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Advancing Translational Research in Neurodevelopmental Disorders using a Human Neuronal Xenograft (HuNeuX) Model
No full textMany genetic epilepsies and neurodevelopmental disorders such as Dravet Syndrome are caused by haploinsufficiency of genes involved in synaptic transmission. Oligonucleotides show promise to target these genes and upregulate protein expression; however, these therapeutics can be difficult to translate preclinically as many synaptic genes show low sequence homology between rodents and humans. Thus, we generated an in-house human neuronal xenograft (HuNeuX) mouse model by transplanting human neurons into the mouse host via intraparenchymal brain injection. We evaluated different factors that would make the host environment permissive for transplant survival, including the degree of host immune deficiency required and optimal host age. Finally, to demonstrate the functionality of the model, we dosed HuNeuX mice with an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) known to increase SCN1A expression, the gene that is haploinsufficient in Dravet syndrome. If ASO20N increased gene expression in transplanted human neuron population within the murine brain, this would confirm the utility of the model. This work proposes the HuNeuX model as a useful tool to assess human-neuronal specific genetic target engagement in vivo across central nervous system (CNS) indications
Preventive Strategies for Elder Abuse within Hospice Care by Healthcare Professionals
Get PDFBackground: Healthcare professionals providing hospice care need to have particular specialized abilities, empathy, and trust. Unfortunately, some of these medical professionals are unable to provide their patients the care they need, so they will instead abuse and ignore them. Elder abuse must be identified and addressed in hospice care settings if older patients are to have their rights and dignity upheld and a standardized, compassionate end-of-life care program is to be provided for each patient.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness and preventative strategies for elder abuse, implemented by healthcare providers within the hospice care settings by examining and stating preventative measures.
Method: We used a qualitative approach utilizing structured interviews toward healthcare professionals and patients by asking a series of questions regarding hospice care experience, witnessing abuse, and abuse training/education.
Results: We found that a majority of healthcare professionals attended a mandatory abuse training program, yet it wasn’t as useful due to it being vague and not resembling real life scenarios. Patients state they have no personally experienced abuse, but know of their peers that have. During the interviews, family members have stated nurses did not educate them about the warning signs of abuse.
Conclusion: Healthcare institutions may strive toward creating settings of safety, compassion, and respect for senior patients receiving hospice care by putting into place evidence-based treatments and rules. By working together and putting patient welfare first, we can reduce the number of elder abuse cases and make sure that everyone receiving hospice care has a dignified death experience.https://scholar.dominican.edu/nursing-student-research-posters/1087/thumbnail.jp
Transgender Asian Americans
Get PDFUnderstanding how transgender Asian Americans feel and what they experience is crucial, not just for the sake of healthcare, but also societal balance, better legislation, and to aid communities that struggle with acceptance. The goal of this research is to uplift and share the stories of transgender Asian Americans. Doing so can make our society more equitable and free of discrimination and fear of harassment.https://scholar.dominican.edu/nursing-student-research-posters/1074/thumbnail.jp
Medical Cannabis in Pediatric Chronic Pain and Diseases
Get PDFBackground: Pediatric chronic pain has seen a disturbing rise which ends up affecting the child’s routine and impacting their family’s lives. Medical cannabis has Food and Drug Administration-approved derivatives, yet the studies that focus on medical cannabis do not discuss targeting pain in pediatric patients. Children who experience chronic diseases and treatment-resistant pain are not normally offered medical cannabis as a treatment option which needs to change. Objective: The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of medical cannabis within the pediatric population. If children experience pain that is similar to adults, withholding techniques that can help alleviate their pain should be avoided. The study will assess how pediatric patients adapt to medical cannabis. Method: The proposed research design is a quantitative, test-retest study focused on pediatric patients who are 3-12 years old and have been diagnosed with a chronic disease, treatment-resistant pain, or both. There will be a collaboration with Bay Area pediatric outpatient offices. The study will use the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale and Likert Scale. There are many ethical considerations surrounding this study since pediatric patients are a vulnerable population due to their varying mental capacities. Post-treatment, patients and parents will re-evaluate pain and daily living. Statistical analysis will help identify areas for further research regarding different demographics. The results are anticipated to provide valuable contributions to pediatric pain management
Assessing Lung Cancer Screening Protocols and Outcomes: A Comparative Analysis Between Indonesia and the United States
