The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between adolescents' exposure to traumatic events and their self-health assessments, and to examine the protective effects of social support and self-efficacy on this relationship. Survey results (N = 1,427) indicated that experiencing violent and nonviolent negative life events and being exposed to a disaster were inversely associated with adolescents' positive health assessments. As social support and self-efficacy decreased, adolescents' health assessments worsened. Female and Black adolescents had less favorable health assessments than their male and White counterparts. Findings suggest that traumatic events are predictive of adolescents' health assessments and that social support and self-efficacy prevent adolescents' health assessments from declining following traumatic events.

This study aimed to identify the religious practices and beliefs of surgeons and the relationship between surgeons' locus of control and religiosity. Thirty-five surgeons completed a survey that included items from the Duke University Religion Index, the Salesian Center Intrinsic Religiosity Scale for Clinicians, and Rotter's Locus of Control Scale. Over 68% of sampled surgeons affirmed that their religious beliefs play a part in their practice, 47% attend religious services at least weekly, and 44% pray daily. There was no correlation between locus of control and religiosity. These results challenge the myth of the egocentric, agnostic surgeon.

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This article focuses on pulmonary arterial hypertension, including both primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) and those forms of pulmonary arterial hypertension that are related to other factors, including collagen vascular diseases, congenital shunts, portal hypertension, human immunodeficiency viral infection, and exposure to specific drugs and toxins. Risks for different types of pulmonary arterial hypertension are identified. The common pathogenesis for pulmonary arterial hypertension is discussed, and includes an overview of the role of key vasoactive substances such as nitric oxide, prostacyclin, endothelin, and thromboxane. Typical presenting clinical manifestations, recommendations for screening of patients at risk, and key diagnostic findings are discussed. The mainstay of treatment is identified as pharmacologic, and may include diuretics, digoxin, warfarin, calcium channel antagonists, and prostacyclin analogues such as epoprostenol. Surgical interventions are considered as a last resort, and may include unilateral or bilateral lung transplant or atrial septostomy. Treatment options for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension hold more hope today than they did a decade ago and are identified so as to guide the advanced practice nurse in recognizing and then facilitating the appropriate management of patients with this rare but disabling disease.

Bariatric surgery is a safe and highly effective option for treating the disease of morbid obesity. Given that the numbers of morbidly obese adults exceed one in twenty in the United States, bariatric surgery is no longer an uncommon surgical procedure and will likely continue to become increasingly common. Therefore, it is imperative that nursing programs prepare prelicensure students to deliver high-quality, competent care to bariatric surgical patients. These patients have complex collaborative care needs that can be best taught utilizing an active learning format, such as the case study format. This article presents an exemplar case study that can be used to teach nursing students about the unique needs of the bariatric surgical patient. The pre-operative, peri-operative, post-operative, and continuing care needs of the bariatric surgical patient are addressed using a nursing process framework and critical thinking exercises.