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Thursday, October 21, 2010

Before you choose a problem statement .....A few practical points.

This post is exclusively for all the nursing students pursuing masters degree and are preparing to select a research problem statement for their dissertations....
1.Make sure that you read a lot of journals and publications both online and in print before selecting an area for research.Subscribing to online journals and free updates will help in the long run.these are storehouses of ideas.
2.Join a forum of Msc nursing students so that you can interact with students from different places and can share their ideas and views regarding the topic. thanks to social networking sites this is easy now a days.It is also good to keep a track of international bloggers and interact with them to gain a better understanding of the problem from the global point of view.
3.Select a topic of your interest and make use of the talents that you posses..The more creative your study is ,the more you will enjoy it.(I know this person who had a great passion for music and she did a study on the effect of music therapy on patients with tachycardia)This also keeps you motivated throughout the process.
4.Make a list of all the people you know in your profession as well as out of your profession who can help you in the process.Many a times students only rely on experts from the profession.however it must be kept in mind that ,it was the physical labour of the daily wage workers,imagination of the sculptors,calculations of the architects and creativity of the artists that gave birth to wonders lie the Taj Mahal.So make sure that you make the best use of talents of people around you.
5.Once you have selected the topic,do some reading on the topic.It is best to read dissertations on similar studies to gain  insight into how the subject can be dealt with .Read full text articles of studies to gain a wider perspective of the problem under study and to know what have been done so far to address the problem.
6.Decide the setting and the samples that you will require for the study.be ready with a contingency plan  in case of unforeseen circumstances like cancellation of permission from a particular setting or massive sample attrition.
7.Find a statistician who can guide you throughout your study and discuss the research problem with him/her and take suggestions on how to go about it.
8.select a topic that will help you understand the research process thoroughly.It is not necessary that all the time you have to produce some breakthrough results.but the research should help you grow as a professional and also bring a positive change in the practice of nursing.
9.Prepare a budget for research work.keep aside some amount of money exclusively for research purposes.
10.Finally..remember that its your study and the first and most important person to be convinced about the importance of the study is yourself.So no matter what others say ..believe in yourself and go ahead....there lies a path untraveled,a place unexplored...take the first step and leave imprints for others to build a city there...

Friday, July 16, 2010

Billion hearts beating pledge....

Well!!! I have taken the pledge to get enough sleep and to make sure that  I get at  least 7 hours of uninterrupted  sleep a day.Researchers from Chicago in Journal Of American  medical association have reported that too little sleep can lead to calcium build up in the arteries  predisposing  to heart attacks and strokes when these plaques get detach and travel through the blood stream.
I recommend others too get enough sleep each day to protect your heart.....
sleep well....live long..............

Sunday, July 4, 2010

The little heart....

Of late,it is seen that the incidence of heart attacks, hypertension and high cholesterol levels are increasing among the young adults.From my own experience, in the past 2 months i have come across 5 to 6 patients with hypertension and other cardiovascular problems between the ages of 24-27years.This trend of young adults falling prey to heart related problems is a matter of grave concern.
The foundation  for cardiovascular problems are laid down in childhood.If it is caught early and interventions are carried out,it could go a long way in ensuring a healthy life.
1. Childhood obesity is a risk factor for development of heart problems in later life.It is important to watch over the weight of your child and to institute early measures to control obesity.
2. Fast foods have replaced the traditional meals .Fried foods,preserved  and canned foods,chips,carbonated drinks etc  have replaced chapattis ,dals ,vegetables and fruits.This takes a toll on their health not just now but for their entire life.
It is best to limit(moderation is the key) the intake of such foods and replace them with fresh juices,soups,sprouts,fruits and so on..
3.Today very few children would know how to play kabbadi ,kho kho,dodge the ball,dog and bone and such other games but they are masters in farm ville,poker,treasure isle,need for speed and many such games.The lack of physical activity starts in the childhood and accelerates in the adolescence and adulthood,pushing them further into the risk  for heart problems.Children must be encouraged to play computer games but it is also necessary for them to explore the joys of outdoor games,for example:  Encourage them to plant some tress and make a garden like they do it on farm ville..
Physical activity does wonders to preserve good health
4. In the recent times, success is equated with  scores and the degrees .It is  important to get good grades in exams but this should not stress out  children.The overemphasis on marks have made our children into mere' memory cards'...The stress of conforming to social standards with regard to scores have taken out 'childhood 'from children.Because they are subjected to such stress in childhood they continue to grow taking stress all the time and  may reach a point where feeling stress free is considered to be a sin!!!Stress is a major risk factor of cardiovascular diseases.
Do not put the child  under stress all the time.Explain to them why they are studying a particular subject,let them know why they have to do a particular thing and they will shine without any undue stress and you not will not only secure their future in relation to careers but also health.

