Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Coping Behaviors Of African Americans With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Focused Ethnography, Patricia Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Increasing numbers of African Americans are being diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the United States (Dahlhamer, Zammitti, Ward, Wheaton, & Croft, 2016). Little is known about the influence of culture on coping with the disease. Method: Twelve African American adults with IBD were interviewed and observed using a focused ethnography. Results: Data analysis resulted in four major themes: (1) spending time living in the bathroom; (2) time and food restricted eating practices and cultural food avoidance; (3) dealing with a life full of stress; and (4) the practice of seclusion to promote health. Discussion: Participants described coping …

Caring For Victims Of Child Maltreatment: Pediatric Nurses’ Moral Distress And Burnout, Angela Karakachian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Moral distress is a significant concern for nurses as it can lead to burnout and intentions to leaving the profession. Pediatric nurses encounter stressful and ethically challenging situations when they care for victims of suspected child maltreatment. Data on pediatric nurses’ moral distress in this situation are lacking, as most research in this field has been done in adult inpatient and intensive care units.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to describe pediatric nurses’ moral distress and determine the impact of caring for victims of suspected child maltreatment on nurses’ moral distress, burnout, and intention to leave.

Design …

Projected Deaths Of Despair From Covid-19, Stephen Petterson, John M. Westfall, Benjamin F. Miller

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

More Americans could lose their lives to deaths of despair, deaths due to drug, alcohol, and suicide, if we do not do something immediately. Deaths of despair have been on the rise for the last decade, and in the context of COVID-19, deaths of despair should be seen as the epidemic within the pandemic. The goal of this report is to predict what deaths of despair we might see based on three assumptions during COVID-19: economic recovery, relationship between deaths of despair and unemployment, and geography. Across nine different scenarios, additional deaths of despair range from 27,644 (quick recovery, smallest …

Scald Injury-Induced T Cell Dysfunction Can Be Mitigated By Gr1+ Cell Depletion And Blockage Of Cd47/Cd172a Signaling, Nadine Beckmann, Franziska Huber, Marc Hanschen, Barbara St. Pierre Schneider, Vanessa Nomelli, Charles C. Caldwell

Nursing Faculty Research

Infection is a common and severe complication of burn injury: Sepsis accounts for 47% of postburn mortality. Burn-induced T cell suppression likely contributes to the increased infection susceptibility in burn patients. However, little is known about the kinetics of T cell dysfunction after burn and its underlying mechanisms. In this study, we show in a murine scald injury model that T cell activation of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells as well as T cell cytokine production is suppressed acutely and persistently for at least 11 days after burn injury. Purified T cells from scald-injured mice exhibit normal T cell …

Endobronchial Tuberculosis: A Rare Presentation, Nadeem Kassam, Omar M. Aziz, Samina Somji, Grace Shayo

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) is an infection of the tracheobronchial tree by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is common among young females. Patient can present with fever, cough, wheeze, with or without any constitutional symptoms. It presents as a diagnostic dilemma, as patient sputum smear can be false negative. CT scan may or may not show any abnormality, or any endobronchial lesion. Bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage and biopsy offers the diagnostic choice. We hereby report a case of a young immunocompetent Asian female who was found to have endobronchial pathology, leading to diagnosis and timely therapy.

Risk Factors Associated With Pressure Injury In Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease Patients, Ashlee Shields

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric congenital heart disease (CHD) patients have unique risk factors associated with the pathophysiology of abnormal heart function. This vulnerable population is likely at an increased risk of acquiring a pressure injury during hospitalization. There are limited studies that include congenital heart disease patients and more specifically, factors unique to these patients. The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors associated with development of pressure injury in pediatric CHD patients. This retrospective study used a convenience sample from hospital-acquired data including subjects with congenital heart disease. The results demonstrated an association between pressure injury development and variables both …

