Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Perceived Effectiveness Of Stem Cell Injections In Adults With Joint Injuries, Delaney Marie Merrill

Senior Theses

Introduction: Osteoarthritis plagues around 27 million Americans. Stem cell injections are a new method of treatment that could potentially cure this by regenerating cartilage in joints. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the perceived effectiveness of stem cells at regenerating cartilage in joints, specifically the knees, hips, and shoulders. Methods: Participants were recruited via social media, forums, and from healthcare clinics that offer stem cell treatments. They were asked to complete a survey focusing primarily on the treatment protocol and how the injured joint felt post-stem cell injection. Frequencies were calculated to describe problematic joints, treatment history, …

Influenza Vaccination Coverage In Pediatric Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Kelly Brown

Senior Theses

Background: Children with chronic health conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are at especially high risk for influenza infection and complications. The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and American College of Gastroenterology recommend that IBD patients should receive annual influenza vaccination. The aims of this study were to evaluate influenza vaccination coverage over time and identify predictors of flu vaccination in pediatric IBD and non-IBD patients.

Methods: We utilized longitudinal data (2000 to 2016) from South Carolina Medicaid to conduct a matched cohort study. The primary exposure of interest was IBD diagnosis based upon ICD-9/10 diagnosis codes. Children with IBD were …

The Usefulness Of The Left Atrial Dilation Rate In Determining Severity Of Heart Failure, Laura B. Snyder

Senior Theses

Hypertension and vascular stiffness are two physiological conditions that strain the left ventricle (LV) and cause it to gain muscle mass. Eventually, the LV is unable to fill correctly and the patient develops Heart Failure with a preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF). Clinically, a patient’s left atrium (LA) area is measured as a diagnostic parameter of HFpEF severity. However, this doesn’t offer a prognosis or threshold of LA size necessitating hospitalization because of variation in patient demographics, genetics, and lifestyle which affect rates of HFpEF progression.

Since there are no medications or effective treatment options for HFpEF patients, there is a …

Examining Prevalence Of Eating Disorder Risk And Body Image Dissatisfaction In Female Adolescent Cheerleaders, Kelsi K. Mariner

Senior Theses

Content: Cheerleading has evolved into a highly competitive and physically demanding sport where athletes must balance academics, intense training, and pressure to maintain expected aesthetic qualities of the sport. These requirements can cause distress which may lead athletes to suffer from eating disorder (ED) risk and body image dissatisfaction (BID). Objective: To examine the prevalence of risk for ED and determine the presence of body image dissatisfaction within adolescent cheerleaders. Design: This study was conducted as a part of a larger concurrent study with Dr. Torres-McGehee and Allison Smith. It is a cross sectional study. Setting: Online survey. Participants: Female …

First Aid And Emergency Preparedness: Improving Health Outcomes Among Aging Adults, Anna J. Kulangara

Senior Theses

As the United States population demographic shifts and the baby boomer population enters seniority, the health sector must adjust and prepare to provide efficient and adequate healthcare to the people. The Silver Tsunami, a metaphor for the expected wave of aging adults, will inevitably strain healthcare professionals and can be partly relieved by promoting risk-minimizing behavior in baby boomers before severe conditions develop. Through this effort, a health education course, titled First Aid and Emergency Preparedness, was developed and taught twice at a local senior center to target senior citizens and promote proactivity and healthy behaviors. Course development founded largely …

Health Insurance Coverage And Factors That Affect Access To Healthcare, Bryce A. Jerin

Senior Theses

The modern landscape of the U.S. healthcare economy is a culmination of many decades of debate and growth. The system of health insurance coverage in the United States allows millions of Americans to participate in the delivery and access to care, while keeping millions out. Health insurance coverage, the availability of pharmaceuticals, and hospital billing practices are factors that affect the level of access to care. Healthcare has developed into a complex system with various stakeholders who act on their own incentives. Encouraging rational pricing for health care services is an important step toward ensuring access to care for everyone …

