Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Effects Of Overcorrection On Mitigating Uncontrolled Tipping During Incisor Retraction Using Clear Aligners: Finite Element Analysis And In Vitro Experiment, Jianing Wang, Niko Burger, Bo Wang, Linxia Gu, Pengfei Dong

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Uncontrolled tipping during incisor retraction with clear aligners continues to limit orthodontic treatment. Different countermeasures have been proposed to improve the predictability of aligners, such as power ridges and attachments, while their efficacy requires further investigation. This work investigated the biomechanics of the overcorrection in reducing the tipping angle and moment during incisor retraction with a clear aligner, through in vitro experiments and finite element analysis (FEA). Specifically, the influence of overcorrection angle (1 deg), retraction distance (0.15 mm), and the combination of both were assessed through in vitro experiments and the finite element simulation. Further computational simulations were conducted …

Severity And Duration-Dependent Aortic Stiffening In A Rabbit Coarctation Model Identifies Constitutive Material Parameters As Promising Regional Biomarkers For Hypertension Progression, Arash Ghorbannia, Jamasp Azarnoosh, John F. Ladisa Jr.

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) alters hemodynamics and drives regional remodeling, yet the influence of severity and duration on constitutive properties is undefined. We quantified mechanical responses from CoA to identify constitutive parameters capturing stiffening across clinical severities and durations. Mild (≤ 12 mmHg), intermediate (13–20 mmHg), and severe (> 20 mmHg) CoA was created in rabbits for short, long, and prolonged durations (~ 1, 3, or 22 weeks, respectively). Stress–stretch curves from proximal and distal regions were fit with multiple constitutive models (Linear Elastic, Neo-Hookean, Yeoh, Ogden, Mooney–Rivlin, Holzapfel). Model performance was evaluated by normalized RMSE and R², with …

Evaluating Human Rod Photoreceptor Function Using Pixelwise Intensity-Based Optoretinography, Gao Yang, Mina Gaffney, Robert F. Cooper

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose: More than 50 inherited retinal diseases are known, with rod photoreceptor functional loss serving as an early indicator in nearly half of them. The “optoretinogram” is a relatively new assay that detects optical changes in cells in response to stimuli. This tool has excellent potential for providing insights into the earliest functional changes of rod photoreceptors, with the potential to assist in the early detection, monitoring, and treatment of retinal diseases.

Methods: In this work, we obtained intensity-based optoretinograms (iORGs) from rod photoreceptors using an adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope. We explore the necessity of both individual rod identification …

Development And Acceptability Of A Patient Decision Aid For People With Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: An International Mixed-Methods Study, Andrew R. Gamble, David B. Anderson, Marnee J. Mckay, Benjamin M. Davies, Sophie Macpherson, James Van Gelder, Tammy Hoffmann, Kirsten Mccaffery, Samuel X. Stevens, Carlo Ammendolia, Rohil V. Chauhan, Carl M. Zipser, Timothy F. Boerger, Lindsay A. Tetreault, Michael G. Fehlings, Elanor Dustan, Carolyn Nugent, Helen Holmgren, Andreas K. Demetriades, Justin M. Lantz, Rana Dhillon, Chris G. Maher, Joshua R. Zadro

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Objectives To develop and user-test a patient decision aid for people diagnosed with degenerative cervical myelopathy and who are considering surgery.

Design Mixed-methods study describing the development of a patient decision aid.

Setting A draft decision aid was developed by a multidisciplinary steering group (including study authors with degenerative cervical myelopathy, health professionals and researchers) informed by the best available evidence, authorship consensus and existing patient decision aids.

Participants Patient-participants and health professional-participants who manage people with degenerative cervical myelopathy were recruited through social media and the steering group’s research and practice network. Quantitative questionnaires were used to gather baseline …

Fixel-Based Analysis Of Pretreatment Mri Identifies White Matter Abnormalities In Pediatric Anti-Nmdar Encephalitis, Daniel Ackom, Janine Taitt-Tap, Scott A. Beardsley, Ricardo Vega, Alyssa Jobe, Andrew J. D. Crow, Brian Schmit, Lileth Mondok, Pradeep Javarayee

