Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Psychiatry Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

University of Kentucky

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type

Articles 1 - 22 of 22

Full-Text Articles in Psychiatry

Weighted Family History Density Of Substance Use: Influence On Participant Substance Use Onset, Escalation, And Duration, Carleigh A. Litteral Jan 2025

Weighted Family History Density Of Substance Use: Influence On Participant Substance Use Onset, Escalation, And Duration, Carleigh A. Litteral

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Substance use disorders impose a staggering toll on the United States (U.S.), straining healthcare systems, destabilizing communities, and profoundly impacting both individuals and families. Approximately one in six Americans aged 12 and older had a past-year substance use disorder in 2022 (Key Substance Use, 2022), and nearly one-third of adults experience a substance use disorder in their lifetime (Wu, 2010), contributing to an economic burden exceeding $400 billion annually (National Drug Threat Assessment, 2011). Family history of substance use disorders is a key predictor of vulnerability, with individuals who have affected relatives being 2–8 times more …


Trauma-Related Shame Predicts Daily Non-Medical Prescription Opioid Use Among Individuals With Ptsd Symptoms, Tanya C. Saraiya, Alyssa C. Jones, Teresa Lopez-Castro, Caitlyn O. Hood, Jessica Flores, Christal L. Badour Mar 2024

Trauma-Related Shame Predicts Daily Non-Medical Prescription Opioid Use Among Individuals With Ptsd Symptoms, Tanya C. Saraiya, Alyssa C. Jones, Teresa Lopez-Castro, Caitlyn O. Hood, Jessica Flores, Christal L. Badour

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Non-medical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) is the use of opioids without a prescription or in a way different from how they were prescribed and is the fourth most common type of drug use in the United States. Separate research has shown that trauma-related shame is linked to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and, respectively, opioid use. However, no study to date has empirically examined the association between trauma-related shame and NMPOU among individuals with PTSD symptoms. Forty adults with clinical or subclinical PTSD who reported engaging in NMPOU at least one day in the prior month before the study completed 28 …


Synthetic Contraceptive Hormones Occlude The Ability Of Nicotine To Reduce Ethanol Consumption In Ovary-Intact Female Rats, Erin E. Maher, Ashley M. White, Ashley Craig, Shailesh N. Khatri, Percell T. Kendrick Jr., Mary E. Matocha, Emma O. Bondy, Nikhil Pallem, Grace W. Breakfield, Madison Botkins, Olivia Sweatt, William C. Griffin, Brent A. Kaplan, Jessica Jane Weafer, Joshua S. Beckmann, Cassandra D. Gipson Nov 2023

Synthetic Contraceptive Hormones Occlude The Ability Of Nicotine To Reduce Ethanol Consumption In Ovary-Intact Female Rats, Erin E. Maher, Ashley M. White, Ashley Craig, Shailesh N. Khatri, Percell T. Kendrick Jr., Mary E. Matocha, Emma O. Bondy, Nikhil Pallem, Grace W. Breakfield, Madison Botkins, Olivia Sweatt, William C. Griffin, Brent A. Kaplan, Jessica Jane Weafer, Joshua S. Beckmann, Cassandra D. Gipson

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Rates of tobacco and alcohol use in women are rising, and women are more vulnerable than men to escalating tobacco and alcohol use. Many women use hormonal birth control, with the oral contraceptive pill being the most prevalent. Oral contraceptives contain both a progestin (synthetic progesterone) and a synthetic estrogen (ethinyl estradiol; EE) and are contraindicated for women over 35 years who smoke. Despite this, no studies have examined how synthetic contraceptive hormones impact this pattern of polysubstance use in females. To address this critical gap in the field, we treated ovary-intact female rats with either sesame oil (vehicle), the …


A Blunted Th17 Cytokine Signature In Women With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Insights From Inflammatory Profiling Of A Community-Based Cohort Of Older Adults, Adam D. Bachstetter, Jenny Lutshumba, Edric D. Winford, Erin L. Abner, Barbra J. Martin, Jordan P. Harp, Linda J. Van Eldik, Frederick A. Schmitt, Donna M. Wilcock, Ann M. Stowe, Gregory A. Jicha, Barbara S. Nikolajczyk Oct 2023

