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2024 Research Day Program, Lincoln Memorial University

Research Day

This program contains abstracts and presentation summaries from LMU's 2024 Annual Research Day conference.

Self-Regulation And Sensory Processing Education Program For Educators, Julianne Mendivil, Tina G. Bhakta, Angela Blackwell

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Children with low self-regulation skills may face many challenges in the classroom environment that can impact their performance in school-based activities. As teachers play a vital role in the development of young children, this educational program aims to improve teacher competence (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) in applying sensory processing and self-regulating concepts to the school environment.

The Association Between Mental Health Disorders And Glycemic Control In Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes, Marcella Pietrzyk

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Adolescence is a very challenging period in a person's life as it is often filled with hormonal changes, emotional turmoil, and time for development socially, emotionally, and mentally. The addition of a chronic illness on top of the transition from child to adult creates a large burden on quality of life. The most common chronic illness diagnosed in adolescence is type 1 diabetes. This is an illness with a significant medical burden as it requires close monitoring of blood glucose levels, constant insulin injections, and diet control. The combination of adolescence and a chronic illness leads to higher rates of …

Independent Study Project: The Impact Of Digitization And Payment On Community Health Promoter (Chp) Motivation And Effectiveness In A Peri-Urban Community In Kisumu, Kenya., Fiona Yohannes

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Community Health Promoters (CHPs) in Kenya are the liaison between the community and higher levels of healthcare. As CHPs’ responsibility in the country has grown, stipends started being distributed, and digitization efforts have begun to support them. This ISP paper aims to investigate how recent digitization and payment of CHPs impact their motivation and effectiveness in a peri-urban community in Kisumu, Kenya. The project includes data analysis on CHP performance data from 2016 to 2021 and analyses of interviews with CHPs and CHAs in April of 2024. It was found that time was positively related to CHP performance. It was …

Improved Postoperative Speech Recognition And Processor Use With Early Cochlear Implant Activation, Ankita Patro, Nathan R Lindquist, Jourdan T Holder, Michael H Freeman, René H Gifford, Kareem O Tawfik, Matthew R O'Malley, Marc L Bennett, David S Haynes, Elizabeth L Perkins

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: To report speech recognition outcomes and processor use based on timing of cochlear implant (CI) activation.

Study design: Retrospective cohort.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Patients: A total of 604 adult CI recipients from October 2011 to March 2022, stratified by timing of CI activation (group 1: ≤10 d, n = 47; group 2: >10 d, n = 557).

Main outcome measures: Average daily processor use; Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant (CNC) and Arizona Biomedical (AzBio) in quiet at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month visits; time to peak performance.

Results: The groups did not differ in sex ( p = 0.887), age at CI …

A Scoping Review Of Artificial Intelligence In Medical Education: Beme Guide No 84, Morris Gordon, Michelle Daniel, Aderonke Ajiboye, Hussein Uraiby, Nicole Y Xu, Rangana Bartlett, Janice Hanson, Mary Haas, Maxwell Spadafore, Ciaran Grafton-Clarke, Rayhan Yousef Gasiea, Colin Michie, Janet Corral, Brian Kwan, Diana Dolmans, Satid Thammasitboon

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming healthcare, and there is a critical need for a nuanced understanding of how AI is reshaping teaching, learning, and educational practice in medical education. This review aimed to map the literature regarding AI applications in medical education, core areas of findings, potential candidates for formal systematic review and gaps for future research.

Methods: This rapid scoping review, conducted over 16 weeks, employed Arksey and O'Malley's framework and adhered to STORIES and BEME guidelines. A systematic and comprehensive search across PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and MedEdPublish was conducted without date or language restrictions. Publications included in …

Patient Experience Of Head And Neck Surgery With Free Flap Reconstruction., Lillian W. Dattilo, Trinity I. Russell, Chloe B. Warinner, Heather Starmer, Donald J. Annino, Laura A. Goguen, Rosh K. V. Sethi, Ravindra Uppaluri, Melina Windon, Regan W. Bergmark, Eleni M. Rettig

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

IMPORTANCE: Major head and neck surgery with microvascular free tissue transfer reconstruction is complex, with considerable risk of morbidity. Little is known about patients' experiences, including decision-making prior to, and regret following, free flap surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize patient experiences and decision regret of patients undergoing head and neck reconstructive free flap surgery.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This mixed-methods cohort study comprising semistructured interviews was conducted June to August 2021 at a single tertiary academic cancer center. Participants underwent head and neck reconstructive surgery with microvascular free tissue transfer (flap) more than 3 months before recruitment (range, 3 months to …