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis is an autoimmune disorder in which conventional MRI often appears normal, leading to clinical–radiologic dissociation and hindering early diagnosis and monitoring. We retrospectively studied five pediatric patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis and compared their pretreatment diffusion MRI to age- and sex-matched controls. Using fixel-based analysis (FBA), we quantified tract-specific white matter abnormalities at the individual level. All patients showed significantly reduced fiber density and cross-section, with patterns ranging from focal to widespread involvement. In two patients, FBA abnormalities corresponded to seizure lateralization on EEG despite normal MRI, emphasizing FBA's added value in detecting seizure-concordant injury. One patient, …

Ƒ(Cell): Software For Reproducible Analysis Of Optoretinograms, Robert F. Cooper, Mina Gaffney, Brea D. Brennan, Niko Rios

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose: There has been a marked increase in use of a noninvasive functional imaging technique called optoretinography (ORG). As more groups use ORGs, it is crucial to have a consistent methodology, and understand what analysis parameters influence repeatability. In this work, we present an open-source software library called ƒ(Cell) designed to facilitate reproducible and repeatable analyses of ORG data.

Methods: We designed ƒ(Cell) as a Python software library that can co-register and analyze ORG datasets, while also enabling process auditing. To validate the software, we used our previously obtained normative optoretinography datasets as well as datasets from six …

Improving Interlimb Coordination And Paretic Limb Use After Stroke Using A Novel Robotic Split-Crank Pedaling Device: A Cross-Sectional Study, Tom S. Ruopp, Brian Schmit, Sheila Schindler-Ivens

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background. Many stroke survivors cannot walk effectively, even after rehabilitation. Causes include impaired muscle activation, poor interlimb coordination, and limited restorative interventions. To address this, we developed CUped (pronounced “cupid”), a motorized split-crank pedaling device designed to compel use of the paretic limb and retrain interlimb coordination. We examined its within-session effects, comparing three proportional control schemes—assist (A), resist (R), and assist plus resist (A + R)—to identify which best promotes recovery-related movement.

Methods. Nineteen individuals with stroke and eleven controls pedaled in 5-min bouts, one per control scheme. Each bout included pre-test, exposure, and post-test periods. Participants were instructed …

Separating The Control Of Moving And Holding In Human Post-Stroke Arm Paresis, Alkis M. Hadjiosif, Kahori Kita, Scott T. Albert, Robert A. Scheidt, Reza Shadmehr, John W. Krakauer

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Moving and holding-still (holding) have been posited to be separately controlled. The paretic arm after stroke exhibits different abnormalities during rest vs. movement, providing an opportunity to ask whether control of these behaviors is independently affected in stroke. We quantified resting postural abnormalities in human stroke patients by measuring their biases in force production as they held their hand still in various locations in a planar workspace and then assessed whether these resting force biases influenced reaching in the same workspace. Patients displayed marked resting force biases at each location, even when the arm was supported. However, these …

Effective Transfer Of Tumor Annotations From Hematoxylin And Eosin To Fluorescence Images Of Breast And Lung Tissues, Tianling Niu, Emi Ampo, Julie M. Jorns, Mollie Patton, Tongtong Lu, Dong Hye Ye, Tina Yen, Bing Yu

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Significance: Accurate transfer of annotations from histological images to fluorescence images is essential in developing deep learning (DL)-based optical imaging systems for intraoperative assessment of tumor margins. Manual annotation is time-consuming, prone to interobserver variability, and impractical for large-scale datasets.

Aim: We present a semi-automated method that can effectively transfer tumor annotations from pathologist-annotated hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) images to fluorescence images captured using microscopy with ultraviolet surface excitation (MUSE). This method is not intended for intraoperative use but rather to facilitate the creation of annotated datasets for DL model development.

Approach: Our semi-automated method consists of nonrigid image registration, …

Different Brain Network Connectomic Relationships Subserve Hand Dexterity During Task Versus Resting States In People With Brain Tumors, Timothy F. Boerger, Leon Taquet, Kaitlin Goetschel, Sarah Young, Jennifer Connelly, Jeffrey R. Binder, Brian Schmit, Max O. Krucoff

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore different brain network connectomic relationships subserving hand dexterity in patients with contrast-enhancing brain tumors during task and resting states.

Method

We measured hand dexterity, resting state functional connectivity, and task-based functional connectivity in 21 participants with newly diagnosed brain tumors. Hand dexterity was measured using the 9-hole peg test (9HPT), and patient-reported outcomes were assessed with the Duroz Hand Index (DHI).

