Digital Commons Network^™

Region-Specific Brain Targets Drive Circuit Formation And Maturation Of Human Retinal Ganglion Cells, Kang-Chieh Huang, Han-Yin Jeng, Qudrat Abdulwahab, Victoria R Cuevas, Eyad Shihabeddin, Claire Young, Melody Hernandez, Jason S Meyer, Nicholas M Tran, Melanie A Samuel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Human vision relies on retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), and their connectivity with distinct brain regions enables higher order visual processing. RGCs vary considerably between species, and small model organisms display distinct RGC innervation patterns from that in humans. There is thus a need for robust models of human RGC circuit formation that preserves innervation specificity. Here, we developed an in vitro microfluidics eye-to-brain connectivity model using human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived RGCs to assess brain region-specific connectivity features. We find that cultured human RGCs segregate their dendrites and axons and display axonal features that align with that of their in …

Letter To The Editor On “Timing Of Puberty Suppression In Transgender Adolescents And Sexual Functioning After Vaginoplasty (Van Der Meulen Et Al., 2024)”, Alison Clayton, Jilles Smids, Kathleen Mcdeavitt

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

F-Test And One-Way Anova For Medical Images Diagnosis, Jamal Kamil K. Abbas, Ali Abdulkadhum Ruhaima

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

A new technique for impulse noise discrimination of medical MRI images is presented. Statistical F-distribution supported by Monte Carlo simulation for prediction of impulse noise location on distorted images is used. The selective noisy pixels are detected as noisy using the One-Way ANOVA hypothesis method. The statistical prediction method is applied to the test images to predict the noise location. The distorted portions in the images predicted by this structure are improved by using a proper nonlinear filter. The nonlinear median filter is showing a suitable way the replacement of degraded pixels. The filter is not applied to the not-detected …

Histological Changes Of Mesenteric Lymph Nodes Affected By Cadmium Chloride In Male Albino Rat: Experimental Study, Umalbaneen Hilal Hadi, Safa J. Al-Yassir, Warkaa M. Ali Alwattar

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Background: Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal can be found in many sources, including cigarette smoke, e-cigarettes, batteries, contaminated water, plant-based foods, air, fertilizers, plastic toys, ceramics, soil and paints. the exposure to environmental factors may affect different body systems including lymphatic system.

Objectives: to investigate the effect of ingested cadmium chloride on mesenteric lymph nodes in rat.

Materials and Methods: twenty adult male albino rats were used in this study, which divided equally into two groups, on group served as control group administrated of tap water while the second group used as experimental group exposed to daily …

Relationship Between Renal And Liver Function With Diabetic Retinopathy In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In Iraq, Muataz Mohammed Al-Taee

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

It is guessed that this study would take a gander at the connection among liver and kidney function and the predominance and severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in Iraqi people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). three hundred T2DM patients that were browsed Iraqi tertiary thought offices partook in a cross-sectional survey. Segmental, clinical, and biochemical information were gathered, including liver function tests (e.g., alanine aminotransferase [ALT], aspartate aminotransferase [AST], and gamma-glutamyl transferase [GGT]) and renal function tests (e.g., serum creatinine, evaluated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR], and albuminuria). Fundoscopic assessment of DR was directed to recognize proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), …

Automated Retinal Vessel Analysis: A Novel Model For Blood Vessel Detection, Segmentation, And Clinical Characteristic Quantification, Aws A. Abdulsahib, Moamin A. Mahmoud, Sally A. Al-Hasnawi, Ahmed Zeyad Almhanna, Jamal Kamil K. Abbas

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

This research enlightens into a fully automated model for segmenting blood vessels and extracting clinical features from retinal fundus images, which is vital for diagnosing ophthalmologic and cardiovascular diseases. The model utilises contrast enhancement, noise reduction, edge detection, and a method for reconnecting blood vessel branches. It extracts properties like tortuosity, girth, and length of blood vessels. The model's performance surpasses existing approaches, achieving high accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative prediction values on DRIVE and HRF datasets. This innovation offers the potential to reduce specialists' workload, enhance diagnostic accuracy, and streamline the analysis of complex fundus images, ultimately …

