Sense Organs Commons^™

Best Screening: Introducing The Neonatal Assessment Visual European Grid To Nicus In Tennessee, Gabrielle Sledge

OTD Capstone Projects

Blind Early Services Tennessee (BEST) is an early intervention agency that serves children ages 0-5 with visual impairments across Tennessee. BEST serves over 200 children and families across the state offering early intervention (BEST Start), parent empowerment (BEST Advocate), and family support (BEST Together) programming. The purpose of this project was to assist in the implementation of an early identification initiative (BEST Screening) using the Neonatal Assessment Visual European Grid (NAVEG). The NAVEG is a newborn vision screening shown to identify neurological risk for visual impairments. The long-term goal of this program is to promote the screening and early identification …

Rod-Specific Downregulation Of Omega-3 Very-Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Pathway In Age-Related Macular Degeneration, William C. Gordon, Marie Audrey I. Kautzmann, Bokkyoo Jun, Megan L. Cothern, Zhide Fang, Nicolas G. Bazan

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6) plays a key role in vision and is the precursor for very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs). The release of 32- and 34-carbon VLC-PUFAs and DHA from sn-1 and sn-2 of phosphatidylcholine (PC) leads to the synthesis of cell-survival mediators, the elovanoids (ELVs) and neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1), respectively. Macula and periphery from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) donor retinas were assessed for the availability of DHA-related lipids by LC-MS/MS-based lipidomic analysis and MALDI-molecular imaging. We found reduced retina DHA and VLC-PUFA pathways to synthesize omega-3 ELVs from precursors that likely resulted in altered disks and photoreceptor loss. Additionally, …

Virtual Surgical Planning In Craniomaxillofacial Surgery: A Structured Review, Kaye Verlarde, Rentor Cafino, Armando Isla Jr., Karen Mae Ty, Xavier-Lewis Palmer, Lucas Potter, Larry Nadorra, Luchin Valrian Pueblos, Lemuel Clark Velasco

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Craniomaxillofacial (CMF) surgery is a challenging and very demanding field that involves the treatment of congenital and acquired conditions of the face and head. Due to the complexity of the head and facial region, various tools and techniques were developed and utilized to aid surgical procedures and optimize results. Virtual Surgical Planning (VSP) has revolutionized the way craniomaxillofacial surgeries are planned and executed. It uses 3D imaging computer software to visualize and simulate a surgical procedure. Numerous studies were published on the usage of VSP in craniomaxillofacial surgery. However, the researchers found inconsistency in the previous literature which prompted the …

Complications Of Pediatric Cochlear Implant Surgery, Andrew Stefan, Sabrina Bernardo, William Azkoul Ii, Bianca Siegel

Medical Student Research Symposium

Background:

Cochlear implantation (CI) surgery is the standard of care treatment for pediatric patients diagnosed with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. While considered a relatively safe operation, any invasive procedure involving the cranium has risks. However, there are few recent studies in the United States that have analyzed complication rates among children who have received CI. Furthermore, existing studies fail to discuss specific risk factors that led to post-operative complications, nor offer solutions to reduce their incidence. This study aims to 1) determine the incidence of specific complications in pediatric CI patients and 2) identify evidence-based risk factors for …

Comprehensive Review And Update Of Burning Eye Syndrome, Stephen Giacomazzi, Ivan Urits, Briggs Hoyt, Ashley Hubble, Elyse M. Cornett, Kyle Gress, Karina Charipova, Amnon A. Berger, Hisham Kassem, Alan D. Kaye, Omar Viswanath

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (“dry eye”) is a common (14%–30% of adults over age 48) though difficult to treat condition that causes both discomfort and disability with associated dryness, pain, and visual disturbances. Etiology is not clearly understood but is likely varied, with a subset of patients suffering from chronic neuropathic pain referred to as “burning eye syndrome.” This review of existing literature summarizes the clinical presentation, natural history, pathophysiology, and treatment modalities of burning eye syndrome.

Chronicity of burning eye syndrome is likely secondary to increased nociception from the cornea, decrease in inhibitory signals, and nerve growth factor expression alterations. Treatment …

Robotically Steered Needles: A Survey Of Neurosurgical Applications And Technical Innovations, Michel A. Audette, Stéphane P.A. Bordas, Jason E. Blatt

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper surveys both the clinical applications and main technical innovations related to steered needles, with an emphasis on neurosurgery. Technical innovations generally center on curvilinear robots that can adopt a complex path that circumvents critical structures and eloquent brain tissue. These advances include several needle-steering approaches, which consist of tip-based, lengthwise, base motion-driven, and tissue-centered steering strategies. This paper also describes foundational mathematical models for steering, where potential fields, nonholonomic bicycle-like models, spring models, and stochastic approaches are cited. In addition, practical path planning systems are also addressed, where we cite uncertainty modeling in path planning, intraoperative soft tissue …

Hearing And Vision Screening Tools For Long-Term Care Residents With Dementia: Protocol For A Scoping Review, Kate Dupuis, Katherine S. Mcgilton, Fiona Höbler, Jennifer Campos, Tammy Labreche, Dawn M. Guthrie, Jonathan Jarry, Gurjit Singh, Walter Wittich

Publications and Scholarship

Introduction: Hearing and vision loss among longterm care (LTC) residents with dementia frequently goes unnoticed and untreated. Despite negative consequences for these residents, there is little information available about their sensory abilities and care assessments and practices seldom take these abilities or accessibility needs into account. Without adequate knowledge regarding such sensory loss, it is difficult for LTC staff to determine the level of an individual’s residual basic competence for communication and independent functioning. We will conduct a scoping review to identify the screening measures used in research and clinical contexts that test hearing and vision in adults aged over …

Tracking The Time To Recovery After Induced Loudness Reduction (L), Yoav Arieh, Karen Kelly, Lawrence E. Marks

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

In induced loudness reduction (ILR), a strong tone causes the loudness of a subsequently presented weak tone to decrease. The aim of the experiment was to determine the time required for loudness to return to its initial level after ILR. Twenty-four subjects were exposed to 5, 10, 20, or 40 brief bursts of 2500-Hz pure tones at 80-dB SPL (inducers) and then tested in a series of paired comparison trials. Subjects compared the loudness of a weak target (2500 Hz at 60-dB SPL) to the loudness of a comparison tone at 500 Hz previously judged to match the target. The …