Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Introduction, Anne Grauer

Anthropology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Paleopathology is a relatively new field that seeks to understand disease in the past. This chapter presents a brief history of the discipline and highlights the varied approaches adopted by contributors aligned with medical fields, anthropology and archaeology, and the biochemical sciences, to name a few. Advancements in methods and techniques, the contributions of technology, and the role that social theory plays in the development of hypotheses are discussed along with the importance of acknowledging and ameliorating critical ethical issues inherent to the field.

Arginine Methylation Of The Pgc-1Α C‑Terminus Is Temperature- Dependent, Meryl Mendoz, Mariel Mendoza, Tiffany Lubrino, Sidney Briski, Immaculeta Osuji, Janielle Cuala, Brendan Ly, Ivan Ocegueda, Harvey Peralta, Benjamin A. Garcia, Cecilia Zurita-Lopez

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

We set out to determine whether the C-terminus (amino acids 481–798) of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α, UniProt Q9UBK2), a regulatory metabolic protein involved in mitochondrial biogenesis, and respiration, is an arginine methyltransferase substrate. Arginine methylation by protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) alters protein function and thus contributes to various cellular processes. In addition to confirming methylation of the C-terminus by PRMT1 as described in the literature, we have identified methylation by another member of the PRMT family, PRMT7. We performed in vitro methylation reactions using recombinant mammalian PRMT7 and PRMT1 at 37, 30, 21, 18, and 4 °C. …

A Survey Of Speech-Language Pathologists' Academic Preparation In Craniofacial Anomalies, Francesca Myerski

Honors Theses

Craniofacial anomalies occur in 1 of 750 newborns a year with the three main types being cleft lip, cleft palate, and cleft lip and/or cleft palate. There are six main factors that affect craniofacial anomalies that are focused on in this research, including genetics, environmental factors, medications, diet, health risks, and surgical procedures/surgeons. The research found that there is a lot of information on craniofacial anomalies and speech-language pathologists need to learn about as much as possible. The lack of knowledge and academic preparations speech-language pathologists have in craniofacial anomalies has decreased their awareness in the birth defect and has …

Autopsy V. Virtopsy: A New Approach For Postmortem Forensic Examination, Nicole Elaine Lawson

Honors Projects

Virtopsy as a potential new standard in forensic science investigation in the place of a conventional autopsy. In recent years there have been new advancements across the forensic field and in the scientific world as a whole. These advancements have changed many approaches bringing new capabilities and new challenges and pushback. This report takes a specific interest in the evolution of forensic autopsy. With improvements such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography scan (CT), X-Rays, and other approaches a new term and technique have been coined Virtopsy. As this new potential approach has come to light the resistance against …

2022 - The Third Annual Fall Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Fall 2022 Symposium of Student Scholars, held on November 17, 2022. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Implementing Food Insecurity Screening On A College Campus, Norma Martinez

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Background. Students attending universities have higher rates of food insecurity than U.S. households. Most college campuses do not routinely screen students for food insecurity, which can affect students’ health and school performance. Currently, the university health clinic does not screen students for food insecurity. Purpose. To screen all students who present to the university clinic for food insecurity and evaluate students with food insecurity for malnutrition. Evidence. Foreman et al. (2018) and Abu and Oldewage-Theron (2019) found that food insecurity was present at some of the largest Texas universities at rates higher than the national average. Project Objectives. To screen …

Socioeconomic Status And Cognitive Function: What Is The Role Of Social Stress?, Zoe Prats

Honors College

Higher socioeconomic status (SES), as indicated by income, educational attainment, and/or occupational class, has been consistently related to higher late-life cognition; however, why and how these variables are related remain unclear. As low-SES individuals experience more stressful life events and perceive these events to be more stressful than their higher-SES counterparts, patterns of stress exposures and reactivity may in part explain this gradient. Thus, the goal of this study was to characterize the relationship between educational attainment and global cognition in a sample of older adults and determine whether social stress - a composite of family stress, spouse/partner stress, and …

Is Autologous Platelet Activation The Key Step In Ovarian Therapy For Fertility Recovery And Menopause Reversal?, Natalie S. Rickers, E. Scott Sills

