Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Elevated Lipoprotein(A) And Cardiovascular Outcomes In Prediabetes And Diabetes: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Sidhartha Gautam Senapati, Vamsikalayan Borra, Lakshmi Prasanna Vaishnavi Kattamuri, Naga Vamsi Krishna Machineni, Nithya Borra, Sindhuja Kukkala, Karthikeya Ramasahayam, Kesar Prajapati, Parth R. Nayak, Santosh Kale

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Elevated levels of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and diabetes have been identified as potential risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). This study investigates various Lp(a) levels’ impact on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events in pre-diabetics and diabetics.

Methods: We included retrospective studies in English until May 2023, exploring the link between high Lp(a) levels and cardiovascular outcomes in humans with diabetes, prediabetes, or normal glucose levels. Studies were sourced from PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, emphasizing detailed population and outcome data. We excluded studies with major methodological issues, low-quality data, missing key information, duplicates, and non-human subjects. We included high-quality …

Loss Of Tc-Ptp In Keratinocytes Leads To Increased Uvb-Induced Autophagy, Obed Asare, Lindsey Shim, Cheol Jung Lee, Jose Delgado, Natasha N. Quailes, Klarissa Zavala, Junsoo Park, Bilal Hafeez, Yong-Yeon Cho, Subhash Chauhan, Dae Joon Kim

School of Medicine Publications

Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation can distort cellular homeostasis and predispose the skin to carcinogenesis. Amongst the deteriorating effects of the sun’s UVB radiation on cellular homeostasis is the formation of DNA photoproducts. These photoproducts can cause significant changes in the structure and conformation of DNA, inducing gene mutations which may accumulate to trigger the formation of skin cancer. Photoproducts are typically repaired by nucleotide excision repair. Notwithstanding, when the repair mechanism fails, apoptosis ensues to prevent the accumulation of mutations and to restore cellular homeostasis. This present study reports that T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TC-PTP) can increase UVB-induced apoptosis by …

Families' Experiences Of End-Of-Life Care In An Acute Private Hospital: A Qualitative Study, Rosemary Saunders, Susan Alexander, Julie Andrew, Anne Wilkinson, Karen Gullick, Ashwini Davray, Manonita Ghosh, Karla Seaman, Michelle Gay

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objectives This study explored bereaved relatives' experiences of end-of-life care (EoL care) in the last 3 days in an acute private hospital in Australia. Methods An interpretative qualitative study was conducted. Semi-structured interviews with 8 bereaved relatives whose family member had died at an acute private hospital shared their experiences of the EoL care during the last 3 days of life. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Results Bereaved family members had mixed experiences, and their primary concerns related to the need for improvements in support for the family; communication; and clinicians partnering with families. The need …

A Nursing Education Intervention In An Adult Inpatient Setting To Improve Compliance Rate With Pressure Injury Prevention Intervention, Brooklynn Jane Janke

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Pressure injuries can lead to life-threatening health complications for patients and cause physical, psychological, and financial stress to patients suffering from them. The literature review demonstrated that bedside nursing staff often have not received the appropriate education about pressure injury prevention and care. The literature review also revealed that nurses prefer to be educated one-on-one and peer-to-peer. Therefore, providing focused and frequent education on pressure injury prevention and improving nurses’ understanding of the importance of pressure injury prevention can improve the quality of care a nurse provides, and patients receive, thus reducing the number of health care-acquired pressure injuries. The …

Insights Into Colorectal Cancer Screening: A Qualitative Exploration Of Health Beliefs Among Punjabi American Adults, 45–75 Years Old, Allison Mendes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative interview study is to explore the health beliefs and cultural factors influencing colorectal cancer (CRC) screening behaviors among Punjabi Americans aged 45–75 in San Joaquin County, California. Using the health belief model (HBM) as a framework, the study investigated perceptions of CRC severity, susceptibility, benefits, barriers, and cues to action, addressing three research questions related to CRC screening perceptions, decisionmaking processes, and the role of health beliefs. The qualitative design employed semistructured interviews conducted via Zoom with a purposive sample of 15 participants, ensuring diversity in age and gender within the specified demographic. Data collection …

Implementing An Exercise Program In Prediabetic Patients On Glp-1 Ras To Increase Self-Efficacy And Decrease Hgba1c, Bmi, And Weight, Tamara Alston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Obesity is a significant factor in the progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes mellitus. Obesity is a condition of excess adipose tissue caused by an imbalance between the calories a person takes in, the absorption of those calories, and energy expenditure or how many of those calories a person burns. In 2022, the total cost of care for people with diabetes was $413 billion. Evidence indicates increased physical activity is directly associated with weight loss and decreased waist circumference. The literature supports that 150 minutes of weekly exercise can reduce HgbA1c, weight, and body mass index. Additionally, improved self-efficacy …

