Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Dementia Care: The Role Of Experiential Learning In Nursing Education, Jeannie Simpson

Wisdom & Compassion: The LUSON Journal

The escalating global prevalence of dementia necessitates enhanced educational strategies to prepare nursing students to care effectively for individuals living with dementia. Traditional methods in nursing education predominantly focus on pharmacological treatments and basic caregiving strategies, often neglecting innovative approaches like the Music & Memory® program, Virtual Dementia Tour®, and Montessori dementia. By including these innovative approaches, future nurses will be better equipped to develop and implement person-centered care for individuals living with dementia to improve their quality of life. The integration of these approaches will also meet the growing demands of dementia care, aligning with global health mandates.

Hope And Blessings: A Homeless Student’S Story, Kennedy Pazos

Wisdom & Compassion: The LUSON Journal

No abstract provided.

Exploring Prelicensure Bsn Students’ Knowledge Of Mindfulness Meditation Using A Smartphone App To Manage Stress And Promote Resilience: A Qualitative Single Case Study, Beth Kelley, Kara Schacke, Alex Boggs, Shelley Blackwood

Wisdom & Compassion: The LUSON Journal

Stress is a detrimental factor in nursing school. Stressors contribute to an unacceptable nursing student attrition rate that has risen to 30% in 2021. The problem is that prelicensure, Bachelor of Science of Nursing (BSN) students' knowledge of mindfulness meditation using a smartphone app to manage stress and promote resilience is not known. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore pre-licensure, BSN students’ knowledge of mindfulness meditation using a smartphone app to manage stress and promote resilience.

Jesus: The Multispecialty Health Care Provider, Rachel A. Joseph

Wisdom & Compassion: The LUSON Journal

No abstract provided.

Children In Foster Care: Outcomes And Nursing Implications, Rachel A. Joseph, Emily Etterman

Wisdom & Compassion: The LUSON Journal

Background: Approximately 407,000 children remained in the foster care system by the end of 2020, with 217,000 entering and 224,000 exiting the system. The foster care system is meant to be a temporary living arrangement for children born into or raised in non-flourishing homes. However, the uniqueness of the system and the interactions of foster parents lead to undesirable foster home situations while the child is left in the system for longer times. The child in foster care faces several adverse life events that make it difficult for the child to develop into a successful adult. Purpose: This paper examines …

The Impact Of California's Nursing Licensure Policies On Patient Care During The Los Angeles Wildfires, Rachel A. Joseph

Wisdom & Compassion: The LUSON Journal

No abstract provided.

The Irreplaceable Role Of Human-Centered Nursing Care In The Age Of Ai, Allyson Louise Brown

Wisdom & Compassion: The LUSON Journal

No abstract provided.

Volume 2, Issue 2 - Complete Issue

Wisdom & Compassion: The LUSON Journal

No abstract provided.

Changes In Insulin, Leptin, Resistin And Irisin Levels And Their Associations With Blood Pressure After An 8-Week Supervised, Online “Hiit Mama” Program Vs. Self-Performed Moderate-To-Vigorous Physical Activity During Pregnancy - A Randomized Controlled Trial, Anna Szumilewicz, Junjiang Sun, Rita Santos-Rocha, Jan Mieszkowski, Andrzej Kochanowicz

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

We aimed to determine changes in insulin, leptin, resistin, and irisin levels and their associations with blood pressure (BP) during pregnancy, following an 8-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or a self-performed moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The study involved 54 Caucasian women in uncomplicated, singleton pregnancy (age 32 ± 4 years, week of gestation 24 ± 4, mean ± SD). They were randomly allocated to the 8-week supervised, online “HIIT Mama” program (HIIT group, n = 34) or educational intervention and self-performed MVPA (EDU group, n = 20). All participants maintained normotension throughout the study. The HIIT program in-duced a statistically …

Economy Of Motion, Yatin Srinivash Ramesh Babu

be Still

This poem reflects the elegance and necessity of precision in medicine, particularly surgery, where "economy of motion" can mean the difference between life and death. Inspired by observing the intentionality of a surgeon's hands, I aimed to capture the poetry in their discipline—an artistry rooted in restraint.

