Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Impact Of Patch Placement Using Fluoroscopy Guidance On Outcome Of Electrical Cardioversion Of Atrial Fibrillation, Joshua France, Luai Madanat, Nolan Shoukri, Daniel Walsh, Ilana Kutinsky, Sujana Gundlapalli, Abhay Bilolikar, Anil Kumar Anil, Brian Williamson, Elvis Cami, Michael Gallagher, Richard Bloomingdale, David E. Haines, Nishaki Mehta

Posters

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, and is Conclusions increasing in prevalence, especially as the population ages.1 Proper management of AF is imperative to prevent long-term complications including hemodynamic impairment and thromboembolic events which result in significant morbidity, mortality, and health care cost.2 Electrical cardioversion (EC) is frequently used to restore sinus rhythm in patients with AF.3, 4 However, it can be unsuccessful in up to 10-12% of patients.5 Despite the increased utilization of EC for the treatment of AF, guidelines provide little procedural guidance on methods to maximize EC success rates. Current European and American …

Hypofractionated Regional Nodal Irradiation In Breast Cancer, Joseph Salib, Allison Hazy, Joshua T. Dilworth

Posters

• In women with breast cancer requiring whole breast irradiation therapy (WBI), current guidelines endorse moderately hypofractionated whole breast irradiation (HWBI), which includes a shorter, 3-4-week regimen of radiation with a higher dose per daily fraction in comparison to conventional whole breast irradiation (CWBI), which includes a 5-6.5-week regimen.
• Patients with certain risk factors may benefit from treatment to the regional lymph nodes (RNI), which include the ipsilateral axillary, internal mammary and supraclavicular chains.
• Some centers have been slower to adopt short-course treatment when regional lymph nodes also require treatment (H-RNI), despite a reduction in the number of treatments for the …

Clinical Outcomes Of Hypofractionated Whole Breast Irradiation In Early Stage, Biologically High-Risk Breast Cancer, Eva Leung, Benjamin D. Willen, Thomas J. Quinn, Muayad F. Almahari, Peter Y. Chen, Maha Saada Jawad, Gregory S. Gustafson, Michelle Ka Yan Wu, Joshua T. Dilworth

Posters

• Whole breast irradiation (WBI) has been used in the treatment of breast cancer patients after partial mastectomy.
• There has been increasing utilization of hypofractionated whole breast irradiation (HWBI), defined as a larger daily dose and fewer fractions compared to conventionally fractionated whole breast irradiation (CWBI). However, HWBI for patients with early-stage, biologically high-risk breast cancer remains relatively low.
• We define biologically high-risk breast cancer as either triple negative (estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2) negative), Her-2 amplified, and/or patients with a high-risk multigene assay.
• The 2018 ASTRO guidelines form the basis for treating breast cancer patients with …

The Effects Of Untreated Reflux On The Incidence Of Feeding Difficulties In Neonates, Anne Grossbauer, Anya Costeloe, Prasad J. Thottam

Posters

• Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) is the involuntary regurgitation of gastric contents into the esophagus and commonly occurs in infants.
• It is associated with various consequences related to feeding difficulty, such as feeding resistance, oral aversion, dysphagia, laryngomalacia, and failure to thrive.2
• There is a paucity in the literature regarding the incidence rate of feeding difficulties in latepreterm and full-term neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
• Many NICUs employ the use of anti-reflux medications, such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2As), to treat GERD.3
• The use of these medications is debated and variable due to perceived …

Clinical Differences In Isolated Post-Capillary Pulmonary Hypertension And Combined Pre- And Postcapillary Pulmonary Hypertension, Emily Schneider, Bhavinkumar D. Dalal

Posters

PULMONARY HYPERTENSION (PH) = RESTING MEAN PULMONARY ARTERY PRESSURE (MPAP) > 20 MMHG.

