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Recent Research Publications and Funding
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July 1, 2011 4:00AM
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious public health problem affecting 10% to 15% of women during the first year after delivery with negative consequences for both mother and infant. There is a need for evidence-based interventions to treat this disorder. Thus, the purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature regarding group treatment for PPD to determine the current state of knowledge regarding the efficacy of this treatment modality for reducing depressive symptoms in postpartum women. A systematic search of published and unpublished literature using the electronic databases Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Database, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Current Controlled Trials, and Dissertation Abstracts through March 2011, supplemented by hand searches, identified 11 studies which met inclusion criteria: six were randomized controlled trials and five were non-randomized trials which utilized non-equivalent control or comparison groups. All but one study showed statistically significant improvement in depression scores from pretreatment to post-treatment, suggesting that group treatment is effective in reducing PPD symptoms. The review provides initial support for the role of group therapy in the treatment of PPD; however, caution is advised in making generalized interpretations of the findings as there was considerable heterogeneity of the studies included and the quality of the studies was mixed. Overall, the review reveals significant gaps in the current evidence base for group treatment for PPD and recommendations for further research is discussed.
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July 1, 2011 4:00AM
Although the number of Hispanic women attending postsecondary institutions has significantly increased in the past decade, knowledge about their use of campus health services to address sexuality-related issues remains low. Increased information about this population is crucial given that sexual health indicators have shown Hispanic women in college to be at a greater risk for negative sexual health outcomes compared with their white counterparts. In this study, we conducted individual interviews with Hispanic women to explore their sexual health concerns and identify the roles they see campus-based health clinics playing in addressing these issues. Study findings suggest a need for health providers to provide sexual health skills that empower Hispanic women, the importance of creating a sense of comfort and trust with the health provider, and illustrating respect for cultural values. Campus health centers can play an important role in providing culturally appropriate sexual health information to Hispanic and other ethnic/racial minority students.
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June 1, 2011 4:00AM
Research related to perioperative care requires advanced training and is well suited to take place at a research-intensive university. A recent research alliance established between AORN and the University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, uses the strengths of both a robust perioperative professional organization and a research-intensive university to make progress toward improving patient safety and transforming the perioperative work environment. Research activities undertaken by this alliance include investigating nurse staffing characteristics and patient outcomes, as well as evaluating the congruence and definitions of data elements contained in AORN's SYNTEGRITY™ Standardized Perioperative Framework. Disseminating the findings of the alliance is expected to facilitate the communication and application of new knowledge to nursing practice and help advance the perioperative nursing profession.
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May 31, 2011 4:00AM
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs are becoming increasingly common, but have not been studied in low income minority older populations. The purpose of this study was to understand which parts of MBSR were most important to practicing MBSR members of this population, and to understand whether they apply their training to daily challenges. There were three focus groups with 13 current members of an MBSR program. Participants were African American women over the age of 60 in a low-income housing residence. Each session was tape recorded and subsequently used inductive content analysis to identify primary themes.Analysis of the focus group responses revealed three primary themes stress management, applying mindfulness, and the social support of the group meditation. The stressors they cited using MBSR with included growing older with physical pain, medical tests, financial strain, and having grandchildren with significant mental, physical, financial or legal hardships. It was found that participants particularly used their MBSR training for coping with medical procedures, and managing both depression and anger. In conclusion, a reflective stationary intervention delivered in-residence could be an ideal mechanism to decrease stress in low-income older adult's lives and improve their health.
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May 20, 2011 4:00AM
Background: Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) is a collective term used to describe genetic susceptibility to breast and/or ovarian cancer. Most HBOC cases are attributed to BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes (BRCA1/2). Once a case of HBOC is identified, the risk of carrying a BRCA1/2 mutation and its implications extends to family members. This study examined whether female relatives from HBOC families can identify risk factors associated with HBOC and modes of BRCA1/2 gene transmission. Methods: This quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study assessed frequencies of correct responses to 19 items assessing knowledge of HBOC risk factors and 17 items assessing knowledge of modes of gene inheritance. All items have been previously validated. The sample consisted of 172 women, who based on pedigree analysis had >10% of carrying an-HBOC predisposing genetic mutation, but had NOT pursued genetic testing. Results:The majority of items assissing risk factors associated with HBOC were correcty identified by more than 50% of respondents. Sporadic occurence of breast cancer was correctly identified by 95% of the sample. Of the 17 items assessing knowledge of gene mutation transmission, 2 items were correctly identified by 87% of participants: that inherited and non-inherited mutations can cause cancer, and that genetic testing cannot predict risk of developing cancer. Approximately 50% knew that men can pass on a BRCA1/2 mutation to their children, and correctly identified all family history signs indicative of a mutation-harboring family. Fewer women (<35%) correctly identified the numeric probabilities of developing HBOC and of passing on a BRCA1/2 mutation to offspring. Conclusions: Educational interventions are needed to educate women at risk for HBOC. Identifying appropriate information dissemination information strategies to target these women should be a priority for healthcare providers. These strategies should also focus on encouraging communication among women at high risk for HBOC and their family members.