Treatment Of Chronic Pain In U.S. Veterans: The Effectiveness Of Interdisciplinary Programs, Morgan L. Compton

Senior Theses

Chronic pain is a prevalent issue amongst US veterans. Experts suggest that interdisciplinary pain treatment is the most effective method of treating chronic pain, specifically due to targeting functioning and quality of life. These programs combine cognitive behavioral therapy and physical therapy by utilizing a variety of exercise and education regimens. The pain department at Columbia VA Health Care System offers both a comprehensive interdisciplinary treatment, Outpatient Interdisciplinary Pain Program (OIPP), and a flexible, multidisciplinary option (OIPP-Lite) for veterans suffering from chronic pain. The goal of this program is to improve knowledge for coping with chronic pain and to create …

The Impact Of Perceptions About Influenza And The Yearly Influenza Vaccine On Vaccine Behaviors Among Undergraduate Students At The University Of South Carolina, Julia G. Fuller

Senior Theses

Background: Undergraduate students are at an increased risk for developing respiratory infections as a result of the proximity in which they live, study, and eat. Despite being a target population for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s yearly flu vaccine, several studies of undergraduate populations have found vaccine uptake to be much lower than other at-risk populations. This study aims to understand how perceptions about influenza and the influenza vaccine affect University of South Carolina undergraduate students’ vaccine behavior. Methods: A cross-sectional study was completed using survey data from 165 undergraduate students at the University of South Carolina. The …

The Write Stuff - Spring 2020 (Vol. 17, No. 2), Research Medical Library

Write Stuff 2020

• How to discuss your study's limitations effectively
• Reference letters vs. letters of support for NIH grant applications: What's the difference?
• NCI Bottom Line blog offers insight into grant funding and budgets
• Dissertations, Text Recycling, and Self-Plagiarism
• NIH Increases the use of Notices of Special Interest
• Tips for using Track Changes in Microsoft Word

Literature Review Of Retained Surgical Instruments Left In The Body, Michelle L. Mccalmont

Honors Capstone Enhancement Presentations

No abstract provided.

How Data Is Changing The World Of Healthcare, Cameron Marous

Honors Capstone Enhancement Presentations

No abstract provided.

Augmenting The Access And Involvement Of Student Pharmacists In Research Opportunities Through Engaging Programming At An Academic Institution, Samantha Gruber

Honors Capstone Enhancement Presentations

A research study completed by Kritikos et al. investigated student pharmacists and their characteristics in order to find a relationship with their views of research and attitudes towards pharmacy practice research. The study also recognized perceived barriers to pursuing or completing pharmacy practice research and identified ways that pharmacy educators could promote research interest in pharmacy practice. The research study concluded that student pharmacists perceive a lack of awareness of the needs, benefits, and career opportunities associated with pharmacy practice research. In addition, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) mentions in section 6.3 of the 2016 Standards that PharmD …

A Public Health Perspective On Gen X Contamination In Drinking Water, Allison Stevens

Honors Capstone Enhancement Presentations

No abstract provided.

Epi-Pens: Honors Capstone Enhancement, Chelsey Boecker

Honors Capstone Enhancement Presentations

No abstract provided.

A Literature Review Examining The Effects Of Bilingualism In Individuals Who Stutter, Cheyenne Hofmann

Honors College Theses

This thesis will analyze the current research involving the impact of bilingualism in individuals who stutter through a literature review. There is currently no known etiology of stuttering, however, there are multiple theories regarding the onset of stutter. This thesis will explore the Cerebral Dominance theory of stuttering and its applicability to neuroimaging and bilingualism. Furthermore, this thesis will determine the presence and extent of the impact of bilingualism on people who stutter. The cultural, gender, language and neurological influences on stuttering for those who are bilingual will also be examined. Through this analysis, the positive and negative impact of …