Shohani Save Guard (Ssg): Dietary Supplement To Support Drug Addiction Treatment, Mohammed Mahdi Salman Ghadban, Taghreed Khudhur Mohammed

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Shohani Save Guard (SSG) is a scientifically formulated dietary supplement designed to aid in the recovery from drug addiction, particularly methamphetamine addiction. This study explores the biochemical and biological mechanisms through which SSG's natural ingredients, including KSM-66, Panax Ginseng, Bacopa Monnieri, Green Tea, Curcumin, and other essential vitamins and minerals, work synergistically to promote recovery. The paper also reviews recent studies supporting the efficacy of these ingredients and highlights their roles in reducing addiction symptoms and improving overall health.

Evaluating Chemical Security And Safety Levels In Tanning Factories At The General Company For Textile And Leather Industries/Leather Factory In Iraq, Fatima Khudhur Mohammed, Taghreed Khudhur Mohammed, Salwa Hameed Naser Al-Rubae’I

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Most of the chemicals produced and used today are beneficial, but some also have the potential to damage human health and the environment. To achieve the goal of allowing the use of chemicals for companies and factories, safety and security tools were used in the laboratories, and workers were trained on the dangers of chemicals. We studied worker exposure to hazardous chemicals and determined the prevalence of occupational skin diseases. As well as examining the availability of personal protective equipment. A questionnaire was used to determine the chemicals used, the ages of the employees, their educational level, and the extent …

Synthesis, Structural Characterization, And In-Vitro Cytotoxicity Of Zinc-Levofloxacin Ligand, Khalid Ibrahim Adwan, Falah M. K. Al-Rekabi

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Background: This study aimed to modify levofloxacin and evaluate its cytotoxicity as well as the synthesis, characterization and physical evaluation of mixed ligand zinc complex with the third generation quinolones’ representative, levofloxacin. Levofloxacin coupled to zinc through one pyridone and one carboxylate oxygen as well as with two nitrogen atoms from the heteroligand, as demonstrated by the complexation of zinc (II) metal ion with the deprotonated ligand and heteroligand. The identification of the complex structure was carried out using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Hydrogen-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, melting point, and UV–visible spectrophotometry.

Results: Binding of the zinc on the two donor …

Human Monkeypox Virus; New Possible Viral Pandemic, Lamiaa Mohammed, Alyaa Jabbar Qasim, Ayat Majeed Zeadan

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

The unexpected monkeypox outbreak and global increase have drawn attention due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. With 3340 confirmed cases worldwide as of June 22, 2022, this is the biggest and most pervasive monkeypox outbreak outside of Africa. In addition to vertical transmission from mother to child, MPXV can spread from person to person through direct contact with infectious skin or mucosal skin lesions, respiratory droplets, or indirect contact with contaminated objects or materials. Additionally, it is most likely sexually transmitted through vaginal fluid or semen, and community transmission is a possibility. MPXV, an envelope, linear, double-stranded DNA virus that …

The Digital Dilemma: How Social Media Is Affecting Our Emotional Well-Being, Jasim Aymen Khaleefah, Ban Yousif Yaaqoob

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Internet and Social media have become an essential part of our daily routine, allowing us to connect and be close with others, share information, and engage in various activities. Nevertheless, the extensive use of social media has raised many questions about its influence on our health and emotional well-being. The purpose of this review is to provide an in-depth analysis of the literature on how social media distresses our emotional well-being. Current review was conducted by investigating existing literature, the works was obtained through searches on academic databases, including PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. The literature found that social networking …

Comparative Study On Nephrin, Transforming Growth Factor-Β And Some Biochemical Markers For Predicting Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy, Alyaa Kadhim Hliel, Huda Farhan Ahmed, Hiba Abdul-Hussein

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Background: Diabetic Nephropathy (DN), is a microvascular complication of the diabetes mellitus type 1 or 2 and the major reason of end-stage kidney disease, which is distinguished by an increase in urine albumin excretion (microalbuminuria) and/or a decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR) or both. Microalbuminuria has limited diagnostic role in early-stage diabetic nephropathy, because renal damage usually occurs before proteinuria. Therefore, more sensitive and specific biomarkers are needed for early detection of Diabetic Nephropathy.