A Blunted Th17 Cytokine Signature In Women With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Insights From Inflammatory Profiling Of A Community-Based Cohort Of Older Adults, Adam D. Bachstetter, Jenny Lutshumba, Edric D. Winford, Erin L. Abner, Barbra J. Martin, Jordan P. Harp, Linda J. Van Eldik, Frederick A. Schmitt, Donna M. Wilcock, Ann M. Stowe, Gregory A. Jicha, Barbara S. Nikolajczyk

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

People with dementia have an increase in brain inflammation, caused in part by innate and adaptive immune cells. However, it remains unknown whether dementia-associated diseases alter neuro-immune reflex arcs to impact the systemic immune system. We examined peripheral immune cells from a community-based cohort of older adults to test if systemic inflammatory cytokine signatures associated with early stages of cognitive impairment. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured with monocyte or T-cell-targeted stimuli, and multiplex assays quantitated cytokines in the conditioned media. Following T-cell-targeted stimulation, cells from women with cognitive impairment produced lower amounts of TH17 cytokines compared with cells …


Adolescent- And Adult-Initiated Alcohol Exposure In Mice Differentially Promotes Tumorigenesis And Metastasis Of Breast Cancer, Mei Xu, Hui Li, Danlei Chen, Huaxun Wu, Wen Wen, Hong Xu, Jacqueline Frank, Gang Chen, Jia Luo Feb 2023

Adolescent- And Adult-Initiated Alcohol Exposure In Mice Differentially Promotes Tumorigenesis And Metastasis Of Breast Cancer, Mei Xu, Hui Li, Danlei Chen, Huaxun Wu, Wen Wen, Hong Xu, Jacqueline Frank, Gang Chen, Jia Luo

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Background: Alcohol exposure increases the risk of breast cancer. Alcohol consumption by adolescents is a serious social and public health issue. This study investigated the impact of adolescent alcohol consumption on mammary tumorigenesis and progression and compared it to that of adult alcohol exposure in animal models. Methods: Female adolescent (5 weeks) and adult (8 weeks) MMTV-Wnt1 mice were exposed to alcohol either chronically or acutely. For chronic alcohol exposure, animals were fed a liquid diet containing 6.7% ethanol for 23 weeks. For acute exposure, animals were treated with ethanol (2.5 g/kg, 25% w/v) via intraperitoneal (IP) injection for 15 …


Depression Management Among Primary Care Providers: Evaluation Of An Educational Intervention, Whitney Hunt Jan 2023

Depression Management Among Primary Care Providers: Evaluation Of An Educational Intervention, Whitney Hunt

DNP Projects

Background: Nearly one-third of patients diagnosed with depression and prescribed an antidepressant medication will stop taking their medication within the first month. Timely follow-up care can improve medication adherence and symptoms for depressed patients on antidepressants however, most patients do not receive timely follow-up. Common system and provider-based barriers to timely follow-up include limited provider time, lack of training, and mental health stigma.

Objective: The purpose of this project was to assess provider attitudes, knowledge level, perceived barriers, and current depression management strategies in a primary care setting.

Methods: In this quasi-experimental one group pre/post-test study a survey was used …


Interactive Association Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Apolipoprotein Ε4 Genotype, And Age On Cognitive Functioning, Karen A. Lawrence, Colton Rippey, Bianca Welikson, Robert H. Pietrzak, Thomas G. Adams Jr. Jan 2023

Interactive Association Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Apolipoprotein Ε4 Genotype, And Age On Cognitive Functioning, Karen A. Lawrence, Colton Rippey, Bianca Welikson, Robert H. Pietrzak, Thomas G. Adams Jr.

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: The ε4 allele of the apolipoprotein (APOE) gene and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are associated with cognitive deficits. Both associations may vary depending on age. No previous study has examined a possible three‐way interaction between APOE ε4, PTSD, and age on cognitive functioning.

Methods: Data were analyzed from 1244 European‐American U.S. military veterans who participated in the 2011 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (NHRVS). Analyses of covariance were used to examine the main effects and in- teractions of APOE ε4, PTSD, and age on learning/working memory (LWM) and attention/psychomotor (APM) performance.