How Jesus Christ Saves The Addict: A Phenomenological Study On The Perceptions Of A Christ-Centered Approach To Addiction Recovery, Olivia M. Matthews

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Reaching epidemic proportions, drug and alcohol addiction is a prevalent problem within the United States that demands urgent attention. With numbers exceeding 20 million Americans struggling with a substance use disorder (SUD) and over 111,000 individuals falling victim to illicit drug overdose fatalities in 2022, the question of effectiveness in rehabilitation outlets for this subgroup is of critical concern (Lashley, 2018; CDC, 2024). The purpose of this study is to analyze the perceptions of Christ-centered initiatives in securing sobriety among addicted individuals and/or substance use offenders. This study utilized qualitative methods with a phenomenological and narrative design to explore Christ-centered …

A Phenomenological Study Of Syrian Refugees’ Experiences Seeking Mental Health Care In Lebanon, Mark Christopher Todd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experience of Syrian refugees living in Tyre, Lebanon as it related to seeking mental health care. The theory guiding this study is the phenomenological approach of Moustakas (1994) as informed by the transcendental phenomenology of Husserl (Moustakas, 1994) in that it seeks to describe the essence of the phenomenon by putting aside all preconceptions and looking anew at the phenomenon through the lens of human experience. This study was also strongly influenced by transformative frameworks (Creswell & Poth, 2019) and decolonization theory (Smith, 2021) as it looked for answers …

The Clinical Impact Of A Standardized Pathway For Chest Pain Evaluation In The Urgent Care Setting, Tysheena L. Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study aimed to evaluate the deficiencies in the current chest pain evaluation practices compared to standard of practice at urgent care centers and to develop an evidence-based clinical workflow prioritizing the reduction of the door-to-EKG times utilizing the Marburg heart score assessment tool. Conducted in three urgent care centers within a larger not-for-profit healthcare system, the retrospective pretest-posttest design involved 44 patients presenting with chest pain. Utilizing t-tests, the study found a significant reduction in door-to-EKG times from 39 minutes pre-intervention to 14 minutes post-intervention (p < 0.05). The pre implementation chart reviews revealed that 7 (32%) of the charts had the required risk assessment tool used, and score documented in the EMR. The post implementation chart reviews revealed that 6 (27%) of the charts had the required risk assessment tool used and score for chest pain documented in the EMR. The Marburg Heart Score facilitated timely identification of high-risk patients while minimizing unnecessary EKGs for low-risk individuals, though protocol adherence and external workflow disruptions were noted limitations. The findings underscore the importance of standardized workflows in enhancing care efficiency and patient outcomes, suggesting that future research explore long-term sustainability and broader implementation in urgent care settings.

The Differences In Perceived Stress And Coping For Prelicensure Nursing Students After A Positive Reappraisal Coping Intervention, Deanna Lynne Walborn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Academic stress has become a common problem among nursing students, which can lead to undesirable student outcomes if their stress goes unabated. The purpose of this quasi-experimental pretest/posttest study is to determine if an intervention using a positive reappraisal coping intervention (PRCI) can reduce student nurse stress. Knowles’ theory of adult learning along with Lazarus and Folkman’s transactional model of stress and coping (TMSC) provided a foundation for the study. Olejnik’s (1984) table was used to determine the minimal total sample size required for this research. A sample of 26 nursing students from those who are enrolled in a public …

Building Capacity For Trauma-Informed Care: Enhancing Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practice Of Trauma-Informed Care Among Nurses, Kim G. Cudjoe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Exposure to trauma is a global and pervasive phenomenon that is known to have negative consequences on the health, health outcomes, and well-being of individuals and at-risk populations to include Veterans. The implementation of trauma-informed care concepts and principles in the delivery of healthcare services among all staff and across the span of healthcare allows healthcare professionals to realize the impact of trauma on individuals, to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma, to respond to trauma through improved practices, procedures, and policies; and to prevent re-traumatization while receiving care. The purpose of this evidence-based project is to develop and …

Myelin-Reactive Cd8+ T Cells Influence Conventional Dendritic Cell Subsets Towards A Mature And Regulatory Phenotype In Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis, Mohit Upadhye, Connor R Wilhelm, Kai J Rogers, Chakrapani Vemulawada, Nicholas Borcherding, Alexander W Boyden, Kevin L Legge, Nitin J Karandikar

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, is modeled in mice as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). While CD4