Outcomes Of Multiple Myeloma In Hospitalized Patients With Opioid Use Disorder: A Nationwide Analysis, Saad Javaid, Kelly Frasier, Ammad J. Chaudhary

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Multiple myeloma is commonly associated with advanced age. This study aims to investigate how multiple myeloma outcomes are affected by opioid use disorder (OUD) among hospitalized patients. We analyzed the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) for 2019 and 2020 for our retrospective cohort study. International Classification of Diseases Clinical Modification codes (ICD-10-CM) were utilized to identify the population of interest. Primary and secondary outcomes were studied using a multivariate regression model. Among the 38,735 patients hospitalized with multiple myeloma, 350 patients had the concurrent diagnosis of opioid use disorder. OUD patients were found to be at increased risk for major depressive …

Transition Skills Lab: A Telehealth Intervention For Improving Healthcare Transition In Youth With Special Health Care Needs, Angela Combs Ma, Alaina Linafelter, Jordan Sevart, Michele H. Maddux

Posters

Introduction: Few interventions exist to provide hands-on practice of key health management tasks to youth with special health care needs (YSHCN). The Transition Skills Lab was adapted from Jerlym Porter’s work and piloted as a virtual intervention in YSHCN. Methods: Sixteen young adults participated in the virtual Transition Skills Lab, during which they practiced three key patient competencies pertaining to health care tasks: reading an insurance card, reading a pill bottle label, and scheduling an initial visit with an adult doctor. Participants were then asked to rate their confidence on skills taught within the intervention on a four-point scale from …

Congenital Heart Defects And Autism: Understanding The Breakdown Of Associated Risk Factors In A Clinically Referred Sample, Elizabeth Raines, Amanda Strasser, Amanda Manderfeld, Paul Glasier, Elizabeth J. Willen

Posters

Background: Children with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) have higher odds of developing social difficulties and/or an Autism Spectrum Disorder (AuSD) than the general population (i.e., ~10% vs. ~1%). However, there is a paucity of nuanced understanding of specific drivers of the increased rates of AuSD in extant literature. The purpose of this study is to identify the rates of co-occurring cardiac, neurological, and genetic conditions to better understand associated risk factors in a patient sample from a medium-size children’s hospital. Methods: Our population includes a clinically referred sample of children (i.e., medical history of CHD and neurodevelopmental risk) under 18 …

Parents’ Perception Of An Intensive Interdisciplinary Pain Treatment For Amplified Pain Syndrome, Jacqueline Pabis Phd, Sabrina Ung, Jenny Scheurich, Dustin Wallace Phd

Posters

Introduction: Intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment (IIPT) is an effective treatment for youth impaired by chronic pain (Claus et al., 2022). IIPT programs incorporate parents in treatment, as parental distress has been found to impact health and functioning in youth with chronic pain. Research has suggested parent satisfaction may be related to increased child adherence, and in turn, reduced pain (Gorodzinsky et al., 2012). There is limited research on parental satisfaction with IIPT and the role of parent-provider communication. Method: Parents (n=99) of children in an IIPT program completed questionnaires related to treatment satisfaction, parent-provider communication (e.g., provider listened carefully, provider …

Does A Reduction In Receiving Assistance With Daily Activities Among Older Adults In Mexico Indicate An Increase In Unmet Needs Or A Decrease In Needs For Care?, Brian Downer, Rafael Samper-Ternent, Philip Cantu, Matthew Miller, Rebeca Wong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: The percentage of older adults in Mexico with difficulty completing activities of daily living (ADL) who receive assistance from family appears to be decreasing. We compared 2 birth cohorts of older adults in Mexico to investigate whether this trend reflects an increase in unmet caregiving needs or a decrease in the need for care.

