Improving Sexual Health Efficacy: A Qualitative Study of Female College Students’ Experience with Sexual Health Education and Subsequent Capacity for Application

Issues such as sexual assault, high rates of sexually transmitted infections, and high teen pregnancy rates are downstream effects of poor sex education. The current study examined the question, “In what ways do a person’s background in sex education, including family, school, and social learning, impact current efficacy and knowledge regarding sexual health?” Specifically, this study looked at the educational experiences of female college students at Eastern Kentucky University through semi-structured qualitative interviews. After signing an EKU IRB approved informed consent document, audio recorded interviews were conducted. All audio interviews were transcribed and then analyzed using thematic analysis to find common themes. Results indicate that almost all participants were unaware of the resources on campus concerning sexual health issues, and primarily had abstinence-focused sex education. Participants indicated that they learned the majority of their knowledge about sex from their parents, while others had negative or no discussions with their parents about sex. Results indicate that many students have limited to no formal sexual health education. Therefore, college campuses should be intentional about incorporating more sex education into curriculum and student life. Analysis also indicates that the educational interventions should place emphasis on creating a learning environment free of judgment, with honest communication, and with a focus on making sex less of a taboo topic

Identifying Risk Factors for Significant Hyponatremia during Vasopressin Administration in Neonates

https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/surp2023/1011/thumbnail.jp

Examining the DNA Obtained from Saliva Samples in Relation to the Pharmacogenetics of Kidney Transplantation

The recent application of pharmacogenetics to the kidney transplantation process has provided a new method for creating drug dosage regimes that are specific to each patient. These regimes are based on a patient’s genotype, which is usually obtained from a blood sample. The purpose of this study was to determine whether saliva samples could be used as a less invasive alternative to blood samples for examining genes of interest in transplant patients. To test this hypothesis, the amount and purity of DNA was measured from four saliva samples. Following this, the purified DNA was run with the human primer for the SNP RS7767396 to determine if it had potential for use in further testing. The results from this work suggest that saliva samples produce an amount of DNA useful for further pharmacogenetic testing, though the resulting product contains more impurities than the DNA obtained from blood. These results imply that saliva samples could possibly be used as an alternative to blood samples in the future, making it more likely that patients would agree to participate in trials.Bachelor of Scienc

Real-Time Support: Using eCoaching to Increase Preservice Teachers’ Confidence to Teach

The role of teacher education preparation programs is to equip preservice teachers (PSTs) with the knowledge and skills to support the development of all students. To do this, university faculty must establish and monitor PST’s progress toward quality standards for teaching. eCoaching is a professional learning tool that provides real-time feedback to PSTs during instruction. In this article, the authors present eCoaching as a professional learning strategy. An overview of eCoaching logistics, perceived impact of eCoaching on PSTs, a description of eCoaching in action, and an explanation of how it meshes with current support practices are provided

Effects of online module + ecoaching on comprehension instruction for students with significant intellectual disability

Comprehension is a vital part of learning to read (Copeland, 2007); however, research on comprehension instruction for students with SID is limited (e.g., Browder, Wakeman, Spooner, Ahlgrim-Delzell, & Algozzine, 2006), and there is no clear evidence-based practice for teaching comprehension to students with SID. Teachers may acquire knowledge of comprehension instruction through professional development, but often struggle translating learned knowledge into practice (Rock, Zigmond, Gregg, & Gable, 2011). One way to facilitate teachers’ transfer is through eCoaching. Therefore, purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of job-embedded professional development (i.e., online module + eCoaching) on teachers as they provided comprehension instruction to students with SID. The researcher used a single subject, multiple-baseline across participants’ design (Gast, 2010) to investigate the effects of an online module plus eCoaching on teachers’ use of the CAR and CROWD during shared reading for students with SID and the impact on students’ listening comprehension. Three Teacher Participants and three Student Participants participated in this study. The setting was a separate school in the Southeast. Dependent variables included teacher opportunities to respond (OTR), frequency and variety of teacher questioning with the CROWD strategy, student engagement, and student independent correct responses to listening comprehension questions. Results indicated the online module plus eCoaching was effective in increasing teacher OTR, questioning, and independent correct responses; and confirmed the efficacy of an online module plus eCoaching as effective way to support teachers as they begin to provide comprehension instruction to students with SID. Limitations, implications, and future directions are discussed

Transition from and MBBS to and MD – Using innovation and thinking outside the square