Current Practice In The Provision Of Psychological Assessment, Catherine R. Hanigan, Linda J. Baum, Anderson B. Rowan

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Understanding the assessment practices of psychologists has been a focus of research since the mid-twentieth century. Previous studies focused on the types of tests utilized as well as the amount of time spent on assessment. This updated research examined professional psychologists’ current practice and use of assessment, such as specific test usage, time spent on assessment, and feedback practices. A survey instrument was created, piloted, and administered to a sample of 293 currently practicing licensed psychologists. Results indicated that current assessment practices are largely consistent with previous surveys of psychologists. The tests identified as most frequently used were the Wechsler …

Reading Patients' Personalities The Sentence Completion Way, Stephen P. Joy, Lawrence Mccloskey, Wilson Mcdermut

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Previous research has shown that reliable, valid measures of major personality traits can be derived from a sentence completion test, the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank (RISB). However, all previous samples consisted of undergraduates. Here, we report findings for two clinical samples (N = 120) to whom a variety of self-report inventories and structured clinical interviews were also administered. RISB-based ratings of Extraversion and Neuroticism were consistently correlated with relevant variables in both samples and displayed convergent and discriminant validity vis a vis self-reported traits. RISB-based ratings of Psychoticism were clearly associated with relevant variables in one sample with mixed but …

An Educational Intervention For The Care Of Older Adults, Michele Orzehoski, Dnp, Rn

Thomas Jefferson University Faculty Days

No abstract provided.

Sg-Met: Past To Present Day Evolution, Aiden Echols, Bs, Madison Via, Bs, Audrey L. Zapletal, Otd, Ms, Otr/L, Cla, Chse, Karla A. Bell, Pt, Dpt, Phd, Fnap

Thomas Jefferson University Faculty Days

Background

LGBTQ+ communities experience health care and health disparities; some reasons include:

• barriers in care,
• negative attitudes,
• lack of awareness by healthcare providers.

Studies have found healthcare professionals are not adequately trained in LGBTQ+ care

Educators benefit from professional development related to LGBTQ+ inclusivity in higher education.

Stakeholders' Expectations And Experiences Of Being Involved With A Global Accreditation Process For Midwifery Centres In Lmics: A Rapid Ethnography, Summer M. Aronson, Laura Batinelli, Lucia Rocca-Ihenacho, Jennifer R. Stevens

College of Health Professions Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: This study explored the expectations and experiences of stakeholders involved in the accreditation of midwifery centres (MCs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). With increasing evidence that MCs provide safe, respectful, and evidence-based care that improves maternal and neonatal outcomes, accreditation may serve as a mechanism to bridge quality gaps in maternal health systems, particularly in regions with high maternal and neonatal mortality.

METHODS: A rapid ethnographic approach, combining participant observation and semi-structured interviews, was conducted in partnership with the GoodBirth Network (GBN), which identified six pilot midwifery centres in Haiti, Uganda, and South Africa. Convenience sampling was applied, …

Effects Of Cerebral Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha On Systemic Glucose Homeostasis In Obese Mice, Gabriela Griepp

Honors Projects

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by impaired blood glucose regulation and persistent hyperglycemia. The central nervous system functions as a key regulator in the maintenance of peripheral normoglycemia. Obesity, commonly associated with T2DM, often leads to chronic inflammation in the hypothalamus, a critical brain center for integrating metabolic feedback and controlling outputs to peripheral organs. However, the physiological mechanisms through which obesity-induced brain inflammation affects glucose regulation remain somewhat unclear. Previous studies have linked one key pro-inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), to metabolic function and glycemic control; however, the exact nature of its …

Kaiso Mediates Transcription And Rna Splicing In Colorectal Carcinoma: Role Of Brca1 In The Kaiso Enhanceosome, Weifeng Luo, Manish Kumar Tripathi, Qi Liu, Lei Chen, Robert W. Cowan, Juliet M. Daniel, Chi Yan, Ann Richmond, Albert B. Reynolds