METHODS: We selected Mexican Health and Aging Study participants aged 60-76 in 2001 (n = 4,805) and 2018 (n = 6,494). ADL tasks were dressing, walking, bathing, getting in and out of bed, and toileting. Participants who reported difficulty with an ADL were asked if …

The Dementia Care Study (D-Care): Recruitment Strategies And Demographic Characteristics Of Participants In A Pragmatic Randomized Trial Of Dementia Care, Mia Yang, Rafael Samper-Ternent, Elena Volpi, Aval-Na'ree Green, Maya Lichtenstein, Katy Araujo, Pamela Borek, Peter Charpentier, James Dziura, Thomas M Gill, Rebecca Galloway, Erich J Greene, Kristin Lenoir, Peter Peduzzi, Can Meng, Jordan Reese, Amy Shelton, Eleni A Skokos, Jenny Summapund, Erin Unger, David B Reuben, Jeff D Williamson, Alan B Stevens

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Pragmatic research studies that include diverse dyads of persons living with dementia (PLWD) and their family caregivers are rare.

METHODS: Community-dwelling dyads were recruited for a pragmatic clinical trial evaluating three approaches to dementia care. Four clinical trial sites used shared and site-specific recruitment strategies to enroll health system patients.

RESULTS: Electronic health record (EHR) queries of patients with a diagnosis of dementia and engagement of their clinicians were the main recruitment strategies. A total of 2176 dyads were enrolled, with 80% recruited after the onset of the pandemic. PLWD had a mean age of 80.6 years (SD 8.5), …

Transitioning From An In-Person Intervention To Augmented Text Messaging During Covid-19 In Mexican Americans With Prediabetes: The Starr County Diabetes Prevention Randomized Clinical Trial, Sharon A Brown, Mary A Winter, Heather A Becker, Alexandra A García, Mary M Velasquez, Hirofumi Tanaka, William B Perkison, Eric L Brown, David Aguilar, Craig L Hanis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to explore the feasibility of using commonly available technology, such as text messaging, for diabetes prevention in rural Mexican American communities during COVID-19.

METHODS: Participants were selected from a diabetes prevention study funded by the National Institutes of Health that, prior to COVID-19, involved in-person group intervention sessions. Participants were predominantly female adults born in Mexico and Spanish-speaking. A subsample (n = 140) was divided into 3 cohorts: (1) 50 who completed the initial in-person intervention prior to the COVID-19 research pause, (2) 60 who needed additional support sessions to complete the intervention …

Cross-Cultural Equivalence Of The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) Across Four African Countries In A Multi-National Study Of Adults, Amantia Ametaj, Christy Denckla, Anne Stevenson, Rocky Stroud, Jasmine Hall, Linnet Ongeri, Barkot Milkias, Jacob Hoffman, Lukoye Atwoli, Stella Gichuru

Internal Medicine, East Africa

The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) has been widely used to screen psychological distress across many countries. However, its performance has not been extensively studied in Africa. The present study sought to evaluate and compare measurement properties of the K10 across four African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa. Our hypothesis is that the measure will show equivalence across all. Data are drawn from a neuropsychiatric genetic study among adult participants (N = 9179) from general medical settings in Ethiopia (n = 1928), Kenya (n = 2556), Uganda (n = 2104), and South Africa (n = 2591). A unidimensional …

The Role Of Epigenetic Mechanisms In The Long-Term Effects Of Early-Life Adversity And Mother-Infant Relationship On Physiology And Behavior Of Offspring In Laboratory Rats And Mice, Olga V Burenkova, Elena L Grigorenko

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Maternal care during the early postnatal period of altricial mammals is a key factor in the survival and adaptation of offspring to environmental conditions. Natural variations in maternal care and experimental manipulations with maternal-child relationships modeling early-life adversity (ELA) in laboratory rats and mice have a strong long-term influence on the physiology and behavior of offspring in rats and mice. This literature review is devoted to the latest research on the role of epigenetic mechanisms in these effects of ELA and mother-infant relationship, with a focus on the regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. An important part of …

The Impact Of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy On Sleep Problems In Autistic Children With Co-Occurring Anxiety, Holly K Harris, Minjee Kook, Peter Boedeker, Andrew G Gusick, Ariel M Lyons-Warren, Robin P Goin-Kochel, Chaya Murali, Leandra N Berry, Eric A Storch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: This study seeks to examine the relationship between anxiety-symptom severity and sleep behaviors in autistic children receiving cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Methods: We conducted a secondary-data analysis from a sample of 93 autistic youth, 4 to 14 years, participating in 24 weeks of CBT. Clinicians completed the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale (PARS) and parents completed the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire, Abbreviated/Short Form (CSHQ-SF) at baseline, mid-treatment, post-treatment and 3 months post-treatment. Mediation analysis evaluated the role of anxiety symptoms in mediating the effect of time in treatment on sleep.