Gene Delivery To The Blood-Brain Barrier For Ischemic Stroke Therapy, Wanzhu Zhao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stroke is a major cause of death in the United States. We aim to develop safe and efficient approaches for the treatment of stroke. Regenerative therapies have been identified as the major need for curing stroke [1]. We explored two different carriers (poly (ethylene glycol)_5k-poly (L-aspartate-diethylenetriamine)₄₈ (PEG-DET) / Pluronic P84 (P84) and exosomes (EXOs) / microvesicles (MVs)) to deliver brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plasmid DNA (pDNA), a functional gene encoding a neurotrophin. In the first project, our data showed that DNA nanoparticles (NPs) with 0.03% P84 was a promising formulation to deliver Luciferase pDNA into immortalized human …

Pilot Study Exploring The Effect Of Targeted Cox-2 Inhibition In Macrophages Responding To Neuronal Injury; Promoting Enhanced Axonal Regeneration, Alyssa Brauckmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Celecoxib nanoemulsion (CXB-NE) has been developed as a macrophage targeted analgesics by Dr. Janjic and her team at Duquesne University, (Janjic et al, 2018; Liu et al, 2020; Saleem et al, 2019b; Vasudeva et al, 2014). The CXB-NE nanoemulsion carrying a Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory (NSAID) inhibitor of COX-2 activity result in a reduction in PGE2 expression in macrophages. Using CXB-NE in rats that have peripheral nerve injury constricting the sciatic nerve relieves hypersensitivity, a pain-like behavior. The treatment also decreases inflammation associated with this chronic constriction injury (Janjic et al, 2018; Saleem et al, 2019b; Stevens et al, 2019). In this …

Demonstrable Effect Of Vocal Changes On Singing Voices Of Post-Menopausal Women, Haley K. Griffith

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

There is little research concerning the impacts of menopause on the female singing voice, and few research studies examine any treatment methods or exercises to help sustain vocal quality throughout and after menopause. To determine areas in which more detailed studies could be completed, I completed a thorough literature review of current research studies that investigate relationships between menopause and the voice. Many studies examined vocal symptoms of menopause, such as a lowered fundamental frequency (F0) and decreased vocal quality. However, there exists no formally researched or published vocal exercises that help to mitigate these menopausal voice symptoms.

In response, …

The Short Variant Of Optic Atrophy 1 (Opa1) Improves Cell Survival Under Oxidative Stress., Hakjoo Lee, Sylvia B Smith, Shey-Shing Sheu, Yisang Yoon

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

Optic atrophy 1 (OPA1) is a dynamin protein that mediates mitochondrial fusion at the inner membrane. OPA1 is also necessary for maintaining the cristae and thus essential for supporting cellular energetics. OPA1 exists as membrane-anchored long form (L-OPA1) and short form (S-OPA1) that lacks the transmembrane region and is generated by cleavage of L-OPA1. Mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular stresses activate the inner membrane-associated zinc metallopeptidase OMA1 that cleaves L-OPA1, causing S-OPA1 accumulation. The prevailing notion has been that L-OPA1 is the functional form, whereas S-OPA1 is an inactive cleavage product in mammals, and that stress-induced OPA1 cleavage causes mitochondrial fragmentation …

The Effects Of Acute Exercise And Psychological Stress On Episodic Memory, Lauren Koehler

Honors Theses

Research has suggested that exercise has an effect on memory function. Studies have also shown that exercise mitigates the effects of stress. The relationship between exercise and stress in regard to memory function is noteworthy. There has been little research on this relationship in young adults. This thesis discusses the effects of acute exercise on the episodic memory of young adults when they are exposed to a psychosocial stressor. The results of the research study show that acute aerobic exercise before memory encoding or consolidation was not associated with memory function after exposure to a stressor. Future research in this …

Audibility, Cost-Acceptibility And Cosmetic Appearance Of Iqbuds Boost In Adults Over The Age Of 50, Madison Dacus, Vishakha Rawool

Honors Theses

Background: Hearing loss affects 48 million Americans and up to 86% of all adults with hearing loss may not wear hearing aids. Untreated hearing loss is associated with social withdrawal, depression, stress, loss of income, and dementia. Even so, people still tend not to buy or wear hearing aids for a variety of reasons. One recently suggested solution to this problem is low-cost, over the counter (OTC) hearing aids, nicknamed “hearables” This study evaluated the audibility, cost-acceptability and cosmetic appearance of one OTC, IQBuds BOOST.