BioMedicine

Platelets are a uniquely mammalian physiologic feature. As the only non-marine vertebrates to experience menopause, humans have a substantial post-reproductive lifespan and are believed to have a limited, non-renewable oocyte supply. Ovarian reserve typically declines after about age 35yrs, marking losses which cannot be recovered by available fertility medications. When in vitro fertilization fails due to low or absent ovarian response, gonadotropin adjustments are often ineffectual and if additional oocytes are occasionally harvested, egg quality is usually poor. This problem was confronted by Greek researchers who developed a new surgical method to insert autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) into ovaries; the …

Health Care System In Lebanon: A Review Addressing Health Inequalities And Ethical Dilemmas Of Frontline Workers During Covid-19 Pandemic, Georges Hatem, Mathijs Goossens

BAU Journal - Health and Wellbeing

Lebanon is facing many problems that can cause several long-term threats to the overall public health such as an increasing poverty rate, and an economic crisis induced by the devaluation of the Lebanese currency. The healthcare system is affected in terms of quality and availability of services in addition due to the pandemic, a lot of public health campaigns were paused. Consequently, Lebanon is losing its frontline healthcare workers coupled with the fact that the government budget for healthcare has dwindled. This report addresses the evolution of some health indicators in Lebanon throughout the years and presents the rights and …

11th International Conference On Business, Technology And Innovation 2022, University For Business And Technology - Ubt

UBT International Conference

Welcome to IC – UBT 2022

UBT Annual International Conference is the 11th international interdisciplinary peer reviewed conference which publishes works of the scientists as well as practitioners in the area where UBT is active in Education, Research and Development. The UBT aims to implement an integrated strategy to establish itself as an internationally competitive, research-intensive university, committed to the transfer of knowledge and the provision of a world-class education to the most talented students from all background. The main perspective of the conference is to connect the scientists and practitioners from different disciplines in the same place and make …

Covid-19-Impacted Research And Education In Global Healthcare And Stem: Evaluation Of Case Studies, Yumna Indorewala, Santanu De

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

The zoonotic novel coronavirus has posed major challenges to the world’s economy, social development, and public health. Effects in the education and research in the field of healthcare and STEM are accentuated in lower-developed countries or communities where the access to technology and a reliable internet connection are luxuries making it difficult to attain education virtually. The Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has also disrupted research and training in STEM and healthcare. With significant increases in infection rates there is an urge to redirect projects towards virology research and vaccine development. This comprehensive literature review includes case studies highlighting the …

Hyperexcitable And Immature-Like Neuronal Activity In The Auditory Cortex Of Adult Rats Lacking The Language-Linked Cntnap2 Gene., Kaela E Scott, Rajkamalpreet S Mann, Ashley L Schormans, Susanne Schmid, Brian L Allman

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

The contactin-associated protein-like 2 gene, CNTNAP2, is a highly penetrant risk gene thought to play a role in the genetic etiology of language-related disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder and developmental language disorder. Despite its candidacy for influencing language development, few preclinical studies have examined the role of CNTNAP2 in auditory processing. Using in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological recordings in a rat model with translational validity, we report that a loss of the Cntnap2 gene function caused immature-like cortical evoked potentials, delayed multiunit response latencies to acoustic stimuli, impaired temporal processing, and led to a pattern of hyperexcitability in …

Wellness Review 2022, Part 1, Martin Huecker, Brian A. Ferguson, Jacob Shreffler

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: This article represents the first of a two-part assessment of 2022 literature addressing wellness in healthcare professionals published from January 1, 2022 to June 30, 2022.

Methods: Three editors conducted a similar keyword search in Pubmed, also adding manually curated articles. Focusing chiefly on clinical trials and other prospective research, we settled on a final 25 significant papers focusing on wellness in medical professionals to include in this review.

Literature Review: Recent literature into HCW wellness continues to describe burnout factors and COVID-19 impact, but includes more resilience-targeting interventions and systematic reviews of trials seeking bolstering of well-being. Subsections …

Advancing The Assessment And Treatment Of Signs And Symptoms Of Parkinson Disease, David Scott May

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

People with PD often report signs and symptoms that negatively impact quality of life. Among these are balance difficulties, impaired gait, and FOG. New treatment and assessment strategies for these signs and symptoms are needed, as current techniques are limited. While new treatment and assessment strategies continue to emerge, gaps in knowledge persist. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been utilized in many people with PD throughout the 21st century, but it is unknown specifically how subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) affects balance. Alternative treatment strategies, such as a dental mouthpiece, have also been proposed. While dental mouthpieces have shown …