Results: There was a negative association between time in treatment …

A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Study Of The Effects Of Celecoxib On Clinical Symptoms And Cognitive Impairment In Patients With Drug-Naïve First Episode Schizophrenia: Pharmacogenetic Impact Of Cyclooxygenase-2 Functional Polymorphisms, Dong-Mei Wang, Da-Chun Chen, Mei-Hong Xiu, Li Wang, Thomas R Kosten, Xiang-Yang Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Chronic low-grade peripheral and central nervous system inflammation may have a role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia (SCZ). Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), the arachidonic acid pathway, may inhibit cytokine responses and minimize inflammation. In this study, we added the COX2 inhibitor celecoxib to risperidone monotherapy to examine its efficacy on clinical symptoms and cognitive deficits in drug-naïve first episode (DNFE) SCZ patients. First, we genotyped two polymorphisms (rs5275 and rs689466) in the COX-2 gene in a case-control study of 353 SCZ patients and 422 healthy controls. Ninety patients participated in a 12-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of celecoxib 400 mg/day. …

Deep Learning To Predict Rapid Progression Of Alzheimer's Disease From Pooled Clinical Trials: A Retrospective Study, Xiaotian Ma, Madison Shyer, Kristofer Harris, Dulin Wang, Yu-Chun Hsu, Christine Farrell, Nathan Goodwin, Sahar Anjum, Avram S Bukhbinder, Sarah Dean, Tanveer Khan, David Hunter, Paul E Schulz, Xiaoqian Jiang, Yejin Kim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The rate of progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) differs dramatically between patients. Identifying the most is critical because when their numbers differ between treated and control groups, it distorts the outcome, making it impossible to tell whether the treatment was beneficial. Much recent effort, then, has gone into identifying RPs. We pooled de-identified placebo-arm data of three randomized controlled trials (RCTs), EXPEDITION, EXPEDITION 2, and EXPEDITION 3, provided by Eli Lilly and Company. After processing, the data included 1603 mild-to-moderate AD patients with 80 weeks of longitudinal observations on neurocognitive health, brain volumes, and amyloid-beta (Aβ) levels. RPs were defined …

Population Coding Of Strategic Variables During Foraging In Freely Moving Macaques, Neda Shahidi, Melissa Franch, Arun Parajuli, Paul Schrater, Anthony Wright, Xaq Pitkow, Valentin Dragoi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Until now, it has been difficult to examine the neural bases of foraging in naturalistic environments because previous approaches have relied on restrained animals performing trial-based foraging tasks. Here we allowed unrestrained monkeys to freely interact with concurrent reward options while we wirelessly recorded population activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The animals decided when and where to forage based on whether their prediction of reward was fulfilled or violated. This prediction was not solely based on a history of reward delivery, but also on the understanding that waiting longer improves the chance of reward. The task variables were continuously …

Premastectomy Radiotherapy And Immediate Breast Reconstruction: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Mark V Schaverien, Puneet Singh, Benjamin D Smith, Wei Qiao, Catherine L Akay, Elizabeth S Bloom, Mariana Chavez-Macgregor, Carrie K Chu, Mark W Clemens, Jessica S Colen, Richard A Ehlers, Rosa F Hwang, Melissa M Joyner, Rene D Largo, Alexander F Mericli, Melissa P Mitchell, John W Shuck, Nina Tamirisa, Debasish Tripathy, Mark T Villa, Wendy A Woodward, Rensi Zacharia, Henry M Kuerer, Karen E Hoffman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: Premastectomy radiotherapy (PreMRT) is a new treatment sequence to avoid the adverse effects of radiotherapy on the final breast reconstruction while achieving the benefits of immediate breast reconstruction (IMBR).

Objective: To evaluate outcomes among patients who received PreMRT and regional nodal irradiation (RNI) followed by mastectomy and IMBR.

Design, setting, and participants: This was a phase 2 single-center randomized clinical trial conducted between August 3, 2018, and August 2, 2022, evaluating the feasibility and safety of PreMRT and RNI (including internal mammary lymph nodes). Patients with cT0-T3, N0-N3b breast cancer and a recommendation for radiotherapy were eligible.

