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PubMed2001

Development of a genetics education workshop curriculum for Native American college and university students.

The long-term goal of Genetic Education for Native Americans (GENA), a project funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), is to provide a balance of scientific and cultural information about genetics and genetic research to Native Americans and thereby to improve informed decision making. The project provides culturally sensitive education about genetic research to Native American medical students and college and university students. Curriculum development included focus groups, extensive review of available curricula, and collection of information about career opportunities in genetics. Special attention was focused on genetic research to identify key concepts, instructional methods, and issues that are potentially troublesome or sensitive for Native Americans. Content on genetic research and careers in genetics was adapted from a wide variety of sources for use in the curriculum. The resulting GENA curriculum is based on 24 objectives arranged into modules customized for selected science-related conference participants. The curriculum was pretested with Native American students, medical and general university, health care professionals, and basic scientists. Implementation of the curriculum is ongoing. This article describes the development and pretesting of the genetics curriculum for the project with the expectation that the curriculum will be useful for genetics educators working in diverse settings.

Curriculum↗
PubMed1987

The effects of videogame playing on the response selection processing of elderly adults.

Within an information processing framework, age-related declines in speeded responding are attributed to one or more stages of processing. It was the purpose of this experiment to demonstrate the potential reversibility of this decline in at least one processing stage, response selection. Two groups of elderly participants (57 to 83 years) were pretested on a two-choice reaction time (RT) task under two levels of spatial stimulus-response (S-R) compatibility, a task demand shown to affect response selection. Following the pretest, one group participated in 7 weeks of videogame play, whereas a second group did not. All participants were posttested on the same two-choice RT task. The results of the analysis of covariance revealed that those elderly individuals who played videogames were faster than the control participants under both levels of S-R compatibility. The effect of videogame play, however, was greater for low compatibility. These results are taken as support for a potential to improve response selection through videogame play.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

The use of Baye's theorem and other indices of agreement in evaluating the use of reagent strips in screening rural schoolchildren for Schistosoma haematobium in Zambia.

The diagnosis of Schistosoma haematobium disease on the basis of history and physical examination alone is often difficult. Tests have thus been developed to allow an early and more accurate diagnosis. However these tests have substantial imperfections and many different results obtained from these tests must be integrated into a diagnostic conclusion about the probability of disease in a given patient. Also the accuracy of these tests in detecting S. haematobium disease is critically dependent not only on its sensitivity and specificity but also on the prevalence or pretest likelihood of disease in the population under study. The diagnostic accuracy of haematuria, proteinuria and the combined criteria tests in detecting S. haematobium eggs in schoolchildren are evaluated by calculating the sensitivity and specificity and also by the use of 'Bayes' theorem of conditional probability. The graphic relation between the predictive value of a given test result and the pretest risk of disease in the test subjects was obtained for each of these tests. This method reveals that the prevalence of S. haematobium disease is an important determinant of the predictive value of any test result in the individual patient.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of immunochemical drug screenings of whole blood samples. A retrospective optimization of cutoff levels after confirmation-analysis on GC-MS and HPLC-DAD.

Four commonly used immunoassay kits were evaluated for their efficiency in screening for drugs of abuse in whole blood. Six groups of illicit drugs (opiates, cannabinoids, amphetamines, cocain and benzoylecgonine, benzodiazepines, and methadone) were determined by using the homogenous assays ADx and CEDIA DAU and compared with the results produced by means of the inhomogenous assays MTP and Pyxis 24. The measured 86 blood samples were taken from authentic routine analyses between February and September, 2000. Chromatographic confirmation analyses were carried out in all cases (positive and negative immunochemical pretesting). The cutoff levels were retrospectively optimized to reduce false-negative results with priority. Furthermore, false-positive pretests were minimized in order to decrease laboratory work under economical aspects. Specificity and sensitivity were determined for each parameter and assay. For the ADx assay, specificities of 54% (cannabinoids) to 97% (cocaine and metabolite) and sensitivities of about 67% (amphetamine class) to 94% (opiates) were found. The CEDIA assay revealed specificities of 77% (methadone) up to 100% (benzodiazepines) and 75-96% sensitivities for amphetamines and opiates. The MTP immunoassay resulted in specificities of 52% (methadone) to 95% (opiates, cocain, and metabolite) and sensitivities of 92% (amphetamines) up to 100% (methadone). The evaluation of the Pyxis 24 resulted in specificities of 70-96% (benzodiazepines and amphetamines) and sensitivities of 75% (amphetamines) up to 100% (cannabinoids and methadone), respectively. In conclusion, the microtiterplate immunoassays revealed higher sensitivities and have proved to be at an advantage detecting the lowest concentrations of drugs. However, especially for clinical applications in emergency cases with acute intoxications, when screening results are urgently required, homogenic assays such as ADx or Cedia provide preferable alternatives with faster and easier handling.

