Communities on Long Island have a widespread interest and a pressing need for approaches to promote early detection and prompt treatment of breast cancer given the overall high rates of morbidity and mortality in the region. African American communities have a special concern given that population's disproportionately high mortality rates from this disease. This article presents a success story for the development of a collaborative network creating a community, government, and academic partnership to address this disparity in African American women on Long Island. The development process utilized focus group and case story methodologies to work with the community to assess needs. Formal educational programs, community events, and a navigational program were then provided to encourage and assist in breast cancer screening and follow-up when needed. Detailed here is a description of the authors’ program development and the far-reaching community impact such a program can have once implemented.
Children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN) tend to miss more school because of illness. Medical homes are a model of primary health care that coordinate services to better meet the needs of the child. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between presence of medical home and missed school days among CSHCN.A secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2005 National Survey of Children With Special Healthcare Needs (NS-CSHCN) was conducted. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression was done to analyze the relationship between presence of a medical home and number of missed school days.The presence of a medical home among CSHCN was associated with being in the highest category of missed school days. The adjusted odds ratios for the number of missed school days, after adjustment for poverty, metropolitan statistical area status, education in the household, age, race and ethnicity, demonstrated that access to a medical home does not decrease school absences.Although the data did not support the hypothesis that CSHCN with a medical home would have fewer missed school days due to illness, this study does evoke future research questions, such as what is the relationship between parental perception of child health status with number of missed school days and how adequate is the communication between families and healthcare providers in the medical home.
Abstract Purpose Alcohol and illicit drug abuse is a serious public health issue facing college students. This study examined the impact of motivational interviewing (MI) as an intervention on the rate of blackouts among freshmen who engaged in high‐risk drinking and illicit drug use. Design A sample of 188 volunteer freshmen from a university were administered the Daily Drinking Questionnaire, the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index, and the Government Performance and Results Act at baseline and again at 6 months postintervention. MI was applied at baseline and then again at 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. Methods Generalized estimated equations and logistic regression models were used to determine associations between the rate of blackouts and time, ethnicity, gender, illicit drug use, and alcohol consumption. Findings At 6 months, the rate of blackouts decreased from 40% at baseline to 16% (p < .0001). The average number, time, and days of drinking and frequency of drug use also decreased significantly (p < .0001). An association between rate of blackouts and gender was observed, but not with ethnicity. Conclusions MI had an impact on reducing alcohol consumption and the rate of blackouts among college freshmen who were engaging in high‐risk drinking and illicit drug use. Clinical Relevance The findings support the importance of using MI with freshmen college students to decrease drinking and the associated negative consequences, including blackouts, which has particular relevance for advanced practice registered nurses, physicians, and community health nurses who conduct MI as an intervention with college students.
To evaluate a telephone counseling intervention that was designed to help sedentary women begin and maintain a walking program.Females (N = 197) were randomly assigned to either an intervention, attention control, or no-attention control group. Assessments were made at baseline and 6 months.Women in the intervention group reported more time walked each day than did control women (P < .05). The intervention worked equally for African American and European American women as well as for different income groups.Overall, a counseling intervention via telephone appears to be a good way to help women begin a walking program.
Objective . Assess the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and drinking in college freshman. Method . College freshman (N=199) at a university completed the drinking questionnaires. Drinking amount and the alcohol problem index (RAPI) served as outcomes, and BMI was the independent variable. Results . RAPI scores were associated with gender, amount of drinking, and BMI (P<0.001,F=13.44). Increase of RAPI with drinking amount was larger for females (slope=0.06) than for males (slope=0.03). Conclusion . This information can be helpful when providing health promotion strategies to college students regarding nutrition modifications that would be most beneficial for their health.
Abstract ID 26600Poster Board 557Background: COVID-19, a highly contagious infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, has emerged as this century9s most consequential global health crisis. It has infected over 600 million people, resulting in more than 6 million deaths. The clinical outcome of this infection varies remarkably, with most of the patients being asymptomatic or presenting mild symptoms. However, a portion of the infected population group manifests complications such as acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome, requiring hospitalization, with some patients succumbing to the disease. The virus enters the cell by binding viral spike protein (S1) to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors in the epithelial cells. Internalization of ACE2 receptors reduces the availability of ACE2 protein, a vital regulator of the Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS). ACE2 converts the pro-inflammatory peptide Angiotensin II (Ang II) to the anti-inflammatory peptide Angiotensin 1-7 (Ang 1-7). The resulting accumulation of Ang II activates the angiotensin 1 receptor initiating an inflammatory process that results in a so-called cytokine storm. It also upregulates phospholipase A, causing arachidonic acid (ArA) release, propagating the inflammatory cascade furthermore. Given that systemic RAS plays an essential role in the homeostasis of vital organs such as lungs, heart, liver, and kidneys, we expect that understanding these biomarkers and their association with patient demographic variables will help us predict future complications in these organs. Methods: Plasma samples from 30 patients and healthy individuals were collected at the University of Utah hospital based on IRB approved by the University of Utah and Idaho State University. The plasma samples were disinfected with Triton-X and stored at -80°C until use. RAS peptides were extracted using solid phase extraction and analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). ArA metabolites were quantified using liquid-liquid extraction followed by LC-MS/MS analysis. Statistical correlation and ANOVA analyses were performed using SPss, and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In COVID-19 groups, Ang 1-7 levels were significantly reduced compared to healthy controls, but there was a rise in Ang II. Higher Ang II level was also associated with high sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores. The Ang 1-7/ II ratio was not associated with sex; however, it was negatively correlated with age and cardiovascular comorbidities. This ratio was reduced in the patients with respiratory comorbidities, although the relationship was insignificant. Elevated levels of anti-inflammatory EETs and DiHETs were observed in infected patients. Conclusion: The findings indicate that COVID-19 infection disrupts the balance of RAS, leading to increased levels of pro-inflammatory Ang II and a diminished ratio of Ang1-7/II, which is associated with an increase in the metabolites of the ArA pathway. This observation could be explained by Ang II triggering the inflammatory cascade. The strong correlation between RAS and ArA metabolites with SOFA score suggests these biomarkers of COVID-19, which can predict the severity of the disease. This study was supported through Small Internal Seed Grants by Idaho State University, awarded to Dr. Ali Aghazadeh-Habashi and Dr. Mary Nies.