School of Medicine Publications

Kaiso (ZBTB33) is a transcription factor involved in mitotic clonal expansion and tumorigenesis in association with Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) loss of heterozygosity. ENCODE data show strong overlap of the Kaiso promoter-binding site—encode-derived Kaiso-binding site (eKBS) and many other transcription factors, including BRCA1. Here we sought to determine whether BRCA1 is a component of the Kaiso enhanceosome that regulates gene transcription. Using proximal ligation assays, immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry, luciferase assays and ChIP-seq experiments, we evaluated the association between BRCA1 and Kaiso. Kaiso nuclear extract immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that Kaiso associates strongly with genes involved in RNA splicing and …

Motionteller: Multi-Modal Integration Of Wearable Time-Series With Llms For Health And Behavioral Understanding, Aiwei Zhang, Arvind Pillai, Andrew Campbell, Nicholas C. Jacobson

Computer Science Senior Theses

As wearable sensing becomes increasingly pervasive, a key challenge remains: how can we generate natural language summaries from raw physiological signals such as actigraphy - minute-level movement data collected via accelerometers? In this work, we introduce MotionTeller, a generative framework that natively integrates minute-level wearable activity data with large language models (LLMs). MotionTeller combines a pretrained actigraphy encoder with a lightweight projection module that maps behavioral embeddings into the token space of a frozen decoder-only LLM, enabling free-text, autoregressive generation of daily behavioral summaries.

We construct a novel dataset of 54,383 ⟨actigraphy, text⟩ pairs derived from real-world NHANES recordings, and …

Cross-Sectional Analysis Of Wound-Associated Soluble Factors In Early, Established, And Chronic Wounds Of Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Patients, Vitali Alexeev, Leonie Huitema, Taylor Phillips, Paras Patel, Mauricio Garza, Franziska Ringpfeil, Julio Salas-Alanis, Olga Igoucheva

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Poorly healing wounds represent the primary health-related burden for hereditary recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) patients. Contribution of wound-associated soluble constituents to wound progression remains not well defined.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct cross-sectional analysis of cytokine, chemokine, and growth factor in exudates from RDEB wounds and define changes associated with wound progression.

METHODS: Concentrations of selected cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors were evaluated by multiplex ELISA in eight blister fluids and 66 exudates from early, established, and chronic RDEB and five chronic venous ulcers (VU). A cross-sectional analysis was performed.

RESULTS: Our data demonstrated that proinflammatory CXCL8 and IL-1β tend …

Linking Dna Methylation In Brain Regions To Alzheimer’S Disease Risk: A Mendelian Randomization Study, Hua Zhong, Jingjing Zhu, Shuai Liu, Dan Zhou, Quan Long, Chong Wu, Bingxin Zhao, Chao Cheng, Yaohua Yang, Qing Wu, Yong Wu, Changwei Li, Zhaoming Wang, Jianyong Wu, Xingyi Guo, Degui Zhi, Youping Deng, Lang Wu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Aim: DNA methylation in brain regions represents a potential mechanism linking genetic variation to Alzheimer's disease (ad) risk, yet most studies have focused on blood-derived methylation markers. In this study, we conducted a systematic Mendelian randomization (MR) study to evaluate associations between predicted brain region-specific DNA methylation levels and ad risk, using methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTL) as genetic instruments.

Methods: We analyzed mQTLs from five human brain regions: cerebellum (CRBLM), frontal cortex (FCTX), causal pons (PONS), and temporal cortex (TCTX) from 600 individuals in Gibbs et al's study, as well as mQTLs from dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of 543 …

Assessment Of Water Quality Among Handwashing And Drinking Water Stations In Schools In Belize, 2022, Anh N Ly, Alexandra Kossik, Ary Sosa, Uriel Sosa, Dian Maheia, Yolanda Gongora, Russell Manzanero, Francis Morey, Melissa Diaz-Musa, Dennis Nichols, Adrianna Maliga, Kelsey Mcdavid, Christina Craig, Gerhaldine Morazan, Matthew Lozier, Kristy O Murray

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Water quality assessments are critical for ensuring timely responses to water-related concerns, particularly in low-resource areas with limited water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure. In collaboration with the Belize Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology, we conducted a survey on WASH infrastructure and resources among 221 schools. We identified 65 schools across all six districts of Belize for water quality testing. Among these 65 schools, 83% had at least one water sample that did not meet the WHO's recommended free chlorine residual level for drinking water. Additionally, coliforms and Escherichia coli were …