Amphetamines↗
PubMed1980

Comparison of a reality orientation program for geriatric patients with and without music.

Reality orientation (RO) is a technique used with patients exhibiting confused or disoriented behavior. The purpose of RO is to reverse or halt confusion, social withdrawal, and apathy characteristic of elderly institutionalized patients. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a traditional versus music-based RO program. Eight residents of the Chateau de Notre Dame Nursing Home were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. A pretest was administered to identify any significant differences in RO and behavior functioning between the two groups. The specific goals and objectives for the RO program were then formulated from information gathered on the pretest. The experimental group received two 30-minute music-based RO sessions a week for 8 weeks, while the control group received the same number of traditional RO sessions without music. Upon completion of the treatment, the posttest was administered to each subject. A two-way "mixed effects" analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. A significant interaction (p less than .05) was found between the groups and the treatment condition, with the control group remaining at the same level across trials and the group receiving the music-based RO showing marked improvement.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Relationship between music therapy students' contact with and attitude toward disabled persons.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the amount and type of contact with disabled persons affects student attitudes toward these individuals. University music therapy students (N = 67) were divided into four groups: Group 1 acted as a no-contact control. Group 2 viewed videotapes of disabled persons and received information about clients viewed. Group 3 observed music therapy sessions and participated in post-session feedback, and Group 4 planned, conducted, and evaluated actual music therapy clinic sessions. After pretesting with Nelson's Musical Interaction Scale, students participated in assigned therapy training sessions 3 hours per week for 12 weeks, followed by posttesting with the same measurement scale. Multivariate analysis of covariance using pretest scores as covariates revealed no significant group differences on the Musical Interaction Scale subscales due to degree and type of client contact or to students' academic class. The article discusses the impact of these results on clinical training.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1999

The Effect of Singing Paired with Signing on Receptive Vocabulary Skills ofElementary ESL Students.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of singing paired with signing on receptive vocabulary skills of elementary English as a Second Language (ESL) students. Eighty children attended language sessions in one of the following rehearsal conditions: sung text paired with signs, spoken text paired with signs, sung text, and a control group of spoken text only. Pretest and posttest data were analyzed to determine gains in receptive vocabulary identification. Results from this study indicate that all four groups made significant pretest to posttest gains. Children in the sung text paired with sign and the spoken text paired with sign conditions, however, made significantly greater gains in vocabulary recognition than those in the control condition of spoken text only. These findings suggest the benefits of integrating signs into second language rehearsal to provide visual cues and to engage students in meaningful physical participation. The condition yielding the highest mean gain score was that in which signing was paired with singing, indicating there may be advantages to using a combination of the two for language acquisition.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

The Influence of Background Music on the Performance of the Mini Mental State Examination with Patients Diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether background music had an influence on the scores of patients with Alzheimer's disease during the Mini Mental State Examination (MMS). Eighteen patients diagnosed with dementia from a day care center participated in the study. Eleven (experimental group) were examined 3 times, each time 1 month apart. The first examination, called pretest, served as a baseline and was done without background music. The second and third examinations (test and posttest) were done with background music. Seven people (control group) were examined 3 times, each time one-month apart. The three tests (pretest, test, posttest) were done without background music. The Wilcoxon matched-pairs test was used to compare the results within each group. No significant differences were found between the three tests for both groups. The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the results between the experimental and control groups. No significant differences were found between these two groups. This suggests that background music used with persons affected by dementia at this second stage of the disease plays a neutral role during the MMS. Another suggestion is that perhaps people at this stage of the disease do not feel any stress or threat that may have an impact on their concentration during the MMS. Other suggestions are made for possible further research.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