Results: A significant three‐way interaction between …


The Effect Of Education On The Nida Modified Assist (Nmassist) Tool On Knowledge And Screening For Substance Use Disorder Among Clinicians, Victoria Page Arnold Jan 2022

The Effect Of Education On The Nida Modified Assist (Nmassist) Tool On Knowledge And Screening For Substance Use Disorder Among Clinicians, Victoria Page Arnold

DNP Projects

Background: Substance use disorder (SUD) is a disparity affecting nearly 24 million individuals in the U.S., nearly 10% of the total population. Oftentimes, the emergency department (ED) is the only medical care this population receives. There is often a lack of screening for SUD in ED’s, therefore referred care may be limited for these individuals. The National Institute on Drug Abuse Modified Assist (NMASSIST) is an evidence-based tool developed to educate and screen for SUD. This tool can be completed in a timely manner and aid in the recommended referral of care for this select population.

Purpose: The purpose of …


Cognitive And Behavioral Domains That Reliably Differentiate Normal Aging And Dementia In Down Syndrome, Jordan P. Harp, Lisa M. Koehl, Kathryn L. Van Pelt, Christy L. Hom, Eric Doran, Elizabeth Head, Ira T. Lott, Frederick A. Schmitt Aug 2021

Cognitive And Behavioral Domains That Reliably Differentiate Normal Aging And Dementia In Down Syndrome, Jordan P. Harp, Lisa M. Koehl, Kathryn L. Van Pelt, Christy L. Hom, Eric Doran, Elizabeth Head, Ira T. Lott, Frederick A. Schmitt

Neurology Faculty Publications

Primary care integration of Down syndrome (DS)-specific dementia screening is strongly advised. The current study employed principal components analysis (PCA) and classification and regression tree (CART) analyses to identify an abbreviated battery for dementia classification. Scale- and subscale-level scores from 141 participants (no dementia n = 68; probable Alzheimer’s disease n = 73), for the Severe Impairment Battery (SIB), Dementia Scale for People with Learning Disabilities (DLD), and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales—Second Edition (Vineland-II) were analyzed. Two principle components (PC1, PC2) were identified with the odds of a probable dementia diagnosis increasing 2.54 times per PC1 unit increase and by …


Clinically Relevant Interactions Between Atypical Antipsychotics And Anti-Infective Agents, Edoardo Spina, Maria Antonietta Barbieri, Giuseppe Cicala, Jose De Leon Dec 2020

Clinically Relevant Interactions Between Atypical Antipsychotics And Anti-Infective Agents, Edoardo Spina, Maria Antonietta Barbieri, Giuseppe Cicala, Jose De Leon

Psychiatry Faculty Publications

This is a comprehensive review of the literature on drug interactions (DIs) between atypical antipsychotics and anti-infective agents that focuses on those DIs with the potential to be clinically relevant and classifies them as pharmacokinetic (PK) or pharmacodynamic (PD) DIs. PubMed searches were conducted for each of the atypical antipsychotics and most commonly used anti-infective agents (13 atypical antipsychotics by 61 anti-infective agents/classes leading to 793 individual searches). Additional relevant articles were obtained from citations and from prior review articles written by the authors. Based on prior DI articles and our current understanding of PK and PD mechanism, we developed …


Rivastigmine Modifies The Α-Secretase Pathway And Potentially Early Alzheimer's Disease, Balmiki Ray, Bryan Maloney, Kumar Sambamurti, Hanuma K. Karnati, Peter T. Nelson, Nigel H. Greig, Debomoy K. Lahiri Feb 2020

Rivastigmine Modifies The Α-Secretase Pathway And Potentially Early Alzheimer's Disease, Balmiki Ray, Bryan Maloney, Kumar Sambamurti, Hanuma K. Karnati, Peter T. Nelson, Nigel H. Greig, Debomoy K. Lahiri

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Rivastigmine (or Exelon) is a cholinesterase inhibitor, currently used as a symptomatic treatment for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) generated from its precursor protein (APP) by β-secretase (or BACE1) and γ-secretase endoproteolysis. Alternative APP cleavage by α-secretase (a family of membrane-bound metalloproteases– Adamalysins) precludes the generation of toxic Aβ and yields a neuroprotective and neurotrophic secreted sAPPα fragment. Several signal transduction pathways, including protein kinase C and MAP kinase, stimulate α-secretase. We present data to suggest that rivastigmine, in addition to anticholinesterase activity, directs APP processing away from BACE1 and towards α-secretases. We treated rat neuronal PC12 cells …


The Effects Of Compassion Fatigue On Burnout Among Inpatient Psychiatric And Intensive Care Unit Nurses, Amita Madan Neidlinger Jan 2019

The Effects Of Compassion Fatigue On Burnout Among Inpatient Psychiatric And Intensive Care Unit Nurses, Amita Madan Neidlinger

