Genetic Variations in EIF2AK3 are Associated with Neurocognitive Impairment in People Living with HIV.

Based on emerging evidence on the role for specific single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) in EIF2AK3 encoding the integrated stress response kinase PERK, in neurodegeneration, we assessed the association of EIF2AK3 SNVs with neurocognitive performance in people with HIV (PWH) using a candidate gene approach. This retrospective study included the CHARTER cohort participants, excluding those with severe neuropsychiatric comorbidities. Genome-wide data previously obtained for 1047 participants and targeted sequencing of 992 participants with available genomic DNA were utilized to interrogate the association of three noncoding and three coding EIF2AK3 SNVs with the continuous global deficit score (GDS) and global neurocognitive impairment (NCI; GDS ≥ 0.5) using univariable and multivariable methods, with demographic, disease-associated, and treatment characteristics as covariates. The cohort characteristics were as follows: median age, 43.1 years; females, 22.8%; European ancestry, 41%; median CD4 + T cell counts, 175/µL (nadir) and 428/µL (current). At first assessment, 70.5% used ART and 68.3% of these had plasma HIV RNA levels ≤ 200 copies/mL. All three noncoding EIF2AK3 SNVs were associated with GDS and NCI (all p < 0.05). Additionally, 30.9%, 30.9%, and 41.2% of participants had at least one risk allele for the coding SNVs rs1805165 (G), rs867529 (G), and rs13045 (A), respectively. Homozygosity for all three coding SNVs was associated with significantly worse GDS (p < 0.001) and more NCI (p < 0.001). By multivariable analysis, the rs13045 A risk allele, current ART use, and Beck Depression Inventory-II value > 13 were independently associated with GDS and NCI (p < 0.001) whereas the other two coding SNVs did not significantly correlate with GDS or NCI after including rs13045 in the model. The coding EIF2AK3 SNVs were associated with worse performance in executive functioning, motor functioning, learning, and verbal fluency. Coding and non-coding SNVs of EIF2AK3 were associated with global NC and domain-specific performance. The effects were small-to-medium in size but present in multivariable analyses, raising the possibility of specific SNVs in EIF2AK3 as an important component of genetic vulnerability to neurocognitive complications in PWH.

Muslim transplant recipients' family experiences following organ transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Despite the importance of family and its relationship to positive transplant outcomes, little is known about family experiences following organ transplantation from the perspective of the transplant recipients. The literature is also devoid of information that describes the family experiences of Muslim transplant recipients. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to describe Muslim transplant recipients' family experiences following organ transplantation. METHODS: A hermeneutical phenomenological approach was employed to determine the emergent themes present in the data. The sample was composed of 12 Muslim organ transplant recipients (heart, kidney and liver) living in Iran. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant. RESULTS: The primary constitutive pattern that emerged from the interview data was 'Altered Family Relationships' and three themes: fear in relationships, abnormal relationships, and the family at the centre of organ transplant issues. CONCLUSIONS: There are several important findings in this study, notably that Muslim transplant recipients describe their family experiences following organ transplantation as 'altered' and not as they were pre-transplant. More research is needed that focuses on the family experience post-transplant, and how Muslim transplant recipient families are impacted by the transplant experience.

Using simulation to improve the medication administration skills of undergraduate nursing students.

AIM: This quasi-experimental pilot study examined simulation methods to improve nursing students' medication calculation and administration abilities. BACKGROUND: Approximately 25 percent of junior-level students in the nursing program who took a medication administration exam (MAE) failed in their first attempt. It was theorized that simulation could facilitate their success. METHOD: Students in the control group (n = 79) attended a didactic medication administration review session; students in the intervention group (n = 79) participated in a medication administration simulation review session. All students took the MAE within a week of their review. RESULTS: The intervention group scored significantly higher (M = 95 percent, SD = 6.8) on the MAE than the control group (M = 90 percent, SD = 12.9) at the p = .004 level. CONCLUSION: The simulation facilitated student success by giving students a state-of-the-art contextual reference to apply when taking the MAE.

