Physiology Commons^™

Health & Nutritional Sciences Free Communication Day: Spring 2021 Plan B Abstracts, Brianna Vig, Michael Pappan, Taylor Svehla, Alexander Iverson, Tanner Jerome, Christian Gravius, Kaitlyn Jackman, Savannah Ratermann, Gwyneth Phillips, Jenna Rheder, Erin Hallenbeck, Logan Ammons, Rachel Astleford, Francine Hoffman, Ryan Folley, Kylie Serie, Jenna Christianson, Haley Strait, Kelsey Kessler

Health and Nutritional Sciences Graduate Students Plan B Capstone Projects

This document contains Plan B abstracts presented by graduate students at the Health and Nutritional Sciences Free Communication Day, held on May 4th, 2021.

Abstract titles include:

• Local Restaurants’ Marketing and Sponsorship Within Collegiate Athletics
• Preparing the Future of Campus Recreation
• Motivational Factors Influencing College Choice: NCAA Division I Female Volleyball Athletes
• The Significance of a Successful Internship Program
• Foundations of Publicly Subsidized Sport Stadiums: The Case of U.S. Bank Stadium
• Enhancing Member Experience During a Pandemic
• The Risk of Depression in Football Players Diagnosed with a Concussion
• Effectiveness of Color-Tinted Glasses in Reducing Photophobia in Patients Diagnosed with Mild …

Myelin, Cpla2, And Azithromycin: Modulation Of Macrophage Activation In Spinal Cord Injury Inflammation, Timothy J. Kopper

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Spinal cord injury (SCI) produces a chronic inflammatory state primarily mediated by macrophages consisting of resident microglia and infiltrating monocytes. These chronically activated SCI macrophages adopt a pro-inflammatory, pathological state that continues to cause additional damage after the initial injury and inhibits recovery. While the roles of macrophages in SCI pathophysiology are well documented, the factors contributing to this maladaptive response are poorly understood. Here, we identify the detrimental effects of myelin debris on macrophage physiology and demonstrate a novel, activation state-dependent role for cytosolic phospholipase-A2 (cPLA₂) in myelin- mediated potentiation of pro-inflammatory macrophage activation. Macrophage- mediated inflammatory …

Estrogen Disruption Of Hypothalamic Neural Activity, Princess Dickson

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The brain is highly dependent on the endocrine system for proper neurodevelopment, as it plays a key role in many biological processes. Bisphenol A is a chemical found in plastics that has the potential to mimic the effects of Estrogen in the body, at least weakly. People interact with plastic that contains BPA regularly, and people are at risk for exposure even before being born. The abundance of BPA, along with other exogenous estrogens, makes examining the relationship between early exposure and changes in brain activity imperative. The current study aims to establish a relationship between disrupted estrogen function and …

Dry Needling And Management Of Trigger Points With Low Back Pain: An Evidence To Practice Review, Matthew J. Drescher, Matthew J. Rivera, Lindsey E. Eberman

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Low back pain is a common health concern. The development of myofascial trigger points due to low back pain can cause debilitating pain and loss of functional movement in patients. Dry needling is a minimally invasive procedure that has shown to be useful in the treatment of myofascial trigger points when used with other forms of treatment. However, the literature surrounding dry needling and myofascial trigger points in patients with low back pain is lacking. The guiding systematic review and meta-analysis sought to analyze the effectiveness of dry needling for patients with low back pain. The review utilized eight databases …

Cold-Induced Metabolic Changes In Lean, Nag-1 Transgenic Mice, Rachel J. Davey

All Master's Theses

Obesity is a multifaceted metabolic disorder with severe worldwide public health consequences. While obesity can often be treated using diet and exercise, there are complex genetic interactions driving obesity that don’t always respond to such changes. One important research focus for addressing genetic factors is activating brown adipose tissue which increases thermogenesis, the process of burning stored fats to generate heat. Cold exposure is a known way to activate brown adipose tissue through b3-adrenergic signaling. This signaling pathway causes an upregulation of thermogenesis in brown adipocytes and beige adipocytes, which is white adipose tissue that “browns” and becomes metabolically active. …

Utility Of Novel Rotational Load-Velocity Profiling Methods In Collegiate Softball Players, Chad Herring

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purposes of this study were to determine the reliability of the bat swing (BS) and rotational medicine ball throw (RMBT) load-velocity profiling (LVP) methods and the relationships between LVP variables and batting performance in NCAA Division I softball players. Current NCAA Division I softball athletes participated in this study. Bat velocity was tracked with a swing sensor during the BS method. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) tracked forearm velocity during the BS and RMBT methods. Two-way intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used for relative reliability and coefficient of variation (CV) was used for absolute reliability. For the BS method …