Intervention: This …

Temporal Changes In Treatment And Late Mortality And Morbidity In Adult Survivors Of Childhood Glioma: A Report From The Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, Peter M K De Blank, Katharine R Lange, Mengqi Xing, Sedigheh Mirzaei Salehabadi, Deokumar Srivastava, Tara M Brinkman, Kirsten K Ness, Kevin C Oeffinger, Joseph Neglia, Kevin R Krull, Paul C Nathan, Rebecca Howell, Lucie M Turcotte, Wendy Leisenring, Gregory T Armstrong, M Fatih Okcu, Daniel C Bowers

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pediatric glioma therapy has evolved to delay or eliminate radiation for low-grade tumors. This study examined these temporal changes in therapy with long-term outcomes in adult survivors of childhood glioma. Among 2,501 5-year survivors of glioma in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study diagnosed 1970-1999, exposure to radiation decreased over time. Survivors from more recent eras were at lower risk of late mortality (≥5 years from diagnosis), severe/disabling/life-threatening chronic health conditions (CHCs) and subsequent neoplasms (SNs). Adjusting for treatment exposure (surgery only, chemotherapy, or any cranial radiation) attenuated this risk (for example, CHCs (1990s versus 1970s), relative risk (95% confidence interval), …

Thematic Analysis Of Alzheimer's Medication Management Discussion In A Non-Moderated Online Forum, Jia Liu, Kylie Meyer, Ashlie Glassner, Mitzi Gonzales, Rebecca J Bartlett Ellis, Hyejin Park, Lixin Song, Neela Patel, Jing Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Managing medications for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias is challenging for caregivers. Information about caregivers' strategies to manage these challenges is needed to inform intervention development.

Objective: This study aimed to understand caregivers' medication management experiences by analyzing online community discussions.

Methods: Posts were extracted from the ALZConnected® Forum using keywords "medication" and "drug" via web scraping. The researchers applied thematic analysis.

Results: Four major themes emerged: (1) role transition of medication management responsibilities, (2) caregivers' uncertainty about medication purpose and values, (3) conflicts between the care recipients and caregivers, and (4) difficulty accessing and affording medications.

Conclusions: The …

It's About Time! Timing In Epilepsy Evaluation And Treatment, Heather Ravvin Mckee, Jorge Vidaurre, Dave Clarke, Janelle Wagner, Jeffrey W Britton, Linda Laux, Eugen Trinka, Clio Rubinos, Tanya J W Mcdonald, Fred A Lado, Martina Bebin, Christos Papadelis, Aaron F Struck, Carolina B Maciel, Ana L Velasco, Arjun Chandran, Sandipan Pati, Nitin Tandon, Guadalupe Fernandez-Baca Vaca, Madison M Berl, Ahsan N Moosa

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The 2023 American Epilepsy Society Annual Course "It's About Time" addressed timing in epilepsy evaluation and treatment with respect to health disparity and vulnerable populations and diagnostic, clinical, and epilepsy surgery evaluation. This comprehensive course included topics on gaps in epilepsy care and optimization of behavioral health for patients with epilepsy. The summary details current knowledge in areas of seizure forecasting and epileptogenesis. Intricacies and controversies over timing were discussed for treatment of nonconvulsive seizures and ictal-interictal patterns, acute symptomatic seizures, neuromodulation versus surgery, and epilepsy surgery in status epilepticus. Timing regarding clinical care in autoimmune-associated epilepsy, developmental and epileptic …

Decoding Implant-Related Sickness: Unraveling The Complexities Of Breast Implant Illness, Madison M. Stewart

Senior Theses

This thesis investigates the phenomenon of breast implant illness (BII), examining its potential correlation with individual factors such as obesity and poor lifestyle habits. BII, characterized by nonspecific symptoms, is often self-diagnosed by patients influenced by social media and internet sources, leading to requests for implant removal. Conducting a comprehensive meta-analysis, the study scrutinizes existing literature to evaluate the association between BII, obesity, and lifestyle choices. Employing inclusion criteria, peer-reviewed publications are analyzed through systematic review methodology to offer insights into the interplay between BII and adiposity, exploring inflammatory mechanisms and patient behaviors like exercise and smoking. The research aims …

Reciprocal Relationships Between Stress And Depressive Symptoms: The Essential Role Of The Nucleus Accumbens, Yizhou Ma, Peter Kochunov, Mark D Kvarta, Tara Legates, Bhim M Adhikari, Joshua Chiappelli, Andrew Van Der Vaart, Eric L Goldwaser, Heather Bruce, Kathryn S Hatch, Si Gao, Shuo Chen, Ann Summerfelt, Thomas E Nichols, L Elliot Hong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Stress and depression have a reciprocal relationship, but the neural underpinnings of this reciprocity are unclear. We investigated neuroimaging phenotypes that facilitate the reciprocity between stress and depressive symptoms.