DNP Projects

PURPOSE: This DNP project is relevant to nurses of the psychiatric and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) setting, as high stress environments may produce higher rates of compassion fatigue and burnout. Investigation of these areas may help illuminate unnecessary healthcare costs that are associated with these phenomena. This DNP project is important to the University of Kentucky’s healthcare system, its patients, and nurses. Increased absenteeism and increased medication errors are positively associated with the prevalence of compassion fatigue and burnout in nurses. Outcomes from this project will allow identification of unnecessary healthcare costs and encourage administrators to focus on reducing nurse …


Synaptic Phospholipids As A New Target For Cortical Hyperexcitability And E/I Balance In Psychiatric Disorders, Carine Thalman, Guilherme Horta, Lianyong Qiao, Heiko Endle, Irmgard Tegeder, Hong Cheng, Gregor Laube, Torfi Sigurdsson, Maria Jelena Hauser, Stefan Tenzer, Ute Distler, Junken Aoki, Andrew J. Morris, Gerd Geisslinger, Jochen Röper, Sergei Kirischuk, Heiko J. Luhmann, Konstantin Radyushkin, Robert Nitsch, Johannes Vogt May 2018

Synaptic Phospholipids As A New Target For Cortical Hyperexcitability And E/I Balance In Psychiatric Disorders, Carine Thalman, Guilherme Horta, Lianyong Qiao, Heiko Endle, Irmgard Tegeder, Hong Cheng, Gregor Laube, Torfi Sigurdsson, Maria Jelena Hauser, Stefan Tenzer, Ute Distler, Junken Aoki, Andrew J. Morris, Gerd Geisslinger, Jochen Röper, Sergei Kirischuk, Heiko J. Luhmann, Konstantin Radyushkin, Robert Nitsch, Johannes Vogt

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a synaptic phospholipid, which regulates cortical excitation/inhibition (E/I) balance and controls sensory information processing in mice and man. Altered synaptic LPA signaling was shown to be associated with psychiatric disorders. Here, we show that the LPA-synthesizing enzyme autotaxin (ATX) is expressed in the astrocytic compartment of excitatory synapses and modulates glutamatergic transmission. In astrocytes, ATX is sorted toward fine astrocytic processes and transported to excitatory but not inhibitory synapses. This ATX sorting, as well as the enzymatic activity of astrocyte-derived ATX are dynamically regulated by neuronal activity via astrocytic glutamate receptors. Pharmacological and genetic ATX inhibition …


Type 2 Neural Progenitor Cell Activation Drives Reactive Neurogenesis After Binge-Like Alcohol Exposure In Adolescent Male Rats, Chelsea Rhea Geil Nickell, Hui Peng, Dayna M. Hayes, Kevin Y. Chen, Justin A. Mcclain, Kimberly Nixon Dec 2017

Type 2 Neural Progenitor Cell Activation Drives Reactive Neurogenesis After Binge-Like Alcohol Exposure In Adolescent Male Rats, Chelsea Rhea Geil Nickell, Hui Peng, Dayna M. Hayes, Kevin Y. Chen, Justin A. Mcclain, Kimberly Nixon

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Excessive alcohol consumption during adolescence remains a significant health concern as alcohol drinking during adolescence increases the likelihood of an alcohol use disorder in adulthood by fourfold. Binge drinking in adolescence is a particular problem as binge-pattern consumption is the biggest predictor of neurodegeneration from alcohol and adolescents are particularly susceptible to the damaging effects of alcohol. The adolescent hippocampus, in particular, is highly susceptible to alcohol-induced structural and functional effects, including volume and neuron loss. However, hippocampal structure and function may recover with abstinence and, like in adults, a reactive burst in hippocampal neurogenesis in abstinence may contribute to …


Bayesian Prediction Intervals For Assessing P-Value Variability In Prospective Replication Studies, Olga A. Vsevolozhskaya, Gabriel Ruiz, Dmitri Zaykin Dec 2017

Bayesian Prediction Intervals For Assessing P-Value Variability In Prospective Replication Studies, Olga A. Vsevolozhskaya, Gabriel Ruiz, Dmitri Zaykin

