The Impact of Shift Work on Diabetes Self-Management Activities.

Background: Once a person is diagnosed with diabetes, aggressive management is imperative to minimize poor glycemic control devastating outcomes. However, for some patients reaching optimum blood glucose levels is challenging due to the complexity of diabetes care. To achieve good blood glucose control, patients affected by diabetes must engage in self-care activities that include routine blood glucose check, dietary control, physical activity, medication regimen, and routine medical provider visits.

Japanese American Nursing Education Leadership.

Why are there so few Japanese-American Nursing Education leaders in the United States when Asians in general are considered the "model minority"? Several reasons point to the cultural and value differences of an Eastern versus Western perspective. Many who have addressed this issue in other professional fields explain this phenomenon as the bamboo ceiling. This article provides the experiences of two Japanese American Nurse Leaders framed through a theoretical framework proposed by Bolman and Deal (1991), which seems to relate to their "human resource leadership" style and the strong belief and empowerment of others.

Hybrid Palliation in the Treatment of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.

To discuss hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and inform nurse practitioners (NPs) working in primary care settings of this rare congenital heart deformity. This case study also examines the ethical issues advancements in medicine poses and illustrates issues NPs face when caring for a child with HLHS. Large databases such as PubMed and CINAHL were accessed to obtain evidence-based articles for the specific heart condition and latest treatments.

Using the Transtheoretical Model of Change to Improve Lifestyle Behaviors in a Woman With Metabolic Syndrome.

To provide information on how the stages of change theory can be initiated using a case study of a 64-year-old African American woman with metabolic syndrome. A questionnaire on lifestyle modifications operationalizes the stages of change theory and the case patient illustrates the process of change using this questionnaire. An exhaustive literature review was conducted on the stages of change theory.

Polypharmacy in Older Adults.

Polypharmacy, by definition, is the concurrent use of several different medications consumed by a person. Often these multiple medications are in the same class and are used to treat more than one chronic condition. Older individuals are often faced with issues of polypharmacy due to multiple chronic conditions and multiple providers.

Retirement Financial Planning and the RN: An Integrative Literature Review.

This integrative literature review examined the current research on RN retirement. The review identified 3 critical gaps in knowledge: (a) minimal knowledge regarding the economic impact on RN retirement, (b) incomplete information regarding the demographics of RN retirement, and (c) a scarcity of prospective longitudinal RN workforce studies. Future research must address these gaps to better address RN workforce sustainability.

Association of Leisure-Time Physical Activity to Cardiovascular Disease Prevalence in Relation to Smoking among Adult Nevadans.

It is well known that cigarette smoking and physical activity have significant impacts on cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and morbidity. Meanwhile, it is of interest to understand whether physical activity protects against CVD for smokers in a similar manner as it does for non-smokers. The present study examined how leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) is associated with the prevalence of CVD in relation to smoking status among adult Nevadans, using data from the 2010 Nevada Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Activation to self-management and exercise in overweight and obese older women with knee osteoarthritis.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) affects approximately 1 in 10 adults in the United States, with higher prevalence in women, aggravated by increased weight. This quasi-experimental pilot study implemented an online self-management (SM) program for older overweight and obese women with knee OA combined with a two-arm progressive exercise trial (walking and stepping groups). After the 10-week intervention using an interprofessional approach, activation to SM scores were significantly higher in all participants (N = 16) and between groups, with a higher increase in the stepping group.

The effect of acute endurance exercise on lipoproteins: a comparison of the nuclear magnetic resonance technique with the conventional lipid profile in healthy men.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of lipoprotein particle size and number may provide greater sensitivity to detecting cardiovascular disease risk compared with the conventional lipid profile in some individuals. The salubrious effect of cardiovascular exercise on blood lipids using the conventional profile is well documented; however, NMR analysis is lacking. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a 60-min bout of dynamic exercise on lipoprotein particle size and number as measured by NMR and compare it with the conventional blood lipid profile.

An advanced practice nursing program for foreign medical doctors: a practical approach.

Aim: This article articulates lessons learned about an accelerated family nurse practitioner course offered to foreign medical doctors who also held baccalaureate nursing degrees (BSN).

Background: In the last decade, many physicians in the Philippines returned to school to obtain BSN degrees and licensure as registered nurses (referred to as nurse-medics) to emigrate to the United States in the hope of a better life. Once in the United States, many remain in nursing even though they prefer the practice of medicine.

Kabuki syndrome: a challenge for the primary care provider.

Purpose: Using a case format, the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and management of Kabuki syndrome, a rare genetic condition, is presented. Nurse practitioners (NPs) may encounter patients presenting to the primary care setting with this rare syndrome; understanding this condition may help them to better care for these patients.

