Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Treating A 20 Mm Hg Gradient Alleviates Myocardial Hypertrophy In Experimental Aortic Coarctation, David C. Wendell, Ingeborg Friehs, Margaret M. Samyn, Leanne Harmann, John F. Ladisa

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Children with coarctation of the aorta (CoA) can have a hyperdynamic and remodeled left ventricle (LV) from increased afterload. Literature from an experimental model suggests the putative 20 mm Hg blood pressure gradient (BPG) treatment guideline frequently implemented in CoA studies may permit irreversible vascular changes. LV remodeling from pressure overload has been studied, but data are limited following correction and using a clinically representative BPG.

Materials and methods

Rabbits underwent CoA at 10 weeks to induce a 20 mm Hg BPG using permanent or dissolvable suture thereby replicating untreated and corrected CoA, respectively. Cardiac function was evaluated at …

Titanium Addition Influences Antibacterial Activity Of Bioactive Glass Coatings On Metallic Implants, Omar Rodriguez, Wendy Stone, Emil H. Schemitsch, Paul Zalzal, Stephen Waldman, Marcello Papini, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In an attempt to combat the possibility of bacterial infection and insufficient bone growth around metallic, surgical implants, bioactive glasses may be employed as coatings. In this work, silica-based and borate-based glass series were synthesized for this purpose and subsequently characterized in terms of antibacterial behavior, solubility and cytotoxicity. Borate-based glasses were found to exhibit significantly superior antibacterial properties and increased solubility compared to their silica-based counterparts, with BRT0 and BRT3 (borate-based glasses with 0 and 15 mol% of titanium dioxide incorporated, respectively) outperforming the remainder of the glasses, both borate and silicate based, in these respects. Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy …

Delivery Of Antioxidant And Anti-Inflammatory Agents For Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts, Kenyatta S. Washington, Chris A. Bashur

Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Faculty Publications

The treatment of patients with severe coronary and peripheral artery disease represents a significant clinical need, especially for those patients that require a bypass graft and do not have viable veins for autologous grafting. Tissue engineering is being investigated to generate an alternative graft. While tissue engineering requires surgical intervention, the release of pharmacological agents is also an important part of many tissue engineering strategies. Delivery of these agents offers the potential to overcome the major concerns for graft patency and viability. These concerns are related to an extended inflammatory response and its impact on vascular cells such as endothelial …

Quantitative Yttrium-90 Bremsstrahlung Spect/Ct And Pet/Ct Study For 3d Dosimetry In Radiomicrosphere Therapy, Senait Aknaw Debebe

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Liver cancer ranks the third most common cause of cancer related mortality worldwide. Radiomicrosphere therapy (RMT), a form of radiation therapy, involves administration of Yttrium-90 (90Y) microspheres to the liver via the hepatic artery. 90Y microspheres bremsstrahlung SPECT/CT or PET/CT imaging could potentially identify an extrahepatic uptake. An early detection of such an uptake, thus, could initiate preventative measures early on. However, the quantitative accuracy of bremsstrahlung SPECT/CT images is limited by the wide and continuous energy spectrum of 90Y bremsstrahlung photons. 90Y PET/CT imaging is also possible but limited by the extremely small internal pair production decay. These limitation …

Potency And Cytotoxicity Of A Novel Gallium-Containing Mesoporous Bioactive Glass/Chitosan Composite Scaffold As Hemostatic Agents, Sara Pourshahrestani, Ehsan Zeimaran, Nahrizul Adib Kadri, Nicola Gargiulo, Hassan Mahmood Jindal, Sangeetha Vasudevaraj Naveen, Shamala Devi Sekaran, Tunku Kamarul, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Chitosan-based hemostats are promising candidates for immediate hemorrhage control. However, they have some disadvantages and require further improvement to achieve the desired hemostatic efficiency. Here, a series of 1% Ga2O3-containing mesoporous bioactive glass-chitosan composite scaffolds (Ga-MBG/CHT) were constructed by the lyophilization process and the effect of various concentrations of Ga-MBG (10, 30, and 50 wt %) on the hemostatic function of the CHT scaffold was assessed as compared to that of Celox Rapid gauze (CXR), a current commercially available chitosan-coated hemostatic gauze. The prepared scaffolds exhibited >79% porosity and showed increased water uptake compared to that in CXR. The results …