METHODS: In total, 22 195 participants (52.0% females) from the population-based UK Biobank study completed two visits (initial visit: 2006-2010, age = 55.0 ± 7.5 [40-70] years; second visit: 2014-2019; age = 62.7 ± 7.5 [44-80] years). Structural equation modeling was used to examine the longitudinal relationship between self-report stressful life events (SLEs) and depressive symptoms. Cross-sectional data were used to examine the overlap between neuroimaging correlates of SLEs and …

Activation Of Cerebral Ras-Related C3 Botulinum Toxin Substrate (Rac) 1 Promotes Post-Ischemic Stroke Functional Recovery In Aged Mice, Fan Bu, Jia-Wei Min, Md Abdur Razzaque, Ahmad El Hamamy, Anthony Patrizz, Li Qi, Akihiko Urayama, Jun Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Brain functional impairment after stroke is common; however, the molecular mechanisms of post-stroke recovery remain unclear. It is well-recognized that age is the most important independent predictor of poor outcomes after stroke as older patients show poorer functional outcomes following stroke. Mounting evidence suggests that axonal regeneration and angiogenesis, the major forms of brain plasticity responsible for post-stroke recovery, diminished with advanced age. Previous studies suggest that Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate (Rac) 1 enhances stroke recovery as activation of Rac1 improved behavior recovery in a young mice stroke model. Here, we investigated the role of Rac1 signaling in long-term …

Readiness Of Nociceptor Cell Bodies To Generate Spontaneous Activity Results From Background Activity Of Diverse Ion Channels And High Input Resistance, Jinbin Tian, Alexis G Bavencoffe, Michael X Zhu, Edgar T Walters

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Nociceptor cell bodies generate "spontaneous" discharge that can promote ongoing pain in persistent pain conditions. Little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Recordings from nociceptor cell bodies (somata) dissociated from rodent and human dorsal root ganglia have shown that previous pain in vivo is associated with low-frequency discharge controlled by irregular depolarizing spontaneous fluctuations of membrane potential (DSFs), likely produced by transient inward currents across the somal input resistance. Using mouse nociceptors, we show that DSFs are associated with high somal input resistance over a wide range of membrane potentials, including depolarized levels where DSFs approach action potential (AP) threshold. …

Tavr In Older Adults, Abdulla A Damluji, Gwen Bernacki, Jonathan Afilalo, Radmila Lyubarova, Ariela R Orkaby, Min Ji Kwak, Scott Hummel, James N Kirkpatrick, Mathew S Maurer, Nanette Wenger, Michael W Rich, Dae Hyun Kim, Roberta Y Wang, Daniel E Forman, Ashok Krishnaswami

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Calcific aortic stenosis can be considered a model for geriatric cardiovascular conditions due to a confluence of factors. The remarkable technological development of transcatheter aortic valve replacement was studied initially on older adult populations with prohibitive or high-risk for surgical valve replacement. Through these trials, the cardiovascular community has recognized that stratification of these chronologically older adults can be improved incrementally by invoking the concept of frailty and other geriatric risks. Given the complexity of the aging process, stratification by chronological age should only be the initial step but is no longer sufficient to optimally quantify cardiovascular and noncardiovascular risk. …

Evaluating The Readability Of Online Blood Cancer Education Materials Across Different Readability Measures, Ashley Shin, Surbhi Banubakode, Sara Taveras Alam, Anneliese O Gonzalez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction The National Institutes of Health and the American Medical Association recommend patient education materials (EMs) be at or below the sixth-grade reading level. The American Cancer Society, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and National Comprehensive Cancer Network have accurate blood cancer EMs. Methods One hundred one (101) blood cancer EMs from the above organizations were assessed using the following: Flesch Reading Ease Formula (FREF), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), Gunning Fog Index (GFI), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook Index (SMOG), and the Coleman-Liau Index (CLI). Results Only 3.96% of patient EMs scored at or below the seventh-grade reading level in all modalities. …