Materials and Methods: A case-control study involved 180 participants aged 40-≥70 years, 60 individuals were healthy, and 120 had type 2 DM. The participants were divided …

A Retrospective Study Of Childhood Meningitis And Its Risk Factors In Diyala Province, Zainab Mohamed Mahmmod

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Background: Viral agents are the primary cause of meningitis, a worldwide public health concern that primarily affects newborns and children. It is self-limiting and goes away in 7-10 days. With 85% of cases, enterovirus is the most prevalent etiologic agent. Summer is the peak season, and warm weather facilitates its spread. Most cases of meningitis occur in people under 30.

Aim: This study intends to assess the risk factor of meningitis in different age groups in Diyala Hospital (the Governorate of Diyala - Iraq) and identify the relation of demographical characteristics with the risk factor.

Methods: A …

Ligand-Activated Egfr/Mapk Signaling But Not Pi3k, Are Key Resistance Mechanisms To Egfr-Therapy In Colorectal Cancer, Xueping Qu, Habib Hamidi, Radia M Johnson, Ethan S Sokol, Eva Lin, Cathy Eng, Tae Won Kim, Johanna Bendell, Smruthy Sivakumar, Benjamin Kaplan, Felipe De Sousa E Melo, Andrew Mancini, Matthew Wongchenko, Yi Shi, David Shames, Yibing Yan, Fortunato Ciardiello, Carlos Bais

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Understanding mechanisms of resistance to active therapies is crucial for developing more effective treatments. Here, we investigate resistance to anti-EGFR and anti-VEGF plus chemotherapy treatment in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients from the IMblaze370 trial (NCT02788279). While anti-VEGF does not select for secondary mutations, anti-EGFR leads to simultaneous mutations in EGFR and MAPK, but not PI3K pathway genes. Notably, we observe frequent acquired mutations in the EGFR extracellular but not intracellular domain and that patients with higher baseline expression of EGFR-ligands are prone to acquire resistant mutations. This data reveals a ligand-activated EGFR/MAPK-signaling dependency in CRC. We also observe enrichment for …

Covid-19 Infection History As A Risk Factor For Early Pregnancy Loss: Results From The Electronic Health Record-Based Southeast Texas Covid And Pregnancy Cohort Study, Micaela N Sandoval, Michelle R Klawans, Mackinsey A Bach, Jennifer Mikhail, Edward A Graviss, Tru Cao, Jacqueline G Parchem, Junaid Husain, Eric Boerwinkle

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection before or during pregnancy on pregnancy outcomes are still largely unknown. We hypothesized that COVID-19 in early pregnancy is a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes, particularly miscarriage.

Methods: We examined the relationship between COVID-19 and adverse pregnancy outcomes, including spontaneous abortion, ectopic pregnancy, and preterm delivery in a large, retrospective, electronic health record (EHR)-based cohort, from 2019 to 2023. Generalized estimating equation modeling was performed to identify risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Study exposures included COVID-19 before pregnancy, COVID-19 during pregnancy, age, race/ethnicity, comorbidity burden, and neighborhood-level social vulnerability.

Results: In the …

Intracellular Inclusions Induced By Patient-Derived And Amplified Α-Synuclein Aggregates Are Morphologically Indistinguishable, Rabab Al-Lahham, Mark E Corkins, Mohd Ishtikhar, Prakruti Rabadia, Santiago Ramirez, Victor Banerjee, Mohammad Shahnawaz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Lewy Body Disease (LBD) and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) are synucleinopathies with distinct prognoses and neuropathologies, however, with overlapping clinical symptoms. Different disease characteristics are proposed to be determined by distinct conformations of alpha-synuclein (α-Syn) aggregates, which can self-propagate and spread between cells via a prion-like mechanism. The goal of this study is to investigate whether α-syn aggregates amplified from brain and CSF samples of LBD and MSA patients using the Seed Amplification Assay (SAA) maintain α-Syn seeding properties similar to those of α-syn aggregates derived from patients' brains. To address this, SAA-amplified and un-amplified α-Syn aggregates from LBD and …

