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3-Dimensional Scanning To Determine Body Volume And Composition With And Without A Wetsuit, Diego Mendoza, John A. Mercer, Phd, Leland Barker, Ms

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Wetsuits are designed to improve swimming performance by providing increased buoyant forces, reduced drag forces, and compressive forces on the body. Recently, 3-D scanning technology (2015 Structure Scanner, Occipital) has been used to measure body volume, and may provide an alternative method to obtaining body composition.

Purpose: Therefore, the purpose of this study is to use 3-D scanning to measure and compare body volume with and without a wet suit. Combined with mass, volume from 3-D scanning will provide density calculations for body composition analysis.

A secondary purpose of this study is to measure the difference in body composition …

Dynamic Modeling Of Fluid Flow Within Three-Dimensional Perfusion Bioreactor, Zulikayida Maimaiti, Max J. Lerman, Bs, John P. Fisher, Phd, Jesse K. Placone, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Three-dimensional perfusion bioreactors have been shown to enhance cell viability and function through improved nutrient exchange. However, the ideal bioreactor scaffold geometry is still unknown. The focus of this study is to use computational fluid flow studies to inform bioreactor design. Specifically, we will model the effect of bioreactor design on fluid shear stress and then correlate these values with stem cell viability in the bioreactor. Previous studies have shown that the maximum shear stress level for the viability of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) is 0.3 dynes/cm². Two distinct Computer Aided Design models were created consisting of …

Overground Vs. Treadmill Running: Do Runners Use The Same Strategy To Adjust Stride Length And Frequency While Running At Different Velocities?, Tiffany Mata, John A. Mercer, Phd, Joshua P. Bailey, Ms

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Running speed is determined by stride frequency and stride length. As running speed is adjusted, runners make greater adjustments in stride length at slower speeds with a shift to stride frequency adjustments at the faster speeds. The relationship between stride frequency and stride length is largely based on overground research which leads to the purpose of this study to analyze whether the connection of stride frequency and stride length will adjust similar due to changes in running velocity during overground and treadmill running. The protocol was recently approved by The Institutional Review Board and data collection is currently in progress; …

Pyruvate Kinase Type M2 (Pkm2) Promotes Cancer Cell Metastasis Through Interacting With Twist-1, Odunayo Durojaye, Hailun Wang, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Tumor growth and metastasis are key processes in understanding tumor progression and cancer fatality. Pyruvate Kinase type M2 (PKM2) is a key enzyme that regulates glucose metabolism in cells in a biochemical pathway known as glycolysis. Glycolysis provides cells with energy (ATP) and building blocks (nucleic acids, amino acids and lipids) that are critical for cell survival and proliferation. Therefore, cancer cells rely heavily on this metabolic process to survive and thrive. PKM2 is overexpressed in most cancers, and is highly involved with cancer cell growth. Several recent studies have further revealed a potential role of PKM2 in regulating epithelial-mesenchymal …

Understanding The Effect Of Body Weight On Muscle Activity During Unilateral Hopping, Christian Lopez, Michael Soucy, Bs, John Mercer, Phd, Taylor Lau

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Running can be described as a series of bilateral single-legged jumps and landings. Interestingly, single-legged jumps and landings are qualitatively more difficult unilaterally than bilaterally known as bilateral deficit syndrome (BDS). For example, one leg will produce less mechanical energy while jump squatting unilaterally than it would produce if both legs worked synchronously. The analysis of dynamic conditions under different levels of body weight support of the hopping movement may prove useful to understanding the bilateral deficit. Purpose: To compare muscle activity of the lower extremity during single-legged hopping at different levels of body weight support.