Androgen Receptor Ubiquitination Links Kctd13 To Genitourinary Tract Defects, Ahmed Chahdi, Carolina Jorgez, Jill A Rosenfeld, Neetu Neetu, Abhishek Seth

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The potassium channel tetramerization domain containing 13 (KCTD13) protein is a substrate-specific adapter for cullin3-based E3 ubiquitin ligase. Patients with copy number variants at this locus exhibit genitourinary tract anomalies. In this study, we show that decreased androgen receptor (AR) protein level correlated with increased AR ubiquitination in the testis of Kctd13-deficient mice, suggesting that KCTD13 inhibits AR ubiquitination. KCTD13 increased CUL3-dependent AR ubiquitination but had no effect on CUL3 binding to AR, confirming the role of KCTD13 as an adaptor of CUL3 ligase. Recombinant KCTD13 directly binds to recombinant AR, and the BTB domain of KCTD13 is critical for …

Biosocial Determinants Of Health Among Patients With Chronic Liver Disease And Liver Cancer, Tagari Samanta, Jun Hyoung Park, Benny Abraham Kaipparettu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Metabolic disorders and chronic liver disease (CLD) play crucial roles in the development and progression of liver cancer (LC). Since the ethnic minority population increasingly suffers from CLD and LC, it is vital to understand the biosocial factors contributing to CLD and LC. The 'All of Us' database, with significant participation from minority populations, provides a valuable tool for studies in different racial/ethnic groups. Using different databases, including the 'All of Us' and 'The Cancer Genome Atlas', this study aimed to understand the biosocial factors contributing to CLD and LC.

Methods: Using 'All of Us' data, confounding factors like …

Invasive Haemophilus Influenzae Disease At A Us Children's Hospital In The Sars-Cov-2 Era, J Chase Mcneil, David R Mcdonald, James J Dunn, Sheldon L Kaplan, Kristina G Hulten, Jesus G Vallejo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: National data previously demonstrated an increase in invasive disease due to non-type b Haemophilus influenzae from the 2000s to the 2010s. Significant shifts in the epidemiology of respiratory pathogens in children have occurred in the post-SARS-CoV-2 era. We examined pediatric invasive H. influenzae disease in the pre- and post-SARS-CoV-2 years.

Methods: Invasive H. influenzae infections were identified from culture records of the Texas Children's Hospital microbiology laboratory from January 2011 to December 2023. Invasive cases were considered those with isolation of H. influenzae from a sterile site. The annual number of cases/1000 admissions was used as a surrogate for …

When Two Doses Make All The Difference: The Case Of Factor V Leiden In A Young Hispanic Male, Alberto Pena, Janetly Reinoso, Liza Salloum, Khiem D. Ngo, Sobia Memon, Johanna Mora

Research Symposium

Background: Recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) causes a substantial burden, particularly when the cause is unclear. Traditionally VTE risks include older age, immobilization, obesity, and malignancy. When VTE recurs in a young patient without these traditional factors, genetics must be considered. Of the inherited thrombophilias, Factor V Leiden (FVL) is the most common. Normally, activated factor V combines with factor X to produce thrombin, leading to clot formation. This process is regulated by activated protein C (APC), which inactivates factor V to stop coagulation. FVL is a single-base point mutation at one of the APC cleavage sites on Factor Va and …

Chronic Disease In Hispanics Nationally And In States Neighboring The Border: What Can We Learn From All Of Us Database?, Abdallah Galal, Bassent Abdelbary

Research Symposium

Background: Chronic diseases pose significant health challenges with higher impact on specific demographic groups in the United States. Hispanics face a disproportionate burden of chronic diseases compared to non-Hispanic whites, experiencing higher rates of conditions such as obesity, diabetes, renal and cardiovascular diseases. This health disparity can be attributed to various factors, including socioeconomic status, cultural influences, access to healthcare, acculturation, and genetic predisposition. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence and burden of diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease within the Hispanic/Latino population in the United States, assess biological and sociodemographic risk factors, and analyze disparities …

Role Of Urolithin A In Cancer Therapy, Aanya S. Chauhan, Vinita Karumuru, Mahi P. Yallapu, Anupam Dhasmana

Research Symposium

Background: Cancer is a big health problem around the world, causing many deaths even though there have been improvements in treatments. Some of the main challenges in treating cancer include side effects, resistance to treatments, cancer spreading to other parts of the body (metastasis), and the disease coming back (recurrence). Scientists are looking for safer and better ways to treat cancer. One promising option is using natural substances that come from plants, which are less toxic and have a lot of potential for fighting diseases. One of these substances is Urolithin A (UA), a compound made in the body when …

Pornography, Problematic Use And Academic Outcomes In College Students: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Promise Tewogbola, Victoria Bodunde, Deborah Odaudu

Journal of Graduate Education Research

Background: The prevalence of pornography consumption among college students has raised concerns about its potential impact on academic performance. This study aims to examine the relationships between pornography use, academic outcomes, and problematic pornography use among university students.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 739 students from a Midwestern U.S. state university. Participants completed an online survey assessing demographics, grade point average (GPA), pornography consumption frequency, Academic Success Inventory (ASI) scores, and Problematic Pornography Use (PPU) scale scores. Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to examine associations between variables.