Systolic Orthostatic Hypotension Is Related To Lowered Cognitive Function: Findings From The Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study, Rachael V. Torres, Merrill Elias, Georgina E. Crichton, Gregory A. Dore, Adam Davey

Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Papers

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between orthostatic changes in blood pressure (BP) and cognition, with consideration given to cardiovascular risk factors and lifestyle variables. The cross-sectional analysis included 961 community-dwelling participants of the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study, for whom BP clinic measures (five sitting, five recumbent, and five standing) were obtained. Eighteen percent of participants had orthostatic hypotension (fall in systolic BP ≥20 mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥10 mm Hg upon standing) and 6% had orthostatic hypertension (rise in systolic BP ≥20 mm Hg). Orthostatic hypotension and hypertension defined using traditional criteria were unrelated …

Generalized Fractals For Computer Generated Art: Preliminary Results, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Working Papers

This paper explores new types of fractals created by iteration of the functions xn+1 = f1(xn, yn) and yn+1 = f2(xn, yn) in a general plane, rather than in the complex plane. Iteration of such functions generates orbits with novel fractal patterns. Especially interesting are N-th order polynomials, raised to a positive or negative integer power, p.

Such functions create novel fractal patterns, including budding, spiked, striped, dragon head, and bat-like forms. The present faculty working paper shows how to create a rich variety of complex and fascinating fractals using this generalized approach, which is accessible to students with high …

New Fractals For Computer Generated Art Created By Iteration Of Polynomial Functions Of A Complex Variable, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Working Papers

Novel fractal forms can be created by iteration of higher order polynomials of the complex variable, z, with both positive and negative exponents, followed by optional integer power transformation, k zz . Such functions lead to an expanded universe of fascinating fractal patterns that can be incorporated into computer generated art.

Cross-Species Complementation Reveals Conserved Functions For Early Flowering 3 Between Monocots And Dicots, He Huang, Malia A. Gehan, Sarah E. Huss, Sohpie Alvarez, Cesar Lizarraga, Ellen L. Gruebbling, John Gierer, Michael J. Naldrett, Rebacca K. Bindbeutel, Bradley S. Evans, Todd C. Mockler, Dmitri A. Nusinow

Nebraska Center for Biotechnology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Plant responses to the environment are shaped by external stimuli and internal signaling pathways. In both the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) and crop species, circadian clock factors are critical for growth, flowering, and circadian rhythms. Outside of Arabidopsis, however, little is known about the molecular function of clock gene products. Therefore, we sought to compare the function of Brachypodium distachyon (Brachypodium) and Setaria viridis (Setaria) orthologs of EARLY FLOWERING 3, a key clock gene in Arabidopsis. To identify both cycling genes and putative ELF3 functional orthologs in Setaria, a …

An Automated Workflow For Quantifying Rna Transcripts In Individual Cells In Large Data-Sets, Matthew C. Pharris, Tzu-Ching Wu, Xinping Chen, Xu Wang, David M. Umulis, Vikki M. Weake, Tamara L. Kinzer-Ursem

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Advanced molecular probing techniques such as single molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization (smFISH) or RNAscope can be used to assess the quantity and spatial location of mRNA transcripts within cells. Quantifying mRNA expression in large image sets usually involves automated counting of fluorescent spots. Though conventional spot counting algorithms may suffice, they often lack high-throughput capacity and accuracy in cases of crowded signal or excessive noise. Automatic identification of cells and processing of many images is still a challenge. We have developed a method to perform automatic cell boundary identification while providing quantitative data about mRNA transcript levels across many …

Delayed Hypersensitivity To Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Field In Electroporated Cells, Sarah D. Jensen, Vera A. Khorokhorina, Claudia Muratori, Andrei G. Pakhomov, Olga N. Pakhomova