Findings

We discovered the following: (1) The inability to complete dexterous tasks is most associated with low somatomotor-basal ganglia network connectivity during rest but high somatomotor-basal ganglia network connectivity during …

Patient-Informed Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulations Of Bicuspid Aortic Valve In Young Adults Reveal Regionalized Differences In Mechanical Stress, Hail B. Kazik, Harkamaljot S. Kandail, Joy Lincoln, John F. Ladisa

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is a common congenital cardiovascular defect characterized by two, rather than three, cusps. Many BAV patients prematurely develop calcification and aortic stenosis by age 35, which is more severe with fusion of the right and noncoronary (RC/NC) cusps. The mechanisms underlying calcification observed within the coaptation, attachment, and fusion regions of BAV patients are unknown. While abnormal mechanical stimuli induced by the bicuspid anatomy likely plays a role, little is known about regionalized mechanical stimuli in these susceptible cusp regions of young patients prior to calcification. Strongly coupled fluid-structure interaction simulations were conducted using physiologic boundary …

Diffusion Mri Biomarkers For Predicting Treatment Outcomes In Infantile Epileptic Spasms Syndrome With Non-Lesional Mri, Daniel Ackom, Scott A. Beardsley, Jennifer Meylor, Kayleigh Butler, Ricardo Vega, Andrew J.D. Crow, Hema Patel, Brian D. Schmit, Pradeep Javarayee

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS) is a devastating developmental epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) and patients exhibit diffuse white matter alterations and structural remodeling. However, the correlation between these structural changes and brain network properties, or their effect on the efficacy of treatment outcomes in MRI non-lesional IESS patients is not clear.

Method

This retrospective study was conducted on IESS patients using fixel-based analysis (FBA) of diffusion MRI and graph theory analysis of structural connectivity, involving 26 non-lesional IESS patients aged 2 to 12 months and 120 age-matched controls. We further examined the differences between antiseizure medication (ASM) responders and non-responders …

Measuring Neck Morphologies Using Upright Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Narayan Yoganandan, Mahmudur Rahman, Ali Warriach, Karthik Banurekha Devaraj, Brian D. Stemper, Aditya Vedantam, Christopher Wolfla, Peter Le

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Introduction

Because the head supported mass worn by military pilots adds loading to the head-neck complex, morphometrical characteristics of neck muscles are expected to be different from those that do not wear the added mass. To accurately determine segmental neck loads using computational whole-body human or head-neck models, it is important to include accurate morphometrical properties of cervical muscles from the population of interest, in this case military pilots. Routine radiographic imaging (x-rays and computed tomography scans) is less optimal, while magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is appropriate. Although MRI scanners are generally available in clinical settings, recumbent scanning does not …

Lung Injury Risk Curves From Behind Armor Blunt Trauma Using A Live Swine Model, Narayan Yoganandan, Lewis Somberg, Danielle Wilson, Alok Shah, Jared Michael Koser, Brian D. Stemper, Valeta Carol Chancey, Joseph Mcentire

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Introduction

From structural, anatomical, and functional perspectives, components of the thoracoabdominal region are heterogeneous and physiologically and functionally different. Although their tolerances to injury are expected to be different, the current Roma Plastilina No. 1 clay penetration criterion for behind armor blunt trauma (BABT) is not specific to the body region. It is important to develop regional injury criteria to ensure its specificity. The objective of the study is to conduct impact tests on the lung region using a live animal model and develop injury risk curves using velocity and deflection metrics via parametric survival analysis.

Materials and Methods

Live …

Axicons For Improved Resolution And Depth Of Focus In Adaptive Optics Scanning Light Ophthalmoscopy, Ruth E. Woehlke, Robert F. Cooper

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopes are instrumental for studying the eye, yet they use truncated Gaussian illumination and are limited by diffraction, restricting resolution and depth of focus (DOF). Non-diffractive Bessel beams have emerged as an alternative. Here, we use two axicons configured as: (1) an extended DOF beam for resolving multiple retinal layers; and (2) an annular beam for increasing lateral resolution. We compare both approaches to truncated Gaussian illumination using a variety of metrics. Using Configuration 1, we successfully observed multiple retinal layers simultaneously. Using Configuration 2, we observed enhanced lateral resolution but decreased signal-to-noise ratio.