The World Health Organization recognizes five groups of pulmonary hypertensions:

• • Estimated that > 50% of patients with left heart disease are also affected by pulmonary hypertension.1
• 1 in 4 Americans will develop heart failure in their lifetime.
• Gold standard for diagnosis of PH is a right heart catheterization (RHC).3
• Global burden of PH remains unknown as this illness is poorly surveilled and cases remain underestimated.4,5

Effect Of Progesterone On Cognition Among College Aged Women, Katelyn Helberg

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Women who have a reoccurring menstrual cycle and do not take hormonal birth control naturally experience changes in the amount of sex hormones that their body produces. These sex hormones help promote sexual development, fertility, and mood regulation, but can be hard to study due to their conflicting effects on each other. One such hormone, progesterone, is produced in different concentrations throughout the menstrual cycle to prepare the uterus for a potential pregnancy. However, it also may have secondhand effects on how well women can complete everyday tasks involving memory, attention, processing speed, and more which is what we measured …

A Meta-Analysis For Laboratory Diagnostics For Coccidioidomycosis, Mary C. Cowen

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Coccidioidomycosis, commonly referred to as Valley Fever, is a fungal infection found in arid regions of the southwestern United States and Mexico. Infection occurs through inhalation of airborne spores from Coccidioides species, Coccidioides immitis and/or Coccidioides posadasii, and proceeds in both pulmonary and disseminated fashions. Approximately 60% of patients with coccidioidomycosis remain asymptomatic, while 40% will experience symptoms. Within the literature, there are no papers that summarize sensitivity and specificity values between different tests; therefore, this paper presents sensitivity and specificity results across different tests and companies (Meridian, IMMY, and MiraVista).

Barriers To Mental Health Treatment Among Medical Students: Preclinical Vs. Clinical Years, Urvashi Singh, Agnes Wrobel

Posters

Our study aims to:

• Investigate medical students’ attitudes towards seeking assistance from mental health professionals.
• Compare the importance of various barriers that deter help-seeking in preclinical vs. clinical years of medical education.

Pulmonary Embolism In Pregnancy And Early Postpartum – Identifying Significant Variables To Improve Risk Stratification, Nida Haider, Bhavinkumar Dalal

Posters

• Pulmonary embolism (PE) resulting from deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is one of the leading causes of maternal deaths in developed countries1
• The causative Virchow triad (venous stasis, endothelial injury, and hypercoagulable state) is enhanced in pregnancy making pregnancy an independent risk factor1
• Due to significant overlap between normal physiological changes in pregnancy and clinical symptoms of PE, the threshold for CTPA, confirmatory imaging for PE with potentially harmful effects due to ionizing radiation, is low with increasing incidence of false positives2

Understanding Infectious Disease Consultation Role For Septic Patients In The Medical Intensive Care Unit, Marisa Stratelak, Cloe Nazeer, Bhavinkumar Dalal

Posters

• Sepsis is a medical emergency requiring immediate recognition and prompt treatment.
• 1 in every 3 hospitalized patients who die have sepsis1.
• The mortality rate for patients with severe sepsis in the intensive care unit (ICU) is 32.2%2.
• Early intervention with fluid resuscitation and intravenous antibiotics can reduce mortality rates by 7-9%3.
• Infectious disease (ID) consultation on antimicrobial therapy in the ICU is associated with reduced ICU mortality and ICU length of stay (LOS)4.
• Gaps in literature exist regarding frequency of ID consultation for septic patients in the ICU, including comparing outcomes of patients with and without ID consultation.
• It is …

The Effect Of Hormonal Contraceptive Use On Dominance And Prestige Tactics, Carson Chappell

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between hormonal contraceptives and prestige and dominance status-seeking tactics. Existing literature has examined how the hormones estrogen and progesterone, especially in relation to the fertile window of the menstrual cycle, are associated with prestige and dominance but has yet to look in depth at how hormonal contraceptives might alter this impact. The current study asked participants to complete a 22- item questionnaire assessing dominance and prestige. I hypothesized that women on hormonal contraceptives would have lower scores for prestige and dominance compared to women who are naturally cycling. The results did not …

The Impact Of Brain Cholesterol (24-Hydroxycholesterol (24-Hc) And 27- Hydroxycholesterol (27-Hc)) On Invitro Phenotypes Of Brain Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells, Cherish Iroabuchi

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction: Brain metastases is one of the leading causes of breast cancer mortality and rates continue to increase. It has been previously shown that cholesterol metabolism is an important regulator of cancer progression. 24(S)-hydroxycholesterol (24-HC) and 27- hydroxycholesterol (27-HC) are cholesterol derivatives primarily found in the brain but their role in regulating oncoprotein expression remains unclear. The goal of this thesis was to determine the effect of 24-HC and 27-HC on in-vitro metastatic phenotypes of breast cancer cells previously shown by the Bailey laboratory to metastasize to the brain in a hematogenous metastasis xenograft model.