Bioelectrics Publications

We demonstrate that conditioning of mammalian cells by electroporation with nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) facilitates their response to the next nsPEF treatment. The experiments were designed to unambiguously separate the electroporation-induced sensitization and desensitization effects. Electroporation was achieved by bursts of 300-ns, 9 kV/cm pulses (50 Hz, n = 3–100) and quantified by propidium dye uptake within 11 min after the nsPEF exposure. We observed either sensitization to nsPEF or no change (when the conditioning was either too weak or too intense, or when the wait time after conditioning was too short). Within studied limits, conditioning never caused desensitization. …

Controllable Moderate Heating Enhances The Therapeutic Efficacy Of Irreversible Electroporation For Pancreatic Cancer, Chelsea M. Edelblute, James Hornef, Niculina I. Burcus, Thomas Norman, Stephen J. Beebe, Karl Schoenbach, Richard Heller, Chunqi Jiang, Sigi Guo

Bioelectrics Publications

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) as a non-thermal tumor ablation technology has been studied for the treatment of pancreatic carcinoma and has shown a significant survival benefit. We discovered that moderate heating (MH) at 43°C for 1-2 minutes significantly enhanced ex vivo IRE tumor ablation of Pan02 cells by 5.67-fold at 750 V/cm and by 1.67-fold at 1500 V/cm. This amount of heating alone did not cause cell death. An integrated IRE system with controllable laser heating and tumor impedance monitoring was developed to treat mouse ectopic pancreatic cancer. With this novel IRE system, we were able to heat and maintain the …

Damage-Free Peripheral Nerve Stimulation By 12-Ns Pulsed Electric Field, Maura Casciola, Shu Xiao, Andrei G. Pakhomov

Bioelectrics Publications

Modern technologies enable deep tissue focusing of nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) for non-invasive nerve and muscle stimulation. However, it is not known if PEF orders of magnitude shorter than the activation time of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSC) would evoke action potentials (APs). One plausible scenario requires the loss of membrane integrity (electroporation) and resulting depolarization as an intermediate step. We report, for the first time, that the excitation of a peripheral nerve can be accomplished by 12-ns PEF without electroporation. 12-ns stimuli at 4.1-11 kV (3.3-8.8 kV/cm) evoked APs similarly to conventional stimuli (100-250 mus, 1-5 V, 103-515 V/m), …

A Spectral Ct Method To Directly Estimate Basis Material Maps From Experimental Photon-Counting Data, Tal Gilat Schmidt, Rina Foygel Barber, Emil Y. Sidky

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The proposed spectral CT method solves the constrained one-step spectral CT reconstruction (cOSSCIR) optimization problem to estimate basis material maps while modeling the nonlinear X-ray detection process and enforcing convex constraints on the basis map images. In order to apply the optimization-based reconstruction approach to experimental data, the presented method empirically estimates the effective energy-window spectra using a calibration procedure. The amplitudes of the estimated spectra were further optimized as part of the reconstruction process to reduce ring artifacts. A validation approach was developed to select constraint parameters. The proposed spectral CT method was evaluated through simulations and experiments with …

Direct Numerical Simulation Of Turbulent Katabatic Slope Flows With An Immersed-Boundary Method, Clancy Umphrey, Ray Deleon, Inanc Senocak

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We investigate a Cartesian-mesh immersed-boundary formulation within an incompressible flow solver to simulate laminar and turbulent katabatic slope flows. As a proof-of-concept study, we consider four different immersed-boundary reconstruction schemes for imposing a Neumann-type boundary condition on the buoyancy field. Prandtl’s laminar solution is used to demonstrate the second-order accuracy of the numerical solutions globally. Direct numerical simulation of a turbulent katabatic flow is then performed to investigate the applicability of the proposed schemes in the turbulent regime by analyzing both first- and second-order statistics of turbulence. First-order statistics show that turbulent katabatic flow simulations are noticeably sensitive to the …

High Resolution Imaging Of The Mitral Valve In The Natural State With 7 Tesla Mri, Sam E. Stephens, Serguei Liachenko, Neil B. Ingels, Jonathan F. Wenk, Morten O. Jensen