An Injectable, Dual-Curing Hydrogel For Controlled Bioactive Release In Regenerative Endodontics, Meisam Omidi, Daniela S. Masson-Meyers, Jeffrey M. Toth

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Regenerative endodontics seeks to restore the vascularized pulp–dentin complex following conventional root canal therapy, yet reliable neovascularization within the constrained root canal remains a key challenge. This study investigates the development of an injectable, dual-curing hydrogel based on methacrylated decellularized amniotic membrane (dAM-MA) and compares its performance to a conventional gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA). The dAM-MA platform was designed for biphasic release, incorporating both free vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for an initial burst and matrix-metalloproteinase-cleavable VEGF conjugates for sustained delivery. The dAM-MA hydrogel achieved shape-fidelity via thermal gelation at 37 °C and possessed tunable stiffness (0.5–7.8 kPa) after visible-light irradiation. …

Predictors Of Permanent And Temporary Motor Deficits In Patients Undergoing Glioma Resection: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Brian J. Conway, Stephanie A. Armstrong, Nada Botros, Sergey Tarima, Max O. Krucoff

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

To identify predictors of permanent and temporary motor deficits in patients undergoing glioma resection.

Methods

A literature search accessed the databases Ovid Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature/EBSCO, PsychInfo, Cochrane, and Wiley for studies reporting motor outcomes following surgical resection of glioma. Outcomes were stratified by patient/tumor characteristics, preoperative condition, and intraoperative factors for both permanent and temporary motor deficits. Generalized estimating equations were used to generate odds ratios.

Results

A total of 1332 titles and abstracts were reviewed resulting in the evaluation of 261 full-text articles. Data were extracted from 67 …

Anisotropic Object-Based Shifts Of Attention Arise From Unequal Influences Of Visual Field Meridians On Neural Attention Gradients, David H. Hughes, Adam J. Barnas, Adam S. Greenberg

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Object-based attention prioritizes the processing of information appearing within a selected object. We previously showed an object-based shift direction anisotropy (SDA) whereby horizontal shifts are more efficient than vertical shifts (Barnas AJ, Greenberg AS. Atten Percept Psychophys 78: 1985–1997, 2016; Barnas AJ, Greenberg AS. Vis Cogn 27: 768–791, 2019), an effect modulated by the visual field meridians (Barnas AJ, Greenberg AS. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 77: 2516–2532, 2024). Our present aim was to understand how the functional brain mechanisms of attention give rise to the SDA. We hypothesized that the SDA arises from attentional resources being partitioned differently by …

Impactor Displacement As A Predictor Of Thoraco-Abdominal Organ Injury: Comparison Of Isolated Organ To Whole Body Tests, Jack Seifert, Jared Michael Koser, Alok Shah, Lance Frazer, Frank A. Pintar, Narayan Yoganandan, Dan Nicolella, Timothy B. Bentley, Brian D. Stemper

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

Body armor is used to protect the wearer from penetrating injuries. However, when the armor defeats the projectile, it deforms at high rates into the wearer, referred to as back face deformation (BFD). This deformation can cause a variety of superficial and internal injuries and consequently should be considered when designing body armor. However, current design standards do not adequately consider the effects of BFD, and new data are necessary to inform future design thresholds for BFD. The objective of this study was to develop blunt impact injury risk curves for in vitro thoraco-abdominal organs and determine their applicability …

Impactor Displacement As A Predictor Of Thoraco-Abdominal Organ Injury: Comparison Of Isolated Organ To Whole Body Tests., Jack Seifert, Jared Michael Koser, Alok Shah, Lance Frazer, Frank A. Pintar, Narayan Yoganandan, Dan Nicolella, Brian D. Stemper

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

Body armor is used to protect the wearer from penetrating injuries. However, when the armor defeats the projectile, it deforms at high rates into the wearer, referred to as back face deformation (BFD). This deformation can cause a variety of superficial and internal injuries and consequently should be considered when designing body armor. However, current design standards do not adequately consider the effects of BFD, and new data are necessary to inform future design thresholds for BFD. The objective of this study was to develop blunt impact injury risk curves for in vitro thoraco-abdominal organs and determine their applicability …