A Review Of The Integration Of Media Usage And Online Therapy Methods As An Alternative To Standard Therapy Settings, Bowman Mccullough

Student Works

The following literature review measures the efficacy of media usage from the standpoint of mental health specialists wanting to administer therapy to married couples or individuals living remotely. Given the current pandemic of coronavirus in the current moment of societal development (April 2020), the need for remote services to be evaluated based from past research on the topic has never been greater, or more opportune than now. Are online or teletherapies as effective as traditional face-to-face settings in America today? With rising demand for mental health professionals in our technology-saturated society, the need to perform new evaluations on the topic …

Covid-19 Vaccination Clinical Trials Should Consider Multiple Doses Of Bcg, Bassam M. Ayoub

Pharmacy

Vaccine repositioning is a hot research topic as an alternative to the traditional vaccine approach, which is a costly and time-consuming process due to the availability of previous safety and toxicology data. Multiple-dose BCG vaccine repurposing for COVID-19 will be an uprising breakthrough of vaccine discovery with safer outcomes. BCG induces cross-protection that might not be related to the target disease as innate immune cells, including monocytes and natural killer cells, contribute to this immune protection as known as “trained immunity” (Covián et al. 2019). BCG had multifaceted protection against TB, leprosy, and heterogeneous pathogens (Yamazaki-Nakashimada et al. 2020). Moreover, …

Movement In High School: Proportion Of Chinese Adolescents Meeting 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, Li Ying, Xihe Zhu, Justin A. Haegele, Yang Wen

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

The purposes of this study were (a) to examine the proportions of adolescents in China who partially or fully meet three 24-h movement guidelines on physical activity, screen-time, and sleep duration and (b) to examine whether there were gender differences in the proportion of boys and girls meeting these guidelines. The sample was made up of high school adolescents from an eastern province of China (N = 1338). The participants completed a self-reported survey on demographic variables and weekly health behaviors including physical activity, screen-time, and sleep duration. A frequency analysis was conducted to summarize the number of 24-h …

A Diagnostic Assessment Of The Health System’S Response To Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Management And Prevention In Kenya, Samuel Kimani, Chantalle Okondo

Reproductive Health

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a cultural practice associated with health consequences and rights violations. In Kenya, health sector–led FGM/C-related interventions are anchored in the legal and policy instruments and guidelines adapted from global/regional frameworks, as well as interventional tools approved by the World Health Organization. Despite the existence of the instruments, guidelines, and tools that should direct a robust health system response to FGM/C, the practice persists and quality of care of services for women and girls with FGM/C-related complications has not been ascertained. Evidence on whether the health sector implements relevant FGM/C-related legal and policy frameworks to address …

Evidence Review And Analysis Of Provider Behavior Change Opportunities, Emily Zimmerman, Vivien Caetano, Rachel Banay, Jana Smith

Reproductive Health

This paper reviews the evidence on the promise of behavioral economics to improve health outcomes through service provider interventions in five critical health areas. This analysis utilizes the limited existing evidence to suggest where and how behavioral economics interventions may be most effective and where further research may contribute most.

Strengthening Social And Behavior Change Monitoring And Evaluation For Family Planning In Francophone West Africa, Leanne Dougherty, Martha Silva, Kathryn Spielman

Reproductive Health

This report summarizes findings from a mapping of family planning investments, technical approaches and indicators, identifies indicator gaps, and makes recommendations to governments, donors, researchers and implementers to improve social and behavior change activity measurement in Francophone West Africa.