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May 17, 2011 4:00AM
Recently, biobehavioral nursing scientists have focused their attention on the search for biomarkers or biological signatures to identify patients at risk for various health problems and poor disease outcomes. In response to the national impetus for biomarker discovery, the measurement of biological fluids and tissues has become increasingly sophisticated. Urine proteomics, in particular, may hold great promise for biobehavioral focused nursing scientists for examination of symptom-and syndrome-related research questions. Urine proteins are easily accessible secreted proteins that provide direct and indirect windows into bodily functions. Advances in proteomics and biomarker discovery provide new opportunities to conduct research studies with banked and fresh urine to benefit diagnosis, prognosis, and evaluation of outcomes in various disease populations. This article provides a review of proteomics and a rationale for utilizing urine proteomics in biobehavioral research. It addresses as well some of the challenges involved in data collection and sample preparation.
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May 17, 2011 4:00AM
Thermoregulation, or control of body temperature, has been studied as a fundamental physiological parameter defining health and disease for centuries (Ring, 2007; Ring, McEvoy, Jung, Zuber, & Machin, 2010). Multiple techniques have been used to assess thermoregulation in infants and adults, including the recent development of infrared thermography. Thermography can measure and visualize skin surface thermal patterns in the study of body temperature, and researchers have used this novel methodology to study cancer, peripheral vascular disease, trauma, and wound management (Kateb, Yamamoto, Yu, Grundfest, & Gruen, 2009; Katz et al., 2008; Mital & Scott, 2007; Nakanishi & Imai-Matsumura, 2008). We have recently developed methods to use infrared thermography to measure body temperature in neonates during their first month of life to examine relationships between control of body temperature and perfusion, as well as association between thermoregulation and clinical disease processes such as necrotizing enterocolitis. This paper will review methods for using infrared thermography, current research using this measurement tool, and use in our current neonatal research.
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May 12, 2011 4:00AM
People with a serious mental illness (SMI) along with HIV have complex health conditions. This population also has high rates of poverty, difficulty in sustaining regular housing, and limited supportive networks. Typically, the combination of psychotropic and HIV medication regimens is complicated, changes frequently, and requires coordination among multiple providers. Furthermore, fragmented and divided primary health care and mental health care systems present substantial barriers for these individuals and for the public health nurses who care for them. In this paper, we present “real world” case studies of individuals with SMI and HIV and the self-care management strategies used by nurses to address medication and treatment management, build interpersonal skills, and develop sustainable health networks. The case studies can be used for quality improvement discussions among practicing public health nurses and for instructing nursing students in a self-care management approach.
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May 6, 2011 4:00AM
In this study, survey data from rural, low-income families were analyzed for the demographic and cognitive predictors of indoor radon testing. Participants (n = 224) lived in Zone 1 designated Montana counties. Logistic regression analyses were used to test a theoretically supported model in predicting radon testing. Half of the participants had never heard of the health effects of radon. The overall radon testing rate was 13.8% (n = 31) with rate of testing higher among home-owners (χ2 (1, 224) = 8.4, p = .004, OR = 3.2; 95% CI 1.4 – 7.4). A model of five demographic and three cognitive variables were significant in predicting whether participants who had not tested their homes had ever heard of the health effects of radon (χ2 (8, 193) = 20.6, p < .01) and home-radon testing in the full sample (χ2 (8, 224) = 22.4, p < .01). Members of the scientific and medical community should not assume that low-income families understand radon risks. Interventions are needed to include this important group in ethical and comprehensive radon risk reduction efforts.
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March 22, 2011 4:00AM
A chronic mismatch of caregiver responsiveness to infant-feeding cues, such as feeding when the infant is not hungry, is hypothesized to have a role in the development of overweight by impairing an infant's response to internal states of hunger and satiation. Although this concept of mismatch or discordance has long been acknowledged in scholarly writings, a systematic assessment of the evidence supporting the role of discordant responsiveness during infant feeding in the early origins of overweight is lacking. This review was undertaken to assess evidence for this hypothesized relationship between discordant responsiveness in feeding and overweight in infancy and toddlerhood, framed within the larger social-environmental context of the infant-caregiver dyad. A systematic method was used to extract articles from three databases of the medical, psychology and nursing fields. The quality of evidence collected was assessed using Oxford University Centre for Evidence Based Medicine's level of evidence and through a narrative review. The systematic search resulted in only nine original research studies, which met a priori inclusion/exclusion criteria. Several studies provide support for the conceptual model, but most were cross-sectional or lower quality prospective studies. The need for consistent definitions, improved measures and longitudinal work is discussed. In conclusion, this review reveals preliminary support for the proposed role of discordant responsiveness in infant/child overweight and at the same time highlights the need for rigorous investigation of responsive feeding interactions in the first years of life.