Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Modification Of The Tumor Microenvironment Enhances Anti-Pd-1 Immunotherapy In Metastatic Melanoma, Guilan Shi, Megan Scott, Cathryn G. Mangiamele, Richard Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

Resistance to checkpoint-blockade treatments is a challenge in the clinic. Both primary and acquired resistance have become major obstacles, greatly limiting the long-lasting effects and wide application of blockade therapy. Many patients with metastatic melanoma eventually require further therapy. The absence of T-cell infiltration to the tumor site is a well-accepted contributor limiting immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy. In this study, we combined intratumoral injection of plasmid IL-12 with electrotransfer and anti-PD-1 in metastatic B16F10 melanoma tumor model to increase tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and improve therapeutic efficacy. We showed that effective anti-tumor responses required a subset of tumor-infiltrating CD8⁺ and CD4 …

Utilization Of Finite Element Analysis Techniques For Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Surgical Planning, Michael A. Polanco

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis, a three-dimensional deformity of the thoracolumbar spine, affects approximately 1-3% of patients ages 10-18. Surgical correction and treatment of the spinal column is a costly and high-risk task that is consistently complicated by factors such as patient-specific spinal deformities, curve flexibility, and surgeon experience. The following dissertation utilizes finite element analysis to develop a cost-effective, building-block approach by which surgical procedures and kinematic evaluations may be investigated. All studies conducted are based off a volumetric, thoracolumbar finite element (FE) model developed from computer-aided design (CAD) anatomy whose components are kinematically validated with in-vitro data. Spinal ligament stiffness …

Cu And Ni Co-Sputtered Heteroatomic Thin Film For Enhanced Nonenzymatic Glucose Detection, Brianna Barbee, Baleeswaraiah Muchharla, Adetayo Adedeji, Abdennaceur Karoui, Kishor Kumar Sadasivuni, Mizaj Shabil Sha, Aboubakr M. Abdullah4, Gymama Slaughter, Bijandra Kumar

Bioelectrics Publications

In this work, we report a wafer-scale and chemical-free fabrication of nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) heteroatomic Cu–Ni thin films using RF magnetron sputtering technique for non-enzymatic glucose sensing application. The as-prepared wafer-scale Cu–Ni thin films exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity toward glucose oxidation with a 1.86 μM detection limit in the range of 0.01 mM to 20 mM range. The Cu–Ni film shows 1.3- and 5.4-times higher glucose oxidation activity in comparison to the Cu and Ni electrodes, respectively. The improved electrocatalytic activity is attributed to the synergistic effect of the bimetallic catalyst and high density of grain boundaries. The …

Medical Manikin Augmented Reality Simulation (M2ars), Pauline Delacruz, Jacob Gibson, Daniel Howard, Jaclyn Peacock, Kendall Robbins

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

The Medical Manikin Augmented Reality Simulation (M2ARS) is an augmented reality simulation application built for the Microsoft HoloLens 2 that uses the principles of anatomy transfer to overlay human anatomical structures onto a medical manikin digitally. These structures currently consist of the skeletal, muscular, and circulatory systems. In addition, a model of the lungs and an animated heart are also available within the simulation. M2ARS allows the user to view these structures in a manner that is both visually and spatially accurate to the human body. This application contains two modes; an augmented reality mode, which uses a manikin, and …

Multi-Modality Breast Mri Segmentation Using Nn-Unet For Preoperative Planning Of Robotic Surgery Navigation, Motaz Alqaoud, John Plemmons Md, Eric Feliberti Md, Facs, Krishnanand Kaipa, Siqin Dong, Gabor Fichtinger, Yimming Xiao, Michel Audette

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

Segmentation of the chest region and breast tissues is essential for surgery planning and navigation. This paper proposes the foundation for preoperative segmentation based on two cascaded architectures of deep neural networks (DNN) based on the state-of-the-art nnU-Net. Additionally, this study introduces a polyvinyl alcohol cryogel (PVA-C) breast phantom based on the segmentation of the DNN automated approach, enabling the experiments of navigation system for robotic breast surgery. Multi-modality breast MRI datasets of T2W and STIR images were acquired from 10 patients. Segmentation evaluation utilized the Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC), segmentation accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. First, a single class labeling …

Electroporation And Cell Killing By Milli- To Nanosecond Pulses And Avoiding Neuromuscular Stimulation In Cancer Ablation, Emily Gudvangen, Vitalii Kim, Vitalij Novickij, Federico Battista, Andrei G. Pakhomov