Effectiveness Of Take-Home Naloxone Programs In Athletic Training: An Evidence-To-Practice Review, Michael J. Palm, Amanda N. Flanscha, Zachary K. Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

The number of opioid overdoses (ODs) has risen in recent years and has become more complex due to the co-involvement of both prescription and illicit opioid drug use. Provisional programs for take-home naloxone (a medication designed to rapidly reverse opiate OD symptoms) kits have been distributed to combat this potentially fatal epidemic. Although there is strong evidence to support the efficacy of naloxone in the reversal of opiate OD, there is limited evidence to support the efficacy of take-home naloxone (THN) kits. The purpose of this evidence-to-practice review was to summarize a systematic review on the efficacy of THN programs. …

The Functional Movement Screen And Injury Risk In Sporting Populations: An Evidence-To-Practice Review, Taylor Niles, Federico Rossi, Zachary K. Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a functional test, which aims to identify dysfunctional, asymmetrical, and painful movements that could contribute to future injuries. Medical professionals can clinically use this information to implement appropriate, specialized prehabilitation training aimed at reducing the dysfunctional, asymmetrical, and painful movements, to help prevent injury risk. Research on this tool, however, has contradictory findings regarding FMS composite score and future risk of injury. It is unclear to what extent FMS can predict those with future injury risk, and whether there are factors, such as age, sex, or sport-type, which may be contributing to these varying …

Rater Reliability Of The Functional Movement Screen: An Evidence-To-Practice Review, Nate Orth, Adam Graham, Zachary K. Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

The purpose of this evidence-to-practice review is to summarize a systematic review on the inter- and intrarater reliability of the Functional Movement Screen (FMS). Reliability is crucial to the FMS, as clinicians may retest to view a patient’s changes and improvements in movement patterns. This review and analysis looked at 7 studies which showed that both inter- and intrarater reliability were good. Studies were only included if the primary focus was on inter- and intrarater reliability. Clinicians had varying levels of familiarity with the FMS process. Athletic training students with less than one year to no experience were found to …

Attitudes Among Collegiate Volleyball And Women’S Soccer Players Prior To The Covid-19 Altered 2020-21 Season, D M. Gallegos, B J. Warner, S A. Cage

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Context: In response to the global spread of SARS-CoV-2, the National Collegiate Athletic Association cancelled all 2020 winter and spring championships that had not been completed. Additionally, the majority of 2020 fall spring championships were rescheduled to take place in the spring semester of 2021. Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the attitudes, moods, and motivations of collegiate women’s soccer and women’s volleyball players toward the alteration to the 2020-2021 season. Design: Cross-sectional design. Setting: Web-based survey. Participants: A total of 46 female collegiate soccer and volleyball players participated in this study (Age = 17.8 years ± …

Triple Oxygen Isotope Measurements (Δ'17O) Of Body Water Reflect Water Intake, Metabolism, And Δ18O Of Ingested Water In Passerines, Pablo Sabat, Seth D. Newsome, Stephanie Pinochet, Roberto Nespolo, Juan Carlos Sanchez-Hernandez, Karen Maldonado, Alexander R. Gerson, Zachary D. Sharp, John P. Whiteman

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding physiological traits and ecological conditions that influence a species reliance on metabolic water is critical to creating accurate physiological models that can assess their ability to adapt to environmental perturbations (e.g., drought) that impact water availability. However, relatively few studies have examined variation in the sources of water animals use to maintain water balance, and even fewer have focused on the role of metabolic water. A key reason is methodological limitations. Here, we applied a new method that measures the triple oxygen isotopic composition of a single blood sample to estimate the contribution of metabolic water to the body …

Opioid Use Disorder: The Timeline For Medication Assisted Therapy, Alexander Cristofori

Capstone Showcase

Opioid Use Disorder is patterns of opioid use leading to withdrawal, giving up important life events in order to use opioids, and excessive time spent using opioids, to name a few diagnostic criteria. The clinical progression of the disorder involves periods of acute exacerbation and remission that are cyclic in nature. Treatment is most effective when it includes both pharmacological and psychosocial modalities, referred to as medication assisted therapy (MAT). Three drugs used commonly in MAT-based treatment for OUD from oldest to newest include Methadone, Buprenorphine-naloxone, and Naltrexone. Treatment program models that prioritize total abstinence from the addictive substance attached …

