Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Contributions Community Health Centers In The Delta Have Made During The Pandemic And Their Future, Ajah Tiyanna Singleton

Honors Theses

Community health centers that are located in the Mississippi Delta serve as critical points of contact for residents pertaining to medical care. The framework for the services provided locally, and nationally, originate from the now Delta Health Center in Mound Bayou, MS. The care that providers within these institutions have transformed over the course of the pandemic, and the aid rendered to patients have enabled residents to maintain their current level of health. Analyzing the various services provided during this time will allow for stakeholders to determine the next steps for these institutions as the imminent transition into a COVID-19 …

The Efficacy Of The Covid-19 Vaccine In Mississippi, Ilyse Miriam Levy

Honors Theses

The Efficacy of The COVID-19 Vaccine in Mississippi

(Under the direction of Dr. Xin Dang)

By tracking and analyzing fifty-three weeks of COVID-19 data, this thesis analyzes the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine within the State of Mississippi. Over the course of these fifty-three weeks, I have also been able to calculate the confidence intervals for vaccination efficacy and the risk reduction due to vaccination by using data regarding the correlations between deaths and vaccination status, provided to me by the Mississippi Office of Epidemiology. My analysis demonstrates that the COVID-19 vaccine is effective not only in Mississippi but also …

Pcom Partners: Empowering Community Members To Reduce Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy, Jeisson Garcia, Gloria Joseph, Darwin Mendez, Sheeren Mohammed, Danielle Myara, Jessica Myara, Jaclyn Zibman, Megha Bhagavan, Allison Smith, Mallory Hidinger, Brian Matayoshi

Research Day

As of March 24th, 2022, more than 400 million individuals have contracted the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) worldwide with a death toll count of over six million victims. SARS-CoV-2 is an anti-discriminatory virus that affects humanity as a whole. As society navigates through this pandemic, science has found a way to improve the human body’s ability to fight against the virus by creating a vaccine against the virus. Currently there are vaccines with a high rate of effectiveness against the different variants of the virus. However, vaccine hesitancy is a major obstacle in the fight against the …

2022-05-03_Michiganoverview_Covidlongtermcare, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Long Term Care Data

The COVID Long Term Care Facilities page was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 data page: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats/data-about-places/long-term-care-data.

This report is created by the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services from data self-reported by long-term care facilities into EMResource. Data for all reporting facilities is posted weekly each Monday.

The information below represents COVID-19 data reported directly to MDHHS by licensed and operating Skilled Nursing, Home for the Aged and Adult Foster Care facilities (licensed to serve 13 or more individuals) in Michigan from January 1, 2020. All long-term care facilities additionally have an obligation to report COVID-positive residents and/or staff …

The Racial Divide: A Follow Up Study On Racial Disparity Amongst Covid-19 Survivors In An Urban Community, Christopher Millet, Emily Racoosin, Spandana Narvaneni, George Horani, Sherif Roman, Alisa Farokhian, Arslan Chaudhry, Sohail Chaudhry, Yezin Shamoon, Humberto Jimenez, Patrick Michael, Jin Suh

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Background Studies have shown that COVID-19 has had a disproportionate effect on minority groups in both the clinical and social settings in America. We conducted a follow up study on patients previously diagnosed with COVID-19 one year ago in an urban community in New Jersey. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 as well as assess for receptiveness towards COVID-19 vaccination amongst various ethnic groups.

Methods This was a prospective cohort study consisting of patients who had recovered from COVID-19 one year prior. The patients included in the study had a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis …

2022-05-02 Michiganoverview_Covidbedppe, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Hospital Data

Contains the tables Statewide Hospital Capacity Report for COVID-19, COVID-19 Metrics, Statewide Hospital Available PPE Tracking for COVID-19, as well as the tables PPE Days On Hand and Patient Census.

Discovery Of Ojt010 As A Novel Inhibitor Of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, Manvir Kaur

Dissertations (2016-Present)

The current pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the highly infectious pathogen, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), represents a global public health challenge. The emergence of deadly SARS-CoV-2 variants with mutations on the viral genes has made it more imperative to discover therapeutics that target the host receptors for COVID-19 treatment. Therefore, our research has targeted the critical host entry receptors: Angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) for SARS-CoV-2 entry into the human cells. SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped RNA beta coronavirus that infects human cells via interaction with the ACE2 receptor, followed by viral replication and virus dissemination. Spike protein …

Identifying The Impacts Of Burnout On Bullying During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Janmarko Lapitan