Materials and Methods: Western blot …

Water-Soluble Contrast Challenge In The Management Of Pediatric Adhesive Small Bowel Obstruction: A Systematic Review, Max Fliegner, Daniel Finn, Spencer Wilhelm, Nathan Novotny, Anthony Stallion

Posters

Background: Adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO) is a serious complication of intra-abdominal surgery1 Water-soluble contrast (WSC) challenges have been used for medical management in the adult population2,3

Knowledge Gap: The therapeutic value of water-soluble contrast challenge in the pediatric population with ASBO is under-studied3,4

Research Question: Does administration of water-soluble contrast challenge reduce the need for surgery in pediatric patients with adhesive small bowel obstruction?

Patient Population Representation In Medical Education Textbooks: Gender Imbalance Of Diagnostic Images, Yasin Sahin, Abdul-Majid Khan, Nicolas Baker, Joshua Daniel, Jacob Keeley

Posters

Gender inequality: a longstanding issue that has been gaining overdue attention. Even within esteemed institutions such as medical schools, gender biases persist. Society trusts that those who attend medical school are given the knowledge needed to provide care and support during their most vulnerable moments as patients. While the education may be there, the “patients” may not be represented accurately. Future healthcare professionals must provide care for all patients, a diverse group encompassing all genders, ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds.

In 2019, the United States Census Bureau reported that the population was about 49% male and 51% female.¹ Therefore, medical students …

Quantitative And Comparative Analysis Of Dream Content In Parkinson’S Disease Patients Pre- And Postdeep Brain Stimulation, Sarvar Oreizi-Esfahani, Michael Staud

Posters

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder stemming from the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, resulting in impaired neuronal activation which primarily affects the body’s motor function1. Common symptoms include tremor, rigidity, akinesia and loss of balance.

PD also exerts significant effects on sleep patterns. The Default Mode Network (DMN), a series of hubs in the brain with increased metabolic rate during rest, are implicated in the process of dreaming2. Differential activation of these regions may alter the content and quality of one’s dreams2. PD has been shown to impact the function of the DMN and as …

Use Of Early Enteral Nutrition In Mechanically Ventilated Covid-19 Patients, Vivian Chang, Ramin Homayouni, Virginia Uhley

Posters

Malnutrition in critically ill patients has been associated with a greater length of hospital stay, incidence of complications, and risk of death. Up to 37% of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are either moderately or severely malnourished1. Optimizing enteral nutrition delivery is key to maximizing the benefits of nutrition support for critically ill patients. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the role of nutrition support for COVID-19 patients was poorly understood. In May 2020, the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) approved nutrition guidelines for COVID-19 patients that state that …

You’Re Testing My Patients: Clinicians’ Preferences For Structured Reporting And Measurement Data, Davit Melik, Adela Pouzar, Allan Brazier, Sayf Al-Katib

Posters

Radiological reports are a crucial part of patient care and management. Radiologists play a major role in patient care by interpreting imaging studies and making recommendations to referring physicians. 1,2,3 Although some physicians may prefer to initially interpret the imaging studies by themselves, radiologists’ reports have been shown to be significantly more accurate and detailed, which ultimately results in better patient care. 1,4,5,3 Thus it is important for radiology reports to be timely and as accurate as possible to improve overall patient care. The clarity of communication between radiologists and referring physicians in these reports remains an important factor in …

Incidence Of Symptomatic Upper Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis In Respect To Subcutaneous Port Venous Access Site In Adults: A Retrospective Review, Catherine Bark, Alexsandra Biel, Corinne G. Bowditch, Paul Bove, Jimmi Mangla

Posters

Subcutaneous ports are an essential component of care in patients who require long-term central venous access and are commonly indicated for patients that require chemotherapy, infusions, intravenous (IV) antibiotics or frequent blood draws.1,2 The catheter of the subcutaneous port is commonly inserted through the subclavian vein and internal jugular vein via percutaneous insertion, or the external jugular vein and cephalic vein via surgical cutdown of the vein.