Association Between The Baseline Gene Expression Profile In Periapical Granuloma And Periapical Wound Healing After Surgical Endodontic Treatment, Muhammad Adeel Ahmed, Fizza Nazim, Khalid Ahmed, Muhammad Furqan Bari, Abdulaziz Abdulwahed, Ahmed A. Almokhatieb, Yaseen Alalvi, Tariq Abduljabbar, Muhammad Nouman Mughal, Syed Hani Abidi

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

In this study, we have investigated the association between the baseline gene expression profile in periapical granuloma and periapical wound healing after surgical endodontic treatment. Twenty-seven patients aged between 15 and 57 years underwent periapical surgery. The retrieved periapical tissue sample was used for mRNA expression analysis of COL1A1, VTN, ITGA5, IL-4, TNF, ANGPT, VEGFA, and CTGF. All patients were recalled after 6 and 12 months for periapical healing evaluation. Healing was then correlated with baseline gene expression. Healing was observed in 15 patients at the end of 6 months, which increased to 21 patients after 12 months. Six patients …

Keeping 21st Century Paleontology Grounded: Quantitative Genetic Analyses And Ancestral State Reconstruction Re-Emphasize The Essentiality Of Fossils, Tesla A. Monson, Marianne F. Brasil, Michael Mahaney, Christopher A. Schmitt, Catherine E. Taylor, Leslea J. Hlusko

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Advances in genetics and developmental biology are revealing the relationship between genotype and dental phenotype (G:P), providing new approaches for how paleontologists assess dental variation in the fossil record. Our aim was to understand how the method of trait definition influences the ability to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history in the Cercopithecidae, the Linnaean Family of monkeys currently living in Africa and Asia. We compared the two-dimensional assessment of molar size (calculated as the mesiodistal length of the crown multiplied by the buccolingual breadth) to a trait that reflects developmental influences on molar development (the inhibitory cascade, IC) and …

Screening Tcf19 And Kif18b To Determine Co-Regulation With Mybl1 In Triple Negative Breast Cancer Patient Tissues, Tyra Sharda Ivory

Theses (2016-Present)

The aggressive behavior in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is due to genetic signaling events, which call for the comprehensive analyses of genes differentially regulated in the cancers. Our laboratory previously found that MYBL1 was over-expressed in a fraction of the TNBC, compared to some luminal, and other breast cancer subtypes. The MYBL1 gene is a proto-oncogene that serves as a strong transcriptional activator. The gene is involved in signaling events related to cell cycle signaling, differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis, all which are differentially regulated in cancers. Because MYBL1 is a transcription regulator, involved in cancer-related mechanisms and differentially expressed in …

The Development Of Video Podcast As An Innovation In Online Nutrition Education And Its Engagement Data Analysis, Lini Anisfatus Sholihah

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

Podcasts have become more popular in Indonesia recently. Studies have shown that video podcasts, which incorporate education and entertainment aspects, are effective as a medium to study language and medical subjects among students and clinicians. This study aims to analyze video podcasts’ utilization in nutrition education and how they can engage viewers from the general community. This paper further aims to describe the development of a video podcast, NutriPodcast, as an innovative media to educate the community regarding nutrition topics. The number of audience views was calculated by utilizing the analytical feature on social media. The methodology to develop the …

Application In Medicine: Has Artificial Intelligence Stood The Test Of Time, Mir Ibrahim Sajid, Shaheer Ahmed, Usama Waqar, Javeria Tariq, Mohsin Chundrigar, Samira Shabbir Balouch, Sajid Abaidullah

Medical College Documents

Artificial intelligence (AI) has proven time and time again to be a game-changer innovation in every walk of life, including medicine. Introduced by Dr. Gunn in 1976 to accurately diagnose acute abdominal pain and list potential differentials, AI has since come a long way. In particular, AI has been aiding in radiological diagnoses with good sensitivity and specificity by using machine learning algorithms. With the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, AI has proven to be more than just a tool to facilitate healthcare workers in decision making and limiting physician-patient contact during the pandemic. It has guided governments and key policymakers …

