Publications by authors named "Angela R Starkweather"

Objectives: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder of gut-brain interaction with an unknown precise etiology. Intricate mechanisms underlying the disruption of bidirectional communication between the brain and the gut may influence the severity of symptoms as well as the response to self-management interventions. Management of IBS can be particularly challenging due to recurrent and resistant symptoms to therapeutic approaches.

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Aim: The aim of this study is to provide conceptual clarity on psychosocial distress among African American and Latine men who have sex with men living with human immunodeficiency virus.

Design: Concept analysis.

Methods: The 8-step Walker and Avant framework guided the concept analysis of psychosocial distress tailored to this patient population.

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Objectives: The psychosocial aspects of chronic pain among youth with sickle cell are poorly described and may be better understood within a biopsychosocial model of chronic pain as applied to youth living with sickle cell disease.

Design: A systematic literature review was performed to synthesize the psychosocial factors contributing to chronic pain in this population. Criteria for study inclusion were primary quantitative research studies focused on psychosocial aspects of chronic pain among youth with sickle cell disease.

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The integrated dysbiosis of gut microbiota and altered host transcriptomics in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is yet to be known. This study investigated the associations among gut microbiota and host transcriptomics in young adults with IBS. Stool and peripheral blood samples from 20 IBS subjects and 21 healthy controls (HCs) collected at the baseline visit of an RCT were sequenced to depict the gut microbiota and transcriptomic profiles, respectively.

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Article Synopsis
  • Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) face psychosocial distress that affects their ability to cope with and adapt to living with or at risk of HIV.
  • The review identified key stressors such as HIV status, stigma, discrimination, limited resources, community violence, and incarceration, along with risky behaviors like unsafe sex, drug use, and not adhering to medication.
  • Addressing these psychosocial factors is crucial for improving the health care and viral suppression outcomes for YMSM.
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Article Synopsis
  • - This study is investigating the impact of yoga on chronic low back pain (CLBP) to see if any improvements in pain are linked to better emotion regulation (ER) skills, as well as how pain sensitization influences these effects.
  • - A randomized controlled trial will involve 204 adults with CLBP, dividing them into a yoga group and a control group for 12 weeks, and assessing their pain levels, ER, and pain sensitivity at multiple points throughout the study.
  • - Researchers will analyze whether yoga practice enhances ER and reduces pain severity, while also exploring the potential role of pain sensitization as either a moderator or an outcome of these interventions.
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Return to learn (RTL) is the individualized process of coordinating cognitive care and reintegration for students into the academic setting after any sport and recreational-related concussion (SRRC). The guidelines for RTL are based on empirical evidence, however, implementation differs by institution. The purpose of the policy analysis is to evaluate RTL guidelines after SRRC of student-athletes in New England secondary school public school systems.

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Children, adolescents, and young adults living with sickle cell disease (SCD) often experience an unpredictable and complex disease course. Although there is a growing literature on the lived experience of patients with SCD, qualitative syntheses are lacking. Therefore, a qualitative metasynthesis was conducted to inform care and potential interventions.

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Purpose: Chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) is a significant concern and contributes to the opioid epidemic; however, little is known about CPSP in young people.

Design: This prospective study aimed to identify sensory, psychological, and demographic factors that may increase the risk of CPSP after spinal fusion surgery for children and adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis.

Methods: 32 children and adolescents from two children's hospitals completed quantitative sensory testing (QST) and the Pain Catastrophizing Scale Child (PCS-C) pre-and 4-6 months post spinal fusion surgery.

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Objective: Preterm infants are subjected to numerous painful procedures during their neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization. Despite advancements in pain alleviation, nurses remain challenged to provide timely and effective pain management for preterm infants. Greater understanding of the lived experience of nurses caring for preterm infants in pain could provide novel insights to improve pain management for this vulnerable population.

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Comorbid psychiatric presentations, defined as those who present with more than one mental and/or behavioral health diagnosis at the same time, during adolescence are on the rise. Mindfulness-based interventions can alleviate psychological symptoms and improve emotion regulation in youth. Mindfulness is a multifaceted phenomenon, with five underlying facets (Observing, Describing, Acting with Awareness, Non-Judgment and Non-Reactivity of Inner Experience).

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Early life stress is commonly experienced by infants, especially preterm infants, and may impact their neurodevelopmental outcomes in their early and later lives. Mitochondrial function/dysfunction may play an important role underlying the linkage of prenatal and postnatal stress and neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants. This review aimed to provide insights on the relationship between early life stress and neurodevelopment and the mechanisms of mitochondrial function/dysfunction that contribute to the neuropathology of stress.

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Unlabelled: Adolescents may be more vulnerable to COVID-19-related impacts and require long-term mental health care. Services that bolster emotion regulation, such as mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) promote positive impacts on psychosocial outcomes and have high acceptability. No studies have assessed feasibility, treatment perceptions and satisfaction of online MBIs with adolescents.