Methods: The research study …

Immunohistochemistry In Irradiated Skin Tissue, Breeann J. Lansiquot, Regina Day, Phd, Elizabeth A. Mccart

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Currently there is no effective treatment for radiation dermatitis that results from clinical or accidental radiation exposures. Radiation exposure can cause severe burns and sloughing of the skin and damage muscle and bone layers underneath the skin. Radiation exposure in cells results in several types of cell death, such as necrosis, apoptosis, or autophagy, or accelerated senescence. Preliminary experiments demonstrated that accelerated senescence is a primary response to radiation in normal skin cells in culture and skin tissue in vivo in mice. We wanted to use immunohistochemistry to identify the skin cells that undergo senescence in tissues obtained from 4 …

Socioeconomic Factors That Affect Self-Management And Transition Into Adult Care In Adolescents With Type I Diabetes, Naun Kim (Kelly), Megumi J. Okumura, Md, Mas, Marcela A. Reyes, Ms Pmp

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Effective transition from pediatric to adult health care during adolescence is crucial for patients with type 1 diabetes to insure adequate disease self-management in adulthood. To improve program delivery, it is important to understand if other socioeconomic barriers impede in successful transition preparation.

To examine whether socioeconomic factors such as race, health insurance, and income affect diabetes self-management and transition readiness.

The Transition Readiness Assessment in Diabetes (TRAiD), a self-assessment tool that covers diabetes self-management, health insurance, and future plans, was administered to all patients aged 14 and over. We generated a scale to measure readiness (0-8, higher value = …

The Effects Of Pharmacogenetic Activation Or Inhibition Of The Infralimbic Cortex On Fear Conditioning, Héctor A. Haddock Martínez, James Porter, Phd, Anixa Hernández-López, Lizette Maldonado-Laboy

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop after experiencing a very traumatic event which produces a profound and lasting aversive memory in the affected person. Annually, about 8 million people suffer from PTSD. Current treatments are not optimal in achieving a full extinction of the traumatic fear the patients reexperience. Therefore, how the brain processes and modulates fear memories continue to be an active area of research. The excitability of the infralimbic cortex (IL), a sub-region of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), is important for fear extinction, but the effects of IL on fear conditioning have not been extensively studied. Pharmacogenetic …

Post-Translational Nuclear Protein Modification And High Vitamin-D Receptor Levels In Genetic Hypercalciuric Stone-Forming Rats, Armaan Goyal, Murray Favus, Md

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Studies conducted on Genetic Hypercalciuric-Stone Forming (GHS) rats have shown that their excess calcium urine excretion might be caused by significantly high vitamin D receptor (VDR) levels found in key calcium-transporting tissues, since high VDR raises physiological response to 1,25(OH)₂D₃, the hormonally active metabolite of vitamin D that regulates calcium levels in the body. We suggest that the high VDR levels in GHS tissue are a result of altered post-translational modification by ubiquitin and Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO), which regulate the degradation of nuclear proteins substrates such as VDR.

Our inquiry begins by overexpressing ubiquitin, SUMO-1, …

Mapping The Learning Pathways Of Larval Zebrafish Through Positively Stimulating Their Reward Pathways Using Paramecium, Emily Bryant, Kristen Taylor, Ms, Francesca Oltrabella, Amber Simmons, Adam Abate, Phd, Su Guo, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Zebrafish rely on visual acuity to hunt for prey all of their lives, for this reason, their eyesight develops when they are embryos. The zebrafish in this experiment are between 5 and 20 days old. Once their egg yolks are completely reabsorbed the zebrafish have a need to eat, and only then will they have an interest in eating Paramecium. The zebrafishes’ eyes will be able to see clearly by 5 days post fertilization as well, so when food is introduced to them, a certain colored light will be simultaneously shined in the same direction as the one the …

Children’S Susceptibility To Direct Dna Damage As Compared To That Of Adults, Nicholas Bolanos, Marianne Berwick, Phd, Mph

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

DNA damage and genetic mutations have been strongly correlated with the risk of developing certain cancers such as melanoma. It is important to assess correlations in conjunction with findings that are related to DNA damage to order to have a greater understanding of how the disease operates. Direct DNA damage happens when UV photons directly penetrate a cell’s DNA, causing base pairs to bond next to each other changing the sequence. Recent studies have begun to explore the idea that there are critical stages in one’s life where DNA is more vulnerable to direct damage. Data collected from GEM, a …

