Abstract
This paper examines whether Morgellons Disease is in fact a disease, or a somatoform disorder as proposed by the American Psychologists Association (DSM-IV-TR) clinical diagnosis. The writer explains that while many healthcare professionals dismiss Morgellons as a psychological disorder, a few practitioners believe that the true cause of the "disease" may be attributed to exposure to infectious agents found in the Lyme disease family. This paper researches Morgellons' etiology, symptoms, treatment and future medical avenues for improving the quality of life for Morgellons patients. A figure is included with the paper.

From the Paper
"Morgellons is not considered to be fatal. There have, however, been reported cases of suicides where the patient could no longer bear the painful symptoms of Morgellons. The latest research regarding Morgellons disease shows that it may have a close affiliation with Lyme disease. Lyme disease was named after the towns of Old Lyme and Lyme Connecticut in 1975. The disease is transmitted by the bite of a tick which infuses the bacterium that causes the borrelia infection. The symptoms (fatigue and flu-like feelings) of Lyme disease closely parallel neurological symptoms of Morgellons disease. Doctors are able to rule out Lyme disease by checking for the presence of the antibodies of Lyme disease in the patient's blood. Many Morgellons sufferers often have clinical depression and cannot work at a job or feel greatly diminished in their capability to perform."

Tags:matchbox, aberration, self-medicate, pathology, silicon, diagnosis, listeria, bacteria

Abstract
This six-page undergraduate level paper on the cruel and inhumane conditions cn South Carolina's rice plantations and focuses on the sad plight of the African people shipped to the Americas as slaves. It also concentrates on the material culture, living conditions and the journey of hardships and humiliation the blacks had to travel in order to gain equal status to those who owned them.

Abstract
In this article, the writer addresses three important themes for the acute care nurse practitioner (ACNP) and the clinical nurse specialist (CNS): ethical principles and ethical issues in patient care, professional resources available to help the ACNP, research highlighting the effectiveness of the ACNP and CNS in acute care. The writer also covers five ethical principles that guide the ACNP/CNS in their practice and notes that the move to procedure-based medicine requires the nurse to make more serious life-or-death decisions for the patient than in the past. The writer concludes that whereas the primary burden of patient care decision-making was placed on the physician in the past, the nurse must now weigh various ethical imperatives in order to make the right decision for the patient at the time.

Outline:
Introduction
Ethical Principles for the ACNP and CNS
Nonmaleficence
Utilitarianism
Justice
Fidelity
Veracity
Autonomy
Ethical Issues in Patient Care: Advance Directives
Ethical Issue in Patient Care: Clashing Ethical Requirements
Professional Resources
ACNP/CNS Effectiveness in Acute Care
Patients Spend Less Time in the Hospital
ACPN/CNS' Have Been Given Greater Responsibility
Increasing Cost Pressures Require Greater Nurse Participation
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The legal aspects of patient treatment have come to the fore, but should not be regarded as equivalent to ethics issues. Much of what happens in the privacy of the intensive-care suite, the hospice or the general floors happens outside the purview of the medico-legal profession.
"Nurses make decisions today about patient care that they have not had to make in the past. Part of the reason for this is that hospitalized patients, on average, are sicker than they were in the past (mainly due to the shortened stay periods) and the need of physicians to leverage their care decisions with better-educated specialist nurses."

Tags:principles, patients, treatment, dilemma

Abstract
The paper discusses how today there is a continuity of healthcare delivery from the onset of illness, to acute treatment and follow-on treatment outside the hospital setting. The paper examines the roles of clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and nurse practitioner (NP) in the psychiatric, geriatric and cardiovascular nursing settings and shows how many nursing specialties call for a more holistic notion of patient care. The paper argues that by combining the CNS and NP specialties, this profession has a better chance of assuring better patient outcomes, and a better quality of life for the patient.

Outline:
Introduction
Roles of NP and CNS: Evolution
Merger of CNS and NP's
Combining the Roles
Summary

From the Paper
"Our nation faces a continual and growing shortage of qualified nurses to meet our healthcare needs. To date, there has been a stratification of nursing roles, which includes, among other classifications, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners (Nursing, American Association of Colleges of, 1993) (Hamric, 2000). While there will always be the need for specialization within certain nursing areas, such as CICU and neonatal care, a merging of these roles offers key advantages to patient care, cost-effectiveness, and the career satisfaction of those in the nursing profession (Chaska, 2001)."

Tags:continuity, healthcare, hospital, community, care

Abstract
"This paper addresses three important themes for the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) and the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS): - Ethical principles, and ethical issues in patient care - Professional resources available to help the ACNP, and - Research highlighting the effectiveness of the ACNP and CNS in acute care.

From the Paper
"This paper addresses three important themes for the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) and the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS): * Ethical principles, and ethical issues in patient care * Professional resources available to help the ACNP, and * Research highlighting the effectiveness of the ACNP and CNS in acute..."

Tags:nurse, ethics, decision, making

Abstract
The paper discusses each of the eight drugs that were in Anna Nicole Smith's system at the time of her death, including Chloral Hydrate, the anti-anxiety drugs of Valium, Klonopin, and Ativan as well as Benadryl, Nordiazepam, Temazepam and Oxazepam. The paper explores these drugs' intended uses and doses, as well as their mechanism of actions and relevant side effects. The paper relates that the combined sedative effects on the CNS respiratory system of various drugs whose uses together are an absolute contraindication, lead to the death of Mrs. Smith.