The effect of an interactive experience on music majors' perceptions of music for deaf students.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of an interactive experience on music majors' perceptions of music experiences for deaf students. Twenty-three members of a pre-existing college brass ensemble served as subjects, and a 1-hour interactive concert/presentation for 10 deaf elementary children served as the independent variable. The interactive experience was designed to provide social, musical, and educational interactions between the college musicians and the deaf children. A pretest-posttest design was utilized, and the dependent variable was a questionnaire designed to examine the subjects' perceptions regarding music for deaf students, including how prepared, comfortable, and willing they felt to provide music experiences for deaf students. Results reveal that this single interactive experience had a significant effect on the subjects' perceptions of the value of music in the education of deaf children (p <.05). Although the pretest and posttest scores indicate that the subjects felt apprehensive about their preparedness to work with deaf students, the subjects felt significantly more positive about their preparedness following the interaction (p <.001). An analysis of open comments indicates that the subjects perceived the experience as (a) very positive, (b) increasing their knowledge and perception of music for deaf students, (c) helping them better relate to the deaf population, (d) promoting interest in similar experiences and in gaining more information, and (e) eliciting a feeling that future teachers should have similar experiences. Quotes from the subjects are given, and implications for teacher training/music therapy programs are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Effect of field experiences on music therapy students' perceptions of choral music for geriatric wellness programs.

The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of field experiences on music therapy students' perceptions of choral music for geriatric wellness programs. Specifically, the study investigated music therapy students': a) personal comfort working with senior adult singers; b) perceptions of preparation in their educational training to work with senior adults in a choral music wellness program; c) perceptions of senior adults' functioning levels as singers in choral ensembles; d) perceptions of senior adults' functioning levels as learners; and e) willingness to seek additional opportunities to lead senior adults in choral music wellness programs. Comparative analysis using pretest and posttest scores for each grouping was completed. Significant mean score differences were found in the categories of student comfort, preparation, perceptions of singing, and willingness, with gains from pre- to posttest in all categories. The general demographics and perceptions of learning groupings increased and decreased, respectively, though not significantly, following the field experience. Analysis combining all groups, creating an overall pretest and posttest score, was also completed. Results revealed that students felt significantly more positive about choral music being used in wellness programs for senior adults after the field experience.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Psychosocial changes associated with participation in a pediatric summer camp.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between a 1-week pediatric summer camping program and children's attitudes toward their physical disabilities and/or medical conditions and levels of trait anxiety. METHOD: The Child Attitude Toward Illness Scale (CATIS; Austin & Huberty, 1993) and the trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC; Spielberger, 1973) were given to 90 children as pretests to determine baseline attitudes toward their illnesses and their overall levels of trait anxiety. At the end of the 1-week camp sessions, the CATIS and STAIC A-Trait Form were completed once more as posttest measures. RESULTS: Pretest and posttest scores for all camp groups were compared to assess changes in the children's attitudes toward their illnesses and levels of trait anxiety. Overall, participants had better attitudes toward their illnesses and lower levels of trait anxiety at the end of camp. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in a pediatric summer camp was related to changes in psychosocial functioning, with changes evident across diagnostic groups and gender. The consistency of the findings underscores the need for further investigation.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2005

Effect of supplementing selenium yeast in diets of laying hens on egg selenium content.