Get PDFBackground/Significance: Social inequity is a large problem within the healthcare system, especially in third-world countries, like Indonesia. Poor access to healthcare and screening protocols can contribute to delayed diagnoses, poorer outcomes, and increasing mortality rates. Purpose: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of lung cancer screening protocols in Indonesia compared to California and help identify potential barriers and factors in lung cancer screening in both regions. This will later help reform policy interventions and decisions to improve community access. Methods: The study will be divided into two portions using a mixed method approach. The qualitative component will include lung pulmonologists being surveyed to gather insights on existing screening practices and patient outcomes. The quantitative component will include patient interviews about their experiences, in addition to the necessary data that will be collected from medical records and post-visit surveys at the end of the appointment. Results: Similarly, to the literature review, results will suggest that Indonesia lacks standardized screening, leading to disparities in early detection and treatment access, while those in California report to have higher levels of awareness and adherence to screening recommendations. Major challenges that are currently faced are financial barriers and limited access to healthcare facilities in Indonesia. Implications: This study’s findings highlight the need to better improve Indonesia’s lung cancer screening protocols and access to care. Interventions that need to be focused on are the patients’ increased awareness, financial support, and expanding their healthcare infrastructure. This can benefit the persisting social inequity at hand and better improve health outcomes for lung cancer patients in resource-limited settings
Evaluating the Mental Health of Newly Graduated Nurses in Transition from Undergraduate Training to Professional Practice
Get PDFBackground: There is an increasing demand for nurses worldwide as healthcare systems slowly recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Simultaneously, there is a high turnover of registered nurses and an even higher turnover in the demographic of newly graduated nurses. Newly graduated nurses (NGNs) are constantly faced with high levels of stress upon starting out in the professional environment and as a result of mental burnout and inadequate preparation, there is a notably high turnover of newly graduated nurses within their first year of employment. Purpose: This research aims to use existing information on the transition from undergraduate training to professional practice to evaluate the mental health of newly graduated nurses and to help develop a greater understanding of the importance of well-being. The implementation of this understanding into clinical orientation has the potential to significantly reduce the turnover rate and promote job satisfaction for newly graduated nurses. Method: To accomplish this research, a mixed-methods approach combining both quantitative and qualitative data will be applied to explore the experiences of newly graduated nurses transitioning from undergraduate training to professional practice. The quantitative component will use a validated scale to measure specific emotions experienced during the transition, while the qualitative component will provide a fully captured understanding of the perceptions and perceived mental health status of newly graduated nurses during this period. Results: The data for this study has yet to be collected, but the expected results will prove the hypothesis that the transition from undergraduate training to professional practice can significantly impact the mental health of newly graduated nurses during their first year of employment.https://scholar.dominican.edu/nursing-student-research-posters/1126/thumbnail.jp
The Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Racism on the Risk for Poor Birth Outcomes in Women of Color
Get PDFBackground: Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are traumatic challenges experienced before the age of 18. These adversities have lifelong effects on physiologic and mental health. A relationship has been made between the number of ACEs and occurrences of poor birth outcomes. The toxic stress that accumulates from ACEs compounded by racism increases the risk for poor birth outcomes in women of color. Understanding the importance of screening for these events can mitigate the negative effects on women’s health during and after gestation. Purpose: This current paper, in addition to a literature review, proposes a research design to validate the feasibility of screening for both ACEs and racist experiences to predict the risk for poor birth outcomes. Method: Participants will be recruited from an obstetrician and gynecology office in a metropolitan, diverse city in the Bay Area. Participants will take a confidential electronic survey to quantify their ACE score, their racial adversity score, and number of experienced poor birth outcomes such as preterm birth, stillbirths, or spontaneous abortions. Results: Descriptive statistics will be used to determine any significant associations between the adversity scores and occurrences of poor birth outcomes. Combined, the quantities of both kinds of adversities would ideally prove to be an effective predictive tool for risks for poor birth outcomes in women of color. Conclusion: Screening for ACEs as well as racial traumas is relevant to nursing as it abides by holistic and trauma-informed healthcare. This proposal helps advance the science of comprehensive perinatal care.