From the Paper
"Anna Nicole Smith was found dead in her hotel room in Florida on February 8, 2007 due to what turned out to be, according to the official autopsy report, an accidental overdose referred to as "combined drug intoxication". Ms. Smith was found to have a total of 8 different drugs in her system at the time of her death, one of which was Chloral Hydrate, the drug that's toxic level ultimately lead to her untimely passing. The other 8 drugs were also present in her system, but according to the autopsy report, were only at therapeutic levels. Although drug concentrations at therapeutic levels may seem benign, they actually played a vital role in her overdosing via participation in drug-drug interactions with the Chloral Hydrate; in other words, had it not been for the other drugs in her system, the Chloral Hydrate wouldn't have been at a toxic level and Ms. Smith wouldn't have overdosed."

Tags:Chloral Hydrate Valium, Klonopin Ativan Benadryl Nordiazepam Temazepam Oxazepam

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that speech and language difficulties accompany a number of diseases of the central nervous system in adults. The writer points out that sometimes the speech difficulty might be the reason for seeking medical help, or it might be one of many factors that cause a person to seek medical attention. Speech difficulties might arise simultaneously with other symptoms, or they might arise at a different time. A myriad of problems fall under the category of speech and language difficulties. The writer discusses symptoms that range from slurred speech, slow speech and other problems that make it difficult to be understood to more serious difficulties, including a total loss of ability to speak at all. The writer looks at related causes, treatment and therapies. The writer maintains that regardless of the severity of the speech or language difficulty, or its cause, these problems make life difficult for patients and their caregivers.

Outline:
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Speech and Language Therapy in CNS Diseases
Role of the Speech Pathologist
Treatment

From the Paper
"Parkinson's Disease is a dysfunction of the neurotransmitters between the nerve cells. Parkinson's disease destroys brain cells, resulting in a shortage of dopamine. The first signs of Parkinson's are typically subtle, such as softer or slower speech. As the disease progresses, tremors begin, which eventually worsen until hey cause considerable difficulty performing everyday tasks. Treatments to replace dopamine can help to slow the disease.
"Brain injuries are typically not listed under the category of disease. However, they are included in this research because they can cause certain forms of neurological dysfunction that can have an effect of speech and language."

Tags:patients, nerves, treatment, speaking

Abstract
This paper examines how multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system malfunctions and targets and destroys the myelin and oligodendrocyte cells of the brain and spinal cord. It looks at how the disease also causes irreparable damage in the central nervous system (CNS) by destroying targeted axons. It also discusses how treatment of the disease includes the treatment of acute symptoms and treatments to reduce the frequency of the relapse of the disease.

From the Paper
"The pathology of MS involves inflammation of the targeted area, demyelination of the axon and axon degeneration. Axon degeneration permanently destroys the demyelinated axon and causes irreversible damage to the CNS. This damage is responsible for the persistent disabling features of the disease. The CNS performs as a distributed network of activities. MS attacks individual parts of the CNS causing varied degrees of disabilities in specific domains of neurological function. Therefore, no two MS patients are affected in exactly the same way. MS is usually first diagnosed between 15 and 50 years of age (Randall, & Schapiro 2003). "

Tags:brain, spinal, cord, axon

Abstract
This paper looks at the drug Sinemet, used to treat patients with Parkinson's disease. The author explains that the drug is a combination of carbidopa and levodopa, the carbidopa preventing the levodopa from being decarboxylated in tissues outside the CNS so that a maximum dose is delivered to the brain. The paper discusses the drug structure, dosage, side effects, and contraindications.

From the Paper
"The drug being researched is Sinemet which came on the market in Leffler. The name Sinemet literally means without vomiting generic name Carbidopa-levodopa. The drug is used for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and syndrome ..."

Tags:phamracology, of, Sinemet

Abstract
This paper discusses the traditional uses of the herbs rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) and ginkgo biloba (ginkgo), their connections with modern use and the evidence gained from research to support this. In particular, it looks at how within the fields of alternative medicines both of these herbs are widely known for the beneficial effects on the central nervous system (CNS). Clinical trials, where available are cited and discussed with a view to proving and rationalising the prescription of these two herbs by the modern herbalist.

From the Paper
"There is a vast wealth of empirical information relating to Rosemary and its use as a stimulant of the mind since ancient times (Chevallier, 2001). The 17th century herbal medicalist Nicholas Culpeper spoke of it; "it helps cold diseases of the head and brain, drowsiness, dullness, dumb palsy, lethargy. It helps pains in the gums and teeth. It helps a weak memory and quickens the senses" (Culpeper, 1616 to 1654). This traditional use is comparable with its modern usage for poor memory and concentration, headaches, mild depression and debility associated with circulatory and digestive weakness and hair loss (Chevallier, 2001 and Hoffman, 1990). Chevallier (2001) describes the influence of Rosemary on the circulation to the head can even help balding if a decoction is used as a hair rinse."

Tags:antioxidants, brain, dementia, herbalist