Methods: Fourteen men and 12 women over 50 years with a hearing loss participated in …

Feminism And Low Breastfeeding Rates In France, Megan Wadsworth

Honors Theses

Breastfeeding rates in France are among the lowest in high-income countries, indicating that French mothers do not breastfeed for nearly as long as is recommended by healthcare professionals and international health organizations. French government, society and conflicting feminist perspectives all influence the likelihood that mothers will breastfeed. The French government has regulations in place to protect women’s right to breastfeed in public and in the workplace, but it is unclear if these are truly beneficial for French women. French society is a seemingly inhospitable environment in which mothers do not feel safe and secure to breastfeed publicly. Motherhood and feminism …

Synthesis Of Pharmaceutical And Personal Care Products And Pesticide Metabolites Of Environmental Concern, Isaiah Edwards

Honors Theses

Human pollution of aquatic environments by introduction of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) as well as agrichemicals presents a grave threat to the health of aquatic organisms. Many of these chemicals not only exhibit toxicity to the species of complex ecosystems at various levels but also undergo metabolic transformation into moieties that have different and sometimes more potent physiochemical profiles. PPCP and pesticides as well as their metabolites impact organisms via a number of different mechanisms, with the most serious arguably being endocrine disruption. Two emerging pollutants, gemfibrozil and bifenthrin, possess naturally occurring metabolites that were determined to warrant …

2020-05-08 A Message From Chancellor Roth, Paul B. Roth

HSC Messages from the Chancellor

No abstract provided.

Quality In All Levels: A Model Defining And Measuring Quality In Bioethics Education, Ercan Avci

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the lack of academic studies in the quality assessment of bioethics education, this dissertation aimed to propose a normative model, Quality in All Levels (QAL), to define and measure quality in bioethics education. The QAL model described quality in bioethics education as conformance to the goals and determined these goals as (1) increasing ethical knowledge, (2) improving ethical skills to strengthen ethical sensitivity, awareness, and judgment, (3) developing ethicalbehavior, and (4) promoting cultural competence. The dissertation utilized Avedis Donabedian’s three approaches: structure, process, and outcome to formulate quality standards and indicators in bioethics education. In respect of …

Assessing The Need For Mental Health Interventions Within The Law Enforcement Community, Lizzi Varga Reinard

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

This research explored mental health interventions within the police. There is a need for mental health in law enforcement (O’Hara, 2018; Blue Help, 2019; Waters & Ussery, 2007; Mohandie & Hatchert, 1999; Miller, 1999; Violanti, 2010). Having been a law enforcement officer myself, I have experienced the stigma and the need of mental health care. I used a cross-sectional survey design to obtain further information on police officers in a Midwest county in the United States to assess the need for mental health interventions. I created response artwork prior to obtaining the survey results (to help assess and sort through …

Examining Black Art Therapy Graduate Students' Experiences With Racial Battle Fatigue, Marilyn Holmes

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

ABSTRACT Examining Black Art Therapy Graduate Student’s Experiences with Racial Battle Fatigue by Marilyn Holmes Chairperson: Jayashree George, DA, ATR-BC, LMFT, SEP Racial Battle Fatigue (RBF) is a term used to describe the psychological and physiological symptoms Black students experience after repeated exposure to microaggressions in higher academic settings (Smith, Yosso, & Solorzano, 2006). In this study, I sought to explore the specific experiences with RBF of current and former Black art therapy in their graduate programs and supervision. Supervision is an essential and necessary aspect of art therapy education that involves power dynamics that can be complicated by race. …

Development Of A Propofol Administration Protocol For Soy Or Egg-Allergic Patients, Kayla Tisza

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The use of propofol for anesthesia and the prevalence of food allergies are both increasing. Propofol’s preparation contains soybean oil and egg lecithin, raising concerns about cross-sensitivity. No widely accepted practice protocol regarding the administration of propofol in soy or egg-allergic patients exists, and the evidence of anaphylactic reactions in this population is inconclusive. This project involved the creation of a protocol that details the use of propofol for soy or egg-allergic patients at a regional medical center in central Illinois.