An 8-wk experiment was conducted using 90 Hy-Line W-98 hens (26 wk of age) to evaluate the use of organic Se from Se yeast as an Se source for laying hens. At 22 wk of age, the hens were placed on a low Se corn-soybean meal pretest diet for 4 wk. At the end of the pretest period, hens were placed on 1 of 3 experimental treatments; the low Se diet without supplementation (basal diet), basal diet with 0.3 ppm of Se added from sodium selenite, or basal diet with 0.3 ppm of Se added from Se yeast. Diets contained 0.11, 0.38, and 0.34 ppm Se for basal, basal plus sodium selenite, and basal plus Se yeast diets, respectively. The experimental diets were each fed to 10 replicate groups of 3 hens for 8 wk (26 to 34 wk of age). Selenium levels in eggs (mg/kg of whole egg) were analyzed at 0, 4, and 8 wk. Egg Se contents at 0 wk were similar among treatments. Eggs from hens fed the 2 Se-fortified diets had higher (P < 0.01) Se concentrations than did eggs from hens fed the low Se diet at 4 and 8 wk. The Se yeast diet also yielded levels of egg Se that were significantly higher (P < 0.01) than those from the sodium selenite diet at 4 and 8 wk. The Se yeast resulted in a 4.8-fold increase in egg Se concentration compared with a 2.8-fold increase for the sodium selenite diet over the unsupplemented diet at 8 wk (0.065, 0.182, and 0.311 ppm for the control, sodium selenite, and Se yeast diets, respectively). There were no differences in egg production, egg weight, feed intake, or mortality among treatments. Results of this study indicate that use of Se yeast in laying hens diets is very effective for increasing the Se content of eggs.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1985

Modified essay question.

This article examines the reliability and validity of the modified essay question. An 18-item modified essay question was developed and pretested on a group of clinical experts. After the pretest, the modified essay question was administered to a group of 25 physical therapy students immediately before their second level orthopedic placement. A reliability index of .39 (coefficient alpha) was calculated for the test. In addition, measures of validity were obtained by correlating the modified essay question scores with multiple-choice question scores and the students' in-clinic reasoning scores. The results suggest that the reliability coefficient found in this study is comparable to the medical literature. Also, the results showed that the modified essay question demonstrated a greater correlation with the in-clinic clinical reasoning score compared with the parallel content multiple-choice examination. Furthermore, preliminary evidence suggests that the modified essay question may be a useful paper and pencil tool in evaluating clinical reasoning. Finally, several shortcomings of this study are discussed in conjunction with a direction for further study.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Effect of L-tryptophan and phenylalanine on burning pain threshold.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of ingestion of L-tryptophan or phenylalanine on burning pain threshold using a double blind, pretest-posttest control group design. Sixty healthy, female student volunteers were assigned randomly to L-tryptophan, phenylalanine, or placebo groups, (Groups 1-3, respectively). The pretest radiant heat tolerance was determined for all subjects. Burning pain tolerance was defined as the amount of time in seconds from the initial exposure of the left fifth distal phalanx to a 250-W infrared lamp until the subject's detection of an "intense burning sensation." The subjects in Groups 1 and 2 ingested four 500-mg tablets of phenylalanine or L-tryptophan a day for 14 days. The placebo group ingested four placebo tablets a day for 14 days. Immediately after the 14th day, the radiant heat pain tolerance of all subjects was remeasured. The results of a one-way analysis of covariance showed no significant difference in the posttest pain tolerance values of the three groups.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Effects of heavy-resistance triceps surae muscle training on strength and muscularity of men and women.

The purpose of this study was to determine selected functional and structural effects of heavy-resistance training on the triceps surae muscles of men and women. We pretested 28 men and 28 women for triceps surae muscle isotonic strength and muscularity after five practice sessions that familiarized them with the study equipment. Triceps surae muscle isotonic strength was determined using a 1-repetition maximum seated heel raise. Muscularity involved the measurement of relaxed lower leg circumference and net circumference and ultrasonically determined triceps surae muscle thickness. Twenty-eight subjects (14 men, 14 women) were selected randomly after pretesting to participate in 24 sessions of standardized weight training primarily involving the triceps surae muscles, and the remaining subjects (14 men, 14 women) served as nontraining controls. After eight weeks of training, triceps surae muscle isotonic strength had increased significantly (p less than .001) for both men and women in the Treatment Group when compared with the Control Group. No other dependent variables changed significantly. We concluded that eight weeks of heavy-resistance training involving the triceps surae muscles elicits similar significant increases in isotonic muscle strength in both men and women without concurrent increases in muscularity.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Shifts in pelvic inclination angle and parasympathetic tone produced by Rolfing soft tissue manipulation.