Ehop 167 Innovator Molecule Against Cancer, Gabriela M. Asencio-Torres, Linette Castillo-Pichardo, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Cancer cells have a high activity of different proteins, among them Rac. Rac is from the Rho family of GTPases enzymes, which helps the cell invasion and migration. In order to study different strategies to decrease the high activity of this protein, we used EHop 167, a small molecule that helps to inhibit the activation of Rac. On this we can expose that EHop 167 can inhibits Rac activity and over expression with MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line derived from metastasis. If we used EHop 167 to treat breast cancer cells, then the Rac activity will be less and decrease …

Decellularized Pancreatic Tissue, Andrea L. Alfonso, Alice E. Jung Lee, Phd, Pamela Hitscherich, Ms, Xiatong Ma, Ms

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Diabetes mellitus is a pancreatic condition caused by either an autoimmune destruction of insulin producing beta cells or failing pancreatic beta cells. Current treatments address symptoms but do not successfully replace these malfunctioning tissues. Pancreas and islet transplantation are very limited due to the shortage of donors. The decellularization of pancreatic tissue provides a native tissue matrix, applicable for various tissue engineering investigations. Through the process of decellularization, it is possible for the extracellular matrix (ECM) to maintain the chemical and structural integrity of the original tissue. It can then be used as a scaffold material through the additions of …

The Importance Of Scientific Mentoring Programs For Underrepresented Youth, Bonnie Halpren-Felsher, Phd, Sheila Mclaughlin, Mfa

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This article introduces the work that was done through the Coordinating Center at Standford University.

Distribution Of Crown Of Thorns (Acanthaster Planci) Outbreaks Along The North Shore Of Tutuiladistribution Of Crown Of Thorns (Acanthaster Planci) Outbreaks Along The North Shore Of Tutuila, Johann Vollrath, Timothy Clark, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Outbreak levels of Crown of Thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci, COTs) have been occurring around Tutuila since 2011. These outbreaks are thought to be caused by increased nutrients due to terrestrial runoff. Outbreaks were confined to the south side of Tutuila in 2011 and 2012, but spread to the north side in 2013. A possible reason for the observed outbreaks on the south side could be that most of Tutuila’s population live on the south side of the island. Thus, we hypothesize that due to the small population of people on the north side of Tutuila, there should be …

Marine Pollution Prevention In American Samoa, Taufagalupe Ve'e, Mia Theresa Comeros, Msc

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Most of the garbage in American Samoa heads to the landfill in Futiga on the island of Tutuila. Reports indicate that the landfill is expected to reach critical capacity in 2015. Some have started to look into advanced technology to deal with the problem, which could lead to millions of dollars of government spending. Our study focuses on how to reduce solid waste through composting, a natural way to recycle organic or biodegradable waste. Composting is a great option to look into since about fifty percent of waste sent to the landfill is biodegradable and because it is easily done …

Reducing Solid Waste Quantities Headed For The Landfill In Futiga, Jacob Van Der Ryn, Mia Theresa Comeros, Msc, Ione Tomanogi, Mst

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Most of the garbage in American Samoa heads to the landfill in Futiga on the island of Tutuila. Reports indicate that the landfill is expected to reach critical capacity in 2015. Some have started to look into advanced technology to deal with the problem, which could lead to millions of dollars of government spending. Our study focuses on how to reduce solid waste through composting, a natural way to recycle organic or biodegradable waste. Composting is a great option to look into since about fifty percent of waste sent to the landfill is biodegradable and because it is easily done …

Molecular Diagnosis Of The Causal Agent Of The Root And Corm Rot Of Taro (Colocasia Esculenta) In The Aunu’U Island Of American Samoa, Nora Toalepai, Ndeme Atibalentja, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Recently, taro (Colocasia esculenta) growers in Aunu’u have been complaining of a new disease characterized by the taro root and corm rot. Pythium spp. usually cause this type of disease. But, it was puzzling when the morphological features of the fungus isolated from diseased taros did not match those of Pythium. More sophisticated tools were needed. The objective of this study was to use molecular techniques for identification of this pathogen.