Bioelectrics Publications

Ablation therapies aim at eradication of tumors with minimal impact on surrounding healthy tissues. Conventional pulsed electric field (PEF) treatments cause pain and muscle contractions far beyond the ablation area. The ongoing quest is to identify PEF parameters efficient at ablation but not at stimulation. We measured electroporation and cell killing thresholds for 150 ns–1 ms PEF, uni- and bipolar, delivered in 10- to 300-pulse trains at up to 1 MHz rates. Monolayers of murine colon carcinoma cells exposed to PEF were stained with YO-PRO-1 dye to detect electroporation. In 2–4 h, dead cells were labeled with propidium. Electroporation and …

In Vitro And In Vivo Correlation Of Skin And Cellular Responses To Nucleic Acid Delivery, M. Bosnjak, K. Znidar, A. Sales Conniff, T. Jesenko, B. Markelc, Nina Semenova, J. Tur, K. Kohena, S. Kranjc Brezar, L. Heller, M. Cemazar

Bioelectrics Publications

Skin, the largest organ in the body, provides a passive physical barrier against infection and contains elements of the innate and adaptive immune systems. Skin consists of various cells, including keratinocytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells and immune cells. This diversity of cell types could be important to gene therapies because DNA transfection could elicit different responses in different cell types. Previously, we observed the upregulation and activation of cytosolic DNA sensing pathways in several non-tumor and tumor cell types as well in tumors after the electroporation (electrotransfer) of plasmid DNA (pDNA). Based on this research and the innate immunogenicity of …

The Paradox Of Pulmonary Vascular Resistance: Restoration Of Pulmonary Capillary Recruitment As A Sine Qua Non For True Therapeutic Success In Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, David Langleben, Stylianos E. Orfanos, Benjamin D. Fox, Nathan Messas, Michele Giovinazzo, John D. Catravas

Bioelectrics Publications

Exercise-induced increases in pulmonary blood flow normally increase pulmonary arterial pressure only minimally, largely due to a reserve of pulmonary capillaries that are available for recruitment to carry the flow. In pulmonary arterial hypertension, due to precapillary arteriolar obstruction, such recruitment is greatly reduced. In exercising pulmonary arterial hypertension patients, pulmonary arterial pressure remains high and may even increase further. Current pulmonary arterial hypertension therapies, acting principally as vasodilators, decrease calculated pulmonary vascular resistance by increasing pulmonary blood flow but have a minimal effect in lowering pulmonary arterial pressure and do not restore significant capillary recruitment. Novel pulmonary arterial hypertension …

Eye Movement And Pupil Measures: A Review, Bhanuka Mahanama, Yasith Jayawardana, Sundararaman Rengarajan, Gavindya Jayawardena, Leanne Chukoskie, Joseph Snider, Sampath Jayarathna

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Our subjective visual experiences involve complex interaction between our eyes, our brain, and the surrounding world. It gives us the sense of sight, color, stereopsis, distance, pattern recognition, motor coordination, and more. The increasing ubiquity of gaze-aware technology brings with it the ability to track gaze and pupil measures with varying degrees of fidelity. With this in mind, a review that considers the various gaze measures becomes increasingly relevant, especially considering our ability to make sense of these signals given different spatio-temporal sampling capacities. In this paper, we selectively review prior work on eye movements and pupil measures. We first …

Neuromotor Changes In Participants With A Concussion History Can Be Detected With A Custom Smartphone App, Christopher K. Rhea, Masahiro Yamada, Nikita A. Kuznetsov, Jason T. Jakiela, Chanel T. Lojacono, Scott E. Ross, F. J. Haran, Jason M. Bailie, W. Geoffrey Wright

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Neuromotor dysfunction after a concussion is common, but balance tests used to assess neuromotor dysfunction are typically subjective. Current objective balance tests are either cost- or space-prohibitive, or utilize a static balance protocol, which may mask neuromotor dysfunction due to the simplicity of the task. To address this gap, our team developed an Android-based smartphone app (portable and cost-effective) that uses the sensors in the device (objective) to record movement profiles during a stepping-in-place task (dynamic movement). The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which our custom smartphone app and protocol could discriminate neuromotor behavior between …

The Heat Shock Protein 90 Inhibitor, At13387, Protects The Alveolo-Capillary Barrier And Prevents Hci-Induced Chronic Lung Injury And Pulmonary Fibrosis, Ruben M.L. Colunga Biancatelli, Pavel Solopov, Christiana Dimitropoulou, Betsy Gregory, Tierney Day, John D. Catravas