Nonstructural Roles Of Junctophilin-2 In The Heart, Daniel F Hutchison, Satadru K Lahiri, Kurt W Prins, Xander H T Wehrens

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Junctophilin-2 (JPH2) is an essential structural protein that maintains the integrity of junctional membrane complexes (JMCs) in cardiomyocytes, thereby playing its canonical role in excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling. Recent studies reveal novel, nonstructural functions of JPH2 in cardiomyocytes, including regulation of mitochondrial function, lipid metabolism, nuclear signaling, and innate immune responses. Calpain-mediated cleavage of JPH2 generates nuclear fragments, which differentially modulate stress responses. Moreover, full-length JPH2 also localizes to the nucleus, where it forms phase-separated nuclear droplets during oxidative stress. Collectively, these findings highlight JPH2 as a multifunctional protein with critical roles beyond its canonical structural function in E-C coupling.

Oxygen Saturation Targeting In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Faeq Almudares, Bheru Gandhi, Jonathan Davies, Xanthi Couroucli, Natalie Villafranco, Nidhy Paulose Varghese, Milenka Cuevas Guaman, Charleta Guillory, Binoy Shivanna

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Oxygen (O2) is vital for cellular development, function, proliferation, and repair, underscoring its critical role in organogenesis. Both hypoxia (reduced tissue O2) and hyperoxia (excess tissue O2), when prolonged, can trigger inflammation and oxidative stress, contributing to acute and long-term cardiopulmonary and neurodevelopmental morbidity. In sick neonates, immature defense mechanisms and coexisting morbidities demand nuanced and sometimes opposing strategies for O2 saturation targets and therapeutic titration. Most current neonatal O2 targeting guidelines are based on animal models or small clinical studies, resulting in recommendations with limited evidence. This narrative review aims to provide an updated overview of the physiological roles …

Telehealth And In-Person Hiv Care During The Covid-19 Pandemic At A Large Academic Medical Center In North Carolina, Valerie Yelverton, Jan Ostermann Ph.D., Michael E. Yarrington, Andrew K. Weinhold, Nabil Natafgi, Bankole Olatosi, Sharon Weissman, Nathan M. Thielman

Faculty Publications

Background

To maintain HIV care during the COVID-19 pandemic, many HIV clinics across the United States adopted telehealth. However, not everyone participated in telehealth equally. This study assessed the use and disparities in telehealth and in-person HIV care at a large academic medical center in North Carolina (NC) relative to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

Data from the Duke University Infectious Disease clinic in NC were extracted from electronic health records (EHR), aggregated across persons with HIV (PWH) by calendar month, visit type (in-person vs. telehealth HIV care), and by key sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Variation in HIV care over time …

Race, Resources, And American Adolescents’ Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Chineze Nkemeh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

During the COVID-19 pandemic, African American adolescents experienced reduced access to needed resources and may have suffered poorer mental health outcomes as a result. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the association between race and the availability of mental health resources, food, medical health resources and mental health outcomes among African American adolescents in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to their White counterparts. The theoretical framework that grounded this study was the Socio Ecological Model. Secondary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey database were analyzed. These …

Building Models, Building Capacity: A Review Of Participatory Machine Learning For Hiv Prevention, Mark Sendak, Meg Young, Jee Young Kim, Alifia Hasan, Clare Kelsey, Catherine O’Neal, Tonya Jagneaux, Wayne Wilbright, John Couk, Stephen Lim, Tamachia Davenport, Shirley Lolis, Jennifer Thomas, Shannon Widman, Suresh Balu, Meredith Clement, Lance Okeke

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

A growing number of researchers and practitioners are embracing a “participatory turn” in machine learning (ML) to improve model development, prevent harm, and provide communities more influence over systems that impact them. In this paper, we explore the intersection of participatory practices in healthcare and the emerging focus on responsible AI with a focus on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care. We review the historical context of participation in HIV treatment and prevention, emphasizing how patient activism has shaped practices in this field. We then review participatory ML in HIV prevention and present a brief case study of a project designed …