Analysis Of Circadian Rhythm Irregularities On The Health Of Shift Workers, Sahil Rajan

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Circadian rhythms involve the natural 24 wake-sleep cycle that governs proper maintenance of biological sleep schedules. Circadian rhythm disruption has been associated with health issues such as diabetes, obesity, and mental health disorders such as bipolar and sleep disorders. In this study, a survey method was utilized in order to analyze specific population demographics to determine whether working day or night shifts predisposed individuals to health issues due to disruptions in their circadian rhythms. This study was also carried out to observe popular coping strategies among night shift workers. Of all the variables tested comparing the difference between day and …

Sleep And Athletic Performance Of Formula 1 Race Car Drivers During The 2019 Season, Alexander Pollack

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Sufficient, good quality sleep is associated with better performance in many sports; however, this relationship has not been examined among motorsport athletes. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the relationship between sleep quality (SQ), sleep duration (SD), and performance metrics among professional racecar drivers. During the 2019 season, five Formula 1 drivers reported SQ, SD, and hours of time change for each race. Performance data (finishing position and points earned) were obtained from a public website. Relationships between sleep variables and driving performance were examined using correlations. Correlations between SQ and driving performance were not significant. SD and …

Predictability Of Vo2max From Three Commercially Available Devices, Luke Daniel Mccormick

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The Polar V800TM, A300TM, and Garmin Forerunner 235TM predict VO2max from a submaximal effort. Purpose: To examine the predictability of VO2max from two heart rate monitors (Device A and V) and a global positioning system (GPS) watch compared to measured VO2max. Methods: Forty participants, 22 males and 18 females ages 18 to 55, came to the Running Science Laboratory at Eastern Michigan University. During visit 1, participants completed a maximal graded exercise test (GXT) to determine VO2max. At visit 2, each device’s protocol was followed to estimate VO2max. Pearson correlations, repeated measures ANOVA, and a paired samples t-test were utilized …

Deciphering The Effects Of Serelaxin On The Cardiorenal Axis In Acute Heart Failure- A Canine Model, Abhinav Chinna Krishnan

Wayne State University Dissertations

Acute heart failure (HF) with underlying ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular associated death in the United States. Acute HF pathophysiology involves a complex interplay of neurohormonal activation, increased cardiac ventricular pressures (fluid overload), vasoconstriction, impaired renal function, and progressive end-organ failure. Serelaxin (SLX), a recombinant form of the human hormone relaxin 2, is a vasodilator and an ideal pharmacological agent to treat acute HF. Though SLX was associated with positive preliminary outcome data for acute HF it however failed to provide benefit during clinical trials. Greater understanding of cardiac and renal parameters may elucidate …

The Role Of Biomaterial Substrate In Stem Cell Fate Determination, Zhenjie Liu

Wayne State University Dissertations

The physical cues, which included topography, stiffness, and mechanical forces, can influence the stem cell renewal, differentiation, and maturation in vivo and in vitro. The nano-topography of the ECM can stimulate the neural differentiation of the stem cells, while the micro-topography of the ECM can guide the neurite outgrowth. However, the role and functional size of the micro- and nano-topography in the stem cell fate determination is not clear yet. To study this aim, two biomaterial based aligned fiber platforms (ACMFP and ASMFP) were designed, fabrication and evaluated to cover the micro-, submicro-, and nano-fiber topography, which used to study …

Power Amplification Strategies Across Animals, Rayhan Asif

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Animals use muscles for movement, but some have evolved mechanisms to exceed maximum power used in a motion known as power amplification. In this literature review, I analyzed and compared the evolution of structures capable of power amplification between species. Structures capable of power amplification were broken down into the basic components of the engine, amplifier, and tool. The species analyzed were found to possess necessary structures for power amplification which were relatively similar to each other in morphology, but varied greatly in function. The ease with which these structures evolved was evaluated based on the amount of divergence which …

Effects Of Fluoxetine/Simvastatin/Ascorbic Acid Combination Treatment On Neurogenesis And Functional Recovery In A Model Of Multiple Sclerosis, Olivia Cameron Webb

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Whereas immune modulation has proven beneficial in multiple sclerosis (MS), we hypothesized that targeting down-stream modulators of neurogenesis and subsequent remyelination may offer an additional, if not superior, point of intervention in an attempt to repair damage and recover lost function. As such, the present study assessed the effectiveness of 30-day administration of the drug combination fluoxetine (5 mg/kg), simvastatin (1 mg/kg), and ascorbic acid (50 mg/kg) (FSA) on an early marker of neurogenesis, doublecortin (DCX), and functional recovery using the Montoya Staircase following lysolecithin-induced focal demyelination of the corpus callosum in middle-aged (10-11 month) male and female rats. Lysolecithin …