Advances In Noninvasive Imaging For Detecting Radiation-Induced Lung Injury (Rili), Austen Nissen, Said H. Audi, Anne V. Clough, Brian Fish, Amit Joshi, Meetha Medhora, Jason Walter Sidabras, Heather A. Himburg

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose: Dr. Richard Hill performed pioneering work in the field of radiation-induced normal tissue injury to the lung including noninvasive imaging studies aimed at identifying imaging biomarkers of radiation-induced lung injury (RILI). RILI is a life-threatening toxicity of radiation exposure relevant to both cancer patients undergoing thoracic radiation therapy (RT) and victims of accidental radiation exposure. The ability to detect RILI noninvasively has the potential to guide treatment planning for RT and, in the case of victims of acute radiation exposures, inform the decision to start mitigative therapies. As part of this special issue of IJRB honoring Dr. Hill’s many …

Designing A Portable And Accessible Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy System For Real-Time Detection Of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia, Allison Scarbrough, Diana Moses, Tongtong Lu, Bing Yu

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Significance: Over 80% of cervical cancer cases occur in lower-to-middle income countries (LMIC’s). This is partly because current screening techniques lack affordability, accessibility, and/or reliability for use in LMIC’s.

Aim: To develop an optical technique for cervical cancer screening that is affordable, accessible, and reliable for use in LMIC’s.

Approach: We developed a portable diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) system, which costs < $2500 USD to manufacture, and employs a Raspberry Pi to extract the absorption (μ_a) and reduced scattering (μ'_s) coefficients of biological tissue. The system was subject to travel and intentional rough handling. It was further used to capture 320 DRS spectra taken from 64 tissue-mimicking phantoms. Two …

Predicting Seizure Onset Zones From Interictal Intracranial Eeg Using Functional Connectivity And Machine Learning, Jared Pilet, Scott A. Beardsley, Chad Carlson, Christopher T. Anderson, Candida Ustine, Sean Lew, Wade Mueller, Manoj Raghavan

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Functional connectivity (FC) analyses of intracranial EEG (iEEG) signals can potentially improve the mapping of epileptic networks in drug-resistant focal epilepsy. However, it remains unclear whether FC-based metrics provide additional value beyond established epilepsy biomarkers such as epileptic spikes and high-frequency oscillations (HFOs). Using interictal iEEG data from 26 patients, we estimated FC across eight frequency bands (4–290 Hz) using amplitude envelope correlation (AEC) and phase locking value (PLV). From the resulting FC-matrices, we estimated two graph metrics each to derive 32 FC-based features. We also extracted features related to spikes, HFOs, and power spectral densities (PSD). A trained support …

Automated Identification Of Clinically Meaningful Biomechanical Phenotypes In Cerebral Palsy Through Multicenter Gait Data, Adam Graf, Joseph Krzak, Karen M. Kruger, Jon Davids, Ryan Smith, Brandon Steinlein, Anita Bagley

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Cerebral palsy is the most prevalent motor disability in childhood, encompassing various movement disorders that affect walking. Researchers have described gait patterns in cerebral palsy, but these are often subjective and based on clinician experience. This study introduces an automated approach to objectively identify clinically meaningful biomechanical phenotypes in cerebral palsy and test it on multicenter gait data. Utilizing instrumented gait analysis, this research aims to improve treatment strategies for gait dysfunction. This study addresses whether classification algorithms can objectively identify clinically meaningful gait patterns and if severe gait deviations are more frequent in advanced forms of cerebral palsy. …

Influence Of Boundary Conditions And Blood Rheology On Indices Of Wall Shear Stress From Ivus-Based Patient-Specific Stented Coronary Artery Simulations, R. Patrick Mccarthy, Peter J. Mason, David S. Marks, John F. Ladisa Jr.

