The Perceived Barriers And Facilitators Of Therapeutic Work With Arab Clients: Examining Therapists’ Attitudes Towards Stigma And Recovery From Mental Illness

This study examined the barriers and facilitators of working with Arab Americans in a treatment capacity from the perspective of the Arab American therapist. Participants were asked about the practice strategies as well as resources available to them when working with this unique population during a semi-structed face to face interview. The impact of stigma and recovery was also assessed. This research study employed a qualitative design approach to address the research questions. Participants were sampled from a community mental health center located within Metro- Detroit; one of the largest concentrations of Middle Eastern/Arab and Chaldean in the United States. Participants in this study consisted of 11 female psychotherapists, who ranged in age from 25-44 years old (M=32.2) and self-identify with the Arab American cultural/ethnic reference group and who reported providing direct psychological services to consumers who identify with the Arabic cultural reference group. Data analyses was conducted using the grounded theory method known as constant comparison analysis (Strauss & Corbin 1998). Recurring themes pertaining to barriers, facilitators, therapeutic processes, and recovery beliefs were analyzed from participant interviews. Overall, participants expressed positive, supportive attitudes about recovery from mental illness and therapists did not differentiate between Arab and non-Arab clients with respect to recovery from mental illness. Additionally, family and community support were cited as both a barrier and a facilitator to treatment. Participants expressed the need for greater psychoeducation from providers for the Arab population in order to increase family involvement in treatment, and decrease cultural norms that prohibit help seeking among Arab-Americans

Project #20: Comparison of the effectiveness of Etelcalcetide versus Cinacalcet in patients receiving hemodialysis with secondary hyperparathyroidism

The aim of this project is to address the scarcity of data available and compare the effectiveness of etelcalcetide and cinacalcet in end stage kidney disease patients on hemodialysis at Greenfield Health System (GHS), West Pavilion unit. We secondarily evaluated the cost of cinaclacet and etelcalcetide for Greenfield Health Systems. We hope to apply the results of our project to our patients to improve clinical outcomes.https://scholarlycommons.henryford.com/qualityexpo2022/1002/thumbnail.jp

Recovery Experiences Amongst Arab American Clubhouse Members: Examining The Effects Of Acculturation, Perceived Family Support, Stigma And Gender On Mental Health Recovery.

ABSTRACT RECOVERY EXPERIENCES AMONGST ARAB AMERICAN CLUBHOUSE MEMBERS: EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF ACCULTURATION, PERCEIVED FAMILY SUPPORT, STIGMA AND GENDER ON MENTAL HEALTH RECOVERY by LAYLA HABHAB August 2016 Advisor: Dr. Francesca Pernice –Duca Major: Educational Psychology Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Recovery from serious mental illness has been conceptualized throughout much of the recent literature as being a multidimensional continuum that is influenced by multiple factors. This notion of recovery has mostly been defined by the personal narratives of survivors, ex –patients and mental health consumers with serious mental illness, who have identified specific factors that have either enhanced or hindered their own personal recovery. While these narratives have provided valuable information about the recovery process, there currently exists a paucity in research examining the recovery experiences of individuals from various ethnic groups, such as Arab Americans. The current qualitative study aimed to identify and examine key themes and recovery experiences among Arab American consumers within an ecological framework. Specifically, this study examined the influence(s) of acculturation, family support, stigma of mental illness and gender differences on Arab Americans’ mental health recovery. Participants for this study included 15 Arab American consumers (seven males and eight females) from a local clubhouse, who were diagnosed with various psychiatric conditions and were between the ages of 26 to 72 years old. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with each individual participant and all interviews were audio -recorded and transcribed verbatim. Findings from this study suggested that participants identified recovery –oriented experiences that were specific to both their native Arab culture, and the mainstream culture, regardless of their acculturation strategy. Moreover, the majority of clubhouse members characterized family support as being instrumental to their recovery experiences and stigma of mental illness was not identified to have direct, adverse effects on members’ recovery. Gender differences were also revealed in the recovery experiences of male and female participants in this study

Bridging the Ethical Chasm: Business Ethics as a Product of Culture & Politics in the Arab World

In surveys and studies analyzing corruption around the globe, Middle Eastern and North African countries consistently rank among the worst in the world with respect to the pervasiveness of corruption in both the public and private sector. The poor business ethics landscape makes it exceedingly difficult to do business in the region, while also undermining the development of effective political and economic institutions. The mismatch between societal virtues of shared prosperity and incentives for short-term, selfish reward amounts to what I call an ethical chasm, a symptom of cultural, political, and structural factors. This makes it critical that businesses and policymakers alike develop reform plans that will improve ethical decision making at the firm and individual level. This paper offers a tangible plan of action for public actors, individual firms, and civil society, with the objective of advancing reform efforts in the Arab World. Before offering these practical changes, it is important to take a step back and look at what might be driving the perceived poor business ethics environment in the region. I begin with a historical survey of business in the Middle East, beginning with the end of the Ottoman Empire to the present day. In doing so, important differences between the region’s economic development and other areas of the world are illuminated. The main finding is that although the Arab world was subject to many of the same forces that brought the developed world into its modern form, these forces, namely globalization, failed to produce the same kinds of economic results in the Middle East. Following this historical survey is a discussion of corruption, its impacts, and its relevant in the business ethics context. Furthermore, I analyze data from corruption surveys to compare the region with its counterparts, as well as to compare sub-regions within the Arab world. With this important context, I lay out what are the major cultural, political, and structural underpinnings to the problem of corruption and business ethics in the region, relying on evidence from faith, cultural norms, violent conflict, and the law. These factors color what constitute ethical or moral behavior in the business context and help focus reformers on important targets for change. Finally, utilizing the framework developed through analysis of the business ethics environment, I propose reforms for public, private, and civil society actors. These reforms, which include plans like stronger anti-corruption enforcement and a greater sense of firm responsibility are designed to be practical, long-term changes to the ethical issues facing business in the Middle East. In doing so, I hope to bolster ongoing reform efforts both in and outside the region, with the goal of helping the Middle Eastern business community reach its full potential.Honors (Bachelor's)Business AdministrationUniversity of Michiganhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136774/1/Bridging_the_Ethical_Chasm_Business_Ethi.pd