Constructivist philosophy and nursing student medication calculations.

Prelicensure nursing students often have difficulty performing medication calculations (MCs). Faculty at one baccalaureate nursing program wanted to use nursing theory to guide the development of a teaching-learning approach related to MC's. Finding little theory related to the topic of MCs, a constructivist-based teaching-learning approach was used instead. The purpose of the study was to assess whether nursing students who received an MC review class that used a teaching-learning approach based on constructivist philosophy had better results on an MC examination than students who received their review via traditional teaching-learning methods. The study participants consisted of two cohorts of first-semester junior-level nursing students from one university-based school of nursing in the Midwestern United States. The results indicated that students in the simulation review class had higher mean scores on an MC examination than students who received their review via more traditional means. Teaching-learning strategies related to MCs based on constructivist philosophy have the potential to improve student learning outcomes, but more research is needed before middle-range theory related to this critically important area of nursing education can be developed.

Critical thinking skills of basic baccalaureate and Accelerated second-degree nursing students.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to describe the critical thinking (CT) skills of basic baccalaureate (basic-BSN) and accelerated second-degree (ASD) nursing students at nursing program entry. BACKGROUND: Many authors propose that CT in nursing should be viewed as a developmental process that increases as students' experiences with it change. However, there is a dearth of literature that describes basic-BSN and ASD students' CT skills from an evolutionary perspective. METHOD: The study design was exploratory descriptive. RESULTS: The results indicated thatASD students had higher CT scores on a quantitative critical thinking assessment at program entry than basic-BSN students. CONCLUSION: CT data are needed across the nursing curriculum from basic-BSN and ASD students in order for nurse educators to develop cohort-specific pedagogical approaches that facilitate critical thinking in nursing and produce nurses with good CT skills for the future.

Characterization of organic chemical contaminants in sediments from Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico.

Jobos Bay, located on the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico, contains a variety of habitats including mangroves, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs. The watershed surrounding the bay includes a number of towns, agricultural areas, and the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). Jobos Bay and the surrounding watershed are part of a Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP), involving the Jobos Bay NERR, the US Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to assess the benefits of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) on the terrestrial and marine environments. As part of the Jobos Bay CEAP, NOAA collected sediment samples in May 2008 to characterize over 130 organic chemical contaminants. This paper presents the results of the organic contaminant analysis. The organic contaminants detected in the sediments included polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls, and the pesticide DDT. PAHs at one site in the inner bay near a boat yard were significantly elevated; however, all organic contaminant classes measured were below NOAA sediment quality guidelines that would have indicated that impacts were likely. The results of this work provide an important baseline assessment of the marine environment that will assist in understanding the benefits of implementing BMPs on water quality in Jobos Bay.

The effect of context on nursing student math aptitude.

Math proficiency is a prerequisite to the performance of many nursing functions, including medication calculations, but many nursing students have difficulty performing this basic clinical skill. Research has demonstrated that math aptitude alone does not fully explain student outcomes on medication calculation assessments (MCAs), and contextual factors associated with reading and interpreting written medication questions are important for nurse educators to better understand. Reading and English aptitude are proposed as two potential contextual factors that may help explain the nursing student's ability to pass a written MCA. The purpose of this study was to describe the effects of reading and English aptitude on baccalaureate nursing students' ability to pass an MCA taken during the junior year of the nursing curriculum.

Use of aptitude to understand bachelor of science in nursing student attrition and readiness for the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse.

Attrition is a serious issue among Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students with attrition rates around 50% nationwide. To help minimize BSN student attrition, many nursing programs use commercially available standardized nursing aptitude tests as adjuncts to scholastic aptitude data, usually operationalized as pre-nursing grade point average, to select students for admission. Little is known regarding the usefulness of scholastic and nursing aptitude data for predicting long-term retention in a BSN program and readiness for the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the relationships among scholastic aptitude, nursing aptitude, BSN student attrition prior to the final semester of the curriculum, and BSN student readiness for the NCLEX-RN. This study's findings, along with other findings in the literature, suggest the need for a parsimonious explanatory model of BSN student attrition that can be used to guide admission and progression policies, and ensure that students ready for the NCLEX-RN are the ones graduating from BSN programs.

