Diseases Commons^™

How Does Apolipoprotein E Genotype Influence The Relationship Between Physical Activity And Alzheimer’S Disease Risk? A Novel Integrative Model, Jaisalmer De Frutos Lucas, Kelsey R. Sewell, Alejandra García-Colomo, Shaun Markovic, Kirk I. Erickson, Belinda M. Brown

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background:

Wide evidence suggests that physical activity (PA) confers protection against Alzheimer’s disease (AD). On the other hand, the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) ε₄ allele represents the greatest genetic risk factor for developing AD. Extensive research has been conducted to determine whether frequent PA can mitigate the increased AD risk associated with APOE ε₄. However, thus far, these attempts have produced inconclusive results. In this context, one possible explanation could be that the influence of the combined effect of PA and APOE ε₄ carriage might be dependent on the specific outcome measure utilised.

Main body:

In …

Longitudinal Association Of Remnant Cholesterol With Joint Arteriosclerosis And Atherosclerosis Progression Beyond Ldl Cholesterol, Zhiyuan Wu, Jinqi Wang, Haiping Zhang, Huiying Pan, Zhiwei Li, Yue Liu, Xinlei Miao, Ze Han, Xiaoping Kang, Xia Li, Xiuhua Guo, Lixin Tao, Wei Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis are closely related with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Remnant cholesterol (RC) could predict CVD. However, its effect on joint arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis progression remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the association of RC with joint arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis progression trajectories in the general population. Methods: This study collected data across five biennial surveys of the Beijing Health Management Cohort from 2010 to 2019. Multi-trajectory model was used to determine the joint arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis progression patterns by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and ankle brachial index (ABI). We also performed discordance analyses for RC vs. …

The Effect Of Masks On Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms Related To Ragweed And Its Influence On College Students, Katherine Knutte

Scholar Week 2016 - present

BACKGROUND: This study explored the effect of masks on allergic rhinitis related to ragweed. Research has been shown that surgical and KN95 masks reduce allergic symptoms due to dust, pollen, and ragweed. A study in Israel found a strong correlation was between wearing a KN95 and reducing severe allergic rhinitis symptoms related to nasal symptoms and another study focusing on pollen supported this finding. Lastly, a previous study on ragweed found that all nasal symptoms improved, and ocular symptoms remained unchanged.

METHODS: This was a qualitative study involving twenty college students aged 18 to 25 from Olivet Nazarene …

The Effects Of Creatine Supplementation On Muscle Synthesis And Fitness Levels In Drosophila Melanogaster Using A Model Of Muscle Atrophy, Kevin Williams

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This study examines whether an inhibited electron transport chain can be aided with supplemented creatine to make up for the challenged adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production mechanism. The differences between male and female flies and the supplementation of creatine at a 0.15% concentration was studied. The relationship between these components was studied over the course of two 3-week trials using a fly treadmill and Drosophila. The effects of creatine on a mitochondrial disease modeled Drosophila melanogaster were analyzed by tracking climbing speed, leg width, and body width. The research yielded largely minimal differences between supplemented and non-supplemented, mutated, and non-mutated …

Colon Cancer Screening And The Association With Colon Cancer Incidence And Mortality Rates In Ethnic Minority Groups, Jovonne Smith

Student Scholar Showcase

Colorectal cancer (CRC) continues to be a public health burden and is the second leading cause of American cancer deaths. Strides have been made in the medical community, and there has been an overall decrease in CRC rates. This decrease is primarily due to a cumulative decline in late-onset colorectal cancer diagnosis (LOCRC), defined as CRC cancer in adults over the age of 50 years. CRC continues to burden American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN) and Non-Hispanic Black individuals (NHB) disproportionately. The incidence and mortality rates remain disproportionately higher than other ethnic groups, and the survival rate is lower than …

Triazole Compounds – Potentials In The Treatment Of Cystic Fibrosis, Maggie Taylor

