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Biomedical subjects

Lisa Miller

Publications and source records attributed to Lisa Miller.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Religiousness and sexual responsibility in adolescent girls.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate a potential association between religiousness and sexual responsibility in a nationally representative sample of adolescent girls. METHODS: Subjects were 3356 adolescent girls (mean age 15.97 years, SD = 1.77; 59.4% Euro-American, 23.3% African-American, 6.0% Hispanic, and 11.4% of other ethnic backgrounds) from the Wave I, In-Home section of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health Study) who responded to items on four dimensions of religiousness (frequent attendance of religious events, personal conservatism, personal devotion, and religious denomination) and three dimensions of sexual responsibility (sexual activity, perception of risk in unprotected intercourse, and birth control use). Data were analyzed using a series of regression analyses with religiousness as the predictor and sexual responsibility as the outcome. RESULTS: Personal devotion was positively associated with fewer sexual partners outside a romantic relationship. Frequent attendance of religious events was positively associated with greater perception of risk of contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or pregnancy from unprotected intercourse, greater foresight of suffering from HIV or pregnancy, and a responsible and planned use of birth control. Personal conservatism was positively associated with unprotected sex. CONCLUSION: Sexual responsibility was positively associated with personal devotion and frequent attendance of religious events but inversely associated with personal conservatism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Religiosity, depression, and physical maturation in adolescent girls.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of physical maturation on the protective qualities of religiosity against depression in adolescent girls. METHOD: Subjects were 3,356 adolescent girls (mean age 16.0, SD = 1.8) interviewed in 1995 as part of the Wave I In-Home Version of the North Carolina Adolescent Health Study. Maturation was assessed on the basis of self-report of secondary sexual characteristics and age at onset of menstruation. Religiosity was assessed on the basis of personal devotion, personal conservatism, institutional conservatism, and participation in religious community. Logistic regression analyses were conducted with each variable of religiosity used to predict depression, controlling for age and ethnicity. RESULTS: Personal devotion and participation in religious community were associated with a 19% to 26% decreased likelihood of depression in non-highly mature girls and a relatively more robust 32% to 43% decreased likelihood of depression in highly mature girls. Personal conservatism and institutional conservatism were associated with a 17% to 24% decreased likelihood of depression among non-highly mature girls, but were not associated with depression in highly mature girls. CONCLUSION: Physical maturation may be associated with the protective qualities of religiosity against depression in adolescent girls.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Adult religiousness and history of childhood depression: eleven-year follow-up study.

This study investigates the association between childhood depression and the protective qualities of adult religiousness. Subjects were 146 (65 female and 81 male) adults with a history of childhood depression and 123 (61 female and 62 male) adults without a history of childhood depression interviewed as part of a long-term follow-up study (mean years of follow-up, 11.2; SD = 1.4). Depression in childhood and adulthood was assessed by blind and independent clinical interviews by using the Schedule for Affective Disorders for School Aged Children and the Schedule for Affective Disorders Life-time Version, respectively. Religiousness was assessed by report on the personal importance of religion, frequency of attendance of religious services, religious denomination, and child-adult concordance of report. Findings showed adult personal importance of religion to be associated with a decreased risk for depression in women without a history of childhood depression but an increased risk for depression in women with a history of childhood depression. Adult Catholicism as compared with Protestantism was associated with a decreased risk for depression in male childhood depressives, but this association was not found in men without childhood depression. The findings potentially suggest a reciprocal-influence process between childhood pathology and the development of religiousness.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Angiostrongylus vasorum infection in 2 dogs from Newfoundland.

Described are the first antemortem diagnosis made via fecal examination using the Baermann technique and the first postmortem recovery of endemic Angiostrongylus vasorum in dogs from North America, specifically the Avalon peninsula of Newfoundland. In one dog, A. vasorum was recovered and identified at postmortem; gross and histologic lesions are described.

Angiostrongylus↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Physical health burdens of women with trauma histories and co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders.

This article documents the physical health burdens of participants in a large, federally funded cross-site study of specialized services for women with histories of trauma (physical or sexual abuse) and co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. Nearly half of the 2729 women in the study (48%) reported serious physical illnesses that frequently limited their daily life activities or required them to use special equipment. Nearly half (46%) rated their health status as only fair or poor. Given the prevalence of physical illnesses in this population, behavioral service providers should discuss with clients their overall health and how it might hinder their participation in treatment for trauma, substance abuse, and mental illness, and policymakers should consider this need when designing behavioral health requirements, setting reimbursement rates, and allocating funds.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Imaging the distribution and secondary structure of immobilized enzymes using infrared microspectroscopy.

Synchrotron infrared microspectroscopy (SIRMS) was used for the first time to image the distribution and secondary structure of an enzyme (lipase B from Candida antarctica, CALB) immobilized within a macroporous polymer matrix (poly(methyl methacrylate)) at 10 microm resolution. The beads of this catalyst (Novozyme435) were cut into thin sections (12 microm). SIRMS imaging of these thin sections revealed that the enzyme is localized in an external shell of the bead with a thickness of 80-100 microm. Also, the enzyme was unevenly distributed throughout this shell. Furthermore, by SIRMS-generated spectra, it was found that CALB secondary structure was not altered by immobilization. Unlike CALB, polystyrene molecules of similar molecular weight diffuse easily throughout Novozyme435 beads. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) images of the Novozyme435 beads showed that the average pore size is 10 times larger than CALB or polystyrene molecules, implying that there is no physical barrier to enzyme or substrate diffusion throughout the bead. Thus, the difference between polystyrene and enzyme diffusivity suggests that protein-matrix and protein-protein interactions govern the distribution of the enzyme within the macroporous resin.

Candida↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Proactive identification of seizure risk improves terminal care.

Seizures are a common neurologic consequence of various etiologies in the end-stage cancer patient. Because dying cancer patients and their families are often coping with new challenges daily, any intervention that can prevent further patient or family discomfort should be implemented. The purpose of this study was to evaluate four pharmacy interventions aimed at improving nursing care to cancer patients at a facility for the terminally ill. The four interventions were development of a seizure risk factor assessment toll, assembly or availability of a diazepam seizure kit, nursing education via in-service training, and development of a manual for nursing stations. Successful implementation of this project indicated that nurses perceived an empowerment in improving quality of life of their patients.

Adult↗