Collaboration with clinical stakeholders and an extensive review of the literature guided the development of an algorithm based protocol …

Improving Perioperative Anxiety And Pain: Development Of A Music Therapy Protocol, Rhyz Wilson

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Perioperative anxiety is strongly correlated with a higher incidence of post-surgery pain, an increase in the need for analgesics and anesthetics, and delayed recovery and discharge from the hospital (Jimenez-Jimenez et al., 2013; Kuhlmann et al., 2018). Finding multimodal approaches to ease anxiety and discomfort from unfamiliar hospital surroundings is necessary to reduce perioperative anxiety and subsequent physiological complications (Ni et al., 2011). A review of current evidence-based literature revealed that music therapy significantly decreases both perioperative anxiety and pain levels in adult patients undergoing surgery. For this quality improvement project, a music therapy protocol was developed in collaboration …

Developing And Implementing Guidelines For Amniotic Fluid Embolism, Clayton Shick

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Knowing that amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) is such a rare but harmful condition, a hospital in Metro-East St. Louis requested the creation of a checklist to ensure that all anesthesia providers quickly recognize and initiate appropriate management for AFE. The quality improvement project involved identifying the best evidence and collaborating with facility stakeholders to implement the use of an updated, evidence-based checklist to guide providers in the management of AFE. Via an open discussion PowerPoint presentation, CRNAs and anesthesiologists at the facility were provided education about AFE and the importance of using a checklist to facilitate management of AFE. The …

Laryngotracheal Stenosis, Kelsey Stuckey

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS) is the luminal compromise at the laryngeal, subglottic, or tracheal level (Gelbard et al., 2014). Various etiologies for LTS exist. Endotracheal cuff over-inflation, inappropriately sized endotracheal tubes, and sudden movements of the tube contribute to injury, as well as anatomical differences(Cardillo et al., 2010; Divatia & Bhowmick, 2005; Medina et al., 2009; Miñambres et al., 2009; Nikolovski et al., 2019; Zaghi et al.,2016). The influence of estrogen may contribute to the development of LTS in women during the third through fifth decades Dedo & Catten, 2001; Poetker et al., 2006; Valdez & Shapshay, 2002). The project goal …

Tranexamic Acid Use, Jennifer Aumann

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Bleeding is a risk associated with every surgery. The pediatric population represents unique challenges during surgery due to differences in anatomy and physiology when compared to the adult population. Historically, blood transfusions were the treatment for excessive surgical blood loss. Transfusion of blood products have associated risks: infection, volume overload, and immunological reactions (Fraser, Porte, Kouides, & Lukes, 2008; Porte & Leebeek, 2002; Yuan, Zhao, & Xu, 2016). Interventions to decrease blood loss are essential to improve surgical outcomes. Tranexamic acid (TXA) use decreases the number of required blood transfusions thereby decreasing transfusion-related morbidity (Lei, Xie, Xu, Xie, Huang, & …

A Difficult Vascular Access Algorithm Using Intraosseous Devices In The Elective Pediatric Surgical Population, Cory R. Austin

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

In pediatric patients undergoing elective surgery, anesthesia is commonly induced via mask inhalation followed by peripheral IV placement before proceeding to airway management. However, IV access is often unpredictable and difficult to obtain in pediatric patients, with attempt success between 35% to 74%. During IV attempts, many dangerous clinical situations can occur amid limited options to deliver necessary medications. Failure to attain IV access may ultimately require extremes such as CVC placement or procedure cancellation. In this project, a difficult vascular access algorithm including intraosseous devices as an alternative was developed based on current evidence, existing algorithms, and implementation site …