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background: Bullying and burnout has the potential to negatively impact nurses both at work and in their everyday lives and has been studied on various occasions. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout amongst nurses has been on the rise. Researchers have studied incidences where patients have bullied health care workers. However, no such study has been carried out to examine bullying between nurses during the pandemic.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to find whether burnout levels in nurses impacted bullying between nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: The research literature will discuss bullying and its effects on patients, …

Attitudes Toward The U. S. Medical Care System And Covid-19 Vaccines: What Do We Know About The College-Aged Population?, Jinting Guo '22

Honor Scholar Theses

To understand the attitude of the college-age population towards the U.S. medical care system, the researcher conducted an online survey study with 296 participants. By calculating Pearson’s r correlation coefficient, the researcher found the more positive one’s past experience with the U.S. medical care system, the more positive one’s general attitudes toward the U.S. medical care system. In addition, one’s trust level in COVID-19 vaccines was found to be correlated with one’s level of trust in the U.S. medical care system. What’s more, online information was identified by the majority of the participants as a factor influenced their attitudes toward …

The Impact Of Social Isolation During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Personal Account Of Social Isolation, Patricia Espinal Ramos

Communication & Media Studies | Senior Theses

I am no stranger to social isolation and its effects on my mental, emotional and physical health. A variety of factors such as limited research, misconceptions associated with its impact mainly in older adults, and its interchangeability with loneliness, previously impeded people’s knowledge and understanding of the subject. This research paper is a hybrid of personal experiences as well as quantitative and qualitative data that analyzed how the restrictions shed light on the effects and misconceptions of social isolation, especially in the disabled community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Females and males survey participants (N- 68) were asked to report their …

Virtual Visitation: Promoting Social Occupations In Dementia Care, Carly Spina, Lizann Jovanovich, Ashley Jones, Pamela Baraceros, Rena Ribeiro

Occupational Therapy | MSOT Capstone Projects

Approximately two thirds of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) residents in the United States have some form of cognitive impairment such as dementia (Gaugler, et.al, 2014). Care practices in SNFs highlighting safety and therapeutic exercises may further isolate and decrease social opportunities, which can contribute to sensory deprivation in this population and result in lower quality of life (Haigh & Mytton, 2015; Nakamae et al., 2014). COVID-19 visitation restrictions, as well as ongoing barriers of geographical distance, present additional challenges when seeking to engage PLwD residing in SNFs in meaningful social occupations.

Reminiscence has potential to remediate effects of isolation and …

Perceived Covid-19 Threat Across The Intersections Of Age, Race/Ethnicity, And Gender, Christina Varghese

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Studying how perceived threat of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) differs across intersections of age and race/ethnicity as well as age and gender will create a basis for identifying subgroups at greater risk of negative mental health outcomes. I analyzed nationally representative survey data collected in February 2021 from the Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel (N=9,069). To measure perceived threat, the respondents were asked whether COVID-19 is considered 0) no threat, minor threat, or 1) major threat for personal and population health. Race/ethnicity, gender, and age categories are used as independent variables. Results from logistic regression models indicate that …

2022-05-01_Michiganoverview_Covidsymptoms, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Syndromic Surveillance System Data

The Syndromic Surveillance System Data report was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 dashboard, from under the link "​Coronavirus Symptoms": https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats/coronavirus-symptoms. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays.

Syndromic Surveillance System data is obtained from approximately 216 facilities participating in syndromic surveillance (139 Emergency Departments (ED), 77 Urgent Cares) across the State of Michigan. The reporting is based on individuals who present at EDs and may not be representative of the overall population. The coronavirus-like symptoms query searches visit free-text (chief complaint, triage notes, …

Institute Of Public Health Newsletter- Volume3, Issue2, Institute Of Public Health (Iph)

Institute of Public Health Newsletter (IPHNL) and Other Publications

Volume 3, Issue 2 (May August 2022)

The Effect Of Covid-19 On Substance Use And Mental Health On A College Campus, Georgia Coffman

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

In this research the authors surveyed a university population to determine the impact COVID-19 has had on substance use and mental health. Current research provides significant data indicating worsening mental health and substance use. This paper looks at how applicable those trends are to a small, private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. The data included 261 respondents composed of students, faculty, and staff of the university. The results reveal college students, faculty, and staff experienced statistically significant increases in feelings of unhappiness, depression, loneliness, hopelessness, agitation, and irritability during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic. Data analysis of survey responses reveals COVID-19 …

Covid-19 And Incidence Of Necrotizing Fasciitis: A Case Study, Tehreem Sajjad, Carmen Johnson, Janet Baatile-Ajrouche