Potato dextrose broth (PDB) was inoculated with five agar plugs cut from one week-old pure cultures of the pathogen grown on potato dextrose agar (PDA). After …

The Temperature Tolerance Of The Symbiotic Algae (Zooxanthellae) Of Cauliflower Coral (Pocillopora Damicornis) And Staghorn Coral (Acropora Sp.), Roselyn Tanghal, John Furey, Msc

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Investigating how corals react to rising temperatures due to global climate change is important in understanding the long-term preservation of coral reefs. It has been observed that an increase of water temperature leads to bleaching of corals, an event in which the symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) are expelled from the coral, resulting in the coral turning white in color. The purpose of this project is to examine at which temperature the two coral species, Pocillopora Damicornis and Acropora sp., will start to change in color. In addition, we will also examine which species will expel their zooxanthellae first.

To conduct …

Diet, Water, And Exercise: Impacts On Non-Communicable Disease In Madolenihmw And Uh Municipalities On Pohnpei Island, Federated States Of Micronesia, Johner Sehna, Nacanieli Tuivavalagi, Phd, Fredson Ardos, As, Jackson Philip, Bs, Paul Dacanay, Md

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

A 2013 article referred to non-communicable diseases (NCD) as “a health emergency” in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and identified five critical NCD risk factors in FSM: daily smoking, overweight, high blood pressure, low consumption of fruits and vegetables, and a low level of physical activity. The objective of this study is to determine the impact of diet, water, and exercise on NCD in Madolenihmw and Uh municipalities, Pohnpei, FSM. We hypothesize that poor diet, poor quality of drinking water, and inadequate exercise contribute significantly to the incidence of NCD in Madolenihmw and Uh municipalities.

Data were collected from …

Traditional Medicine As A Treatment For Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus, Ronalei Ronny, Christopher U. Kitalong, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Diabetes is a common life-long health condition. It is a serious and costly metabolic disease which is now one of a growing concern in the whole world including the Republic of Palau. There are two main types of diabetes: Type I diabetes and type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). People living with diabetes may have to deal with short-term or long-term complications as a result of their condition. Short-term complications include hypoglycaemia diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state (HHS). Long-term complications include how diabetes affects your eyes (retinopathy), heart (cardiovascular disease), kidneys (nephropathy), and nerves and feet (neuropathy). In the …

Effects Of Salinity On Plant Development Of In Vitro Sweet Potato (Ipomoea Batatas) Explants And Growth Of Pakchoi (Brassica Rapa Var. Chinensis) Seedlings, Tristan Paulino, Mari Marutani, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Climate change has affected the Pacific Islands with increased sea levels, and the contamination of freshwater with saltwater, which has become a serious problem for plant development. Bioassays were performed to examine the effects of salinity on root and shoot development of in-vitro sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), and effects on the seedling growth of pakchoi (Brassica rapa var. chinensis).

Sterilized stems with one or two nodes of sweet potato cv. Liberty were placed in in-vitro Murashige & Skoog solid media with NaCl concentrations of 0%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%. Newly emerged roots and shoots were recorded …

Effectiveness Of Traditional Treatments Of Diabetes In Pohnpei, Federated States Of Micronesia, Sonsha Padock, Nacanieli Tuivavalagi, Phd, Fredson Ardos, As, Jackson Philip, Bs, Paul Dacanay, Md

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Diabetes is the second leading cause of death in Pohnpei – next only to heart disease. However, households in Pohnpei are struggling to make ends meet and find it difficult to afford hospital treatments. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of selected traditional treatment methods for diabetes using local plant products. We hypothesize that the traditional treatment methods of diabetes could also be effective.

Data was collected through interviews and discussions with 17 diabetic patients who have undergone different forms of treatments, and with five medical practitioners. Effects of five treatments were explored: lime and lemon …

The Exocyst Complex Regulates Cell Differentiation During Ureter Development, Erica Owan, Ben Fogelgren, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Congenital urinary tract obstructions are the leading cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease in children. The most common cause of these obstructions is a blockage at the ureteropelvic junction (UPJ), where the kidney transitions into the ureter. Prenatal UPJ obstructions cause severe hydronephrosis, which is swelling of the kidney due to the accumulation of urine in the kidney. There are few non-surgical mouse models of this disease and the causes are poorly understood. Sec10 is a central component of the eight-protein exocyst complex involved exocytosis and cell signaling. We have created a unique transgenic mouse model that …