Investigating Neural, Neurovascular, And Vascular Function: Insights From Imaging 5-Ht2ar Compounds, Optogenetic Motor Mapping, And Cross-Modal Functional Mapping, Jonah Aryeh Padawer-Curry

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Understanding how brain activity relates to behavior and cognition remains a central challenge in neuroscience. Brain function emerges from interactions between electrical, chemical, and blood dynamics across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Capturing this complexity requires methods that assess both large-scale neurophysiological activity and precise, cell-type-specific processes. Widefield optical imaging (WFOI) enables high-resolution monitoring of cortical function by simultaneously measuring hemodynamic and calcium dynamics. WFOI is particularly valuable for studying psychedelics, which show therapeutic potential but may alter neurovascular coupling, complicating the interpretation of hemodynamic signals. Using WFOI, we examined the hallucinogenic 5-HT2A receptor agonist DOI in awake mice, revealing …

Sustained Growth-Promoting Effects Of Vosoritide In Children With Achondroplasia From An Ongoing Phase 3 Extension Study, Ravi Savarirayan, Melita Irving, William R Wilcox, Carlos A Bacino, Julie E Hoover-Fong, Paul Harmatz, Lynda E Polgreen, Katja Palm, Carlos E Prada, Takuo Kubota, Paul Arundel, Yumiko Kotani, Antonio Leiva-Gea, Michael B Bober, Jacqueline T Hecht, Janet M Legare, Sue Lawrinson, Andrea Low, Ian Sabir, Alice Huntsman-Labed, Jonathan R S Day

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Vosoritide is a C-type natriuretic peptide analog that addresses an underlying pathway causing reduced bone growth in achondroplasia. Understanding the vosoritide treatment effect requires evaluation over an extended duration and comparison with outcomes in untreated children.

Methods: After completing ≥6 months of a baseline observational growth study and 52 weeks in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03197766), participants were eligible to continue treatment in an open-label extension (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03424018) wherein all received 15 μg/kg vosoritide daily. Data from the CLARITY achondroplasia study provided an external untreated control population and reference data.

Findings: The population comprised 119 participants. …

Sustained Growth-Promoting Effects Of Vosoritide In Children With Achondroplasia From An Ongoing Phase 3 Extension Study, Ravi Savarirayan, Melita Irving, William R Wilcox, Carlos A Bacino, Julie E Hoover-Fong, Paul Harmatz, Lynda E Polgreen, Katja Palm, Carlos E Prada, Takuo Kubota, Paul Arundel, Yumiko Kotani, Antonio Leiva-Gea, Michael B Bober, Jacqueline T Hecht, Janet M Legare, Sue Lawrinson, Andrea Low, Ian Sabir, Alice Huntsman-Labed, Jonathan R S Day

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Vosoritide is a C-type natriuretic peptide analog that addresses an underlying pathway causing reduced bone growth in achondroplasia. Understanding the vosoritide treatment effect requires evaluation over an extended duration and comparison with outcomes in untreated children.

Methods: After completing ≥6 months of a baseline observational growth study and 52 weeks in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03197766), participants were eligible to continue treatment in an open-label extension (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03424018) wherein all received 15 μg/kg vosoritide daily. Data from the CLARITY achondroplasia study provided an external untreated control population and reference data.

Findings: The population comprised 119 participants. …

Reply To: Is Gauchian Genotyping Of Gba1 Variants Reliable?, Marco Toffoli, Anthony H V Schapira, Fritz J Sedlazeck, Christos Proukakis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Cognitive Interviews With Emergency Physicians To Understand Disposition Decisions With People With Dementia With Borderline Cases, Anita N Chary, Annika R Bhananker, Rebecca Franks, Adrian Haimovich, Aanand D Naik, Maura Kennedy, Kei Ouchi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

People with dementia are often hospitalized from the emergency department (ED) for "borderline cases," where outpatient or inpatient management may be clinically reasonable. We sought to investigate how ED physicians make and communicate about decisions in borderline cases. Through cognitive interviews, we asked attending ED physicians from an academic hospital to share their approach to scenarios representing borderline cases with people with dementia and verbalize communication about ED disposition with patients and care partners. We deductively coded responses related to patient/care partner engagement and key features of communication and then elucidated themes related to content and phrasing of communication. Of …