Improving Outcomes For Patients With Osa Receiving Anesthesia, Natalie Bram

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a dangerous sleep disorder that is rising in prevalence, afflicting 29.4 million Americans or 12% of the U.S. population (AASM, 2017). Although OSA has the ability to negatively impact postoperative outcomes, numerous patients remain undiagnosed, unidentified, and improperly treated for OSA at the time of surgery (Baugh, 2013; Opperer et al., 2016). Evidence supports the STOP-BANG questionnaire as an effective, easy to use, and highly sensitive tool for screening patients for OSA (Chiu et al., 2016; Dolezal et al., 2011; Lakdawala, Dickey, & Alrawashdeh, 2018).

A 137-bed hospital had no standing preoperative protocol for the …

Pain Control Options For The Parturient: Pamphlet Development For Patient Education, Alyssa R. Jimerson

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Epidural analgesia has traditionally been requested by the parturient population as the primary choice of pain control during labor, despite the availability of other viable options (Pitter & Preston, 2001). Viable pain control options available during labor include, neuraxial anesthesia, peripheral nerve blocks, pharmacological, and non-pharmacological measures. Lack of education regarding the availability of various pain control options for parturient women is identified as a cause of missed pain relief opportunities (Vargens, Silva, & Progianti, 2013). The purpose of this project was to develop a pamphlet prototype for an obstetrics department at a tertiary care center in central Illinois, explaining …

Preoperative Assessment Of Patients In An Enhanced Recovery Program, Edward Mitzelfelt

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

All patients undergoing surgery are at risk for perioperative morbidity and mortality (Gabriel et al, 2018) and a patient’s physical status plays a key role in patient outcomes (Hopkins et al, 2016). Enhanced recovery programs are intended to improve perioperative outcomes, facilitate postoperative recovery, and reduce loss of functional capacity (Feldheiser et al, 2016). Preoperative assessment allows for identification of risk factors which can be modified, with the aim of decreasing perioperative complications. A small community hospital had no standardized preoperative evaluation tool to use for their enhanced recovery patients. The purpose of this project was to create and implement …

Preventing Substance Use Disorder In Anesthesia Providers, Tyson Rogers

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Developing substance use disorder is considered one of the most serious occupational risk factors for anesthesia providers. The purpose of this project was to identify the prevalence and risk factors of substance use disorder within the anesthesia community and to signify the importance of early education and awareness to help prevent the development of substance use disorder through early education, identification, and awareness. The project consisted of an educational PowerPoint that was placed on Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s (SIUE) wellness website within Black Board. The third-year nurse anesthesia students at SIUE were sent an email on how to access the …

Fascia Iliaca Blocks For The Treatment Of Hip Fractures In The Emergency Department, Megan Hahn

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Due to the aging population, the number of falls are increasing, leading to an increased number of individuals with hip fractures presenting in emergency departments (ED). Opioids are often administered for intraoperative pain related to hip fractures, which may result in a number of adverse effects, especially in the elderly. There is strong evidence suggesting that the use of fascia iliaca blocks (FIBs) in the ED can minimize opioid use, and improve patient outcomes and recovery. FIB is a compartment block that delivers local anesthetic around the lumbar plexus to provide analgesia associated with hip fractures.

The purpose of this …

Investigation And Evaluation Of Srna Barriers To Iana Engagement, Brittany Smith

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The Illinois Association of Nurse Anesthetists (IANA) and American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) are professional organizations representing Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). While AANA membership has risen from 27,000 in 1994 to 45,000 in 2014, there was a 5% decline in CRNAs who are members of the AANA (Farina, Wilson, & FitzSimmons, 2016). Farina et al. (2016) reported that of 5,032 CRNAs who were not AANA members, 2,549 had been CRNAs for less than 10 years. This project involved the development and use of a 21-question survey to identify barriers to involvement in the IANA for student registered nurse …