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Increased availability of data and accessibility of computational tools in recent years have created an unprecedented upsurge of scientific studies driven by statistical analysis. Limitations inherent to statistics impose constraints on the reliability of conclusions drawn from data, so misuse of statistical methods is a growing concern. Hypothesis and significance testing, and the accompanying P-values are being scrutinized as representing the most widely applied and abused practices. One line of critique is that P-values are inherently unfit to fulfill their ostensible role as measures of credibility for scientific hypotheses. It has also been suggested that while P-values …


Impact Of Cocaine Use On Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients: Insights From Nationwide Inpatient Sample In The United States, Rupak Desai, Upenkumar Patel, Chintan Rupareliya, Sandeep Singh, Manan Shah, Rikinkumar S. Patel, Smit Patel, Zabeen Mahuwala Aug 2017

Impact Of Cocaine Use On Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients: Insights From Nationwide Inpatient Sample In The United States, Rupak Desai, Upenkumar Patel, Chintan Rupareliya, Sandeep Singh, Manan Shah, Rikinkumar S. Patel, Smit Patel, Zabeen Mahuwala

Neurology Faculty Publications

Cocaine is the third most common substance of abuse after cannabis and alcohol. The use of cocaine as an illicit substance is implicated as a causative factor for multisystem derangements ranging from an acute crisis to chronic complications. Vasospasm is the proposed mechanism behind adverse events resulting from cocaine abuse, acute ischemic strokes (AIS) being one of the few. Our study looked into in-hospital outcomes owing to cocaine use in the large population based study of AIS patients. Using the national inpatient sample (NIS) database from 2014 of United States of America, we identified AIS patients with cocaine use using …


Development, Validation And Application Of A New Fornix Template For Studies Of Aging And Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease, Christopher A. Brown, Nathan F. Johnson, Amelia J. Anderson-Mooney, Gregory A. Jicha, Leslie M. Shaw, John Q. Trojanowski, Linda J. Van Eldik, Frederick A. Schmitt, Charles D. Smith, Brian T. Gold Nov 2016

Development, Validation And Application Of A New Fornix Template For Studies Of Aging And Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease, Christopher A. Brown, Nathan F. Johnson, Amelia J. Anderson-Mooney, Gregory A. Jicha, Leslie M. Shaw, John Q. Trojanowski, Linda J. Van Eldik, Frederick A. Schmitt, Charles D. Smith, Brian T. Gold

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

We developed a merged younger-older adult template of the fornix and demonstrated its utility for studies of aging and preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD). In Experiment 1, probabilistic tractography was used to reconstruct the fornix in younger and older adults and successful streamlines were then averaged to create a merged template in standard space. The new template includes the majority of the fornix from the hippocampal formation to the subcallosal region and the thalamus/hypothalamus. In Experiment 2, the merged template was validated as an appropriate measure for studies of aging, with comparisons against manual tracing measures indicating identical spatial coverage in …


A Dna Methylation Biomarker Of Alcohol Consumption, C. Liu, R. E. Marioni, Å. K. Hedman, L. Pfeiffer, P. -C. Tsai, L. M. Reynolds, A. C. Just, Q. Duan, C. G. Boer, T. Tanaka, C. E. Elks, S. Aslibekyan, J. A. Brody, B. Kühnel, C. Herder, L. M. Almli, D. Zhi, Y. Wang, T. Huan, C. Yao, M. M. Mendelson, R. Joehanes, L. Liang, S. -A. Love, W. Guan, S. Shah, A. F. Mcrae, A. Kretschmer, H. Prokisch, K. Strauch, Donna K. Arnett Nov 2016

A Dna Methylation Biomarker Of Alcohol Consumption, C. Liu, R. E. Marioni, Å. K. Hedman, L. Pfeiffer, P. -C. Tsai, L. M. Reynolds, A. C. Just, Q. Duan, C. G. Boer, T. Tanaka, C. E. Elks, S. Aslibekyan, J. A. Brody, B. Kühnel, C. Herder, L. M. Almli, D. Zhi, Y. Wang, T. Huan, C. Yao, M. M. Mendelson, R. Joehanes, L. Liang, S. -A. Love, W. Guan, S. Shah, A. F. Mcrae, A. Kretschmer, H. Prokisch, K. Strauch, Donna K. Arnett