Three Cases Of Adolescent Orf Virus Skin And Soft Tissue Infection In Southeast Texas, Margaret Taylor Danner, Caroline A Schrodt, Alexandra Tuttle, Victoria Shelus, Brendan Sullivan, Ankhi Dutta, Claire Bocchini, Denver Niles

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

We report 3 adolescents who presented to a tertiary care hospital in Houston, Texas, with cutaneous skin lesions after contact with sheep and/or goats. The cases presented a diagnostic challenge initially but were later suspected or confirmed as orf virus infection after consultation with infectious diseases specialists.

Mesoderm-Specific Transcript Has A Role In The Systemic Regulation Of Obesity, Maria J. Orellana Rosales

Thinking Matters Student Research Symposium

Mesoderm specific transcript (Mest) expression in white adipose tissue (WAT) is variable in genetically identical mice. Previous studies have shown a connection between Mest high expression and propensity for fat mass expansion. WAT and liver crosstalk has been well documented with hormone-like peptides signaling and regulating important metabolic pathways. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between these circulating factors and Mest expression in mice after exposure to a high fat diet (HFD). A group of 120 C57B6/J mice, males and females, were exposed to a HFD (Western Diet, 40 kcal% fat) for 4 weeks (8-12 weeks …

Exploring Cisd1 As A Multifaceted Biomarker In Cancer: Implications For Diagnosis, Prognosis, And Immunotherapeutic Response, Caiyue Li, Zhipin Liang, Gabrielle Vontz, Connor Kent, Wenbo Ma, Lei Liu, Riya Dahal, Jovanny Zabaleta, Guoshuai Cai, Jia Zhou, Huangen Ding, Qiang Shen

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

CISD1, an outer mitochondrial membrane iron-sulfur cluster protein, regulates intracellular iron levels, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dynamics, playing critical roles in cellular bioenergetics and redox homeostasis. Although CISD1 has been identified as a prognostic biomarker in specific cancers, its broader implications in tumorigenesis, cancer progression, and immunotherapy remain unclear. Given the heterogeneity of cancer and the need for robust biomarkers across cancers, this study conducts the first comprehensive pan-cancer analysis of CISD1 by evaluating its roles in cancer and treatment. We obtained and analyzed data from databases including TCGA, GTEx, THPA, GEPIA2.0, SangerBox, cBioPortal, TIMER2.0, CAMOIP, DAVID, SRPLOT, and TISIDB. …

A Search For Transcriptional Cofactors Of Gcm/Repo Involved In Determining Glia Cell Fate In Drosophila Melanogaster, Nivedha Kosalram

Honors Theses

In Drosophila melanogaster, the mechanism influencing the differentiation of glia and neurons is directed by a key transcription factor known as glial cells missing (gcm). gcm is a crucial regulator of cell fate decision, functioning as a binary switch to direct glial fate in gcm- positive cells and neuronal fate in gcm-negative cells (Jones, et.al, 1995; Hosoya, et.al, 1995; and Vincent, et.al, 1996). In addition to directing gliogenesis, gcm and its homolog gcm2 facilitate the determination of macrophages and tendon cells, highlighting that gcm acts with supplementary factors to induce various signaling pathways in different contexts (Jones, 2005; Johnson, et …

Discovery Of Novel, Potent, And Orally Bioavailable Smarca2 Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras With Synergistic Antitumor Activity In Combination With Kirsten Rat Sarcoma Viral Oncogene Homologue G12c Inhibitors, Sasikumar Kotagiri, Yawen Wang, Yanyan Han, Xiaobing Liang, Nicholas Blazanin, Hira Mazhar, Manu Sebastian, Phuong Kieu Nguyen, Yongying Jiang, Yonathan Lissanu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cancer genomic studies have identified frequent mutations in subunits of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, including SMARCA4 in nonsmall cell lung cancer with a frequency of up to 33% in advanced-stage disease, making it the most frequently mutated complex. We and others have identified SMARCA2 to be synthetic lethal to SMARCA4, indicating that SMARCA2 is a high-value therapeutic target. Here, we disclose the discovery and characterization of potent, selective, and orally bioavailable cereblon-based SMARCA2 PROTACs. Biochemically, we showed that YDR1 and YD54 are potent SMARCA2 degraders. Further, we showed the antitumor growth inhibitory activity of YDR1 and YD54 in SMARCA4 …