Keywords: adverse childhood experiences, ACEs, allostatic load, racism, women of color, poor birth outcome
Hidden in Plain Sight: Native Land Under Stanford
No full text5,000 years before Spanish Colonization was the start of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. Between 1769 and 1834, the number of Indigenous Native Americans in the area went from 300,000 to 250,000. These people went through a shift of control from Spaniard Conquistadors to Mexican Rancheros taking control of land and ideology. Then, California was freed from Mexico, so this meant freedom for the Natives right? This is just the beginning of their struggle as land owners change and California goes through modernization and massacre. Many forget the roots of the land they step on, even those who may be taught about the history and it could have happened under their very school.https://scholar.dominican.edu/mapping-bay-area-memory-places/1015/thumbnail.jp
Exploring Ideological Differences in Taiwanese Perceptions of Cross-Strait Relations
Get PDFThis is an exploratory research that seeks to investigate how ideology predicts Taiwanese perceptions of cross-strait relations, including attitudes toward Taiwan independence, perceptions of mainland China and Chinese people, Chinese invasion of Taiwan, and Chinese democracy. We took an inductive approach to left-right differences in Taiwan to offer a more systematic empirical understanding of ideology beyond the West. To do so, we conducted a nationally representative survey among adult Taiwan citizens (N = 1,350). Findings revealed that those who identified with the Left (vs. Right) tended to demonstrate more negative perceptions of cross-strait relations. Specifically, the political left is more negative about the outlook of Chinese democracy while favoring Taiwan independence, than the political right. Furthermore, the political left perceives both mainland China and the Chinese people more negatively than the political right. These findings underscore the role of ideology for a full comprehension of cross-strait relations, as they indicated a fundamental difference between the political left vs. right in terms of perceptions of cross-strait relations. The present research extends existing political psychology literature on ideology and international relations, particularly in the East Asian context
Empowering Maternal Resilience: A Prenatal Education Program for Mothers and Their Chosen Support Persons for Postpartum Depression
Get PDFPrevious research studies have demonstrated the positive impact education and social support has on reducing the risk of postpartum depression (PPD) when used separately. However, there exists a clear gap in understanding the combined effects of integrating both education and social support during the prenatal period on PPD. This longitudinal quasi-experimental study aims to evaluate the impact of an in-person prenatal PPD prevention program for the birthing person, requiring the presence of a support person on the reduction of PPD. Participants and their chosen support persons will receive information on PPD, including risk factors, signs and symptoms, preventative measures, and coping strategies. The study will involve 128 participants from a local obstetrics community clinic selected through convenience sampling, with 64 participants in the experimental group and 64 in the control group. Basic demographic data, as well as information on the relationship with the support person, will be collected prior to intervention. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale will be administered as a pre-test during the third trimester and as a post-test at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months postpartum. The experimental group will attend the in-person prenatal PPD program while the control group will instead receive the usual prenatal care. Two-tailed t-tests will be used to assess statistical significance in comparing PPD incidents between experimental and control groups at various postpartum time points. Pearson Correlation coefficient (Pearson r) will measure the linear association between pairs of continuous variables. If successful, the study could provide nurses with an evidence-based approach to PPD education and prevention. Importantly, it has the potential to enhance the well-being of the mother and baby. The more nurses can expose birthing persons and their support persons to patient and partner-centered PPD education, the lower the risk of PPD