Nursing student math aptitude and success on a medication calculation assessment.

The authors describe the relationship between nursing student math aptitude and success on a medication calculation assessment given during the second year of the nursing curriculum. The importance of understanding this relationship to nursing education is highlighted.

Ethnic minority baccalaureate nursing student academic dismissal: a description of the antecedent academic characteristics.

Dismissal for academic reasons from a baccalaureate nursing (BSN) program is a phenomenon that has rarely been discussed in the literature, and, as a result, little is known about the academic characteristics of the students who are dismissed. Presently, minority students that have been admitted to BSN programs are less likely to graduate from their respective nursing programs than White BSN students are, but whether or not ethnic minority student attrition is due to academic dismissal has not been clearly described. In addition, the antecedent academic characteristics that may identify minority BSN students at high risk for academic dismissal are not fully understood. Thus, the primary purpose of this study was to describe the academic characteristics ofa sample of minority BSN students who experienced academic dismissal. A secondary purpose was to compare ethnic minority BSN students who were dismissed with a sample of ethnic minority BSN students who were academically successful. The results revealed that ethnic minority BSN students who were dismissed for academic reasons tended to have low scholastic and nursing aptitudes, and that nursing aptitudes were higher among ethnic minority BSN students who were academically successful.

Faculty role modeling of professional writing: one baccalaureate nursing program's experience.

According to The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 1998), professional writing is an important outcome of baccalaureate nursing education. Most baccalaureate nursing programs in the United States expect formally written student papers to adhere to the style requirements outlined in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2001). It is essential for the baccalaureate nursing faculty members who evaluate student papers to be role models for the desired writing behaviors to facilitate student attainment of professional writing outcomes. However, to what extent nursing faculty members' writing behaviors and knowledge of the APA style requirements impact student writing outcomes is not known because the issue has not been addressed in the literature. The purpose of this article is to describe one Midwestern baccalaureate nursing program's faculty development efforts to assess faculty familiarity with the APA style requirements and how such knowledge may impact baccalaureate nursing students' writing outcomes.

The impact of community college transfer on entry-level baccalaureate nursing student retention.

Student attrition is a major issue for entry-level baccalaureate science in nursing (BSN) programs. Where BSN students complete the prerequisite nursing courses may contribute to attrition. Because many BSN students satisfy prerequisite courses at community colleges (CCs), a better understanding regarding how a CC education impacts BSN student retention is needed. The author reviews the literature regarding factors that potentially impact entry-level BSN student retention after CC transfer.

How gaming is used as an innovative strategy for nursing education.

Gaming is an innovative teaching strategy that research has shown to be effective for improving nursing student learning outcomes. Specifically, gaming enhances retention of knowledge, promotes problem-based learning, and motivates nursing students to become more engaged in their learning. The literature also indicates that the use of gaming during nursing education promotes active learning, encourages critical thinking, makes learning more exciting, and can replicate real-life scenarios. However, empirical support for these advantages is lacking. This manuscript discusses the literature related to gaming, describes its use as a teaching strategy, and addresses implications for nursing education.

Baccalaureate nursing program admission policies: promoting success or facilitating failure?

To increase enrollment in baccalaureate nursing programs, various admission strategies have been used, including rolling admission policies and multiple admissions during an academic year. However, it is not known how these admission practices affect student preparedness for, or success within, the nursing major. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare two cohorts of first semester nursing students who were admitted under a policy of rolling admissions. The study used an exploratory descriptive design with 173 sophomore students, 103 of whom comprised the fall cohort and 70 of whom comprised the winter cohort. The data revealed that baccalaureate nursing program admission policies do affect the quality of students admitted and the academic outcomes they attain. The implications of this study's findings are that admission policies with the potential to maximize student success within the nursing major are needed.