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Although several risk single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been found to play an important role in etiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the findings are inconsistent. A descriptive correlational design was used to analyze the baseline data of a randomized controlled trial including participants with IBS and healthy controls (HC). Pain severity and interference, anxiety, sleep, and fatigue were measured using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and patient-reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS).

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Evidence highlights the comorbidity between emotional distress and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) through the gut-brain axis. However, the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the associations among neurotransmitter levels and the gut microbiome profiles in persons with IBS and emotional distress.

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Background: Breast cancer survivors (BCS) often report poor sleep quality and wakefulness throughout the night as the greatest challenges experienced during and posttreatment.

Objectives: This study aimed to elucidate characteristics of sleep disturbances and determine potential predictors that affect sleep disturbances in BCS for 2 years postchemotherapy.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of data from the EPIGEN study, which longitudinally examined sociodemographic and cancer-related factors, lifestyle, symptom characteristics, and epigenetic factors at baseline prior to chemotherapy (T1), the midpoint (T2), 6-month (T3), 1-year (T4), and 2-year (T5) time points postchemotherapy.

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Aim: To investigate the degree to which psychological stress, self-reported pain scores, and pain sensitivity during an acute state of low back pain (LBP) predict the development of persistent LBP trajectories.

Background: Identifying which factors influence LBP trajectories is critical to understand why some individuals experience persistent LBP and to illuminate areas for nursing intervention.

Methods: A secondary data analysis of a prospective study examining trajectories of LBP was conducted.

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The interplay between diet and gut microbiota has gained interest as a potential contributor in pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The purpose of this study was to compare food components and gut microbiota patterns between IBS patients and healthy controls (HC) as well as to explore the associations of food components and microbiota profiles. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 80 young adults with IBS and 21 HC recruited.

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Background: Survival rates for breast cancer (BC) have improved, but quality of life post-diagnosis/treatment can be adversely affected, with survivors reporting a constellation of psychoneurological symptoms (PNS) including stress, anxiety, depression, pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and cognitive dysfunction.

Methods: To assess a potential relationship between telomere length (TL) and the development/persistence of PNS, we longitudinally studied 70 women (ages 23-71) with early stage BC (I-IIIA) at 5 time-points: prior to treatment (baseline), the mid-point of their chemotherapy cycle, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years following the initiation of chemotherapy. Measures quantified included assessments of each of the PNS noted above and TL [using both a multiplex qPCR assay and a chromosome-specific fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay].

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Cumulative evidence shows a linkage between gut microbiota pattern and depression through the brain-gut microbiome axis. The aim of this systematic review was to identify the alterations of the gut microbiota patterns in people with depression compared to healthy controls. A comprehensive literature search of human studies, published between January 2000 and June 2019, was reviewed.

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Background: Nonpharmacologic stress reduction interventions provide an opportunity to modify chronic pain trajectories; however, the biological mechanisms underlying these interventions are poorly understood.

Objectives: To examine clinical literature published in 2012-2018 with the goals of (1) identifying which biological mechanisms or biomarkers are currently being measured in nonpharmacologic stress reduction intervention studies for individuals with chronic pain and (2) evaluating the evidence to determine whether these stress reduction interventions lead to changes in (a) pain outcomes and/or (b) measured biomarkers.

Data Sources: Scientific articles in the electronic databases PubMed/Medline, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsychINFO, and SCOPUS following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines.

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Objectives: A number of factors, including heritability and the environment, contribute to risk of transition from acute low back pain to chronic low back pain (CLBP). The aim of this study was to (1) compare somatosensory function and pain ratings at low back pain (LBP) onset between the acute low back pain and CLBP conditions and (2) evaluate associations between BDNF and COMT polymorphisms and expression levels at LBP onset to acute and chronic pain burden and risk for transition to the chronic pain state.

Methods: In this longitudinal study, 220 participants were enrolled following recent onset of LBP and data were collected until the LBP resolved or until the end of the study at 6 months.

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Background: Traumatic injury is a major source of chronic pain, particularly for individuals with traumatic fracture of the fibula and/or tibia (lower extremity fracture [LEFx]). Although several factors (e.g.

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Background: Childhood cancer survivorship can be described as a lifelong experience that requires vigilant follow-up care and continual support. Although there is growing qualitative and quantitative literature on this experience, articles focusing on qualitative synthesis are lacking. Qualitative metasynthesis can further facilitate the knowledge of survivorship experiences to inform care.

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The biological basis underlying cognitive dysfunction in women with early-stage breast cancer (BC) remains unclear, but could reflect gene expression changes that arise from the acquisition and long-term retention of soma-wide alterations in DNA methylation in response to chemotherapy. In this longitudinal study, we identified differences in peripheral methylation patterns present in women prior to treatment (T1) and 1 year after receiving chemotherapy (T4) and evaluated relationships among the differential methylation (DM) ratios with changes in cognitive function. A total of 58 paired (T1 and T4) blood specimens were evaluated.

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