Posters

COVID-19 manifests as a flu-like respiratory infection affecting multiple organ systems. Symptoms range from mild viral illness to severe acute respiratory infection. There is no definitive relationship between COVID-19 and cellulitis, inflammatory myositis, vasculitis, or necrotizing fasciitis. It is interesting to note that angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (Receptor for SARS-CoV-2) is present on endothelial cells in multiple organs, including dermal blood vessels and arterial smooth muscle cells. There are several theories that have formed to explain the relationship between COVID-19 and a necrotizing fasciitis infection. This study presents one unique case of an unvaccinated COVID+ patient and the necrotizing fasciitis infection …

Covid Synergy: A Machine Learning Approach Uncovering Potential Treatment Combinations For Sars-Cov-2, Jason Eden Sanchez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

For more than two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the lives of billions of individualsworldwide leading to disruptions in healthcare, the economy and society at large. As the pandemic enters its third year, the human impact cannot be overstated and the need to develop effective pharmaceuticals remains. Though there currently exits FDA-approved medications for COVID-19, the emergence of novel variants, such as Omicron, highlights the importance of discovering new therapies which will continue to be effective regardless of the pandemicâ??s progression. Because discovering new medications is a costly and timeintensive endeavor, my approach entails drug repurposing to test medications …

Publication Trends In Telemedicine Research Originating From Canada, Jim S Xie, Keean Nanji, Mohammad Khan, Muhammad F Khalid, Sunir J Garg, Lehana Thabane, Sobha Sivaprasad, Varun Chaudhary

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Telemedicine modalities for patient care have seen significant global uptake during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to bibliometrically evaluate the evolution and current landscape of telemedicine literature in Canada. The Scopus database was searched to identify telemedicine publications for which the first or last author had a Canadian institutional affiliation. Study selection and data abstraction were conducted by two pairs of independent reviewers. Between 1976 and January 2021, 810 of 3,620 retrieved citations were telemedicine publications originating from Canada, including 29 randomized controlled trials and 6 systematic reviews. The annual publication output increased substantially from 1/year in 1976 to …

Vitamind D Concentrations And Covid-19 Outcomes, Bennett A. Leitch

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Now, with over five million deaths the pandemic continues to cloak the globe. As of November 2021, 49.1% of the world population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination according to ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations. In the United States, the CDC reported 57.6% of the population is fully vaccinated. With much of the population unvaccinated, potential protective factors are needed to help diminish infection. This literature review aimed to investigate a correlation between low serum vitamin D concentrations and outcomes of COVID-19 infections. A total of 27 research articles …

An Examination Of Historical Health Disparities Of The Black Population In America, And Their Effects On Contemporary Health Disparities In Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy, Sophia-Evelyne Blake Nehama

Public Health Undergraduate Program

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the significant health disparities that the African American population faces in comparison to White Americans. The Tuskegee Syphilis study is often cited to support the theory that medical mistrust is responsible for these disparities despite conflicting opinions that medical distrust is not the main reason for disparities. This study examines the effects that historical health disparities in Black populations have on contemporary vaccine hesitancy. An analysis of recent sources, including peer reviewed historical analysis and news articles with accredited sources was used to make up the entirety of the literary review. For data on contemporary …

Exploring The Efficacy Of Herbal & Medicinal Plants Native To China And Thailand As A Complementary & Alternative Treatment In Mitigating Mild-To-Moderate Covid-19 Symptoms, Jiramanee Apiwansri

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background

In December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) was informed of an outbreak of an unknown cause of pneumonia-like symptoms in residents concentrated in Wuhan, China; this marked the start of China’s epidemic, which transformed into a pandemic affecting all continents of the world. The cause of the pneumonia-like symptoms was found to be due to the growth and development of the virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which spreads through an infected person’s respiratory droplets through activities such as talking, coughing, and sneezing. With COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers available worldwide, even the economically and technologically forward countries …

An Evaluation Of Covid-19 Vaccination Rates Of The Patients At The Kentucky Racing Health Services Center., Aditya Mehta

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

COVID-19 vaccines have been widely available to the U.S. public since early 2021. However, vaccination rates still vary considerably across geographical areas and different populations. The objective of this study was to research overall vaccination rates against COVID-19 for Latinx patients at the Kentucky Racing Health Services Center (KRHSC). Vaccination and booster data was collected from June to December 2021 for all unique patients visiting the center. It was initially hypothesized that these rates of vaccination and booster doses for the KRHSC patients would be lower than the data reported by Kentucky and Jefferson County. After a retrospective review, the …