Zanidatamab Monotherapy Or Combined With Chemotherapy In Her2-Expressing Gastroesophageal Adenocarcinoma: A Phase 1 Trial, Funda Meric-Bernstam, Sun Young Rha, Erika Hamilton, Yoon-Koo Kang, Diana L Hanna, Syma Iqbal, Keun-Wook Lee, Jeeyun Lee, Muralidhar Beeram, Do-Youn Oh, Jorge Chaves, Rachel A Goodwin, Jaffer A Ajani, Lin Yang, Rajen Oza, Elena Elimova

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

There is a need for novel therapies for patients with previously treated HER2-positive gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA). This phase 1 (NCT02892123) dose-escalation and expansion trial evaluated zanidatamab (a dual HER2-targeted bispecific antibody) ± chemotherapy in previously treated patients with HER2-expressing, locally advanced/metastatic cancers. Here, we report the outcomes for GEA cohorts receiving zanidatamab monotherapy or with chemotherapy (paclitaxel or capecitabine). The primary endpoint was safety and tolerability. Secondary endpoints were objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate, progression-free survival, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity. Seventy patients were enrolled (n = 29 monotherapy; n = 41 combination therapy); most received prior HER2-targeted agents (monotherapy, …

Enhanced Efficacy Of Ipilimumab Plus Nivolumab In Angiogenic Subtypes Of Metastatic Clear-Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, Xiaofan Lu, Yann-Alexandre Vano, Xiaoping Su, Virginie Verkarre, Cheng-Ming Sun, Wenxuan Cheng, Li Xu, Fangrong Yan, Salma Kotti, Wolf Herman Fridman, Catherine Sautes-Fridman, Stéphane Oudard, Gabriel G Malouf

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (mccRCC), choosing between immuno-oncology (IO) combinations and IO plus anti-VEGF therapies is uncertain. The BIONIKK trial revealed that ipilimumab plus nivolumab (Ipi/Nivo) achieved a 70% objective response rate in angiogenic cluster1/2 versus 41% in cluster4/5, which featured T-effector/cell-cycle signatures (p = 0.048). Complete responses were exclusively observed in cluster1/2 (p = 0.012), with longer progression-free survival (p = 0.014). Ipi/Nivo may particularly benefit angiogenic mccRCC, supporting molecular subtype-based treatment strategies.

Empathy And Psychological Outcomes In Informal Caregivers Of Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Meng Huo, Thi Vu, Tomiko Yoneda, Jingkai Wei, Bruce Abbott, Joan K Monin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives: Scholars have increasingly recognized the crucial role that empathy plays as informal caregivers provide unpaid care to their older family and friends (i.e., care recipients). Yet, the existing literature exhibits substantial variability in study approaches and results, which limits the extent to which this literature can inform interventions intended to benefit informal caregivers. We sought to address this critical gap by synthesizing research that examined how caregivers' and care recipients' empathy were associated with caregivers' psychological health.

Methods: We conducted a literature search using PubMed, PsycInfo, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), EMBASE, and Scopus databases …

Brain And Cerebrospinal Fluid 3d Center Of Mass Shift After Spaceflight, Katherine G Warthen, Stuart H Sater, Larry A Kramer, Khader M Hasan, Michael A Williams, Millennia Young, Brandon R Macias, Steven S Laurie, Bryn A Martin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A subset of long-duration spaceflight astronauts at the International Space Station has been documented to develop spaceflight associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS). Researchers have sought to understand SANS by quantification of ocular and brain structural changes thought to be associated with weightlessness induced headward fluid shift. Brain tissue shift and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) redistribution has been observed as measured by MRI on return to Earth, and not fully quantified. To improve the understanding of this phenomenon, we developed and applied automated methods to quantify 3D center of mass shift within the skull of the extra-axial cerebrospinal fluid (eaCSF) and brain after …