Learning Lean To Lead, Krystle Irene Guenther

Doctoral Projects

This project sought to see if training frontline nurses and physicians together in Lean methodology improved collaboration between the two disciplines while giving them the tools they need to lead change at the bedside and in their practice. A quasi-experimental pre- and post-intervention methodology was used. The intervention was six, four-hour in-person modules on performance improvement (PI). Respondents completed two surveys, the performance improvement instrument and the Professional Practice Environment Assessment Scale (PPEAS). Surveys were paired for analysis. There was a statistically significant median increase in participants confidence for all questions on the PI instrument post-intervention. Results for the PPEAS …

The Mental Health Experience Among Parents Of Children With Autism, Thao Tran

Doctoral Projects

Parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face challenges, stress, and mental health issues than parents of children without autism. Mental health experience of parents in underserved communities are not adequately studied. This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to understand the mental health experience of eight parent caregivers residing in San Joaquin Valley, California. All parents reported the journey was stressful but not all parents described the point when they received the diagnosis as being more stressful than before and after the ASD diagnosis. Parents’ responses to the semi-structured interview that assesses for the degree of ambiguous …

Evaluating The Experience Of Patient And Provider Satisfaction In Participation In A Hybrid Virtual Perinatal Care Model In A Private Practice Setting, Gretchen Ann Delong Nelson

Doctoral Projects

Improving access to health care in general and to appropriate prenatal care specifically are two leading health indicators (LHI) as designated by Healthy People 2020 (U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) also prioritizes minimizing health disparities that prevent women from entering into prenatal health care (CDPH, 2019). In Fresno county, transportation to specialty care such as perinatal care has been identified as a barrier (CDPH, 2017). The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and The American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) have identified a standard of fourteen to sixteen visits for …

Rural Drug Addiction Research Center, Paige Debrie

UCARE: Research Products

Our objective over the course of the summer and the school year was to help develop a new branch of the REACH Lab called Rural Drug Addiction Research center. This branch consisted mainly with the usage of drugs across the midwest. It wasn't until 2018 that the drug crisis hit the midwest increasing by 48% bringing attention to rural drug use. We were here to help translate those findings into something the more general public would understand as well as help with spreading awareness to the community.

Effects Of Prolactin On Ventricular Myocyte Shortening And Calcium Transport In The Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rat, Frank C. Howarth, Gunnar Norstedt, Oleksiy I. Boldyriev, Muhammad A. Qureshi, Ozaz Mohamed, Khatija Parekh, Balaji Venkataraman, Sandeep Subramanya, Anatoliy Shmygol, Lina T. Al Kury

All Works

© 2020 Cardiology; Cell biology; Endocrinology; Molecular Biology; Pathophysiology; Pharmacology; Physiology; prolactin; Diabetes mellitus; heart; Ventricular myocytes; Contraction; Calcium

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation As A Bridge To Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy For Severe Refractory Sepsis In The Setting Of Relapsed Refractory Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Case Report., Alyssa Stoner, Jenna Miller, Terrie Flatt, Jessica S. Wallisch

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Pediatric oncology patients with sepsis are at higher risk of morbidity and mortality compared with pediatric patients without malignancy. Historically, patients with relapsed and/or refractory disease were not considered candidates for aggressive life support strategies including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support.

Case Summary: We report a 4-year-old female with relapsed refractory pre-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia preparing for chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy with tisagenlecleucel who was admitted with fever and neutropenia. She progressed to refractory septic shock secondary to

Conclusion: The ability to provide chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy at designated institutions can augment extracorporeal membrane oxygenation candidacy discussions …

Dean's Update, Spring 2020, Jerry L. Nadler

SOM Dean's Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Dean's Research Newsletter, Spring 2020, Jerry L. Nadler

SOM Dean's Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

A Drug Diversion Resource For Crna Supervisors, Steven D. Ydstie

Nursing Capstones

Substance abuse disorder among Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) poses risks to both the provider and the patients they care for. Associated with this disorder is the problem of drug diversion. The specialty of anesthesia is recognized as having an elevated risk for the development of substance abuse. Although there are multiple studies addressing substance abuse amongst anesthesiologists, there are few similar studies specific to CRNAs. The purpose of this DNP project was to ascertain the level of Self-Efficacy CRNA supervisors have when intervening with one of their direct reports found to have been diverting scheduled narcotics. Knowledge level regarding …