Results: Pornography consumers had 41% lower odds of …

Distal Femur Fractures: The Use Of A Fibular Strut Allograft With Dual Locking Plates Allows For Early Weight Bearing, Brian Rui Kye Chee, Chenghan Wu, Abhjeet Ashok Salunke, Yongsheng Chen

BioMedicine

Introduction: Distal femur fractures result in high morbidity and mortality - comparable to that of hip fractures. The commonly used surgical fixation techniques today, locked plating and intramedullary nailing, have shown high postoperative complication rates. Thus, many surgeons temporarily keep patients non-weight bearing in the early post-operative stage. Increased time to ambulation after surgery is known to increase systemic complications in patients. We aim to investigate if an augmented fixation technique involving the use of a fibular strut allograft with dual locking plates helps to allow early mobilization postoperatively without adverse outcomes.

Methods: Five geriatric patients (four female, one male) …

Acute Phantosmia As The First Manifestaton Of Brain Metastases In A Patient With Breast Cancer. Case Report, Georgios I. Papageorgiou, Nikolaos Skouteris

BioMedicine

Phantosmia belongs to the group of olfactory dysfunctions. It is more commonly described in psychiatric conditions and some cases of viral infections, but it has been also rarely described in cancer patients who develop primary or metastatic central nervous system tumors; the early identification of this symptom in this population is crucial, as it could lead to timely diagnosis and treatment through a multidisciplinary approach.

With the current report we present the case of a 60-year-old lady with metastatic breast cancer and without known preexisting brain metastases, who developed acute phantosmia without other neurological deficits; computed tomography of the brain …

Estimated Levels Of Glycated Albumin And C-Reactive Protein/Total Albumin Ratio Might Distinguish Prediabetics Among The Apparently Healthy People And Predict The Vulnerability For Development Of Steatohepatitis And Cardiac Risk., Rizk S. Sarhan, Raafat R Mohammed

BioMedicine

Background: Prediabetes precedes Type-2 diabetes development, is characterized by impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) as judged by the 75-gram oral glucose tolerance test (75-OGTT) and is associated with higher cardiac risk (CR), dyslipidemia, hepatosteatosis (HS) and cancer

Aims: The study aimed to determine the distinguishing ability of estimated levels of glycated albumin (GA) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum total albumin (TA) levels for prediabetic out of apparently healthy subjects.

Methods: IGT was diagnosed if fasting blood glucose (FBG) was 100-125 mg/dl and if /dl subject is normal glucose tolerant (NGT). CR, HS and insulin resistance …

Plasma Levels Of Mir-21b And Mir-146a Can Discriminate Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis And Severity., Rizk S. Sarhan, Amr M El-Hammady, Yasmin M Marei, Sania K Elwia, Doaa M Ismail, Emtethal As Ahmed

BioMedicine

Objectives: This study tried to examine the ability of the estimated plasma gene-expression levels (PGEL) of microRNA (miR)-146a and miR-21b to distinguish patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) out of arthritis patients who did not fulfill the diagnostic spectrum of either RA or osteoarthritis (OA); the diagnostic Gray-Zone (GZ).

Patients & Methods: Enrolled patients underwent full diagnostic workup and were categorized as highseropositive and fulfilled the diagnostic spectrum for RA (RA-group), seronegative and fulfilling the diagnostic spectrum of OA (OA-group) and low-seropositive or seronegative patients who did not fulfill diagnostic criteria of RA or OA (GZ-group). Blood samples were obtained …

In-Silico Study Of Rosmarinic Acid Roles In Inhibiting Breast Cancer Progression, Ngakan Putu Krishna Mahayana, Ngurah Bagus Agung Surya Nanda Jayesvara Dwi Sutanegara, Made Dwinanda Prabawa Mahardana, Desak Made Wihandani

BioMedicine

Background: Breast cancer is the highest cancer incidence in the world. Chemotherapy is currently one of the main breast cancer treatments besides surgery. It is capable of evolving to become resistant to chemotherapy agents. Chemotherapy also has significant side effects. Rosmarinic acid could become an anti-cancer agent candidate for the treatment of breast cancer, but its molecular mechanism is still unclear.