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Imaging techniques of the mitral valve have improved tremendously during the last decade, but challenges persist. The delicate changes in annulus shape and papillary muscle position throughout the cardiac cycle have significant impact on the stress distribution in the leaflets and chords, thus preservation of anatomically accurate positioning is critical. The aim of this study was to develop an in vitro method and apparatus for obtaining high-resolution 3D MRI images of porcine mitral valves in both the diastolic and systolic configurations with physiologically appropriate annular shape, papillary muscle positions and orientations, specific to the heart from which the valve was …

Macrodamage Accumulation Model For A Human Femur, Farah Hamandi, Tarun Goswami

Biomedical, Industrial & Human Factors Engineering Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to more fully understand the mechanical behavior of bone tissue that is important to find an alternative material to be used as an implant and to develop an accurate model to predict the fracture of the bone. Predicting and preventing bone failure is an important area in orthopaedics. In this paper, the macrodamage accumulation models in the bone tissue have been investigated. Phenomenological models for bone damage have been discussed in detail. In addition, 3D finite element model of the femur prepared from imaging data with both cortical and trabecular structures is delineated using …

Rapid Thermocycler System For Rapid Amplification Of Nucleic Acids And Related Methods, Joel R. Termaat, Scoltt E. Whitney, Hendrik J. Viljoen, Matthew R. Kreifels

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Patents

A thermo cycling device and method of operating a thermocycler instrument, the instrument including a sample holder, at least one thermal cycling element, and at least one first and second temperature sensors, for causing the sample holder containing the at least one sample to undergo polymerase chain reaction amplification by repeated cycling between at least a denaturation heating stage and an aunealing cooling stage. The first temperature corresponding with the temperature of the sample holder is monitored using the at least one first temperature sensor, and a second temperature corresponding with the temperature external of the sample holder is monitored …

Performance Assessment Of Diffuse Optical Spectroscopic Imaging Instruments In A 2-Year Multicenter Breast Cancer Trial, Anais Leproux, Thomas D.O. Sullivan, Albert E. Cerussi, Amanda Durkin, Brian Hill, Nola M. Hylton, Arjun G. Yodh, Stefan A. Carp, David A. Boas, Shudong Jiang, Keith D. Paulsen, Brian W. Pogue, Darren M. Roblyr, Wei T. Yang, Bruce J. Tromberg

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present a framework for characterizing the performance of an experimental imaging technology, diffuse optical spectroscopic imaging (DOSI), in a 2-year multicenter American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) breast cancer study (ACRIN-6691). DOSI instruments combine broadband frequency-domain photon migration with time-independent near-infrared (650 to 1000 nm) spectroscopy to measure tissue absorption and reduced scattering spectra and tissue hemoglobin, water, and lipid composition. The goal of ACRIN-6691 was to test the effectiveness of optically derived imaging endpoints in predicting the final pathologic response of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Sixty patients were enrolled over a 2-year period at participating sites and received …

Preclinical Evaluation Of Spatial Frequency Domain-Enabled Wide-Field Quantitative Imaging For Enhanced Glioma Resection, Mira Sibai, Carl Fisher, Israel Veilleux, Jonathan T. Elliot, Frederic Leblond, David W. Roberts, Brian Wilson

Dartmouth Scholarship

5-Aminolevelunic acid-induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) fluorescence-guided resection (FGR) enables maximum safe resection of glioma by providing real-time tumor contrast. However, the subjective visual assessment and the variable intrinsic optical attenuation of tissue limit this technique to reliably delineating only high-grade tumors that display strong fluorescence. We have previously shown, using a fiber-optic probe, that quantitative assessment using noninvasive point spectroscopic measurements of the absolute PpIX concentration in tissue further improves the accuracy of FGR, extending it to surgically curable low-grade glioma. More recently, we have shown that implementing spatial frequency domain imaging with a fluorescent-light transport model enables recovery of …

Endothelial Function Is Associated With White Matter Microstructure And Executive Function In Older Adults, Nathan F. Johnson, Brian T. Gold, Christopher A. Brown, Emily F. Anggelis, Alison L. Bailey, Jody L. Clasey, David K. Powell