Attractiveness Of Three Gravid Trap Infusions For Ovipositing Polynesian Tiger Mosquitoes (Aedes Polynesiensis) In American Samoa, Hyun-Duck Oh, Mark Schmaedick, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The Polynesian tiger mosquito, Aedes polynesiensis, is a carrier of filariasis, chikungunya and dengue in American Samoa. The most commonly used tool for monitoring Ae. polynesiensis is the BG Sentinel trap; however, this trap catches relatively few mosquitoes and targets females searching for a blood meal. Recently developed gravid traps targeting females that have already blood-fed and are searching for oviposition sites may be a better alternative. But results of the initial trials of these gravid traps using a weedy grass hay infusion lure were disappointing. This experiment evaluates two alternative infusions made from dried banana leaves and Bermuda …

Survey Of Virus Diseases Of Taro, Colocasia Esculenta, On The Aunu’U Island Of American Samoa, Darlene Meli, Ndeme Atibalentja, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Taro, Colocasia esculenta, is the most important staple crop in American Samoa, especially in Aunu’u, a small (1.5 km²) island, approximately 2 km southeast of the main island of Tutuila. However, the sustainability of taro production is threatened by the occurrence of numerous diseases and pests, as evidenced by the leaf blight (Phytophthora colocasiae) epidemic that devastated the Samoan taro production in early 1990s. Crop losses due to viruses alone have been estimated at 20 - 60%. The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence of virus diseases of taro in Aunu’u.

Overall, …

Sodium Chloride Affects Growth In Taro, Inny Mareko, Ian Gurr, Ms

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Salt-water intrusion due to rising sea levels may negatively affect wetland taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott] production in low-lying Pacific islands. Measurements of water electrical conductivity (EC) values in taro producing wetlands on Aunu’u Island, American Samoa, ranged from 0.34 – 6.60 mS/cm.

In the lab, the growth of taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott, cv. Samoa 2] at different concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl) was evaluated in a hydroponic system. Taro was grown at seven NaCl concentrations: 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 mM, representing EC values of 0.34, 0.63, 0.95, 1.53, 2.71, 4.82, 8.99 mS/cm, …

Wellness From Diabetes: Community Health And Diabetes Assessment, Kelly Lorennij, Alexander Hirata, Ma, Emily Gifford, Mph

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is highly prevalent in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with a prevalence rate of 37.37%, the highest in the world. T2DM dominates Majuro, the country’s capital, as a leading cause of mortality and morbidity, despite efforts of health care workers, local community organizations, and government.

Income and education are social determinants of health. The correlations between good health and high income, and between good health and high education level, are positive. However, there is a continuous growth of T2DM incidence and prevalence on Majuro. Therefore, we hypothesized that there is no significant difference …

Prevalence Of Oral Cancer In Adolescents Related To Areca (Betel) Nut Chewing, Using Tobacco And Other Additives In Saipan, Northern Marianas Islands: A Review Of Literature, Eloise Lopez, Rosa Tudela, Bsn, Msn, Rn

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Oral cancer can involve the lip, tongue, mouth and pharynx. It is the sixth most prevalent cancer worldwide. One of the leading causes of Oral Cancerin the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is chewing betel nut with tobacco and other additives. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) linked areca nut, betel quid with tobacco and betel quid without tobacco as carcinogenic to humans.

Areca nut, also known as betel nut comes from the areca palm tree. The use of areca nut is common throughout the Pacific, and is widespread in Papua New …

The Recuperating Ability Of Cauliflower Coral (Pocillopora Damicornis) And Staghorn Coral (Acropora Sp.) To Temperature Stress, Diana Lopera, Roy Adsit, Bs

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Rising temperatures of the world’s waters place our coral reefs under stress, which can lead to coral bleaching, where corals expel their zooxanthellae. With the alarming rates of the depletion of coral reefs over the last 30 years, it is crucial to comprehend the corals’ ability to recover from stressful situations. In this experiment, we will investigate the recuperating ability of the corals Pocillopora Damicornis and Acropora sp. by exposing them to elevated temperatures that causes these corals to “stress”, and then measure their rate of recovery through the comparison of color pigmentations with healthy corals. Terminal branch samples will …