Undergraduate Research Conference

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease that affects the respiratory and digestive system and is most common among Caucasians of Northern European origin. CF is caused by mutations in a membrane protein CFTR (Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane-conductance Regulator). This mutation impairs the membrane protein’s chloride ion channel function. One of the most common CFTR mutations is the DF508 mutation that affects over 70% of CF cases. Our research has shown that the DF508-CFTR mutation can be partially reversed by physical and chemical means [Heda & Marino, BBRC, 271:659-664, 2000]. In cell lines expressing DF508-CFTR, synthetic anion carriers have shown to …

Potential Of Dietary Flavonoids In The Prevention And Therapy Of Covid-19 : Focusing In Mast Cell - Calcium Ion Channel Axis, Aryo Tedjo

Indonesian Journal of Medical Chemistry and Bioinformatics

Syndrome Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 (SARS COV2) is the virus that causes the COVID19 disease and has caused more than 4 million deaths worldwide. This virus infects the host cell through the interaction between the virus’s glycoprotein S molecule with the ACE2 which is the virus receptor, binding, undergoes membrane fusion and enters the cell and replicates in it. Currently, several strategies used in developing anti-viral compounds are targeting compounds that play a role in the process of entering the virus into host cells such as ACE2, S glycoprotein, and TMPRSS2, while some target main proteases such as RNA …

Accelerometry-Based Analysis Of Postural Sway In Parkinson's Disease Patients With Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia, Chandler Brock

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, with patient numbers projected to double to 12 million in the next 20 years. Levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) is a major problem associated with the long-term use of levodopa for symptomatic treatment of PD. These involuntary movements can become disabling and may interfere with quality of life. Our prior research showed that PD w/ LID were less stable while standing (i.e., increased postural sway) and had a higher incidence of falls. The aim of this study is to determine if postural sway properties are altered by LID via decomposing the sway signal. We …

Utilizing Telehealth To Decrease Hospital Readmissions For Heart Failure Patients, Madison Geib, Jo Loomis

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

Abstract

Background: Without proper education, heart failure (HF) is very difficult to manage. A lack of education and proper management of HF can lead to frequent hospital readmissions, decreased quality of life, and early morbidity and mortality.

Objective: Through literature review, this paper aims to identify the benefits of implementing telehealth education for HF patients in order to decrease hospital readmissions.

Methods: A range of relevant articles were analyzed and summarized in this literature review. An extensive literature search was performed and systematic reviews, meta-analyses, critically appraised research studies, qualitative, and peer-reviewed research studies were included.

Results: Ten articles met …

Differentiating Axonal From Demyelinating Neuropathies Using Multiparametric Quantitative Mri Of Peripheral Nerves, Jacob D. Baraz, Stephanie Xuan, Sadaf Saba, Xue Yang, Ryan Castoro, Yang Xuan, Alison Roth, Richard D. Dortch, Jun Li, Yongsheng Chen

Medical Student Research Symposium

Objectives: To develop a multiparametric quantitative MRI (qMRI) method to track pathological changes in the peripheral neuropathies.

Background: Irrespective of the causes or types of polyneuropathies, peripheral nerves are mainly afflicted by two kinds of pathologies – axonal loss and demyelination. It is critical to differentiate between the two as treatments are different for the two conditions. While nerve conduction studies (NCS) have been used to differentiate the two pathologies in the distal nerves, there are no tools to probe the pathologies in the proximal peripheral nerves. This is particularly needed when distal nerves become non-responsive in NCS.

