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Implementation of Skin-to-Skin Contact Immediately Post Cesarean Birth: A Quality Improvement Project
Get PDFProblem: Skin-to-skin contact implemented within the first hour of a newborn’s life improves health outcomes for both mother and infant. One of these health outcomes includes exclusive breastfeeding. The purpose of this quality improve project was to implement an infant securement device within the operating room after cesarean section births to decrease the time to initiate skin-to-skin contact and increase exclusive breastmilk feeding rates at discharge.
Methods: This study utilized a descriptive, observational design and was guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework. A pre-test, post-test design was utilized to compared retrospective and prospective data. The retrospective data was collected to assess the rates of skin-to-skin contact and exclusive breastmilk feeding before the implementation of the infant securement device.
Results: Before the implementation of the device in April, 60 (n = 60) patients qualified. During the implementation in May, 32 (n = 32) patients qualified. The average rate of exclusive breastmilk feeding amongst cesarean section births in April 2024 was 44.6%, in May it was 38.4%. Chi-square testing found that results were not significant (p = 0.456). The average rate of skin-to-skin contact within the first two hours in April 2024 was 55.4%, in May it was 70%. The Fisher’s Exact test found that results were significant (p = .014).
Implications for Practice: Findings support the continued use of the infant securement device to improve both skin-to-skin contact rates and exclusive breastmilk feeding. Due to uncontrollable delays for the completion of this project, the primary and co-investigators were only able to collect data for a restricted amount of time, limiting the sample size. Additionally, unexpected maternal and/or neonatal instability kept some qualifying mothers from utilizing the device, eliminating them from the study. Finally, this was the first month implementing the device, resulting in some hesitation from the healthcare team
Evaluation of the Grief of Mothers Affected by Perinatal and Traumatic Loss
No full textProblem: The experience of a perinatal loss can be traumatic for mothers, and complicated grief reactions are common for those who have experienced a perinatal loss. An increase in perinatal loss resources is needed in the United States. The purpose of this program evaluation was to assess outcomes of a pilot perinatal loss support program on the grief of women who have experienced a perinatal loss.
Methods: This project was an evaluation of a perinatal loss support program that employed evidence-based strategies in both individual and group therapy sessions. A retrospective design was used, and data on perinatal grief was collected via chart review and analyzed. Participants completed the Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS), a validated tool that assesses despair, difficulty coping, and active grieving, prior to their first therapy session and again upon completion of the program.
Results: The total number of participants was 23 (n = 23), and all program participants completed the PGS on admission (n = 23, 100%) and at discharge (n = 23, 100%). Total PGS scores ranged from 54 to 134 on admission and 43 to 144 at discharge. Data analysis via the Wilcoxon signed-rank test determined that there was a statistically significant different median in PGS scores on admission and following the perinatal loss support intervention at discharge (z = -3.45, p \u3c .001). Results remained significant irrespective of psychotropic use, number of living children, and number of group sessions attended.