A Novel Method For Analysis Of Proprioceptor Sensory Neuron Subtypes In The Mouse Dorsal Root Ganglia, Delaney C. Grant

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Proprioceptive sensory neurons encode critical mechanosensory information that helps determine how the body interacts with the outside world and monitors the proper execution of motor movements. Housed in skeletal muscles lie specialized mechanoreceptors that are critical to this feedback loop: muscle spindles supplied by group Ia & group II afferents, and Golgi tendon organs supplied by group Ib afferents relay information regarding changes in muscle force, length, and tension. All three afferent subtypes originate in the muscle and travel to the dorsal root ganglia, relaying information to the central nervous system. GTO and MS proprioceptive afferent subtypes have been identified, …

Potential Involvement Of Micro Vesicle Particles In The Synergistic Effects Of Ultraviolet-B Radiation And Platelet -Activating Factor Receptor Agonists On Cytokine Production, Shweta Bhadri

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Cytokines play a pivotal role in regulating inflammation, which is a condition that makes the tissue vulnerable to different pathological and physiological conditions. Thus, how cytokines are regulated is an important area of study. Skin that receives ultraviolet B radiation (UVB), a major pro-oxidative stressor, results in the release of multiple cytokines and chemokines like tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-8. Previous studies from our group and others have demonstrated synergistic release of TNF-alpha when UVB is combined with IL-1 or the lipid mediator Platelet-activating factor (PAF). Of interest, subcellular microvesicle particles (MVP) have been proposed to play an …

Characterization Of Spontaneous Preeclampsia In The African Green Monkey (Chlorocebus Aethiops Sabaeus), Chelsea Christina Weaver

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Hypertensive pregnancy disorders are a major contribution to maternal and neonatal mortality worldwide. Two of these disorders, preeclampsia and chronic hypertension in pregnancy, affect up to 10% of all pregnancies. These hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are associated with long-term, postnatal risk factors for both mother and offspring. Despite numerous recent advances in preeclampsia research, the underlying mechanisms are still not understood. This could be due to lack of a spontaneous animal model. This dissertation presents the African Green Monkey (AGM; Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) as the first known spontaneous animal model of preeclampsia and a highly translational model of chronic …

The Effects Of Food Supply On Reproductive Hormones And Timing Of Reproduction In An Income-Breeding Seabird, Shannon Whelan, Scott A. Hatch, Z. Morgan Benowitz-Fredericks, Charline Parenteau, Olivier Chastel, Kyle Elliott

Faculty Journal Articles

Current food supply is a major driver of timing of breeding in income-breeding animals, likely because increased net energy balance directly increases reproductive hormones and advances breeding. In capital breeders, increased net energy balance increases energy reserves, which eventually leads to improved reproductive readiness and earlier breeding. To test the hypothesis that phenology of income-breeding birds is independent of energy reserves, we conducted an experiment on food-supplemented (“fed”) and control female black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla). We temporarily increased energy costs (via weight handicap) in a 2 × 2 design (fed/unfed; handicapped/unhandicapped) during the pre-laying period and observed movement …

Morphological Changes In Dorsal Root Ganglia Macrophages Associated With Neuropathic Pain Mechanisms Suggest A Novel Target For Chronic Pain Therapy, Emily Kussick

CMC Senior Theses

The present study examined morphological changes in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) following an innate immune stimulus. The importance of the DRG has increasingly become recognized in pain processing as more than just the home of primary afferent cell bodies. All sensory information passes through the DRG via the primary afferents, and on to the spinal cord. The primary afferents synapse with second-order neurons in the spinal cord that ascend towards the brain, where they transmit the pain signal to the limbic forebrain and/or the somatosensory cortex for processing. The DRG is an interesting niche to study at as it …

Creating A Georgia Southern Spider Collection: Can Dna Barcoding Help?, Guy B. Hobbs

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

With over 280 spider (Araneae) species recorded within the State of Georgia, USA, the need for a well-documented natural history collection with a usable voucher system is critical to continually assess spider diversity and their future ecological impact in this region. Spider identification can be daunting for the inexperienced taxonomist; it is time consuming and sometimes requires destructive procedures. Previous works have successfully used an alternative method, DNA barcoding, to correctly identify spider species while preserving their morphology. This study set forth to create the core of a well-documented spider collection within Georgia Southern University’s Institute for Coastal Plain Science …