Predicting early academic achievement in a baccalaureate nursing program.

Baccalaureate nursing programs are under increased pressure to graduate greater numbers of students to meet the demands of the nurse workforce of the future. Schools of nursing are admitting larger cohorts of students, but early academic achievement in the nursing major and retention are problematic. Historical predictors of early academic achievement, such as scholastic aptitude, may not be the best for identifying students at risk of early academic failure. Increasingly, baccalaureate nursing programs are relying on standardized nursing aptitude tests to evaluate the readiness of applicants for the nursing major. However, reliable predictors of early academic achievement have yet to be identified. The purpose of this study was to explore whether scholastic aptitude and nursing aptitude are predictive of early academic achievement in a baccalaureate nursing program. Using an exploratory descriptive design, data from 164 sophomore nursing students were examined. The data indicated that scholastic aptitude and nursing aptitude together predicted 20.2% of the variance in early academic achievement, with scholastic aptitude accounting for 15.4% of the variance.

Alcohol relapse and its relationship to the lived experience of adult liver transplant recipients.

Abstinence from alcohol after liver transplantation is an important outcome for all adult liver transplant recipients to attain. Currently, there is no clear explanation for why some recipients consume alcohol after transplantation, whereas others do not, and the predictors of alcohol relapse after liver transplantation have not been clearly explained. It often is believed that nurses do not have sufficient knowledge of alcohol abuse and that addiction specialists are needed to assess alcohol relapse after transplantation. As a result, the contributions of nursing to abstinence counseling for adult liver transplant recipients are unknown. For this study, a mixed method approach was used that combined the qualitative research method known as phenomenology with statistical findings to illuminate the lived experience of adult liver transplant recipients and to discover whether a relationship exists between the recipients' lived experiences and alcohol relapse after transplantation. Five clinical themes emerged from the data, two of which had positive relationships with alcohol relapse. Nursing implications related to abstinence counseling for all adult liver transplant recipients are addressed.

Undergraduate grade point average and graduate record examination scores: the experience of one graduate nursing program.

Graduate nursing programs frequently use undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for admission decisions. The literature indicates that both UGPA and GRE scores are predictive of graduate school success, but that UGPA may be the better predictor. If that is so, one must ask if both are necessary for graduate nursing admission decisions. This article presents research on one graduate nursing program's experience with UGPA and GRE scores and offers a perspective regarding their continued usefulness for graduate admission decisions. Data from 120 graduate students were examined, and regression analysis indicated that UGPA significantly predicted GRE verbal and quantitative scores (p < .05). Regression analysis also determined a UGPA score above which the GRE provided little additional useful data for graduate nursing admission decisions.

Pain perception and expression: the influence of gender, personal self-efficacy, and lifespan socialization.

There are differences between males and females regarding the perception, expression, and tolerance of pain that stems from a variety of social and psychologic influences. Personal self-efficacy and lifespan socialization are two such influences, and they provide new dimensions for nurses to better understand the pain experience. This article will present a review of the literature regarding personal self-efficacy and lifespan socialization and their effects on pain perception and expression among males and females. Finally, nursing implications related to the topic will be discussed.

The significance of graduate admission written goal statements.

Written goal statements are often required of applicants to nursing graduate programs. There is a lack of data describing the significance of written goal statements, the topics addressed by applicants in their written goal statements, and the relationship between goal statement quality of writing (QOW) and graduate-level coursework. Using content analysis, the written goal statements of 157 graduate students from one Midwestern school of nursing were analyzed for their QOW and for the identification of content categories. Analysis of the goal statements' content categories revealed that applicants tended to focus their writing on the immediate goal of getting admitted to graduate school and on clinical practice issues they felt were important to their desired program major. Data were analyzed to determine the relationship between goal statement content and graduate program major as well as that between QOW and the final grade in a writing-intensive nursing theory course. The results indicated that QOW did not differ by program major and that it was significantly related to the nursing theory final course grade. Implications for graduate nursing education and advanced nursing practice are addressed.