The effects of soft tissue manipulation (Rolfing method) were evaluated on young healthy men using two dependent variables: 1) angle of pelvic inclination and 2) parasympathetic activity. Pelvic inclination was assessed by determining the angle of standing pelvic tilt (SPT) with an inclinometer. Autonomic tone was assessed by a measure of cardiac vagal tone (amplitude of respiratory sinus arrhythmia) derived from monitoring heart rate. Thirty-two subjects, preselected for exhibiting an anteriorly tilted pelvis, were randomly assigned to either an Experimental Group (n = 16) that received a 45-minute Rolfing pelvic mobilization session or a Control Group (n = 16) that received a 45-minute control session without manipulation. Dependent variables were assessed before the 45-minute session, immediately after the session, and 24 hours later. Comparing pretest to posttest assessments, the Experimental Group demonstrated a significant decrease in SPT angle and a significant increase in vagal tone. The Control Group did not show significant pretest or posttest differences. The results provide theoretical support for the reported clinical uses of soft tissue pelvic manipulation for 1) certain types of low back dysfunction and 2) musculoskeletal disorders associated with autonomic stress.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Improvement in attitudes toward the elderly following traditional and geriatric mock clinics for physical therapy students.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the attitudes of students in a physical therapy education program toward the elderly could be influenced positively by (1) having classroom discussion led by an individual with expertise in geriatrics and (2) having only individuals aged 65 years or older participate in a specially designed geriatric mock clinic (GMC). Subjects were 47 first-year students divided into a control group (n = 24) and an experimental group (n = 23). Students in the control group participated in two 4-week clinical rotations. Students in the experimental group participated in one 5-week clinical rotation and in one 3-week GMC. Students in both groups were given a pretest and a posttest administration of the Kogan Old People Scale to assess their attitudes toward the elderly. No significant difference was found between the two groups' overall attitude scores on the pretest or the posttest results. Overall, positive attitude scores increased significantly for both groups, although the increase was greater for the experimental group than for the control group. Negative attitude scores decreased significantly for the experimental group, but did not change for the control group. We concluded that both traditional clinical rotations and a specially designed GMC influenced the students positively. Suggestions have been made for the Clinical Instructor who wishes to influence physical therapy students' attitudes to meet the increasing needs of the elderly patient population.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Effects of a functional therapy program on motor abilities of children with cerebral palsy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the motor abilities of children with spastic cerebral palsy who were receiving functional physical therapy (physical therapy with an emphasis on practicing functional activities) improved more than the motor abilities of children in a reference group whose physical therapy was based on the principle of normalization of the quality of movement. SUBJECTS: The subjects were 55 children with mild or moderate cerebral palsy aged 2 to 7 years (median=55 months). METHODS: A randomized block design was used to assign the children to the 2 groups. After a pretest, the physical therapists for the functional physical therapy group received training in the systematic application of functional physical therapy. There were 3 follow-up assessments: 6, 12, and 18 months after the pretest. Both basic gross motor abilities and motor abilities in daily situations were studied, using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and the self-care and mobility domains of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI), respectively. RESULTS: Both groups had improved GMFM and PEDI scores after treatment. No time x group interactions were found on the GMFM. For the PEDI, time x group interactions were found for the functional skills and caregiver assistance scales in both the self-care and mobility domains. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The groups' improvements in basic gross motor abilities, as measured by the GMFM in a standardized environment, did not differ. When examining functional skills in daily situations, as measured by the PEDI, children in the functional physical therapy group improved more than children in the reference group.

Analysis of Variance↗