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The lack of reliable measures of alcohol intake is a major obstacle to the diagnosis and treatment of alcohol-related diseases. Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation may provide novel biomarkers of alcohol use. To examine this possibility, we performed an epigenome-wide association study of methylation of cytosine-phosphate-guanine dinucleotide (CpG) sites in relation to alcohol intake in 13 population-based cohorts (ntotal=13 317; 54% women; mean age across cohorts 42–76 years) using whole blood (9643 European and 2423 African ancestries) or monocyte-derived DNA (588 European, 263 African and 400 Hispanic ancestry) samples. We performed meta-analysis and variable selection in …


Administration Of Electroconvulsive Therapy For Depression Associated With Deep Brain Stimulation In A Patient With Post-Traumatic Parkinson's Disease: A Case Study, Miles G. Cunningham, Golnaz Yadollahikhales, Gordana Vitaliano, Craig Van Horne Nov 2016

Administration Of Electroconvulsive Therapy For Depression Associated With Deep Brain Stimulation In A Patient With Post-Traumatic Parkinson's Disease: A Case Study, Miles G. Cunningham, Golnaz Yadollahikhales, Gordana Vitaliano, Craig Van Horne

Neurosurgery Faculty Publications

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been shown to be effective for parkinsonian symptoms poorly responsive to medications. DBS is typically well-tolerated, as are the maintenance battery changes. Here we describe an adverse event during a battery replacement procedure that caused rapid onset of severe depression.

Case Presentation: The patient is a 58-year-old woman who was in a serious motor vehicle accident and sustained a concussion with loss of consciousness. Within weeks of the accident she began developing parkinsonian symptoms that progressively worsened over the subsequent 10 years. Responding poorly to medications, she received DBS, which controlled her movement symptoms. …


Molecular Analyses Of Circadian Gene Variants Reveal Sex-Dependent Links Between Depression And Clocks, S-Q Shi, M. J. White, H. M. Borsetti, Julie S. Pendergast, A. Hida, C. M. Ciarleglio, P. A. De Verteuil, A. G. Cadar, C. Cala, D. G. Mcmahon, R. C. Shelton, S. M. Williams, C. H. Johnson Mar 2016

Molecular Analyses Of Circadian Gene Variants Reveal Sex-Dependent Links Between Depression And Clocks, S-Q Shi, M. J. White, H. M. Borsetti, Julie S. Pendergast, A. Hida, C. M. Ciarleglio, P. A. De Verteuil, A. G. Cadar, C. Cala, D. G. Mcmahon, R. C. Shelton, S. M. Williams, C. H. Johnson

Biology Faculty Publications

An extensive literature links circadian irregularities and/or sleep abnormalities to mood disorders. Despite the strong genetic component underlying many mood disorders, however, previous genetic associations between circadian clock gene variants and major depressive disorder (MDD) have been weak. We applied a combined molecular/functional and genetic association approach to circadian gene polymorphisms in sex-stratified populations of control subjects and case subjects suffering from MDD. This approach identified significant sex-dependent associations of common variants of the circadian clock genes hClock, hPer3 and hNpas2 with major depression and demonstrated functional effects of these polymorphisms on the expression or activity of the hCLOCK …


Improving Depression Care For Older Home Health Patients, Sarah R. Schirmer Jan 2015

Improving Depression Care For Older Home Health Patients, Sarah R. Schirmer

DNP Projects

Rates of depression in older home healthcare (HH) patients are highly prevalent. Although depression in this population is associated with increased rates of re-hospitalization, falls, and suicides, it is frequently under diagnosed and under treated. This Capstone Report examined this problem through three interrelated manuscripts. The first manuscript explored the problem through a review of the literature. This review determined that while there are many barriers to adequate depression care, programs that train clinicians to screen for depression and connect patients to depression care encourage adequate evaluation and treatment and can result in clinically significant changes in depression scores. This …


Foster Parents' Perceptions And Beliefs About Social Emotional Development In Infants And Toddlers, Susan R. Noel Jan 2015

Foster Parents' Perceptions And Beliefs About Social Emotional Development In Infants And Toddlers, Susan R. Noel

DNP Projects

Infants and toddlers placed in foster care are at increased risk for social-emotional (SE) development dysregulation. Foster parents, as surrogate parents, play a critical role in a young child having the potential for healthy SE development. The transactional model supports the complex and intricate interplays and transactions of the child, the foster parent, and the environment that influences a healthy SE development. This qualitative descriptive study explored foster parent knowledge, behavioral cue recognitions, and role perception regarding a young child's SE development. Although the sample size was small, the study provides relevant information, from the on-going experiences of foster parents, …