One of the most common port-related complications is venous thromboembolic (VTE) events with rates of symptomatic VTE as high as 13.6%.4,6–11 Patients with symptomatic upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) can present with …

Pain Management In Individuals With Flat Feet Using The Footcore Max, Avery G. Dilley

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Foot pain can significantly affect one’s quality of life and ability to perform activities of daily living. Current interventions for foot pathologies are often directed at externally supporting the foot, rather than training the small, intrinsic muscles to function as they are intended to. The FootCore MAX is an exercise device designed to strengthen and promote better activation of the intrinsic muscles of the foot in order to improve foot function.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of intrinsic foot strengthening exercises using the FootCore MAX on alleviating foot pain. It hypothesized that the …

Difference Between The Impact Of Active Social Media Use And Passive Social Media Use On Adolescent Mental Health: An Expanded Literature Review, Lydia Underwood

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: With the first generation of adolescents being raised with seemingly unlimited access to social media, there is a clear need for research to determine the long-term mental health effects of social media use. Social media use can be categorized into two main categories — active use and passive use. Active use refers to a user posting content and engaging in the media they are viewing. Contrastingly, passive use refers to a user consuming social media content, without engaging in it in ways such as liking or commenting. The aim of this extended literature review was to answer the …

Breast Irradiation Is Well Tolerated In Carriers Of A Pathogenic Atm Variant, Leah R. Rotenbakh, Andrew H. Zureick, Dana Zakalik, Thomas J. Quinn, Vincent P. Grzywacz, Peter Y. Chen, Joshua T. Dilworth

Posters

• The ataxia telangiectasia mutant (ATM) gene is implicated in DNA damage repair.
• A pathogenic germline variant of the ATM gene is present in approximately 1% of the population.
• ATM gene variant increases radiation sensitivity and elevates the life-time risk of developing breast cancer by two- to four-fold.
• Potential for increased radiosensitivity poses concern for the utilization of radiation therapy (RT) for oncologic treatment in patients with the ATM gene variant.
• Current data regarding RT tolerance are limited and conflicting in this patient population.
• Current guidelines for hereditary breast cancer management issued jointly by the American Society for Radiation Oncology, American …

A Multimodal Approach To Decreasing Hesitancy Of The Influenza Vaccine In The Family Care Setting, Carley J. Ellenberger

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

The uptake of the influenza vaccine is the most effective and proactive action an individual can take to defend themselves against the influenza outbreak each season; therefore, it is recommended that everyone at least six months of age and older should receive the annual flu vaccine (CDC, 2022; WHO, 2023). Unfortunately, influenza vaccine hesitancy is demonstrated on a global level affecting the uptake compliance annually each influenza season despite the millions of people that experience influenza symptoms annually (CDC, 2022, WHO, n.d.; Healthy People 2030, n.d.). The PICOT question for this project was in adults, over the age of 18, …

The Effect Of Direct Current Stimulation On The Plasticity Of Cerebellar Purkinje Cell, Emily Graves

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

The cerebellum plays an essential role in movement coordination and balance, and its cortex comprises three layers: the granule cell layer, Purkinje cell layer, and molecular layer. The axons of granule cells, parallel fibers, synapse onto the dendrites of the Purkinje cell. Purkinje cells are the primary inhibitory output of the cerebellar cortex to the deep cerebellar nuclei. Damage to the cerebellum or the related pathway can lead to cerebellar ataxia. Cerebellar ataxia can include abnormal extremity movements, eye and gait incoordination, and loss of balance. Non-invasive brain therapy, transcranial direct current stimulation (DCS), has shown potential benefit to patients …

Investigation Of Movement Coordination In Reaching Through The Modulation Of The Cerebello-Thalamo-Cerebral Tract By Cerebellar Tes In Awake Mice, William Johnston

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Cerebellar ataxia is a neurological disorder that can be genetically or sporadically acquired. Ataxia is the loss of the ability to coordinate the range, rate, force, and direction of movements. Loss of gait stability, and reaching smoothness is progressively seen clinically. The non-invasive brain therapy called transcranial electric stimulation (tES) has been shown to have an impact on the behavior of humans with cerebellar dysfunction. However, the physiological and behavioral effects of tES are not well studied. Quantitative measurements were used in reaching behavior assays with head fixation using normal and ataxic mice before and after tES treatment. Frame by …

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Of Alternative Screening Strategies For The Detection Of Cervical Cancer Among Women In Rural Areas Of Western Kenya, Christopher Lobin, Elkanah Omenge, Edwin Were, Kapten Muthoka, Kavita Singh, Manuela De Allegri, Konrad Obermann, Magnus Doeberitz, Hermann Bussmann