Data Source: A case presentation of a pediatric patient supported by the currently available literature from multiple health and medial databases.

Retirement financial planning and the RN: an integrative literature review.

This integrative literature review examined the current research on RN retirement. The review identified 3 critical gaps in knowledge: (a) minimal knowledge regarding the economic impact on RN retirement, (b) incomplete information regarding the demographics of RN retirement, and (c) a scarcity of prospective longitudinal RN workforce studies. Future research must address these gaps to better address RN workforce sustainability.

A teaching intervention to improve the self-efficacy of internationally educated nurses.

Increasingly, the U.S. health care system relies on internationally educated nurses to meet the staffing shortage.

Postural balance in young adults: the role of visual, vestibular and somatosensory systems.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to examine what sensory system predominates to maintain balance (e.g., visual, vestibular, and somatosensory) among people in their twenties and thirties.

Asthma severity in children and the quality of life of their parents.

This study examines the effect of asthma severity of children aged 7-17 years and sociodemographic characteristics on the caregiver's quality of life. For parents of asthmatic children, there was a negative correlation between overall asthma severity and quality-of-life score. Measuring parental quality of life enables the development of effective asthma programs.

Sickle-cell anemia and pulmonary hypertension.

Purpose: To provide nurse practitioners (NPs) information about sickle-cell disease (SCD) and pulmonary hypertension (PHTN) as a complication. A case study is presented to illustrate the diagnosis of PHTN in a patient with SCD. Clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and interventions for both SCD and PHTN are also discussed.

Parental disconnect between perceived and actual weight status of children: a metasynthesis of the current research.

Purpose: Obesity is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood. Many studies offer a variety of explanations for the alarming increase in childhood obesity; however, none discuss why an apparent disconnect exists in parental perceptions of their child's weight status. The purpose of this article was to review the current research literature on parental perceptions about their children's weight.

The effect of modified jazz dance on balance, cognition, and mood in older adults.

Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the impact of jazz dance class instruction on balance, cognition, and mood (specifically depression) in 13 healthy, community-dwelling, English-speaking older women with a mean age of 68.

Data Sources: Data were collected using self-report questionnaires (Folstein Mini Mental Status Examination [MMSE] and Geriatric Depression Scale [GDS]), and the sensory organization test (SOT) for balance measurements (using the NeuroCom Smart Balance Master) was performed at three time periods in the study: time 1: between week 1 and week 2 of jazz class (baseline), time 2: between week 8 and week 9 of jazz class (midpoint), and time 3: after week 15 of jazz class (final measurement).

Conclusions: Differences in mean MMSE and GDS scores over time were not significant; however, SOT scores showed an increasing trend (p < .

The effect of a senior jazz dance class on static balance in healthy women over 50 years of age: a pilot study.

The purpose of this pilot study is to assess the impact of a senior jazz dance class on static balance for healthy women over 50 years of age using the NeuroCom Smart Balance Master System (Balance Master). A total of 12 healthy women aged 54-88 years completed a 15-week jazz dance class which they attended 1 time per week for 90 min per class. Balance data were collected using the Sensory Organization Test (SOT) at baseline (pre), at 7 weeks (mid), and after 15 weeks (post).

Overweight and obesity in nurses, advanced practice nurses, and nurse educators.

Purpose: To quantify the incidence of overweight and obesity in nursing professionals and assess nurses' knowledge of obesity and associated health risks.

Data Sources: A mailed survey to 4980 randomly selected registered nurses from one state in each of six geographic regions. Response rate was 15.

The effects of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency on the endocrine and paracrine systems.

Individuals are capable of producing vitamin D with proper exposure to sunlight. However, several factors can interfere with the effectiveness of this process. Most sunscreens filter out UVB light, thus inhibiting vitamin D production.

Budd-Chiari syndrome from an advanced practice nurse perspective.

Purpose: To provide nurse practitioners (NPs) with a case study and literature review of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS). This rare liver disease has a multitude of clinical presentations that NPs may encounter in the primary care setting.

Data Source: A literature search was conducted in Pub-Med and CINAHL using key search words.

Promising new causal explanations for obesity and obesity-related diseases.

Current explanations for obesity center around a predisposition in genotype and phenotype, possibly triggered by an inflammatory process or event, and exacerbated by environmental and psychological factors. It is likely that a variety of physiologic factors may act in combination to produce clinical obesity. Leptin resistance may be an important neurochemical cause of obesity; elevated leptin levels have been correlated with weight gain over extended time periods.