A Research Agenda To Support The Development And Implementation Of Genomics-Based Clinical Informatics Tools And Resources., Ken Wiley, Laura Findley, Madison Goldrich, Tejinder K Rakhra-Burris, Ana Stevens, Pamela Williams, Carol J Bult, Rex Chisholm, Patricia Deverka, Geoffrey S Ginsburg, Eric D Green, Gail Jarvik, George A Mensah, Erin Ramos, Mary V Relling, Dan M Roden, Robb Rowley, Gil Alterovitz, Samuel Aronson, Lisa Bastarache, James J Cimino, Erin L Crowgey, Guilherme Del Fiol, Robert R Freimuth, Mark A Hoffman, Janina Jeff, Kevin Johnson, Kensaku Kawamoto, Subha Madhavan, Eneida A Mendonca, Lucila Ohno-Machado, Siddharth Pratap, Casey Overby Taylor, Marylyn D Ritchie, Nephi Walton, Chunhua Weng, Teresa Zayas-Cabán, Teri A Manolio, Marc S Williams

Faculty Research 2022

OBJECTIVE: The Genomic Medicine Working Group of the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research virtually hosted its 13th genomic medicine meeting titled "Developing a Clinical Genomic Informatics Research Agenda". The meeting's goal was to articulate a research strategy to develop Genomics-based Clinical Informatics Tools and Resources (GCIT) to improve the detection, treatment, and reporting of genetic disorders in clinical settings.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experts from government agencies, the private sector, and academia in genomic medicine and clinical informatics were invited to address the meeting's goals. Invitees were also asked to complete a survey to assess important considerations needed to …

Phytochemicals, Acute Toxicity And Genotoxicity Of Chewing Sticks From Zanthoxylum Zanthoxyloides Root And Distemonanthus Benthamianus Stem, Chinwe S. Alaribe, Akolade R. Oladipupo, Anjola T. Adebesin, Omolayomi Kaska, Emuejevoke T. Toye

Bulletin of Faculty of Pharmacy Cairo University

Dental caries has been reported to touch almost half of the world’s population, making it one of the most prevalent disease conditions in the world. Studies have shown that chewing sticks could be useful in cleaning of teeth and could offer protection against dental conditions, including caries. Given the increasing usage of chewing sticks and their unstandardized nature, in this study we investigated the acute toxicity, genotoxic effects on liver and kidney, and phytochemical constituents of chewing sticks from Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides root and Distemonanthus benthamianus stem, widely used in West Africa. Chemical tests showed the presence of saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, …

Extrinsic And Intrinsic Factors Influencing Homeostasis And Repair In Oral Tissues, Georgia Nikoloudaki

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The oral tissues, including gingiva and buccal mucosa, heal rapidly with minimal scar formation. Although in the oral cavity, the palatal mucosa is associated with excessive scarring in response to injury. In this thesis, first, I investigated the complex relationship between cells and their microenvironment using wound healing models in which extracellular matrix composition and mechanical stiffness affect cellular responses during acute wound repair. I also determined how intrinsic differences of cells recruited during healing contribute to wound resolution.

In Chapter 2, I first investigated cell-extrinsic factors, specifically the influence of the pro-fibrotic matricellular protein periostin on palatal healing. Using …

Renal Cell Carcinoma Of Pelvic Kidney With Atypical Nodal Metastasis: A Diagnostic Challenge, Roshan-E-Shahid Rana, Muhammad Hammad Ather

Section of Urology

Ectopic pelvic kidney is a known congenital anomaly; however, the presence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in an ectopic kidney is rare with the evidence available in the form of a few case reports only. In this case report, we present a case of metastatic RCC in the pelvic kidney which became a diagnostic challenge because of atypical contrast-enhanced computed tomographic (CT) characteristics and unusual pattern of lymph node involvement including cervical lymph node in the absence of visceral metastasis. Because of its unusual location and uncertain vascular anatomy, ectopic kidney poses a surgical challenge. Owing to the rarity of …

Feto-Maternal Outcomes Of Pre-Eclampsia: A Retrospective Study, Linda Varghese, Neenumol Babu, Niya V.C

Manipal Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences

Introduction: Pre-eclampsia is a multisystem multifactorial disease unique to pregnancy with unknown aetiology which is characterized by blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg after 20 weeks of gestation associated with proteinuria ≥300 mg/24- hour urine specimen. It complicates about 2-10% of pregnancies worldwide. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and evaluate feto-maternal outcomes of pre-eclampsia. Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, (AIMS) Kochi from 1 August 2017 to 31 July 2018. This study was done by retrospective analysis of the delivery register (Labour room) and hospital medical records. Results: The prevalence of pre-eclampsia is 2.5% and …