177lu-Labeled Antibody-Drug Conjugate: A Dual-Mechanistic Treatment Modality In Solid Tumors, Aiko Yamaguchi, Chisato M Yamazaki, Yasuaki Anami, Summer Y Y Ha, Wei Xiong, Robert T Ta, Ningyan Zhang, H Charles Manning, Zhiqiang An, Kyoji Tsuchikama

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

To explore the potential of site-selectively radiolabeled antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) against solid tumors, we constructed and evaluated radiolabeled ADCs equipped with lutetium-177 (177Lu) and a membrane-permeable antimitotic agent. Site-selective 177Lu-labeled ADCs [anti-trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP2) 177Lu-DTPA ADCs or anti-HER2 177Lu-DO3A ADCs], a 177Lu-labeled homogeneous radioimmunoconjugate (homogeneous RIC), and 177Lu-labeled conventional RIC (heterogeneous RIC) were constructed. We confirmed that 177Lu-labeled ADCs and the homogeneous RIC were obtained with high homogeneity and defined chelator/payload-to-antibody ratios. Next, we performed biodistribution studies and treatment efficacy studies in xenograft mouse models bearing orthotopic breast tumors. Compared with the heterogeneous RIC, the 177Lu-DTPA TROP2 ADC …

Refine: A Database Of Linked Clinical Data And Genomic Biomarkers In Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients Receiving Immunotherapy-Based Treatment Regimens, Jeffrey Zhong, Albert Jang, Bashar Abuqayas, Arnab Basu, David Benjamin, Vineel Bhatlapenumarthi, Mehmet Asim Bilen, Dhvani Buch, Mark Chang, Erica Chin, Sourat Darabi, Nagendra Dhanikonda, Pooja Ghatalia, Claud Grigg, Abby Grier, Tanya Jindal, Joannah Jung, Deepak Kilari, Hamsa Kumar, Suzanna Lee, Brittany Neelands, Chinmayi Pandya, Jeff Pawalek, Jaimee Staggers, Ahmet Yildirim, Yousef Zakharia, Kevin Zarrabi, Michael Zimmerman, George Sledge, David Spetzler, Andrew Elliott, Rana Mckay, Pedro Barata

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

The REnal cancer consortium for Focused Investigation of Novel biomarkers and Expression (REFINE) consortium represents an important initiative in integrating clinical data with molecular sequencing in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treated with immunotherapy-based approaches. By leveraging real-world evidence and genomic analysis, this consortium aims to explore putative predictive biomarkers with the potential to inform personalized treatment strategies. Findings from the REFINE database may further contribute to our understanding of disease courses of immunotherapy-based approaches for various molecular subtypes of RCC, associations of race and ethnicity with RCC treatment and outcomes with representation of patient populations underrepresented in …

Nurse Led Staff Education Program For Workplace Stress Reduction, Ebony Sudduth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This doctoral project evaluated the impact of a staff education program aimed at increasing healthcare workers' awareness of workplace stress dangers among teammates in an outpatient hemodialysis center. The identified practice issue was limited knowledge about the facilitators, adverse outcomes, and resources related to occupational stress in healthcare. Lack of education regarding the risks of work-related stress presents a critical concern in nursing practice, significantly affecting caregiver well-being and patient outcomes. Nurses, particularly in high-pressure environments such as hemodialysis centers, often experience unrecognized and unmanaged emotional and physical demands, leading to chronic stress and burnout. Hemodialysis nurses are especially susceptible …

Antifungal Efficacy And Flexural Strength Of Silver Nanoparticles Reinforced Cad/Cam And Heat-Cured Pmma Polymers: An In-Vitro Study, Himanshi Aggarwal

All ETDs from UAB

Background: PMMA denture base resins have high propensity for C. albicans growth. Previous studies have found that silver nanoparticle (SNP) addition into conventional PMMA resin improves fungal resistance without interfering with its flexural strength. Recently, CAD/CAM dentures have become highly popular, but they are also prone to fungal in-growth. However, little is known about the effect of addition of silver nanoparticles in CAD/CAM printed PMMA resin material. Objective: To compare the effect of the addition of cytocompatible concentration (1 µm/ml) of SNP on the antifungal efficacy and flexural strength of CAD/CAM printed and heat-cured PMMA polymers. Materials and methods: A …