Aim: This study aimed to clarify the molecular mechanism of rosmarinic acid anti-breast cancer properties via an in-silico study.

Methods: Web-based screening tools such as SwissTargetPrediction, Similarity Ensemble Approach (SEA), and TargetNet were used as initial screening. From web-based …

Unveiling Role Of Oncogenic Signalling Pathways In Complicating Breast Cancer, Acharya Balkrishna, Sagar Kumar, Rohan Malik, Kuldeep Singh Mehra, Hariom Chaturvedi, Okeshwar Okeshwar, Rashmi Mittal

BioMedicine

Heterogeneous nature of breast cancer has significantly affected the overall survival, disease free survival and progression free survival amongst the diseased individuals. Metastasis of cancerous cells to distant sites including bone, lungs, liver, lymph node and others have further exhilarated the adverse effects. However, ER, PR and HER-2 are responsible for normal physiological development of women but in altered conditions they may act as initiator or progressor and so far 5 subtypes of disease have been identified. Alteration of pro-survival, pro-proliferative and anti-apoptotic pathways including JAK/STAT, MAPK,

PI3K/AkT/mTOR, NF-κB, BCL2 and several others have induced oncogenic events including epithelial-mesenchymal transition, …

Mini-Review Of Clinical Data Service Platforms In The Era Of Artificial Intelligence: A Case Study Of The Ihi Data Platform, Yu-Ting Lin, Ya-Chi Lin, Hung-Lin Chen, Che-Chen Lin, Min-Yen Wu, Sheng-Hsuan Chen, Zi-Han Lin, Yi-Ching Chang, Chuan-Hu Sun, Sheng-Ya Lu, Min-Yu Chiang, Hui-Chao Tsai, Mei-Ju Shih, David Ray Chang, Fuu-Jen Tsai, Hsiu-Yin Chiang, Chin-Chi Kuo

BioMedicine

In the past two decades, healthcare organizations have transitioned from the early stages of digitization and digitalization to a more comprehensive process of digital transformation, a shift significantly accelerated by the advent of artificial intelligence (AI). Consequently, the development of high-quality clinical data warehouses, derived from electronic health records (EHRs) and enriched with multidomain data, such as genomics, proteomics, and Internet of Things (IoT) information, has become essential for the creation of the modern patient digital twin (PDT). This approach is critical for leveraging AI in the evolving landscape of clinical practice. Leading medical centers and healthcare institutions have adopted …

Robotic Spine Surgery - Surgical Technique And Nuances For Improving Safety, Mun Chun Lai, Pirateb Paramasivam Meenakshi Sundaram, Arun-Kumar Kaliya-Perumal, Jacob Yoong-Leong Oh

BioMedicine

The integration of robotic technology into spinal surgery has led to a remarkable transformation, offering improved precision and safety. The “CT-Fluoro merge” and “Scan-and-Plan” methods for pedicle screw application promise numerous advantages, minimizing risks associated with traditional approaches. Our early series of patients who underwent robot-assisted pedicle screw placements for various indications, predominantly lumbar spondylosis, revealed no complications related to screws, neurological deficits, or unplanned returns to the operating theatre, thus emphasizing the safety and effectiveness of the robot. Studies have consistently demonstrated the superiority of robot-assisted pedicle screw placement in terms of accuracy, with decreasing rates of technical issues …

The Pulse - February 27, 2025, Unm Hsc Marketing & Communications

The Pulse

Weekly newsletter of the UNM Health Sciences Center.

Staff Education Project Staff Education To Encourage The Accurate Use The Dynamic Appraisal Of Situational Aggression In A U.S. State Psychiatric Facility, Tracy Ann Reid-Saunders

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project involved the development and implementation of a staff education program to enhance the use of the Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression (DASA) tool. The aim of the project was to address the inconsistent and inaccurate applications of the DASA tool by health staff, leading to missed opportunities for early intervention to address patient aggression and increased risk of violence to both staff and patients. The importance of addressing this issue within the context of nursing practice rests on the DASA tool’s importance as a means for nurses to assess patients with aggressive behavior, …

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - February 27, 2025, Lindsay Hughes

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the Thursday, February 27, 2025 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter -- Watercooler.

Contents include:

• Casselli joins Microbiology and Immunology faculty
• New members selected for Gold Humanism Honor Society 
• USA Health Obstetrics and Gynecology Conference planned for April 3-4 in Biloxi
• Whiddon COM alumna McDade Hancock joins pediatrics faculty