Leptin concentrations in response to acute stress predict subsequent intake of comfort foods

Both animals and humans show a tendency toward eating more “comfort food” (high fat, sweet food) after acute stress. Such stress eating may be contributing to the obesity epidemic, and it is important to understand the underlying psychobiological mechanisms. Prior investigations have studied what makes individuals eat more after stress; this study investigates what might make individuals eat less. Leptin has been shown to increase following a laboratory stressor, and is known to affect eating behavior. This study examined whether leptin reactivity accounts for individual differences in stress eating. To test this, we exposed forty women to standardized acute psychological laboratory stress (Trier Social Stress Test) while blood was sampled repeatedly for measurements of plasma leptin. We then measured food intake after the stressor in 29 of these women. Increasing leptin during the stressor predicted lower intake of comfort food. These initial findings suggest that acute changes in leptin may be one of the factors modulating down the consumption of comfort food following stress

Autonomous Wheelchair Indoor-Outdoor Navigation System (AWI-ONS)

Individuals with disabilities who use power wheelchairs often have trouble locating accessible routes from their outdoor location to the desired building or from their indoor location to another destination. Powered wheelchair systems can be expanded on with an autonomous control module to navigate the wheelchair independently. Autonomous Wheelchair Indoor-Outdoor Navigation System (AWI-ONS) utilizes Quick Response (QR) code and Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies to communicate between the wheelchair and various locations inside and outside a building. AWI-ONS uses GPS signals and Google Maps for outdoor navigation and QR code technology for indoor navigation. The QR codes are placed in various locations inside the building such as parking lots, doorways, offices, bathrooms, stores, elevators, accessible entrances, and passageways. When the user is indoors, AWI-ONS uses the onboard camera to scan QR codes which will automatically download floorplans of the current building from our Firebase Server, and generate a topological map that is made available to the user through a touch screen user interface. When the user is outdoors, AWI-ONS uses Google Developers’ Maps API to generate an outdoor map of the area. This map will be updated regularly by the signals received from the GPS module that is fitted onto the wheelchair. The user will have the ability to choose the desired destination, and AWI-ONS will use a modified Breadth-First Search Algorithm to find the most viable path to that destination. This new navigation system is expected to help people with mobility constraints to reach their destination safely and independently

Rôle des microparticules leucocytaires dans l’induction d’une sénescence endothéliale accélérée : implication pour la greffe d’îlots pancréatiques

This work explores the impact of microparticles (MPs) on vascular response under conditions of ischemia reperfusion (IR) associated with graft dysfunction. It describes the pro-senescent paracrine effects of endothelial- (EMPs) and leukocyte-derived MPs (LMPs) in a cellular cross-talk model and in rat pancreatic islets, which are multicellular functional units. Our results indicate that LMPs induce premature endothelial senescence associated with endothelial dysfunction, identified in coronary artery rings and endothelial cells. In addition, such endothelial dysfunction is characterized by a pro-inflammatory redox-sensitive signaling and a thrombogenic phenotype typified by a secondary release of pro-coagulant EMPs. The second study indicates that pro-senescent EMPs cause the premature senescence of islets and impair their functionality without affecting their viability. As a result, MPs are promising therapeutic targets for limiting IR and graft dysfunction, particularly in pancreatic islets transplantation.Ce travail explore l’impact des microparticules (MPs) sur la réponse vasculaire dans les conditions d’ischémie reperfusion (IR) associées à la dysfonction du greffon. Il décrit les effets pro-sénescents paracrines de MPs d’origine endothéliales (EMPs) et leucocytaires (LMPs) dans un modèle de communication intercellulaire et sur l’îlot pancréatique de rat, qui constitue une entité fonctionnelle multicellulaire. Nos résultats indiquent que les LMPs induisent une sénescence endothéliale prématurée associée à une dysfonction endothéliale, identifiée dans les cellules et les anneaux d’artères coronaires. De plus, cette dysfonction est caractérisée par une signalisation redox sensible pro-inflammatoire et un phénotype thrombogénique avec la libération secondaire d’EMPs pro-coagulantes. La deuxième étude indique que les EMPs pro-sénescentes provoquent une sénescence prématurée des îlots pancréatiques et altèrent leur fonctionnalité sans affecter leur viabilité. De ce fait, les MPs sont des cibles thérapeutiques intéressantes pour limiter l’IR et la dysfonction du greffon, notamment en greffe d’îlots pancréatiques