motivational Effects Of Music On Competitive Swimming, Stefan Szczepan, Leslaw Kulmatycki

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: The aim of the study was to assess changes in motivation levels in the subjects who were provided with motivational music (independent variable). The additional aim was to establish differences between two study groups in terms of swimming effectiveness. Material/Methods: The employed research method relied on a laboratory experiment. The study included 8 subjects involved in swimming training. They were divided into two groups – control (C) and experimental (E) ones. The study consisted of three trials during which the subjects swam a distance of 50m front crawl with maximum velocity. In the first trial neither of the groups …

Health Locus Of Control Of Polish Undergraduates: Gender, Faculty And Type Of Physical Activity Differences, Monika Guszkowska, Anna Kuk

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: To effectively realise professional tasks, physical education (PE) teachers, physiotherapists and personal trainers should be convinced as to the fact that health depends on their behaviour and actions. The aim of the research was to investigate possible differences in health locus of control (HLC) between faculties, gender and type of physical activity. Material/Methods: The subjects were 241 undergraduates (111 female and 130 male ones) from the faculty of physical education (n = 96), tourism and recreation (n = 74) and physiotherapy (n = 71), who practiced sports (n = 101) or were involved in recreational physical activity (n = …

The State Of Knowledge Of Dietary, Physiological And Pharmacological Supplementation And The Preferential Use Of These Substances By Persons Practising Recreational Bodybuilding, Marek Kruszewski, Wladyslaw Jagiello, Rafal Kutwin

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: The aim of the study was to establish preferential use of dietary, physiological and pharmacological supplementation by persons practising recreational bodybuilding and to check whether it results from the respondents’ knowledge or whether it is accidental. Material/Methods: The group of subjects comprised 100 persons practising recreational bodybuilding in four well-known Lodz gyms. In the study the method of a diagnostic survey was used. A questionnaire containing 31 closed and opened questions constituted the research tool. Results: It was demonstrated that the state of knowledge concerning dietary supplementation is insufficient, despite its optimistic self-assessment, and because of that the preferences …

Physical Effort Ability In Counter Movement Jump Depending On The Kind Of Warm-Up And Surface Temperature Of The Quadriceps, Jakub Grzegorz Adamczyk, Dariusz Boguszewski, Marcin Siewierski

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: The aim of this research was an attempt at qualifying the influence of various kinds of warm-up on physical effort ability, as well as examining whether there exists any dependence between the surface temperature of the quadricipital muscle of the thigh and the power expressed with the height of counter movement jump (CMJ). Material/Methods: In the research thermographic imaging and dynamometric platform were used. The subjects performed the CMJ test in 3 separate sessions – without any warm-up and then after preparation (1st session – jogtrot; 2nd session – jogtrot and stretching exercises; 3 session – dynamic warm up …

Application Of The As-4 Software In Research On Players’ Kinematics On A Large Area In 3d Coordinates As An Alternative To Commercial Programs, Piotr Aschenbrenner, Wlodzimierz S. Erdmann, Patrycja Lipinska

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: In this work an original computer program for the video analysis of players on a large area by using a single camera is presented. Video analysis is one of the basic research techniques of human movement applied in sport. A set of cameras and special computer software is used for this purpose. Many companies provide hardware and software, but, unfortunately, their high cost and difficulty in usage are their major drawbacks. In order to simplify and reduce the costs of data analysis (obtained from a single camera), AS-4 program was developed. Material/Methods: The program includes an original algorithm which …

Relationships Between Chosen Motor And Morphological Characteristics Of Young Men And Women: Longitudinal Research, Marek Drozdowski, Ewa Ziolkowska-Lajp

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: Disadvantageous tendencies bound with a growing distance between the somatic development and motor condition of children and youth raise well understood anxiety, as these phenomena endanger health and fitness of future generations. The aim of this work is to verify if the above-mentioned phenomenon may be referred to youth groups for whom physical activity and motor development are important elements of everyday life. Material/Methods: Between 1983 and 2009 data on a total of 7,663 men and 7,368 women from Poznan AWF (University School of Physical Education) were collected annually at the same time each year. Information was collected on …

Proposal To Use An Obstructed Timed “Up & Go” Test To Assess The Risk Of Falling In Healthy Elderly Individuals, Masanobu Uchiyama, Shinichi Demura

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: Obstacles are a common cause of falls. Mobility tests for healthy elderly that involve maneuvering over an obstacle have not been fully developed. We have shown that a small box placed on the walkway of a representative mobility test, the Timed Up & Go (TUG) for the frail elderly, influences the test performances of the healthy female elderly. However, the validity of this obstructed TUG (OTUG) as a fall risk assessment tool has not yet been clarified. This study examined the relationship between the OTUG and the fall risk for the healthy elderly. Material/Methods: 66 healthy community-dwelling elderly and …

On Efficacy And Effectiveness Of Vaccines: A Mathematical Approach Based On Conditional Probability With Applications To The Covid-19 Context, Flavius Guias

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

This paper presents a mathematically formalized approach which points out the relation between efficacy and effectiveness of vaccines. The first term denotes the relative degree of protection in clinical trials or under ideal conditions, while the latter is based on observed real-life data. We define the efficacy by a similar formula to the effectiveness, but the probabilities involved in the relative risk are conditional with respect to the exposure to the virus. If exposure and vaccination status are independent, the two quantities are equal. Otherwise, the observed value of the effectiveness is a biased one, as it could be seen …

Students’ Knowledge Concerning The Correct Squat And The Elements Of The Methodology Of Teaching It, Dariusz Czaprowski, Agnieszka Kedra, Ryszard Biernat

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: A squat is one of the exercises commonly applied in sport, in school physical education classes, among amateurs practising recreational sport as well as in rehabilitation of children and elderly people. The role of the preventive effect of the correctly performed squat on the musculo-skeletal system is particularly highlighted, while threats posed by an incorrect performance of the exercise are simultaneously indicated. The aim of the work was to define the knowledge of students concerning the methodology of teaching the correct squat and to present methodological fundamentals in this field. Material/Methods: The research involved 412 students of physical education …

Factors Determining The Level Of Physical Activity Among Warsaw Institutes Employees, Elzbieta Biernat

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: The evaluation of physical activity level of scientists and determining factors which influence the physical activity. Getting to know the characteristics of the group and observing its behavior can lead to pro-healthy campaign. Material/Methods: Research was conducted on 301 Warsaw scientific institutes employees (NIPH-NIH –82 persons, IMWM – 50 persons, IPPLM – 39 persons, BRI – 50 persons NFNI – 80 persons). A questionnaire was applied. Analysis was made with the usage of SPSS v.17. In accordance with WHO classifications, the interviewed were divided into active (n=162) and non-active (n=139). The active group consisted of persons with a high …