Methods: We …

Worse Postoperative Outcomes And Higher Reoperation In Smokers Compared To Nonsmokers For Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair, Susan G. Wager, Spencer Brown, Michael Gaudiani, Joshua P. Castle, Eric Jiang, Vasilios Moutzouros, Eric Makhni, Stephanie J. Muh

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction: Smoking impairs healing potential and is a significant risk factor for complications following orthopaedic surgeries. The purpose of this study was to determine if a cohort of former or current smokers at time of surgery met the minimally clinical important difference (MCID) for Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Upper Extremity (PROMIS-UE), Depression (PROMIS-D), and Pain Interference (PROMIS-PI) scores in comparison to nonsmokers.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients who underwent rotator cuff repair was performed. Patients who completed preoperative and 6-month postoperative PROMIS scores were included. The MCID was calculated using a distribution technique with a threshold of 0.5 …

Longitudinal Associations Between Dietary Fructose And Sodium And Systolic And Diastolic Blood Pressure Among Us Black And White Adults In The Cardia Study, Rana Elhamzawy, Dragana Komnenov, Daniel Domin

Medical Student Research Symposium

Longitudinal associations between dietary fructose and sodium and systolic and diastolic blood pressure among US Black and White adults in the CARDIA study

Authors: Rana Elhamzawy, Daniel Domin, Dragana Komnenov

Hypertension is one of the leading risk factors for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Likewise, suboptimal dietary habits, including high fructose and sodium intake, are major contributors to mortality. High dietary fructose alone predisposes to salt-sensitivity of blood pressure, which is an independent, significant cardiovascular risk factor. We previously showed in our rat model of fructose-salt-sensitive hypertension that even a short term (4 weeks) feeding with 20% fructose and 4% …

Topical Anesthetic Gel Interferes With Antibacterial Efficacy Of Povidone-Iodine Both In Vitro And In Vivo, Cecilly Kelleher Bs, Jacob Im Md, Linda Kang Bs, Aleksey Mishulin Md, Sukhvinder Singh Phd, Ashok Kumar Phd

Medical Student Research Symposium

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of viscous lidocaine gel on the antimicrobial efficacy of povidone-iodine (PI) and their order of application in both in vitro and in vivo models.

Methods: In vitro antibacterial effects were tested against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) with disc diffusion methods for application of lidocaine alone, PI alone, PI before lidocaine, and lidocaine before PI. Zones of inhibition were measured after incubation at 37°C overnight. Mouse eyes were colonized with S. aureus for in vivo study to which PI and/or lidocaine were applied in various combinations. Eyes were then rinsed with saline, and …

High Output Heart Failure, A Lethal And Forgotten Cause Of Heart Failure, Neiberg A. Lima Md, Ian Detroyer Bs, Saman Razzaq Md, Oluwale Adegbala Md, Preeti Ramappa Md

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction

Cardiac output (CO) is usually low or normal in patients with heart failure. However, some patients have a high CO deemed high-output heart failure (HOHF). HOHF is not well characterized and continues to be under-recognized clinically. At the Detroit VA, we conducted a quality improvement project to define the characteristics of this unique patient population, identify predictors and increase awareness of this entity.

Methods

Patients with HOHF were compared to patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and normal CO. HOHF was defined as CO >8 L/minute on right heart catheterization performed between 2008-2021. Retrospective data regarding …

Evaluating The Role Of Lvi As An Indicator For Adverse Outcomes In Patients With Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma And Its Histological Subtypes, Ivan Rakic, Matthew Davis, Nicholas Corsi, Alexander Stephens, Chase Morrison, Sohrab Arora, Taylor Malchow, Akshay Sood, Craig Rogers, Firas Abdollah

Medical Student Research Symposium

Lymphvascular invasion (LVI) is recognized as an adverse prognostic factor in many cancers. Our aim is to assess the prognostic ability of LVI in UTUC urothelial carcinoma (UC) and micropapillary urothelial carcinoma (MPUC) subtypes as a predictor of overall survival (OS) using a large North American cohort.

Our cohort included 9750 cM0 UTUC patients who underwent a radical nephroureterectomy (RNU), between 2004 and 2015, within the National Cancer Database (NCDB). The main variable of interest was LVI status, and its interaction with pathological nodal (pN) status. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate the OS. Cox regression analysis tested the impact …

Towards Standardized, Safe And Efficacious Screening Approaches To Patients With Lower Extremity Peripheral Arterial Disease In The Setting Of Lower Extremity Arthroplasty, Zaina N. Khoury, Adam Pearl, Ahmad Hassan, Mohamed Awad, Khaled Saleh

Medical Student Research Symposium

INTRODUCTION: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) impedes recovery from lower extremity arthroplasties (LEA) and increases risk of complications/mortality, yet there aren’t standards for screening PAD patients pre-LEA. This review proposes some.