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Age-related declines in endothelial function can lead to cognitive decline. However, little is known about the relationships between endothelial function and specific neurocognitive functions. This study explored the relationship between measures of endothelial function (reactive hyperemia index; RHI), white matter (WM) health (fractional anisotropy, FA, and WM hyperintensity volume, WMH), and executive function (Trail Making Test (TMT); Trail B - Trail A). Participants were 36 older adults between the ages of 59 and 69 (mean age = 63.89 years, SD = 2.94). WMH volume showed no relationship with RHI or executive function. However, there was a positive relationship between RHI …

A Long-Term Follow-Up Of Young Adults With Idiopathic Clubfoot: Does Foot Morphology Relate To Pain?, Adam Graf, Ken N. Kuo, Nikhil T. Kurapati, Joseph J. Krzak, Sahar Hassani, Angela Caudill, Ann Flanagan, Gerald F. Harris, Peter A. Smith

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background:

Individuals with clubfoot, treated in infancy with either the Ponseti method or comprehensive clubfoot release, often encounter pain as adults. Multiple studies have characterized residual deformity after Ponseti or surgical correction using physical exam, radiographs and pedobarography; however, the relationship between residual foot deformity and pain is not well defined. The purpose of the current study was 2-fold: (1) to evaluate the relationship between foot morphology and pain for young adults treated as infants for idiopathic clubfoot and (2) to describe and compare pedobarographic measures and outcome measures of pain and morphology among surgically treated, Ponseti treated, and typically …

Preparation, Characterization And Biological Activity Evaluation Of Some Metal Complexes From Novel Schiff Bases Based On Ambroxol Drug, Hoda Ahmed, Walaa H. Mahmoud, Mostafa M.H Khalil, Gehad G. Mohamed, Mostafa A. Radwan

Chemical Engineering

Novel Schiff bases were prepared as the condensation product of reaction of 2- hydroxybenzaldehyde and ambroxol drug (H2L1) and the second one from the reaction of 2-quinoline carbaldehyde with ambroxol (HL2). The synthesized Schiff basses were acted as a tridentate ligand for the preparation of new complexes through reaction with the metal ions of Cd(II) and Sn(II). The newly prepared Schiff bases and their metal complexes were characterized using some physicochemical techniques including elemental analysis, FT-IR, UV–Vis, mass spectrometry, conducti-metric measurements as well as thermal analyses (TGA/DTG),. On the basis of these studies, an octahedral geometry for both Cd(II) and …

Multiple Path Particle Dosimetry For Prediction Of Mouse Lung Deposition Of Nanoaerosol Particles, Mohammed Ali

Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Nanoaerosolized particle (dia.<200 >nm) antibiotic inhalation therapy was tested to treat pneumonic tularemia in mice caused by Francisella novicida infection. Very limited experimental techniques are available to properly estimate inhaled doses and distribution of the drug inside the mouse lungs. To overcome this problem, computational simulation of particle deposition based on the Multiple Path Particle Dosimetry (MPPD) model was employed to simulate in vivo experimental conditions which included nasal breathing with whole body exposure to the antibiotic in the form of nano-aerosolized medicine. The deposition results were compared with several in vivo experimental data reported in literature; and satisfactory agreements …

Defects In Skeletal Muscle Subsarcolmmal Mitochondria In A Non-Obese Model Of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Nicola Lai, China Kummitha, Charles Hoppel

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Skeletal muscle resistance to insulin is related to accumulation of lipid-derived products, but it is not clear whether this accumulation is caused by skeletal muscle mitochondrial dysfunction. Diabetes and obesity are reported to have a selective effect on the function of subsarcolemmal and interfibrillar mitochondria in insulin-resistant skeletal muscle. The current study investigated the role of the subpopulations of mitochondria in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance in the absence of obesity. A non-obese spontaneous rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus, (Goto-Kakizaki), was used to evaluate function and biochemical properties in both populations of skeletal muscle mitochondria. In subsarcolemmal mitochondria, …