Implications for Practice: Prior to the launch of this program, a support group for perinatal loss did not exist in the local community. Findings suggest that this program is beneficial for mothers following a perinatal loss, indicating that the program may fill a gap in healthcare resources for this population. Future intervention should focus on continuation of evidence-based strategies with a larger and more diverse sample to reinforce the existing positive results of the perinatal loss support program. Continuing and expanding the program may lead to an overall decrease in adverse mental health outcomes and improved quality of life for women in the community who have experienced a loss
Should California Have Banned Red Dye 3? An Economic Cost-Benefit Analysis
Get PDFOn October 7, 2023, California passed the “California Food Safety Act,” which banned four food additives including Red Dye 3. This research explores whether California made the right decision to ban Red Dye 3 based on an economic Cost-Benefit Analysis. The major costs to California as a whole include the cost to food manufacturers and the cost of implementing the legislation. On the other hand, the major benefits to California residents include the reduced risk of thyroid cancer and fewer ADHD symptoms. After monetizing these costs and benefits, this Cost-Benefit Analysis results in a net gain (net present value) of over 14 billion dollars for a 20-year time frame. Therefore, the benefits of banning Red Dye 3 in California greatly outweigh the costs, and the legislation is socially optimal
Implementation of a Standardized Nursing Handoff in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
No full textHandoff communication is critical in healthcare and is associated with patient safety outcomes. Various tools and interventions are available to improve handoff communication as inadequate communication contributes to medical errors, patient adverse events, and increased mortality. The implementation of a standardized handoff tool has been shown to be effective. Findings revealed a significant 60% reduction in reported patient harm events, despite the study\u27s limited sample size and lack of statistical significance (p = .614). Challenges such as low utilization (18.62%) were attributed to concerns about tool organization, spatial constraints, and staff resistance to change. Recommendations include refining the tool to better accommodate patient information, improving staff education and engagement, and integrating EHR prompts for more accurate documentation. Ongoing evaluation and feedback are crucial for enhancing and sustaining standardized handoff practices
The Holodomor: Death by Hunger
Get PDFThe Holodomor was a man-made famine used by Stalin’s regime against the nation of Ukraine. This deliberate famine was both politically and ethnically motivated for the purpose of progressing the Communist Revolution. Stalin believed there was a growing issue of separatism in Ukraine which threatened the unity of the Soviet Union. Stalin’s regime used collectivization, a system of violent seizure of land, people, and resources, to boost industrialization within the Soviet Union as well as to terrorize Ukrainians into submission. The Soviet Union enacted strict censorship of the Holodomor, setting back conversations on it by decades. The attack on the Ukrainian nationality and ethnicity by the Soviet Union has had a lasting psychological and cultural impact on Ukrainians
Exploring the Early Solar System: Cometary Chemical Fingerprints: A Study of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) via Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
Get PDFComets are small, icy remnants from the solar system formation (4.5 billion years ago). Their interior composition should reflect the composition and conditions presented in the mid-plane of the protoplanetary region where (and when) they formed. These small objects predominantly reside in two major reservoirs, the Oort cloud and the Kuiper belt. Comets coming from the Oort cloud have long orbital periods while comets from the Kuiper belt have short orbital periods (\u3c 200 years). An overarching goal in astronomy is to understand the conditions presented in the planetary region in the early solar system. Since comets lack a known mechanism of self internal heating, any processes that have changed their composition should only affect a few meters deep, which is believed to be excavated over a course of a perihelion passage into the inner parts of the solar system. As comets get closer to the Sun, solar irradiation causes their ices to sublime, leaving a formation of a freely expanding atmosphere (coma). Depending on the science interest, astrophysicists use different techniques for data collection, a common one being spectroscopy. Using iSHELL spectrograph at the NASA-Near-Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF), we examine the primary chemical composition (e.g., H2O, CO, CH4, C2H6, C2H2, H2CO, NH3, CH3OH, OCS, and OH) of cometary coma in bright comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF). Our preliminary results indicate the H2O production rate of ~3.4E28 (molecules per second), which corresponds to the rotational temperature of 86 (K). Cometary atmospheres are dense enough that molecules in the inner coma are thermalized by collision (Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium), thus 86 (K) is a physical parameter of coma. We compared the production of the rest of species with that of water (in %) and our results indicated that comet E3 was typical (close to average) in mixing ratios of all volatile species. By mapping the intensity of light with distance from the nucleus,we were able to examine the spatial distribution of volatiles and dust in E3’s coma which were consistent with production directly from the nucleus
The AIMag Project: Using Machine Learning to Predict Crustal Magnetic Anomaly Values
Get PDFA detailed model of the Earth’s total magnetic field is important for acquiring the means for GPS-alternative, magnetic anomaly-based navigation. The Earth’s total magnetic field is an amalgam of 5 mechanisms: the geodynamo generated by the rotation of the Earth’s molten iron core, the fields induced by the flows of electric current in the atmosphere and oceans, the disturbance of the ionosphere by solar wind, and local anomalies attributable to ferromagnetic minerals present in the crust; the lattermost compose the crustal magnetic field. The EMAG2v3 dataset comprises a compilation of satellite, shipborne, and airborne magnetic measurements differenced from the Comprehensive Model (CM4) to yield a 2-minute grid of magnetic anomalies. The current work analyzes this dataset for use as a training set in a convolutional neural network (CNN) intended to predict crustal magnetism in areas without measurements, particularly for use in GPS-denied regions. For this purpose, global topography and bathymetry data, gravitational field data (EGM08), and the Magnetic Field Model (MF7) have been preprocessed as CNN inputs
Investigation of Alzheimer’s Amyloid-β Protein Aggregation With a New Fluorescent Dye.