METHODS: This review searched databases for articles containing relevant terms. Non-English articles, those unrelated to LEA, and duplicates were excluded. Articles were cross-referenced to find other relevant papers for a total of 111.

RESULTS: Up to 49.2% of PAD patients have CAD. Wagner grade III/IV ulcers increase amputations and decrease wound closures. The Wound, Ischemia, and Foot Infection (WIfI) system provides more accurate, and therefore actionable, assessment. Overlooking PAD in …

Discovering And Validating Enriched Signaling Pathways Associated With Organ-Specific Breast Cancer Metastasis, Dawei Chen

Medical Student Research Symposium

Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent and devastating malignancies in the United States. Owing to its systemic nature and resistance to therapy, metastatic breast cancer is currently considered to be incurable and has a five-year survival rate of 29%. The specific pathways delegating the breast cancer metastatic cascade and tissue-specific breast cancer metastasis has much to explore and offers potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Breast cancer commonly metastasizes to four sites: brain, lung, liver and brain. Each of these sites have niche microenvironments. We hypothesize that unique adaptations and signaling pathways are required for successful metastasis at each …

Factors Associated With Suicide Mortality Among Childbearing-Aged Individuals: A Case-Control Study, Katerina A. Furman, Amy Loree Phd, Leah Hecht Phd, Katerina Furman Md Candidate, Lyuba Gavrilova Bs, Hsueh-Han Yeh Phd, Catherine Frank Md, Brian Ahmedani Phd

Medical Student Research Symposium

Purpose: Examine pregnancy-related, demographic, psychosocial and healthcare utilization factors among childbearing-aged individuals who were pregnant, postpartum or who experienced pregnancy loss

Methods: Data from nine health care systems in the Mental Health Research Network was included in this sample. A case-control study design was used in which 290 childbearing-age individuals who died by suicide (cases) from 2000-2015 were matched with 10 childbearing-age individuals from the same healthcare system and enrolled during the same time period who did not die by suicide (n=2,900). Conditional logistic regression was used to analyze associations between pregnancy/postpartum/pregnancy loss status and suicide.

Results: …

Multivisceral Transplant Prognosis And Complications In Patients With Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumor, Austin Mueller, Syed-Mohammed Jafri

Medical Student Research Symposium

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a rare subset of cancers that most commonly arise in the gastrointestinal tract, but can also arise in the pancreas, lungs, ovaries, thyroid, pituitary gland, and adrenal gland. When patients present with metastatic NETs, physicians have a variety of therapeutic options. Considering these options, transplant specialists are often involved due to the profound therapeutic effects of multi-organ transplantation. However, little information is available on prognosis/complications for patients that receive multi-organ transplants due to severe metastatic NETs.

With the incidence of NETs in the United States trending in an upward direction, researchers and physicians must understand the …

A Rare Case Of Deep Vein Thrombosis Secondary To Protein S Deficiency And Antithrombin Iii Deficiency With Mthfr (C677t) Heterozygous Mutation, And Crohn’S Disease, Anusha Garg, Vanama Lakshman Sai, Ankit Singh, Aditi Rao

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Deep vein thrombosis is a condition wherein a thrombus develops in the deep veins of the body, most commonly in the legs, due to increasing tendency of the blood to coagulate. One such reason is the MTHFR gene mutation, wherein an increase in homocysteine levels causes irritation of the blood vessel endothelium, causing a disturbance in Virchow’s triad, hence triggering clot formation. [1]

The MTHFR gene is responsible for instructing the body to produce an enzyme called methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase(MTHFR) [2]. MTHFR gene mutations can lead to a wide range of disorders, either as a result of the elevated levels …