Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Ex-Smokers With And Without Copd: Investigating Ct Pulmonary Vascular, Airway, Pulmonary Artery And Aorta Measurements, Vedanth Desaigoudar, Paulina V. Wyszkiewicz, Alexander M. Matheson, Maksym Sharma, Marrissa J. Mcintosh, Harkiran K. Kooner, David G. Mccormack, Grace Parraga

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

RATIONALE: Pulmonary hypertension is characterized by increased pressure in the pulmonary artery, and is a key contributor to worsening symptoms in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The pulmonary artery to aorta diameter ratio (PA:Ao), measured using computed tomography (CT), is a biomarker of pulmonary hypertension; however, longitudinal changes in this measurement and its relationship to pulmonary vascular and airway structural changes is not well understood. Our objective was to investigate longitudinal changes in PA:Ao and its relationship with CT pulmonary vascular and airway abnormalities, airflow limitation and exercise-capacity.

Resistance Training Improves White Matter Structural Connectivity In Older Adults At-Risk For Cognitive Decline, Ryu Lien

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Diabetes is a global health concern that impacts 415 million people worldwide. Individuals who are at-risk for diabetes (characterized by high blood glucose and/or being overweight) have white matter atrophy, decreased cognitive function, and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Recently, resistance training (RT) has been shown to lower white matter atrophy and white matter lesion volume. However, investigating changes in white matter tracts is complex, hence previous findings remain inconclusive. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) serves as a highly sensitive tool that enables visualization and characterization of white matter tracts and has the potential to combat this complexity. The …

Rna Isolation In Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (Dmd) Mice Models, Salem Abu Al-Burak

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Fibrosis is a progressive and typically irreversible disease process characterized by the excessive deposition of collagen in organs and in tissues of the musculoskeletal (MSK) system^1,2. This process, which causes loss of organ and tissue function, can be initiated by micro-traumas³, an excessive and/or prolonged immune response¹, the activation and proliferation of fibrosis-inducing progenitor cells⁴, and a pro-fibrotic extra-cellular microenvironment⁵. In parallel with the events that initiate fibrosis, genetic or environmental influences may cause cells and tissues to become predisposed to fibrosis development prior to initiation. This suggests that these …

Intracranial Eeg Patient Analysis: Seizure Reduction In Refractory Epilepsy Following Depth Electrode Insertion, Shreyashish Roy-Chowdhury

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Rationale: The implantation effect describes an immediate reduction in seizure frequency following the insertion of intracranial electrodes. There is limited information regarding which patients will experience a reduction of seizures and the reason for the implantation effect. This study focuses on describing predictor factors for the reduction in seizure frequency in patients with medically resistant epilepsy implanted with depth electrodes.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 89 patients who underwent intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) monitoring with depth electrodes. Sixty-five of these patients had no subsequent therapeutic interventions and had a 3-6 month follow-up. Patients were grouped as either responders …

Wellness Study: Functional Visual Outcomes In Eye Disease Patients Following The Covid-19 Pandemic, Andrew Maher

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused delays in health services and medical appointments, affecting approximately one in three Canadian adults. Elderly eye disease patients experienced delays in treatment for eye conditions including cataracts, glaucoma, and retinal diseases. The impact of these delays on functional visual outcomes and general health rating of elderly patients is not well understood. As part of the Wellness Study, we aimed to investigate the pandemic-related impacts on functional vision and general health rating in an elderly eye patient population in London, Ontario.

Assessing Cognitive Health Outcomes In Anca-Associated Vasculitis Patients, Ruo Yan Chen

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Anti-neutrophilic cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a rare and life-threatening autoimmune disease with severe complications. Central nervous system (CNS) involvement is thought to be rare, however, the prevalence of neuropsychiatric complications have been reported in 30-60% of AAV cases. Studies looking at the cognitive health outcomes of AAV patients with CNS involvement have noted cognitive impairment as a significant contributor to reduced quality of life with unique challenges in care and treatment. The data collected from this primary output could be combined with global assessments of cognitive function as well as the application of advanced imaging tools to study …

The Effect Of Type 1 Diabetes On The Metabolic Response To Exercise, Theres Tijo

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disorder that results in insufficient endogenous insulin production. Regular exercise has numerous health benefits for individuals with T1DM, however, most insulin-dependent diabetics avoid physical activity due to the fear of exercise-induced hypoglycemia (low blood glucose/BG).

The risk of hypoglycemia in this population may be partly due to lower liver glycogen stores which is a major source of blood glucose during exercise. However, the mechanism that leads to lower glycogen stores in T1DM is unknown.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of an acute bout of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise …

Scrna Seq Analysis Of Ebv+ Associated Gastric Cancer, Eric Wang

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Estrogen In The Glucoregulatory Response To Exercise In Type 1 Diabetes, Mitchell James Sammut

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Regular exercise has shown to benefit the health of individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). However, a barrier to regular exercise for this population is the fear of low blood glucose (BG) levels, also known as hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia can result in short and long-term side-effects, such as recurring loss of consciousness or in severe cases death.

In non-diabetics, sex-related differences in fuel selection during exercise are well established. Women shift towards using fats as fuel whereas men rely mostly on sugars (i.e., carbohydrates) for energy production. Exercise during the luteal phase of the female menstrual cycle, where estrogen levels …

Characterizing The Heterogeneity Of Adult-Onset Leukoencephalopathy With Axonal Spheroids: A Digital Spatial Profiling Study, Peter Liu

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Adult-onset leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids (ALAS) is a group of hereditary, progressive, neurodegenerative disorders involving primarily the central nervous system white matter (WM). ALAS is characterized by patchy, asymmetrical myelin loss and axonal destruction in the WM, predominantly involving the frontoparietal regions. However, the asymmetrical and heterogenous involvement of different brain regions remains poorly characterized.

In this study, digital spatial profiling was performed to investigate the region-specific expressions of 60 proteins. Conventional immunohistochemistry methods was used validate intrepretation of probes. Using a high-plex and high-throughput method, we provide evidence of regional heterogeneity in ALAS, particularly involving key markers of microglia …

Generating Cisplatin Resistant Hpv-Positive Hnscc Cell Lines, Temitope Akintola

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Acquired or innate resistance to chemotherapy poses a significant challenge in the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). HNSCCs are often treated with a combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, with cisplatin being a standard-of-care chemotherapy drug. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) associated HNSCCs have better treatment outcomes and prognosis when compared to HPV- HNSCCs. However, a subset (15-20%) of HPV+ patients develop treatment resistant diseases. The purpose of this study is to generate in-vitro models of cisplatin resistance in five HNSCC cell lines. We aim to characterize the generated cells in order to identify target genes that may …

Ct And Hyperpolarized 129xe Mri Structure-Function Relationships Of Post-Acute Covid-19 Syndrome, Vedanth Desaigoudar

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

No abstract provided.