Get PDFAlzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia characterized by the impairment of at least two brain functions such as memory loss and judgement. AD is a progressive illness that can last as many as 20 years. AD is largely considered to be caused by the formation of extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. A better understanding of the structure and function of these plaques may lead to clearer understanding of the disease. To analyze amyloid plaques, aggregation assays are often used. During these assays we begin with monomer and place the sample in biological conditions to see how long it takes for the monomer to aggregate. A key component of these assays is a tracer molecule such as Thioflavin T. The tracer molecule allows us to determine when the monomer has begun to aggregate. I have been analyzing a new fluorescent dye to determine if it may be a better fit for amyloid beta aggregation assays
Examining Immune Markers as Determinants of Cognitive Difficulties Among Perinatally Infected Youth with HIV
Get PDFThis research explores the relationship between immune markers and cognitive performance in perinatally HIV-infected youth. While the use of antiretroviral therapy has greatly improved the mortality rate among children with perinatal HIV, these children still experience various health consequences, including cognitive difficulties. Previous studies have reported that children with perinatal HIV have worse cognitive performance in domains of learning, memory, processing speed, executive function, and motor function when compared to their HIV-uninfected peers. However, there is substantial heterogeneity in cognitive performance reported across studies, possibly due to significant heterogeneity in psychosocial and demographic backgrounds. This study aims to investigate whether immune markers are potential determinants of cognitive difficulties among perinatally infected youth. A cross-sectional study of adolescents residing in privately funded orphanages in Yangon, Myanmar, was conducted, and the results suggest that lower neurocognitive performance correlates with higher plasma markers of inflammation, including CD14 and CD163. The study highlights the importance of investigating the role of immune markers in cognitive outcomes in perinatally HIV-infected youth
Etherification of Propargylic Alcohol using Ferrocenium Ions
Get PDFEtherification of Propargylic Alcohol using Ferrocenium Ions
Cody Amann, Sai Anvesh Bezawada and Eike B. Bauer*
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Missouri-St.Louis, MO 63121
Our research efforts are directed toward the improvement of iron-based catalyst systems. The Bauer research group recently found that the ferrocenium cation is a catalytically active in the etherification of propargylic alcohols. My research was to compare the effect of two different counteranions of the ferrocenium cation on the catalytic activity. Etherification test reactions were performed using 2-methyl-2-phenol-propargylic alcohol and n-butanol to afford the corresponding propargylic ether substitution products. The complexes used as catalysts were ferrocenium hexafluorophosphate (I) and ferrocenium tetrafluoroborate (II) depicted below.
Test reactions shown below were performed using equimolar amounts of a propargylic alcohol and the primary n-butanol alcohol in CH2Cl2 at 40 °C with an increasing amount of catalyst load. The formation of the propargylic ether product was analyzed by using gas chromatography in 2 h and 18 h intervals. We observed an increase in the ether formation with increasing catalyst load. The research assists with increasing the efficiency of the catalyst system for the title reaction, which overall saves energy and resources in potential industrial applications