Stress, Burnout, And Depression Among African Immigrant Direct Support Professionals Working With Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Mary A. Onyejose

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractStress and burnout are recognized problems among staff working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). However, information on stress and burnout in African immigrant direct support professionals (DSPs) is lacking. The purpose of this correlational mediation study was to investigate whether burnout mediates the relationship between stress and depression among African immigrants working with adults with IDDs. Job stress theory and burnout theory served as the theoretical framework for the study. Overall, 111 DSPs completed self-report questionnaires: the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Parker and DeCotiis’ Job Stress Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Results revealed that stress significantly predicted …

The Tumor Suppressor Par-4 Regulates Hypertrophic Obesity, Nathalia Araujo

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Prostate Apoptosis Response-4 (Par-4) is a tumor suppressor ubiquitously expressed in all tissues and able to selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Although well established in the context of cancer, relatively little is known about the function of Par-4 in the healthy and non-tumorigenic context. Observations from our lab showed that Par-4 knockout mouse lines were obese and displayed adipocyte hypertrophy under a normal chow diet when compared to Par-4 wild-type mice. These Par-4 knockout mice exhibited hepatic steatosis and hyperinsulinemia as secondary consequences of obesity. Par-4 knockout mice displayed increased intestinal dietary fat absorption and its subsequent storage in …

Changes In Pregnancy - Associated Glycoproteins Associated With Fetal Age, Postpartum Interval And Evaluation Of A Chute-Side Lateral Flow Assay, Adalaide C. Kline

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transrectal ultrasonography is known as the gold standard for pregnancy detection but requires costly equipment and technical skill. Access to a cheaper and more user-friendly method with similar accuracy to transrectal ultrasonography would be beneficial to individual cattle producers and to the cattle industry as a whole. Pregnancy diagnosis by detection of pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAGs) has the ability to accurately determine pregnancy in ruminants, however, usually requires specialized equipment for the assay. Pregnancy-associated glycoprotein pregnancy tests are gaining in popularity due to their ease of use and the unique feature of not requiring specialized training. Recently, a new lateral flow …

Extracellular Vesicles Released By Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium Mediate Increased Polarised Secretion Of Drusen Proteins In Response To Amd Stressors, Miguel Flores-Bellver, Jason Mighty, Silvia Aparicio-Domingo, Kang V. Li, Cui Shi, Jing Zhou, Hannah Cobb, Patrick Mcgrath, German Michelis, Patricia Lenhart, Ganna Bilousova, Søren Heissel, Michael J. Rudy, Christina Coughlan, Andrew E. Goodspeed, S. Patricia Becerra, Stephen Redenti, M. Valeria Canto-Soler

Publications and Research

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Drusen are key contributors to the etiology of AMD and the ability to modulate drusen biogenesis could lead to therapeutic strategies to slow or halt AMD progression. The mechanisms underlying drusen biogenesis, however, remain mostly unknown. Here we demonstrate that under homeostatic conditions extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells are enriched in proteins associated with mechanisms involved in AMD pathophysiology, including oxidative stress, immune response, inflammation, complement system and drusen composition. Furthermore, we provide first evidence that drusen-associated proteins are released as cargo of extracellular …

Human Retinal Organoids Release Extracellular Vesicles That Regulate Gene Expression In Target Human Retinal Progenitor Cells, Jing Zhou, Miguel Flores‑Bellver, Jianbo Pan, Alberto Benito‑Martin, Cui Shi, Onyekwere Onwumere, Jason Mighty, Jiang Qian, Xiufeng Zhong, Tasmim Hogue, Baffour Amponsah‑Antwi, Linda Einbond, Rajendra Gharbaran, Hao Wu, Bo‑Juen Chen, Zhiliang Zheng, Tatyana Tchaikovskaya, Xusheng Zhang, Hector Peinado, Maria Valeria Canto‑Soler, Stephen Redenti

Publications and Research

The mechanisms underlying retinal development have not been completely elucidated. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are novel essential mediators of cell‑to‑cell communication with emerging roles in developmental processes. Nevertheless, the identification of EVs in human retinal tissue, characterization of their cargo, and analysis of their potential role in retina development has not been accomplished. Three‑dimensional retinal tissue derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) provide an ideal developmental system to achieve this goal. Here we report that hiPSC‑derived retinal organoids release exosomes and microvesicles with small noncoding RNA cargo. EV miRNA cargo‑predicted targetome correlates with Gene Ontology (GO) pathways involved in …