Understanding Public Emergency Preparedness Before And During The Coronavirus Outbreak: Implications For Effective Public Health And Risk Communication., Raphael Adjetey Fumey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a dramatic loss of human lives globally and presents an unprecedented challenge to public health, the world of work, and our food systems. The social and economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is devastating, putting several millions of people at risk of falling into extreme poverty, with over 500 million people being undernourished. It is evident from the data on COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations that the United States is the worse hit country, which can be attributed to the lack of preparedness at the individual, environmental, and government levels. This study applied …

The Ethics Of Masking During A Pandemic, Mason Bennett

Philosophy Undergraduate Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has been disastrous, approaching a million deaths in the United States alone, and has demonstrated the world’s lack of preparation for a severe airborne virus. Countermeasures to infection are important to implement in order to lessen loss of life, but also must be justified and shown to be ethical. A countermeasure which is especially viable is wearing masks because of their high efficacy in preventing disease transmission compared to their relatively low restriction of liberty; studies have shown that mask wearing effectively impairs the spread of airborne pathogens and creates little physical or social harm. I argue …

Reflections On North Texas Pediatric Internship, Megan Popple

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

This literature review is an examination of how vaccination rates have changed for pediatric routine immunizations since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and whether it has impacted specific groups of children. Articles were compiled through the PubMed/Medline database and organized in an evidence table. Decreased vaccination rates for children 0-18 years held true across all sources in a variety of different countries. The most common reason for delay was the fear of being infected with COVID-19. Intervention methods for hesitant parents include reminder systems, walk-in/free clinics, and promoting patient education. It is important to understand the effects COVID-19 has …

Perceived Sources Of Stress Related To Burnout Amongst Emergency Department Staff Due To The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review, Sydney Craig

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Emergency departments (ED) are usually considered high stress environments. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying challenges such as frequent exposure to the novel virus, lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), being over worked and underpaid, and the uncertainty surrounding the overall trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in an increased level of burnout for ED staff, especially nurses. This study involves a meta-analysis of current literature surrounding ED burnout including incidence rate and causes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because studies indicate upwards of three fourths of ED staff reporting increased stress and burnout, finding ways to …

Improving Nurse Leaders’ Knowledge And Confidence In Transformational Leadership Skills In The Online Environment, Tanya Haight

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Leadership is critical to the success of most organizations, and the achievement of an organization's goals is largely dependent on the leaders' ability to engage, motivate, and influence their teams—often referred to as Transformational Leadership. This is especially true for healthcare organizations wherein the morbidity and mortality of patients may be affected by the quality of leadership. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person meetings transitioned to the online format without nurse leaders' formal training. Leaders cited this lack of orientation as impeding their ability to sustain an online-virtual transformational leadership presence with their teams. They reported varying degrees …

Six Feet Apart: Relational Turbulence Theory And Coping With Covid-19 Within Long-Distance Relationships, Mia Waymack

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Among research that currently exists, no studies thus far combine elements of COVID-19, long-distance relationships, and Relational Turbulence Theory to explain how each of these elements impacts the others, if at all. Previous research does exist on each of these elements individually, although research regarding the long-term effects of COVID-19 on relationships is minimal considering the pandemic is ongoing. Long-distance relationships have been studied using Relational Turbulence Theory in previous studies within military relationships but have not been studied in connection with either COVID-19 or among college students. This study was conducted by way of qualitative, one-on-one interviews to determine …

Medical Laboratory Science Students At The University Of Southern Mississippi Response To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kaitlyn Mcginnis

Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed educators’ and students’ perspectives on virtual teaching of the laboratory sciences. This study aims to determine the perceived effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) students at the University of Southern Mississippi. This study will evaluate how the changes to the instruction of the MLS curriculum and overall student mental health affected their grades and retention of academic content during and post-pandemic. The goal is to determine students’ perception of the effectiveness of virtual learning during the COVID-19 quarantine period, and whether it is a sustainable learning resource. Five students enrolled in …

Peripheral Neuropathy Evaluations Of Patients With Prolonged Long Covid., Anne Louise Oaklander, Alexander J Mills, Mary Kelley, Lisa S Toran, Bryan Smith, Marinos Dalakas, Avindra Nath

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Background and objectives: Recovery from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection appears exponential, leaving a tail of patients reporting various long COVID symptoms including unexplained fatigue/exertional intolerance and dysautonomic and sensory concerns. Indirect evidence links long COVID to incident polyneuropathy affecting the small-fiber (sensory/autonomic) axons.

Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional and longitudinal data from patients with World Health Organization (WHO)-defined long COVID without prior neuropathy history or risks who were referred for peripheral neuropathy evaluations. We captured standardized symptoms, examinations, objective neurodiagnostic test results, and outcomes, tracking participants for 1.4 years on average.

Results: Among 17 patients (mean age …