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The long-term clinical efficacy of coronary stents is limited by restenosis. Coronary stenting results in altered arterial geometry, local blood flow patterns, and wall shear stress (WSS), all of which can influence restenosis. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations employ assumptions about blood properties and boundary conditions, which also influence WSS alterations from stenting. Our objective was to evaluate three common assumptions applied with stented coronary artery CFD simulations (inlet velocity profile, outlet boundary conditions, and viscosity) to provide insight for future studies. A patient-specific right coronary artery was reconstructed from intravascular ultrasound and computed tomography imaging. Time-averaged WSS (TAWSS) and …

Effectiveness Of Virtual Reality Rehabilitation For Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Viprav B. Raju, Brian D. Schmit, Aditya Vedantam

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation in improving functional performance for patients with cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI), which affects both upper and lower limb function. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, electronic databases including PubMed, Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library were searched. Meta-analysis was conducted on studies reporting common functional outcomes, with standardized mean difference (SMD) used to quantify effect sizes. Nine studies were included in the systematic review, and seven were analyzed in the meta-analysis. Three studies focused on upper limb outcomes, and six …

Involvement Of Long Non-Coding Rna (Lncrna) Malat1 In Shear Stress Regulated Adipocyte Differentiation, Justin Caron, Marjan Ghanbariabdolmaleki, Madison Marino, Chong Qiu, Bo Wang, Michael Mak, Shue Wang

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Adipocyte differentiation plays an important role in bone remodeling due to secretory factors that can directly modulate osteoblast and osteoclast, thus affecting overall bone mass and skeletal integrity. Excessive adipocyte differentiation within the bone marrow microenvironment can lead to decreased bone mass, eventually causing osteoporosis. The mechanical microenvironment of bone marrow, including fluid shear, maintains the balance of adipocyte and osteoblast differentiation during bone remodeling. However, how mechanical cues interact with long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and regulate adipocyte differentiation remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated the mechanosensitive role of lncRNA MALAT1 during mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) adipocyte differentiation. By …

Locked Dimerized Cxcl12 Exerts Radiosensitizing Effects In Head And Neck Cancer, Oscar Villarreal Espinosa, Musaddiq Awan, Abdullah A. Memon, Anne Frei, Jamie Foeckler, Rachel Kuehn, Jennifer Bruening, Becky Massey, Stuart J. Wong, Monica Shukla, Julia Kasprzak, Amit Joshi, Michael B. Dwinell, Heather A. Himburg, Joseph Zenga

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) presents significant treatment challenges, particularly in cases unrelated to human papillomavirus (HPV). The chemokine receptor CXCR4, interacting with its ligand CXCL12, plays a crucial role in tumor proliferation, metastasis, and treatment resistance. This study explores the therapeutic potential of engineered monomeric and dimerized CXCL12 variants (CXCL121 and CXCL122, respectively) in HNSCC and evaluates potential additive effects when combined with radiation therapy.

Methods

Clinical HNSCC biopsies were evaluated for CXCR4 expression in both previously untreated and radiorecurrent disease. HNSCC cell lines were then treated with combinations of CXCL12 variants and radiotherapy and interrogated …

The Histological And Mechanical Behavior Of Skin During Puncture For Different Impactor Sizes And Loading Rates, Joseph Lesueur, Jared Michael Koser, William Dzwierzynski, Brian D. Stemper, Carolyn E. Hampton, Michael Kleinberger, Frank A. Pintar

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

The hierarchical structure of skin dictates its protective function against mechanical loading, which has been extensively studied through numerous experiments. Viscoelasticity and anisotropy have been defined for skin in tensile loading, but most puncture studies utilized skin simulants, which lacked natural tension and varying skin thicknesses. The purpose of this study was to define the mechanical behavior and failure thresholds of skin during puncture with various blunt impactor sizes and loading rates.

Methods

After determining natural tension of porcine skin, 232 isolated skin samples were loaded in puncture. Pre-conditioning, sub-failure, and failure trials were conducted with an electrohydraulic piston …

Updated Document On Standard Terminology For Foot And Ankle, Jason T. Bariteau, Constantine A. Demetracopoulos, Ahmed Khalil Attia, Nacime Salomão Barbachan Mansur, Daniel J. Scott, Karen M. Kruger, Amy L. Lenz

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The Standardized Terminology and Measurement Subcommittee was established as an ad hoc academic entity at the behest of Dr Ian Alexander in 1990. Members who have served on the committee include Ian Alexander, David Katcherian, Harold Kitaoka, Bright McConnell, Chris Reynolds, Charles Saltzman, and Saul Trevino. This subcommittee met twice yearly at the annual winter and summer meetings. This initial work was coordinated with members of the POSNA’s Committee on Terminology and Measurement.   These definitions were published in Foot & Ankle International and were expected to be included in the Guidelines for Manuscript Preparation, which was never done.