Background. There has been a trend globally to move from a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) to a Doctor of Medicine (MD) for primary medical education. This shift has seen many Australian universities change to an MD, mostly from graduate entry programs. This paper describes the novel and unique 3+2 model from one Australian university, that enabled undergraduate entry, student flexibility, and a master’s exit qualification without increasing time. Methods. The method included a curriculum review in 2013 where its problem-based learning curriculum shifted from a seven to a five-semester program; changing the third year to a virtual hospital clinical year using simulation, and introducing in 2016 a new 3+2 curriculum model in the final two years using a 100 point system as a masters level program. Results. The MD model was described in the external evaluation as ‘novel and innovative’, where students can choose from three project options – a research project, or a professional project or an international capstone experience as well as a number of scholarly tasks. The structure is fully integrated with the existing curriculum and assessment process, supported by an innovative technology platform. Conclusion. Now in its third year of implementation this innovative model is breaking new ground in the way in which a masters level MD program could be developed, whilst maintaining undergraduate entry

Characterisation of CD154+ T cells following ex vivo allergen stimulation illustrates distinct T cell responses to seasonal and perennial allergens in allergic and non-allergic individuals

Background Allergic sensitisation has been ascribed to a dysregulated relationship between allergen-specific Th1, Th2 and regulatory T cells. We sought to utilise our short-term CD154 detection method to further analyse the relationship between these T cell subsets and investigate differences between seasonal and perennial allergens. Using peripheral blood samples from grass-allergic, cat-allergic and healthy non-atopic subjects, we compared the frequencies and phenotype of CD154-positive T helper cells following stimulation with seasonal (grass) and perennial (cat dander) allergens. Results We identified a higher frequency of CD154+ T cells in grass-allergic individuals compared to healthy controls; this difference was not evident following stimulation with cat allergen. Activated Th1, Th2 and Tr1-like cells, that co-express IFNγ, IL4 and IL10, respectively, were identified in varying proportions in grass-allergic, cat-allergic and non-allergic individuals. We confirmed a close correlation between Th1, Th2 and Tr1-like cell frequency in non-allergic volunteers, such that the three parameters increased together to maintain a low Th2: Th1 ratio. This relationship was dysregulated in grass-allergic individuals with no correlation between the T cell subsets and a higher Th2: Th1 ratio. We confirmed previous reports of a late-differentiated T cell phenotype in response to seasonal allergens compared to early-differentiated T cell responses to perennial allergens. Conclusions The findings confirm our existing work illustrating an important balance between Th1, Th2 and Tr1-like responses to allergens in health, where Th2 responses are frequently observed, but balanced by Th1 and regulatory responses. We confirm previous tetramer-based reports of phenotypic differences in T cells responding to seasonal and perennial allergens

A Novel Cytomegalovirus-Induced Regulatory-Type T-Cell Subset Increases in Size During Older Life and Links Virus-Specific Immunity to Vascular Pathology

Background. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection directly targets vascular endothelium and smooth muscle and at older ages is associated with accelerated vascular pathology and mortality. CMV-specific cellular immunity might directly contribute to this process. Methods. Conventional ex vivo activation–induced T-cell responses to 19 dominant CMV antigens, along with CMV-specific inducible regulatory-type CD4+ T cells (iTregs), were measured in healthy older people, using a novel protocol that included classic Treg markers alongside the activation marker CD134. Measurements were correlated with diastolic, systolic, and mean arterial blood pressure, a surrogate marker for arterial stiffness. Results. CMV-specific iTregs recognized the same antigens as conventional CD4+ T cells and were significantly more frequent at older ages. They suppressed antigen-specific and nonspecific proliferation and in large part expressed Foxp3. Frequencies of CMV-specific iTregs and CD8+ T cells (summated response) were significantly associated with diastolic and mean arterial pressures. Confounders, including age, body mass index, smoking, antihypertensive medication use, or C-reactive protein levels, did not explain these observations. Conclusions. A novel CMV-induced regulatory-type CD4+ T-cell subset is readily detectable in CMV-infected people and, like the aggregate CD8+ T-cell response to the most dominant CMV antigens, is quantitatively associated with arterial stiffness in older life. Whereas CD8+ effector T cells might directly cause vascular injury, iTregs may attenuate this response

Antihypertensive treatment decreases arterial stiffness at night but not during the day. Results from the Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial

The main Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial (HYVET) demonstrated a very marked reduction in cardiovascular events by treating hypertensive participants 80 years or older with a low dose, sustained release prescription of indapamide (indapamide SR, 1.5 mg) to which was added a low dose of an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor in two-thirds of cases (perindopril 2–4 mg). This report from the ambulatory blood pressure sub-study investigates whether changes in arterial stiffness and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) could both explain the benefits observed in the main trial. A total of 139 participants were randomized to placebo [67] and to active treatment [72] and had both day and night observations of BP and arterial stiffness as determined from the Q wave Korotkoff diastolic (QKD) interval. The QKD interval was 5.6 ms longer (p = 0.017) in the actively treated group at night than in the placebo group. This was not true for the more numerous daytime readings so that 24-h results were similar in the two groups. The QKD interval remained longer at night in the actively treated group even when adjusted for systolic pressure, heart rate and height. The reduced arterial stiffness at night may partly explain the marked benefits observed in the main trial