Shaw University

About: Shaw University is a education organization based out in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Genocide & Public health. The organization has 95 authors who have published 138 publications receiving 3467 citations. The organization is also known as: Raleigh Institute.

Comparison of Methods to Assess Medication Adherence and Classify Nonadherence

Abstract: Background:Medication adherence is suboptimal, and clinicians and researchers struggle with identifying nonadherent patients. Various measures of medication adherence exist, but there is controversy regarding which measures provide acceptable data and how nonadherence should be defined.Objective:To assess agreement among patient self-report, pharmacy refill, and electronic adherence measures and compare the sensitivity and specificity of different cut-points for defining nonadherence.Methods:Data were analyzed from 2 similarly designed randomized controlled trials that assessed a pharmacist's intervention to improve medication adherence among patients with hypertension or heart failure. For each participant, adherence was measured by patient self-report, prescription refill records, and electronic lids on medication containers. Agreement among measures was assessed using Spearman's correlation coefficient rho. Correlation coefficients were compared by patient characteristics using Fisher's Z transformatio...

Research expectations among African American church leaders in the PRAISE! project: a randomized trial guided by community-based participatory research.

Abstract: Objectives. This study sought to examine the expectations and satisfaction of pastors and lay leaders regarding a research partnership in a randomized trial guided by community based participatory research (CBPR) methods. Methods. Telephone and self-administered print surveys were administered to 78 pastors and lay leaders. In-depth interviews were conducted with 4 pastors after study completion. Results. The combined survey response rate was 65%. Research expectations included honest and frequent communication, sensitivity to the church environment, interaction as partners, and results provided to the churches. Satisfaction with the research partnership was high, but so was concern about the need for all research teams to establish trust with church partners. Conclusions. Pastors and lay leaders have high expectations regarding university obligations in research partnerships. An intervention study based on CBPR methods was able to meet most of these expectations.

Biological membranes in EV biogenesis, stability, uptake, and cargo transfer: an ISEV position paper arising from the ISEV membranes and EVs workshop

Abstract: Paracrine and endocrine roles have increasingly been ascribed to extracellular vesicles (EVs) generated by multicellular organisms. Central to the biogenesis, content, and function of EVs are their delimiting lipid bilayer membranes. To evaluate research progress on membranes and EVs, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) conducted a workshop in March 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, bringing together key opinion leaders and hands-on researchers who were selected on the basis of submitted applications. The workshop was accompanied by two scientific surveys and covered four broad topics: EV biogenesis and release; EV uptake and fusion; technologies and strategies used to study EV membranes; and EV transfer and functional assays. In this ISEV position paper, we synthesize the results of the workshop and the related surveys to outline important outstanding questions about EV membranes and describe areas of consensus. The workshop discussions and survey responses reveal that while much progress has been made in the field, there are still several concepts that divide opinion. Good consensus exists in some areas, including particular aspects of EV biogenesis, uptake and downstream signalling. Areas with little to no consensus include EV storage and stability, as well as whether and how EVs fuse with target cells. Further research is needed in these key areas, as a better understanding of membrane biology will contribute substantially towards advancing the field of extracellular vesicles.

Access to Medical Care Among Persons With Psychotic and Major Affective Disorders

Abstract: Objective People with serious mental illness have higher mortality rates than the general population, and this difference is not explained by such causes as suicide or accidents. This study therefore examined access and barriers to medical care among persons with serious mental illness. Methods Using a nationally representative sample, the authors examined access and barriers to medical care among individuals reporting psychotic and mood disorders. The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and NHIS-Disability Component for 1994 and 1995 were merged to provide a sample of 156,475 people over age 18. Individuals with psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, or major depression were compared with persons without mental disorders on the following outcomes: having a primary care physician, being unable to get needed medical care, being unable to get a needed prescription medication, and delaying medical care because of cost. Results Persons with psychotic disorders (odds ratio [OR]=.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]=.44-.69) and bipolar disorder (OR=.74, CI=.56-.98) had significantly reduced odds of having a primary care physician compared with people without mental disorders. For any barriers to care, persons with psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder had greatly increased odds (ORs=2.5-7.0) of reporting difficulties in accessing care. Conclusions Persons with psychotic disorders and bipolar disorder reported markedly more difficulty in obtaining a primary care physician and greater barriers to care than the general population. Interventions are needed to improve provision of primary medical care to this population.