Reproductive cycles of alligator snapping turtles (Macrochelys temminckii).

The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is a species for which captive propagation and reintroduction programs are well established; however, little is known about its reproductive behavior and physiology. In this study, we measured monthly plasma sex steroid hormone concentrations of androgen (T + DHT) estradiol-17B (E2), and progesterone (P4), and used ultrasonography to monitor annual reproductive cycles of a captive population of alligator snapping turtles that is maintained under semi-natural conditions in southeastern Oklahoma. Concurrently, we used automated radio telemetry to measure the relative activity levels of male and female alligator snapping turtles and examine these activity patterns in the context of their reproductive cycles.

Effects of life-history requirements on the distribution of a threatened reptile.

Survival and reproduction are the two primary life-history traits essential for species' persistence; however, the environmental conditions that support each of these traits may not be the same. Despite this, reproductive requirements are seldom considered when estimating species' potential distributions. We sought to examine potentially limiting environmental factors influencing the distribution of an oviparous reptile of conservation concern with respect to the species' survival and reproduction and to assess the implications of the species' predicted climatic constraints on current conservation practices.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PL 111-148): an analysis of maternal-child health home visitation.

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, setting in motion a historic and, for many, a long-awaited radical change to the current American health care system. Section 2951 of the PPACA addresses provision and funding of maternal, infant, and early childhood home visiting programs. The purpose of this article is to acquaint the reader with the legislative odyssey of home visitation services to at-risk prenatal and postpartum women and children as delineated in the PPACA and to discuss the nursing practice and research implications of this landmark legislation.

Medication adherence in older renal transplant recipients.

This project examined patterns, predictors, and outcomes of medication adherence in a convenience sample of 37 renal transplant recipients aged 55 years or older in a Mid-Southern U.S. facility using an exploratory, descriptive, longitudinal design.

Medication adherence and older renal transplant patients' perceptions of electronic medication monitoring.

This study evaluated older renal transplant recipients' perceptions of electronic medication monitoring and the influence of these perceptions on medication adherence. A sample of 73 older adult renal transplant recipients who used the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS(®)) TrackCaps for 12 months provided their perceptions of device use. Participants perceived that the MEMS had a neutral effect on their medication-taking routine (65%), believed the MEMS was practical (56%), and could not describe any instances in which using the MEMS was difficult (56%).

Assessment of depressive symptoms during post-transplant follow-up care performed via telehealth.

Telehealth provides a successful medium for the treatment of depression and other mental health illnesses. Often, inadequate treatment for this condition is found in patients with chronic co-morbid conditions such as those presented by the transplant recipient, a population at risk for depression. One concern of healthcare providers is the inability to adequately screen for symptoms of depression.

Infection, rejection, and hospitalizations in transplant recipients using telehealth.

Context: Telehealth technology serves individuals who live in geographical areas that prohibit easy access to specialized health care and can provide transplant recipients with access to transplant center personnel for adjunctive follow-up care.

Objective: To compare infection, rejection, and hospitalization events in subjects randomized to telehealth or to standard posttransplant care. STUDY DESIGN, STUDY PARTICIPANTS, SETTING AND RESEARCH PROCEDURE: This longitudinal prospective study compared transplant outcomes (infections, rejections, and hospitalizations) of 106 subjects who were randomized to either the telehealth (n = 53) or standard care (n = 53) group and met the 6-month study end point.

Implementing randomized assignment in a nursing clinical randomized control trial.

During the design phase of any research, an investigator addresses internal and external threats to validity and develops mechanisms to minimize these threats. Controlling for threats to study validity enhances the meaningfulness and generalizability of study outcomes. Representativeness of the study sample is one key design feature undertaken to ensure study validity; however, during clinical trials the investigator must stay attuned to ongoing situations that can alter sample representativeness.