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Egypt\u27s Mental Health Care System
Full text linkMental health disorders are a growing problem worldwide. While Western countries are more open to discussing mental health issues, this isn’t the case in Arab and African countries. In Egypt, talking about mental health is considered taboo, leading to a large number of individuals seeking treatment from traditional healers (Okasha et al., 2020). There are numerous reasons why Egyptians tend to seek traditional care, a large factor being the presence of traditional healers in local communities, fostering a sense of community acceptance (Assad et al., 2015). A recent study found that although seeking care from traditional healers can sometimes result in a delay of obtaining necessary psychiatric interventions, having the option of seeing a traditional healer provides individuals in Egypt with care they can seek without cultural stigmatization, leading to more individuals seeking some kind of care rather than none at all (Shelali, et, al., 2023). This paper aims to provide a comprehensive view on the impacts of traditional healers on mental health outcomes in Egypt
Impact of Family Presence During Hospital Rounds
Full text linkHealthcare team members use multidisciplinary rounds to communicate, clarify, and plan details of the patient’s care. Family-centered rounds, or FCRs, are a type of rounding designed to actively involve family members in these discussions (Woldering et al. 2023). Woldering et al. (2023) propose that family members can participate in rounds by asking questions, providing insight on the patient’s experiences, and engaging in collaborative goal setting. This study shows that FCRs can reduce anxiety, increase family participation, and lower the length of hospitalization, showing benefits to both the patient and their families. Currently, healthcare systems lack an evidence-based, standardized system for how FCRs should be implemented (Davidson et al. 2017). This review will examine different models of family-centered rounding from the perspective of patients, families, and the care team and develop recommendations for how to implement FCRs effectively
The Importance of Cost Transparency in Healthcare: Improving Cost-of-Care Conversations to Support Patient Decision-Making
Full text linkHealthcare costs have steadily increased over the years, driven by factors such as administrative inefficiencies, high pharmaceutical prices, and the complexity of insurance systems (Soley-Bori et al., 2020). The issue extends beyond individual patients, impacting the entire healthcare system through increased emergency room visits and higher rates of untreated chronic conditions. Policies aimed at cost transparency, insurance reform, and increased access to affordable care are essential in addressing this crisis. Research highlights the importance of patient-provider cost-of-care discussions as a potential solution, yet these discussions remain infrequent due to barriers such as provider training gaps, time constraints, and systemic inefficiencies (Conner et al., 2022). As healthcare costs continue to rise, the need for policy interventions and improved patient-provider communication becomes even more urgent in ensuring equitable access to medical care
Exploring the Impact of Residential Proximity to Blue Spaces on the Occurence of Diabetes
Full text linkThere is a commonly held belief among surfers in the healing properties of the ocean. Many report that simply visiting a beach has a positive effect on them, whether it is spiritually, mentally, or physically. According to Sandifer et al. (2021) “evidence suggests that living close to ‘blue spaces’ (water features), particularly coastlines, has salutary effects on human health” (p. 1), highlighting a potential benefit to coastal living. For some countries across Europe and Australia, research suggests that living by the coast in Europe and Australia is associated with better health (Geiger et al., 2023). Can similar health benefits of living close to blue spaces be observed in other parts of the world? Due to a family history of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and personal prediabetes, this paper investigates how much of an impact living close to blue spaces has on the occurrence of diabetes
The Effects of BiPAP Masks while in Acute Care Settings, Drawbacks and Alternate Mask Options