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

While the incidence of cervical cancer has dropped in high-income countries due to organized cytology-based screening programs, it remains the leading cause of cancer death among women in Eastern Africa. Therefore, the World Health Organization(WHO) now urges providers to transition from widely prevalent but low-performance visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) screening to primary human papillomavirus(HPV) DNA testing. Due to high HPV prevalence, effective triage tests are needed to identify those lesions likely to progress and so avoid over-treatment. To identify the optimal cost-effective strategy, we compared the VIA screen-and-treat approach to primary HPV DNA testing with p16/Ki67 dual-stain cytology …

Behavioral Health Professionals’ Perception Of Anxiety Disorders Amongst African American Clients, Chantel K. Gant

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Anxiety disorders are frequent and increasing across the United States including for ethnically diverse populations (Carter et al., 2012). There is a need for education in the community on anxiety disorders about indicators of anxiety, severity and therapeutic approaches that would be beneficial (Johnson & Coles, 2013). It is imperative to know the variation in anxiety for African Americans to aid in therapeutic resources and counseling designed for this population (Hopkins & Shook, 2017). Prior research includes more of a focus on behavioral health professionals’ perspectives in conjectural situations rather than actual clinical practice (Joy & Bartholomew, 2021; Lawrence …

Caregiver Engagement In Their Child's Mental Health Rehabilitation Services: Utilizing The Hoover-Dempsey And Sandler Model Of Parental Involvement (2005) In Mental Health Counseling, Andrew Q. Holmgren

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Mental Health Rehabilitation (MHR) is a widely utilized community mental health service in Louisiana for low-income families. However, treatment adherence, including caregiver engagement for minor clients, is often low. There is still limited understanding of the barriers to caregiver engagement and few tools to assess these barriers and engagement behaviors. Clinicians, caregivers, and clients currently engaged in MHR services completed a modified version of the Parent Involvement Project Questionnaire (PIPQ) to determine if this scale and its associated theory, the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler Model of Parental Involvement (2005), can be used in a mental health counseling format to assess for …

Igwas: Image-Based Genome-Wide Association Of Self-Supervised Deep Phenotyping Of Retina Fundus Images, Ziqian Xie, Tao Zhang, Sangbae Kim, Jiaxiong Lu, Wanheng Zhang, Cheng-Hui Lin, Man-Ru Wu, Alexander Davis, Roomasa Channa, Luca Giancardo, Han Chen, Sui Wang, Rui Chen, Degui Zhi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Existing imaging genetics studies have been mostly limited in scope by using imaging-derived phenotypes defined by human experts. Here, leveraging new breakthroughs in self-supervised deep representation learning, we propose a new approach, image-based genome-wide association study (iGWAS), for identifying genetic factors associated with phenotypes discovered from medical images using contrastive learning. Using retinal fundus photos, our model extracts a 128-dimensional vector representing features of the retina as phenotypes. After training the model on 40,000 images from the EyePACS dataset, we generated phenotypes from 130,329 images of 65,629 British White participants in the UK Biobank. We conducted GWAS on these phenotypes …

Development And Validation Of A Rule-Based Algorithm To Identify Periodontal Diagnosis Using Structured Electronic Health Record Data, Bunmi Tokede, Ryan Brandon, Chun-Teh Lee, Guo-Hao Lin, Joel White, Alfa Yansane, Xiaoqian Jiang, Elsbeth Kalenderian, Muhammad Walji

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

AIM: To develop and validate an automated electronic health record (EHR)-based algorithm to suggest a periodontal diagnosis based on the 2017 World Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal Diseases and Conditions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using material published from the 2017 World Workshop, a tool was iteratively developed to suggest a periodontal diagnosis based on clinical data within the EHR. Pertinent clinical data included clinical attachment level (CAL), gingival margin to cemento-enamel junction distance, probing depth, furcation involvement (if present) and mobility. Chart reviews were conducted to confirm the algorithm's ability to accurately extract clinical data from the EHR, and then …

Nurses' Perceptions Regarding Supportive Care In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Brandi D. Garrett

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

NICU nurses are the primary supporters of NICU families and their infants, making it vital that nurses understand the impact of a NICU visit on families and how to improve the parental experience. The complex challenges begin at the NICU admission, where families are left bewildered and unprepared for the uncertainty that lies ahead. During the NICU stay, nurses support families by providing encouragement and empowerment as they navigate their new role as NICU parents. In addition, NICU nurses are advocates for supportive initiatives to help NICU families cope with challenges such as being away from their infant and better …