Bioelectrics Publications

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) exposure causes asthma-like conditions, reactive airways dysfunction syndrome, and pulmonary fibrosis. Heat Shock Protein 90 (HSP90) is a molecular chaperone that regulates multiple cellular processes. HSP90 inhibitors are undergoing clinical trials for cancer and are also being studied in various pre-clinical settings for their anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects. Here we investigated the ability of the heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) inhibitor AT13387 to prevent chronic lung injury induced by exposure to HCl in vivo and its protective role in the endothelial barrier in vitro. We instilled C57Bl/6J mice with 0.1N HCl (2 µL/g body weight, intratracheally) and …

Alcohol Increases Lung Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 Expression And Exacerbates Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Spike Protein Subunit 1–Induced Acute Lung Injury In K18-Hace2 Transgenic Mice, Pavel A. Solopov, Ruben Manuel Luciano Colunga Biancatelli, John D. Catravas

Bioelectrics Publications

During the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, alcohol consumption increased markedly. Nearly one in four adults reported drinking more alcohol to cope with stress. Chronic alcohol abuse is now recognized as a factor complicating the course of acute respiratory distress syndrome. and increasing mortality. To investigate the mechanisms behind this interaction, we developed a combined acute respiratory distress syndrome and chronic alcohol abuse mouse model by intratracheally instilling the S1 subunit of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S1SP) in K18-human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) transgenic mice that express the human ACE2 receptor for SARS-CoV-2 and are kept on an …

In Vivo Metabolic Analysis Of The Anticancer Effects Of Plasma-Activated Saline In Three Tumor Animal Models, Miao Qi, Dehui Xu, Shuai Wang, Bing Li, Sansan Peng, Qiaosong Li, Hao Zhang, Runze Fan, Hai-Lan Chen, Michael G. Kong

Bioelectrics Publications

In recent years, the emerging technology of cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) has grown rapidly along with the many medical applications of cold plasma (e.g., cancer, skin disease, tissue repair, etc.). Plasma-activated liquids (e.g., culture media, water, or normal saline, previously exposed to plasma) are being studied as cancer treatments, and due to their advantages, many researchers prefer plasma-activated liquids as an alternative to CAP in the treatment of cancer. In this study, we showed that plasma-activated-saline (PAS) treatment significantly inhibited tumor growth, as compared with saline, in melanoma, and a low-pH environment had little effect on tumor growth in …

Alkaline Plasma-Activated Water (Paw) As An Innovative Therapeutic Avenue For Cancer Treatment, Bolun Pang, Zhijie Liu, Sitao Wang, Yuting Gao, Miao Qi, Dehui Xu, Renwu Zhou, Dingxin Liu, Michael G. Kong

Bioelectrics Publications

Plasma-activated water (PAW) is considered to be an effective anticancer agent due to the diverse aqueous reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS: ROS and RNS), but the drawback of low dose and short duration of RONS in acidified PAW limits their clinical application. Herein, this Letter presents an innovative therapeutic avenue for cancer treatment with highly-effective alkaline PAW prepared by air surface plasma. This anticancer alkaline formulation is comprised of a rich mixture of highly chemical RONS and exhibited a prolonged half-life compared to acidified PAW. The H₂O₂, NO₂-, and ONOO^-/O_{2 …}

Atmospheric Air Plasma Streamers Deliver Nanosecond Pulses For Focused Electroporation, Shu Xiao, Carol Zhou, Eric Appia, Shirshak Dhali

Bioelectrics Publications

Background: For electrotherapies that involve electrodes and high-intensity electric fields, such as in tissue ablation, we report a method of pulse delivery that can focus the electric field away from the electrodes, as demonstrated in vitro.

Materials and Methods: To electroporate cells in a monolayer seeded in a 35 mm culture dish, two atmospheric-pressure plasma channels generated by two thin, copper foil electrodes above the surface of the solution provided the current and established the electric field.

Results: Depending on the pulse duration, the plasma channels were observed as corona (100 ns), streamer (300 ns), and mixture of streamer …

Design And Synthesis Of Α-Anomeric Diacetylene-Containing Glycosides As Photopolymerizable Molecular Gelators, Guijun Wang, Dan Wang, Anji Chen, Ifeanyi S. Okafor, Lalith Palitha Samankumara

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Glycolipids with diacetylene functional groups are fascinating compounds with many practical uses. Among these, diacetylene-containing gelators are especially important because they can form photopolymerizable gels, which are useful stimuli-responsive materials. Inspired by the unique properties of diacetylene-containing gelators and to understand the structural influences especially the location of the diacetylene functional groups on the self-assembling properties, a series of 15 novel N-acetyl-d-glucosamine derivatives with the diacetylene functional group introduced at the anomeric position were designed and synthesized. The diacetylene function is attached to the sugar through α-glycosylation with the distance from the anomeric oxygen being varied from one, two, …