Full text linkThere are a variety of clinical masks used in hospital environments for respiratory treatments. One treatment used for acute care patients experiencing symptoms, due to chronic respiratory health issues such as COPD or sleep apnea, is referred to as a Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP) machine. The Cleveland Clinic defines this machine in simple terms as “…a type of noninvasive ventilation that helps you breathe. Providers can use it to treat you if you’re not getting enough oxygen or can’t get rid of carbon dioxide “(The Cleveland Clinic, 2023, BiPAP). To break it down further, bilevel in this case means one pressure is for high pressure (when you’re inhaling oxygen) and low pressure (for when you are exhaling carbon dioxide). One drawback to this system is that patients wear ill-fitting masks that cover their nose, mouth, and surrounding parts and they may develop pressure injuries over a short period of time (Hamilton Medical, n.d., When and where do pressure injuries occur?). This paper will briefly investigate the drawbacks and effects of BiPAP masks for acute care settings and explore optional masks to provide more consistent, comfortable patient care
Exercise Therapy as a First-line, Non-pharmacological Intervention for Symptom Reduction and Improved Quality of Life for Patients with Fibromyalgia
Full text linkFibromyalgia (FM) is a disorder of unknown cause, characterized primarily by chronic widespread pain of the musculoskeletal system and an abnormal pain response (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022). In addition to pain, patients with FM report many other symptoms, including: Poor sleep quality, chronic fatigue, depression and anxiety, cognitive difficulties (e.g. memory problems and difficulty thinking known as ‘brain fog’), migraines, tension headaches, irritable or overactive bladder, gastro-intestinal dysfunction (e.g. irritable bowel syndrome and heartburn), and an overall decreased quality of life (American College of Rheumatology [ACR], 2023; CDC, 2022; European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology [EULAR], n.d.; Kundakci, et al., 2022; Niu et al., 2024; Ryan, 2024; Thomas, 2024)....This paper aims to outline the current recommendations regarding exercise therapy for patients with FM and to act as a resource for health care professionals working with FM patients in the clinical setting
Development of Copper-Catalyzed Alkylboron Oxidative Homocoupling
Full text linkCarbon-carbon bonds are one of the most common bonds in organic chemistry. Alkyl boron coupling has been heavily studied but there is a gap with Csp3-Csp3 bonds made with boron reagents. Csp3 bonds are extremely relevant to organic chemistry and organic synthesis. The goal of this project is to optimize a Csp3-Csp3 copper catalyzed homocoupling with a boron reagent and generalize the reaction. To develop this reaction the alkyl boron reagent was synthesized with a Grignard reaction and the copper catalyzed reductive oxidation was screened at different temperatures and the products were analyzed with NMR spectroscopy. Progress will be presented at the symposium
For a Better Earth
No full textFor a Better Earth is a multimedia project about organizations and people in Oregon who are making changes and practicing a way of life that betters the Earth. The first film looks at Wingspan Farm in McMinnville and its efforts to plant thousands of trees on its land to rebuild a forest. The other highlights Kindness Farm in Portland --- an immigrant, LGBTQ+ and refugee-led farm that focuses on educating others about regenerative agriculture
Optical Thickness Determination of Graphene by Color
Full text linkGraphene, and multi-layered graphene, are single atomic layers of carbon, with remarkable electrical properties. This makes it a highly valuable material across scientific and technological fields. Accurate thickness determination is essential, as many of the electrical properties are layer dependent; however, typical methods are slow. This thesis investigates a non-invasive optical method for estimating graphene thickness by correlating RGB color values from microscope images with step height measurements obtained via atomic force microscopy (AFM). Graphene flakes were exfoliated onto a SiO₂/Si substrate, imaged under white light illumination, and analyzed using ImageJ to extract color values. Results show that red-channel contrast offers the closest agreement with theory for flakes under ~12 nm, supporting its use as a practical tool for rapid screening
An Investigation Into the Van Der Pauw and 4-Probe Methods to Measure Resistivity
No full textThis work compares the accuracy and applicability of the four-probe voltage measurements versus the Van der Pauw (VDP) methods for measuring the resistivity of thin-film metallic devices. Gold films with varying geometries were fabricated through photolithography and electron beam evaporation. Both resistance measurement techniques were applied to each design, and resistivity was calculated and compared across a range of lead widths and wire dimensions. This work provides a framework for selecting appropriate resistivity measurement techniques in microfabricated devices and establishes working limits for applying the VDP method