Development Of Enhanced Food Packaging Systems Based On Blends Of Bio-Based And Biodegradable Polymers Exhibiting Antimicrobial Properties, Aishat Agboluaje

Theses and Dissertations

Food packaging is one of the important aspects of food processing, which contributes greatly to decreasing post-harvest food losses. While ensuring that foods are adequately packaged, it is also important to consider the impact of these food packaging materials on the environment. Accordingly, this research work was aimed at investigating the potential of bio-based and biodegradable blends of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan loaded with antimicrobial agents such as turmeric, clove, and cinnamon for use in food packaging applications. The methodology involved creating PVA/chitosan films with varying compositions via solvent casting method and selecting the best composition exhibiting the highest …

Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 1-Bound Extracellular Vesicle As Novel Therapy For Osteoarthritis, Bryan Gervais De Liyis, John Nolan, Made Agus Maharjana

BioMedicine

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint condition that causes significant impairment of the chondrocyte. The gradual degradation of the cartilage lining of one or more freely moving joints, as well as persistent inflammation, are the causes of osteoarthritis. Current medication focus on alleviating symptoms rather than curing the condition. The aim of this review is to evaluate the potential use of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 extracellular vesicle as novel therapy for osteoarthritis. This review article was completed by searching for the keywords “Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 1”, “Extracellular Vesicle”, and “Osteoarthritis” in various journals in several search engines. Of the …

Clarifying Drug Reaction Terminology: Insights From Deaf College Students Allergic To Penicillin, Andrew Makarewicz

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

Penicillin is considered to be the most frequently reported drug allergy, with roughly 10% of the U.S. population reporting an allergy (Lee, 2020; Sakoulas et al., 2019). However, current research suggests that more than 90% of people who report a penicillin allergy are actually not truly allergic (Blumenthal et al., 2015; Pongdee & Li, 2018). Confusion about side effects and allergic responses is a common way for penicillin allergies to be falsely reported (Stone et al., 2020). The Deaf community may experience this confusion at a higher rate due to health literacy barriers that likely hinder their learning and understanding …

Implementing Universal Depression Screening In A College Health Clinic, Marilyn J. Grabau

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

BACKGROUND: College students are at high risk for depression, and this carries a considerable burden. The American College Health Association supports depression screening on college campuses recognizing that early identification leads to better outcomes.

LOCAL PROBLEM: The project site is a public university located in New England. The college campus health center incorporates medical and counseling services. From August 2019 to December of 2019, 67% of students seen in the counseling center described depressed mood as the presenting concern. Currently there is no routine depression screening in place.

METHODS: This QI project implemented universal depression screening at the student health …

Integration Of Biomedical Imaging And Translational Approaches For Management Of Head And Neck Cancer, Abdallah Mohamed, Abdallah Mohamed

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

The aim of the clinical component of this work was to determine whether the currently available clinical imaging tools can be integrated with radiotherapy (RT) platforms for monitoring and adaptation of radiation dose, prediction of tumor response and disease outcomes, and characterization of patterns of failure and normal tissue toxicity in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients with potentially curable tumors. In Aim 1, we showed that the currently available clinical imaging modalities can be successfully used to adapt RT dose based-on dynamic tumor response, predict oncologic disease outcomes, characterize RT-induced toxicity, and identify the patterns of disease failure. We …

Tissue-Specific Matrix Control Of Cell Cohesion And Migration Signaling Complexes, Tristen Tellman

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex, interconnected network of three major constituents: collagens, glycoproteins, and proteoglycans, along with their enzyme modifiers. Within this network and beyond the structural role, each ECM molecule contributes a context-specific signal that influences cellular fate and behavior. Among these behaviors, cellular migration provides an essential function in developing tissues, wound healing, and cancer cell metastasis. Using two glandular organs, the normal salivary gland and the cancerous prostate, this dissertation describes the tissue-specific composition of two ECM signaling complexes (type I hemidesmosomes and the perlecan-semaphorin 3A-plexin A1-neuropilin-1 (PSPN) complex) and translates this knowledge into viable …