Frequency Sensitive Mechanism In Low-Intensity Ultrasound Enhanced Bioeffects, April D. Miller, Abdoulkadri Chama, Tobias M. Louw, Anuradha Subramanian, Hendrik J. Viljoen

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

This study presents two novel theoretical models to elucidate frequency sensitive nuclear mechanisms in low-intensity ultrasound enhanced bioeffects. In contrast to the typical 1.5 MHz pulsed ultrasound regime, our group previously experimentally confirmed that ultrasound stimulation of anchored chondrocytes at resonant frequency maximized gene expression of load inducible genes which are regulatory markers for cellular response to external stimuli. However, ERK phosphorylation displayed no frequency dependency, suggesting that the biochemical mechanisms involved in enhanced gene expression is downstream of ERK phosphorylation. To elucidate such underlying mechanisms, this study presents a theoretical model of an anchored cell, representing an in vitro …

The Influence Of The Electrode Dimension On The Detection Sensitivity Of Electric Cell–Substrate Impedance Sensing (Ecis) And Its Mathematical Modeling, Xudong Zhang, William Wang, Anis Nurashikin Nordin, Fang Li, Sunghoon Jang, Ioana Voiculescu

Publications and Research

Detection sensitivity is a crucial criterion in the design and application of ECIS sensors. The influence of sensing electrode dimension on detection sensitivity is investigated in this paper. Eight types of ECIS sensors were fabricated, and their experimental results reveal that smaller-radius working electrodes generate more sensitive impedance shift to cell density change. Also, the smaller radius of working electrodes yield higher impedance values, which improves signal-to-noise ratio. In a range from 1.0 mm to 3.5 mm, the distance between the working and counter electrodes does not affect impedance measurements. However, the distance should be large enough to prevent the …

Anaplasma Phagocytophilum Infection Modulates Expression Of Megakaryocyte Cell Cycle Genes Through Phosphatidylinositol-3-Kinase Signaling, Supreet Khanal, Hameeda Sultana, John D. Catravas, Jason A. Carlyon, Girish Neelakanta

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis infects neutrophils and other cells from hematopoietic origin. Using human megakaryocytic cell line, MEG-01, we show that expression of cell cycle genes in these cells are altered upon A. phagocytophilum infection. Expression of several cell cycle genes in MEG-01 cells was significantly up regulated at early and then down regulated at later stages of A. phagocytophilum infection. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays revealed reduced cellular cytotoxicity in MEG-01 cells upon A. phagocytophilum infection. The levels of both PI3KCA (p110 alpha, catalytic subunit) and PI3KR1 (p85, regulatory subunit) of Class …

Dynamic Rating Of Overhead Transmission Lines Over Complex Terrain Using A Large-Eddy Simulation Paradigm, Tyler Phillips, Ray Deleon, Inanc Senocak

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) enables rating of power line conductors using real-time weather conditions. Conductors are typically operated based on a conservative static rating that assumes worst case weather conditions to avoid line sagging to unsafe levels. Static ratings can cause unnecessary congestion on transmission lines. To address this potential issue, a simulation-based dynamic line rating approach is applied to an area with moderately complex terrain. A micro-scale wind solver — accelerated on multiple graphics processing units (GPUs) — is deployed to compute wind speed and direction in the vicinity of powerlines. The wind solver adopts the large-eddy simulation technique …

Stretch Control Of Adipocyte Insulin Signaling, Tasneem Bouzid

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Obesity and related metabolic disorders have reached global epidemic proportions in recent decades. Excess and hypertrophic adipose tissue has been implicated in the development of various pathological diseases and disorders including Type-2 diabetes mellitus (Type-2 DM). In addition to serving as energy storage for the body, evidence also suggests that adipose tissue behaves as an endocrine organ capable of secreting bioactive cytokines known as adipokines, which mediate insulin signaling pathways in various tissues. Physical exercise has been demonstrated to positively affect insulin signaling activities potentially through increasing the secretion of insulin sensitizing adipokines and/or decreasing the secretion of pro-inflammatory insulin …