                                             The beginning of a healthy life is from childhood..adulthood is a reflection of childhood and old age a reflection of adult life...So lets start early....Lets protect the little heart....

HEART HEALTH ON YOUR FINGER TIPS

A quick way to take care of your heart.....
Your health in your hands..........

Friday, May 28, 2010

Craig Venter unveils "synthetic life" | Video on TED.com

Craig Venter unveils "synthetic life" | Video on TED.com

Synthetic life

A genome with watermarks , names of 46 people , a a website address and 3 quotations
"TO LIVE, TO ERR, TO FALL, TO TRIUMPH, TO RECREATE LIFE OUT OF LIFE." - JAMES JOYCE;
"SEE THINGS NOT AS THEY ARE, BUT AS THEY MIGHT BE.”-A quote from the book, “American Prometheus”;
"WHAT I CANNOT BUILD, I CANNOT UNDERSTAND." - RICHARD FEYNMAN.
This is the synthetic DNA that Craig venter and his team developed in the J.CRAIG VENTER INSTITUTE(JCVI)after 15 years of extensive hard work and toil.the organism Mycoplasma mycoides is an self replicating synthetic organism whose DNA is synthetically prepared by a computer and then transplanted into the cell of a bacterium.
This breakthrough has evoked mixed responses from the scientific community.On one hand it will be easier to make vaccines in relatively less time and discover new vaccines for many disorders,and bring about solutions to various environmental issues,on the other hand there looms a threat of the discovery falling into the wrong hnds and unfortunate events like bioterrorism and development of unknown new species of organisms developing.
heres an excellent video of Craig Venter unveiling his work.

http://www.ted.com/talks/craig_venter_unveils_synthetic_life.html

post your comments about your opinion on the topic.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

cardiomyocytes from adipose tissues -- future of cardiac therapies.

Spanish scientists have been able to reprogram adult stem cells from lipoaspiration to create cardiomyocytes.At a time when the burden of cardiac mortality and morbidity is o n the rise and the burden is ever increasing both in developed and developing countries,this comes as a good news.
the stem cells were isolated from the lipoaspiration of adult human and then permeabilized and treated with adult human auricle cell extract.after about 21 days the cells were found to be differentiated to cardiomyocytes.
The study is a boon as this will pave the way for some promising treatments in cardiac diseases.But there is a long way to go before the therapies come into being,because further researches on animal and human models have to be done.
for further reading

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100519081558.htm

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Pollution - A modifiable risk factor of CV mortality and morbidity

The american heart association has included one more modifiable risk factor contributing to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.researchers have found that fine particulate matter(PM2.5)has a causal effect on cardiovascular disorders especially IHD.

It is believed that due to the fine particulate matter especially PM2.5 AND PM10,inflammatory responses take place in the lungs,this in turn leads to systemic inflammation .systemic inflammation triggers a host of responses like oxidative stress,platelet and leukocyte activation and endothelial dysfunction.These in turn lead to thrombus formation,atherosclerosis and plaque instability which predisposes to MI.Another mechanism is activation of pulmonary reflexes due to the particulate matter and pollutants in the air which leads to activation of the sympathetic nervous system and in turn cardiac arrhythmia.
Application in nursing practice:
- Since this is modifiable risk factor,it is important to include this aspect in the health teaching of all patients who are at high risk for cardiovascular disorders or who are already diagnosed with one. Emphasize on the importance of avoiding polluted environments as far as possible to the clients with higher risk factors for CV mortality and morbidity.

for further reading refer to links:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4419
http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/109/21/2655/FIG2
http://ajpheart.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/286/2/H479

Monday, May 10, 2010

commemorating Florence Nightingale

hey friends ..I am really sorry for being away from the blog world for so long....Well its nurses week and and this is a time to celebrate nursing.....
This 12th may is also the centennial of Florence nightingale and to commemorate this occasion the nurses' chapel in Westminster abbey dedicated to more than 3000 nurses who died in the second world war will be dedicated to Florence nightingale.This is the first time that a commoner gets a chapel in Westminster abbey named after her,the others being saints or members of the royal family.She is the only nurse and one among the few women to be commemorated at the abbey.
Do you believe Florence Nightingale deserves this????send your comments.....