A comparative analysis of cultural competence in beginning and graduating nursing students.

The ethnic proportions of the population in the United States are rapidly changing, with the nation's minority population at approximately 101 million. This is also true for the West Texas region, where locally in a city with 183,000 residents, 43 different languages are spoken suggesting that cultural education needs to be included in nursing program curricula. Therefore, a study was conducted during a period of curriculum revision to determine if the current nursing curriculum at a public university offers enough education and experience for graduating nurses to care for such a diverse population by comparing their perceptions of cultural competence with beginning sophomore nursing students' perceptions.

The impact of employment on nursing students' academic performance.

As more nursing students are employed, it is essential that schools of nursing examine the relationship between student employment and academic performance. In this study, we found a statistically significant negative relationship between students who work at least 16 hours a week and academic performance, especially in high-attrition courses. Current practices in nursing education must be assessed to ensure that students who must work have every opportunity to succeed.

Menhaden oil administration to dogs treated with radiation for nasal tumors demonstrates lower levels of tissue eicosanoids.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or menhaden oil may reduce inflammatory eicosanoids (prostaglandin E₂, thromboxane B₂, leukotriene B₄, and 11-dehydro thromboxane B₂), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and blood lactate in dogs with nasal carcinomas receiving radiation therapy. We hypothesized that menhaden oil would reduce inflammation from radiation damage and lower blood lactate levels in dogs with nasal carcinoma. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study, 12 dogs with malignant carcinomas of the nasal cavity were given dietary menhaden oil (DHA and EPA) or soybean oil (control) and then received radiation therapy.

The critical difference assignment: an innovative instructional method.

Nurse educators are faced with the challenge of developing and evaluating learning methods that promote knowledge acquisition, problem solving, and the development of clinical judgment to meet today's expectations of new graduates. Clinical judgment is at the heart of decision making and drives nursing action. It encompasses perceptions and intellectual processing of information through mental operations of reasoning, resulting in appropriate actions.

Integrated approaches to improve birth outcomes: perinatal periods of risk, infant mortality review, and the Los Angeles Mommy and Baby Project.

This article provides an example of how Perinatal Periods of Risk (PPOR) can provide a framework and offer analytic methods that move communities to productive action to address infant mortality. Between 1999 and 2002, the infant mortality rate in the Antelope Valley region of Los Angeles County increased from 5.0 to 10.

Saving costs, saving health care providers' backs, and creating a safe patient environment.

Back injuries are increasing among health care providers and are related to a multitude of factors, including repetitive tasks related to patient handling, the aging of the nursing workforce, higher patient acuity levels, and an increased prevalence of obesity in patients, as well as limited workspaces in patient rooms. An estimated 12% of nurses leave the profession annually because of back injuries, and more than 52% complain of chronic back pain and injuries. Implemented in response to rising costs of health care providers' injuries, a safe patient handling program resulted in decreased injuries from staff performing work-related duties, and decreased workers' compensation claims, which resulted in significant cost savings and improved patient satisfaction.

Using a point-of-dispensing clinic for prophylaxis of meningococcal disease.

A point-of-dispensing clinic was held to distribute ciprofloxacin prophylaxis when 2 high school students were reported to the health department with invasive meningococcal disease. Of more than 3,100 school staff and students in attendance, 2,861 received prophylaxis. A survey was administered to students 2 weeks postclinic to better understand the motivations for clinic attendance and to quantify side effects of oral 500-mg ciprofloxacin prophylaxis.

The use of nutraceuticals in cancer therapy.

The high prevalence of nutraceutical use among human patients with cancer suggests that the use of nutraceuticals in pet animals with cancer is probably common. Dogs with a wide variety of malignant diseases have significant alterations in carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism. These metabolic alterations may be ameliorated by using functional foods relatively low in soluble carbohydrate, moderate amounts of protein that includes sources of arginine, and moderate amounts of fat supplemented with omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids.