Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of Environmental Stressors Experienced During Childhood In The Development Of Dissociative Identity Disorder, Jazmin Conway

PCOM Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research was to determine how environmental stressors that occur during the early childhood years can lead to the development of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and diagnosis in the adult years. Over the years, childhood trauma has become increasingly prevalent worldwide and despite this increase, continues to remain a significantly unaddressed public health issue (Beilharz et al., 2020). The trauma experienced can include physical, sexual, emotional, and either physical or emotional neglect from a caregiver (Beilharz et al., 2020). Over the years, DID has been the center of controversy in the field of psychology. There have been …

Medicinal Cannabis (Thc Vs. Cbd): Effects On Anxiety, Ptsd, And Epilepsy, Olivia Grace Griswold

PCOM Capstone Projects

As of November 4th, 2020, thirty-six states and four territories (District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands) have approved a measure that regulates cannabis for medicinal use (Markle & Nativio, 2019). In particular, Pennsylvania law allows residents with twenty-three different medical conditions to apply for an ID card that will enable them to purchase medical marijuana from dispensaries. Some of the medical conditions included are anxiety disorders, autism, epilepsy, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As more states approve marijuana for medicinal use, researchers continue to investigate the interaction between medicinal cannabis and the endocannabinoid system.

The cannabis …

Vitamin Deficiency And Depression, Maddison Jeffries

PCOM Capstone Projects

Depression, or major depressive disorder, has affected how people think, feel, and behave. As well as psychological problems, depression has also been a comorbid factor in other emotional and physiological disorders. The actual cause of depression is unknown. Researchers have worked to understand the connections and conditions a person may experience for depression to develop. One commonly researched path to depression is vitamin deficiency. A variety of vitamins like B6, B12, folate, and vitamin D have been linked extensively to depression as a possible cause. A continuation of research expands into how a deficiency of these vitamins causes depression. Low …

The Neuroplasticity Of Depression: How Antidepressants And Cognitive Behavior Therapy (Cbt) Can Reverse Depression, Vahid Harbi

PCOM Capstone Projects

Depression is a complex disorder influenced by biological, psychological, and environmental factors (Santarelli et al., 2016). Depression is one of the most common forms of mental illness worldwide (WHO, 2021), yet the pathogenesis of depression and the mechanism of how antidepressants reverse depression remain unclear (Liu et al., 2017). The symptoms of depression are evident to most individuals, but the symptoms’ persistent nature remains a mystery to most. The four primary regions of the brain involved in depression are the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC), hippocampus, amygdala, and Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) (Hayley et al., 2013). This review presents the prevailing literature …

Neurological And Psychological Effects Of Covid-19 On Cognitive Impairment, Saba Mufti

PCOM Capstone Projects

Increasing evidence suggests that individuals affected with COVID-19 may be at high risk for developing long-term neurological consequences (Heneka et al., 2020). Psychological stress may also increase risk in cognitive impairment, which can lead to mental fatigue. However, research studies suggest that there is a relationship between physiological and psychological factors affecting cognitive function (Scott et al., 2015). The mechanistic understanding of neurological symptoms in patients affected with COVID-19 regarding whether they emerge from mental illness or directly from the invasion of SARS-CoV-2 into the central nervous system is limited (Mahammedi et al., 2020). Factors affecting the brain can lead …

Sars-Cov-2 Infection’S Link To Behavior: A Review Of Coronaviruses And The Potential For Sars-Cov-2 To Damage The Brain’S Structure And Function, Grace Anne Wilgucki

PCOM Capstone Projects

Human Coronaviruses were discovered in the 1960s and were found to be a cause of the common cold, inducing mild symptoms on those infected (Santacroce et al., 2020). However, due to adaptation and co-evolution, more dangerous variations of Coronaviruses emerged in the early 2000s, causing severe infection of the respiratory tract (Ye et al., 2020). Notably, the outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) were devastating, as these HCoVs could inflict respiratory disease that can be fatal (Wong et al., 2016). Most recently, the emergence of a new strain of Human Coronavirus has taken …

Exploring Downstream Effects Of Racial Trauma Leading To Ptsd: A Review Of Systemic Physiological And Neurobehavioral Alterations, Alexis Verwoert

PCOM Capstone Projects

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychiatric disease that often follows acute or chronic exposure to extreme stress. Hallmarks of this disorder include stressors, intrusion symptoms, avoidance, negative alterations in cognition and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity (Bovin, 2015). Since it was first defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III (DSM-III), the diagnostic criteria for PTSD have evolved to encompass stressors as they may occur repeatedly across the lifespan (Bovin, 2015). Physiological and behavioral consequences of this extreme stress manifest themselves as systemic alterations in form and function. As is true of many diagnosable …

Traumatic Brain Injury (Tbi): The Progressive Neurodegeneration And Mental Health Decline In United States Veterans, Andrew R. Wiener

PCOM Capstone Projects

Since the year 2000, the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center reported 414,000 documented cases of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) among individuals serving in the United States Armed Forces (Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, 2020). Traumatic events to the head as a result from car accidents, falls, explosions, and gunshot wounds can lead to a disruption of normal cognitive functioning. Roughly 80% of diagnosed TBIs are mild in nature, commonly referred to as concussions, and can range from mild, moderate, severe, and penetrating (O’Neil et al., 2013). However due to the difficulty of diagnosing a TBI most cases go …

Is Sexuality A Choice? An Analysis Of The Facts And Factors That Influence One’S Sexual Orientation, Brandon Scott Hodges

PCOM Capstone Projects

Sexual orientation is often viewed as the sex or gender to which one is attracted to; however, it is not that simple. Also, though many believe the default is for one to be attracted to the opposite sex and any other claim of sexual attraction is a choice; that is not true. Sexual orientation is the result of a complex combination of one’s genes, environment, and hormones. As a result, not only is sexuality not a choice, but just as there are so many different colors, there are so many different sexual orientations beyond heterosexual, such as homosexual, bisexual, and …

Effects Of Nox-1 Inhibition On Real-Time Blood Nitric Oxide And Hydrogen Peroxide In Acute Hyperglycemia, Ashley Mawhinney

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Hyperglycemia has been associated with vascular endothelial dysfunction in part by a reduction in nitric oxide (NO) production and increased oxidative stress (e.g., increased superoxide (SO) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Endothelial-derived NO can be significantly reduced by increased SO/H₂O₂ in part by the activation of NADPH oxidase during hyperglycemia. Of the 7 NADPH oxidase isoforms, NADPH oxidase isoform 1 (NOX1) is mainly expressed in the vasculature and may play a major role in hyperglycemia induced oxidative stress and vascular endothelial dysfunction. This hypothesis was tested by measuring blood NO and H2O2 levels in …

Investigating The Roles Of Zinc-Binding Protein (Zbp-89) And Rela (Nfkb-P65) In The Regulation Of Matrix Metalloproteinase 1 (Mmp1) Gene Expression, Nelly Khaselev

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc-dependent endopeptidases with the unique ability to breakdown virtually the entire extracellular matrix (ECM). Through ECM remodeling, MMPs play an important role in normal development, tissue repair, angiogenesis, and apoptosis. Studies have shown that unregulated MMP expression plays a role in many cancers and chronic inflammatory diseases. Previous research has used gene sequence analysis ofthe MMP-1 promoter to identify a putative ZBP-89 binding site at -1969 bp. Chromatin immuneprecipitation experiments showed that both ZBP-89 and Re!A (p65) could bind to this binding site. In this thesis research, transfection experiments were used to explore …

Does Oral Gabapentin Administered Prior To Scheduled Cesarean Delivery Decrease Pain With Movement In Adult Women At 24 Hours As Compared To Placebo?, Ashley E. Boller

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective evidence based medicine review is to determine whether or not oral gabapentin administered prior to scheduled cesarean delivery decreases pain with movement in adult women at 24 hours postpartum as compared to placebo.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language, peer-reviewed, primary studies published after 2000.

DATA SOURCES: Three randomized, placebo-controlled trials comparing the efficacy of oral gabapentin to a lactose placebo in adult women undergoing elective cesarean delivery. Sources were selected from PubMed, Medline, Ovid, and the Cochrane Database to include all studies matching the keywords that were published in peer-reviewed, English language …

Does Aerobic Exercise During Pregnancy Prevent Cesarean Sections?, Kait Lassen

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not aerobic exercise in pregnant women prevents cesarean sections (“C-sections”).

STUDY DESIGN: Review of two English articles and one English/Portuguese article, two of which were randomized control trials (RCTs) and one was a prospective study, all published after 2011.

DATA SOURCES: Two RCTs and one prospective study found via PubMed and Cochrane Database.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: The main clinical outcome in all studies measured the incidence of C-section as compared to vaginal delivery. The outcomes were measured by method of delivery which was categorized as either vaginally or …

Perceptions And Attitudes Of A Sample Of Primary Care Patients Receiving Psychological Care From Their Pcp, Nadine Henzes Gowarty

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

With millions of Americans suffering from a mental health disorder and slightly more than half receiving treatment, the demand for psychological services far outweighs the number of practitioners available to provide direct care. Therefore, the majority of all primary-care visits are based on psychosocial factors; one third of a PCP’s caseloads consist of patients with mental-health problems. Given the fact that PCPs provide comprehensive psychosocial care, it is important to determine the beliefs and perceptions of their patients. Results from this study identified numerous factors that influence the relationship between patients receiving mental health care from their PCP. Specifically, if …

Medical Interns', Residents' And Attending Physicians' Attitudes Towards Integrative Medicine And Recommended Treatments For Patients With Psoriasis, Jennifer L. Pacyon

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Background: Psoriasis is a multifactorial disease that effect approximately 7.5 million Americans. There are a variety of traditional treatments for psoriasis (e.g. topical medications, biologics) that for many, are effective in combating the disease. However, traditional treatments often have aversive side effects and may not be appropriate for every patient (e.g. pregnant women). Additionally, the efficacy of these medications are variable leaving some looking for adjunctive treatment options. There is increasing evidence to support the use of adjunctive treatments for psoriatic patients (e.g. psychotherapy, mindfulness). However, research is variable in regards to medical professionals’ attitudes towards integrative medicine (IM) as …

The Relationship Between Problem-Solving Ability/Eating Motivation And Perceived Quality Of Life In Individuals Diagnosed With Celiac Disease, Vincenzo Zaccheo

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Celiac disease (CD) is a digestive disorder resulting from gluten intolerance that leads to damage of the small intestine. The only current available treatment for CD involves adherence to a strict gluten-free diet. Due to the restrictive nature of this treatment diet, and the increasing prevalence of CD in recent years, much research has been conducted examining factors that impact the quality of life (QOL) of individuals with CD. However, there has been a dearth of literature identifying those factors which can be modified within a treatment setting. Thus, a need for further research in this area was identified. Through …

Enhanced Cgmp-Dependent Signaling In Astrocytes: Novel Therapeutic Target In Alzheimer's Disease, Nyema M. Woart

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Over five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), with an expected 34% increase in the incidence in this disease over the next decade. Unfortunately, there is no cure for AD. Recent studies have indicated that drugs which increase the levels of cyclic guanosine-3’5’-monophosphate (cGMP) may help preserve learning and memory in AD and enhance cognition in the aging brain; however, the mechanism(s) of how cGMP exerts this beneficial effect is unknown. The present findings now suggest that elevation of cGMP in astrocytes depresses inhibitory potassium currents in these cells to stimulate their protective influence on neuronal activity. Cellular currents …

Mdivi-1, A Mitochondrial Division Inhibitor, Exerts Cardioprotective Effects In Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion (Mi/R) When Given At Reperfusion, Devon P. Stutzman

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Acute myocardial infarction (MI) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Accompanying MI is myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury, which results in cardiac contractile dysfunction and additional myocardial cell death. MI/R injury is initiated in part by mitochondrial-derived reactive oxygen species due to mitochondrial membrane potential collapse and uncoupling of the electron transport chain, which may be due to mitochondrial fission in MI/R. Mitochondrial fission is in turn associated with shortening/fragmentation of mitochondria, decreased ATP production, and is thought to promote cardiac contractile dysfunction and post-reperfused cardiomyocyte loss, leading to increased infarct size. Therefore, inhibiting mitochondrial fission may be …

Cyclic Nucleotide-Dependent Phosphorylation Regulates Bk-Ca Channel Activity In Human Coronary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells, Raeonda Williams

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) can induce dysfunction in organ systems by attenuating normal blood flow. Gonadal steroids are vasoactive hormones, but their role in contributing to cardiovascular function remains controversial. We have demonstrated that gonadal steroids can relax coronary arteries by opening the large-conductance, calcium- and voltage-activated potassium (BKca) channel in smooth muscle cells by increasing cyclic nucleotide levels; however, the signaling pathways involved remain to be elucidated. The purpose of this study was to identify how phosphorylation (via cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinases) I dephosphorylation (via phosphoprotein phosphatase 2A, PP2A) regulates BKca channel activity in human coronary artery smooth muscle …

The Effects Of Dihydrobiopterin And Tetrahydrobiopterin On Hydrogen Peroxide And Nitric Oxide Release During Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy (Eswl), Brittany Deiling

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

ESWL is an effective, non-invasive therapy utilized to fragment stones in the kidney and subsequently be cleared in the urinary tract. Although lithotripsy provides a safer alternative to invasive treatments for removing stones, ESWL may cause vasoconstriction after ESWL treatment, reducing renal blood flow, which can cause kidney damage leading to acute to chronic hypertension clinically. This may be due to kidney vascular endothelial dysfunction, which is characterized as increased oxidative stress and decreased endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)-derived nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. We hypothesized that ESWL would decrease NO and increase hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in …

Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (Omm) And Reduction Of Nsaid Use In Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study, Kristopher Kelly

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

This randomized controlled pilot study is to determine if a combination of muscle energy and soft tissue techniques can reduce the amount of daily NSAID use in patients suffering from chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP). Osteopathic manipulative treatment has been shown to be useful in treating low back pain. However, its role in reducing daily NSAID use in CNSLBP patients is unclear. This study was conducted at PCOM from January 2014 to April 2014. By design, patients were to be randomized into either a treatment group consisting of OMT or a control group consisting of a sham OMT. Of …

Chemopreventive Effects Of Pterostilbene In Metastatic Prostate Cancer Cells, Phillip A. Zook

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Recent studies find that pterostilbene (PTS) exhibits more favorable drug properties and similar chemopreventive effects to its structural analogue resveratrol (RSV). However, few studies describe the activity of PTS in prostate cancer (PCa). Here, we conducted cell count experiments to assess the effects of PTS on metastatic PCa cell viability and to compare the potency of PTS to RSV in this respect. We also performed experiments to assess the effects of PTS on the androgen receptor (AR) and AR-mediated events. We used qPCR to measure the mRNA levels of the androgenresponsive gene (ARG), prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and Western blots to …

Effect Of Heme Oxygenase-1 On Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 Expression In Human Fibroblasts, Theresa A. Stangl

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) is an enzyme that plays a very important role in the resolution of inflammation. HO-1-based therapies are effective in a number of disease conditions. However, HO-1 also increases tumor growth, angiogenesis, metastasis and chemoresistance. Matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) is an enzyme involved in physiological and pathophysiological tissue remodeling. Unbalanced expression of MMPs is a key feature of connective tissue destruction in chronic inflammatory conditions. Previously shown in this laboratory, the HO-1 inducer, hemin, increased MMP-3 mRNA expression in some HGF cultures. To assess whether HO-1 and/or its products regulate expression of MMP-3 in human fibroblasts, the effect of HO-1 …

An Analysis Of Abnormal Electrocardiograms In First And Second Year Medical School Students, Molly Anne Kalish

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

The high stress level placed upon medical school students, particularly during their first and second didactic years, may have a negative effect on their health. Although surveys and subjective questionnaires have been used to evaluate the effects medical school has upon a student’s cardiovascular health, there has been little clinical data obtained to confirm this notion. The aim of this longitudinal study was to demonstrate whether any abnormal cardiovascular parameters, specifically QTc wave interval, cardiac axis vector and blood pressure abnormalities, could be documented to occur in two different classes of medical students during their first two years. Such information …

Comparison Of Electrogustometrically Determined Taste Threshold And Phenylthiocarbamide Sensitivity Between Non-Diabetic Subjects With First Degree Relatives With Type 2 Diabetes And Non-Diabetic Subjects Without Type 2 Diabetic First Degree Relatives, Matthew E. Joseph Do

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Diabetes is a systemic degenerative disease, having adverse effects on many different organ systems. Nerve conduction specifically related to taste is one of the affected functions and can lead to altered taste perceptions and taste thresholds. Electrogustometry was used in this study to evaluate taste thresholds, and taste sensitivity was tested using phenylthiocarbamide-impregnated testing strips. Healthy non-diabetic subjects were divided into two experimental groups: One with a first degree relative with Type 2 diabetes and the other matched controls having no family history of Type 2 diabetes. The hypotheses: 1). There is a significant difference in taste threshold values and …

Nutri One-On-One: The Assessment And Evaluation Of A Single One-On-One Nutritional Coaching In Patients Affected By Metabolic Syndrome, Jennifer L. King

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

The Nutri One-on-One Program's aim was to positively modify participants' nutritional habits and lifestyles through a brief one-on-one health coaching session, which was conducted within a primary healthcare setting at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine's Clinics. It is documented that 70% of deaths in the U.S. result from complications secondary to chronic diseases of metabolic syndrome. The participants were selected by physicians and classified as suffering from one or more of the five indicators of metabolic syndrome: abdominal obesity, elevated serum triglycerides, low HDL-cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, and insulin resistance. Evidence shows that health coaching positively assists individuals in …

The Effect Of Nerve Growth Factor (Ngf) Incorporation Into Swine Intestinal Submucosa (Sis) Suture Material On The Healing Process In Gastrocnemius Muscle, Nicole K. Alexander

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

The repair of gastrocnemius muscle incisions were evaluated histologically in a rat model. Comparisons were made between carbon dioxide laser and scalpel incisions closed with sutures prepared from Swine Intestinal Submucosa (SIS) with and without added Nerve Growth Factor. This study was conducted in conjunction with two other studies, one comparing epidermal repair and the other comparing kinesthetic changes post-operatively in the same animal model. Thirty-five days post-surgery the animals were euthanized and an area of muscular tissue encompassing the operative site was excised and evaluated microscopically for the following: presence of macrophages, integrity of the muscle, leukocytes present within …

Regulation Of Alpha Synuclein Following Chronic Methamphetamine Administration In Guinea Pigs: Correlation With Memory And Synaptic Plasticity, Adnouse Blanc

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Methamphetamine (METH) is a highly addictive drug of abuse that has a severe impact on neuronal changes in the brain including modulations of plasticity, cognitive dysfunction, as well as memory impairment. These changes can be seen as modifications in the expression of biochemical markers associated with synaptic plasticity. One such marker associated with memory impairment is alpha synuclein (α-syn). Alteration of α-syn expression has been linked to memory impairment in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Here we assess the effect of chronic METH treatment in correlation to cognitive functions.

Twenty-nine guinea pigs (male, 150-250 g) were …

Molecular Mechanisms Related To Endotoxemia In Primary Human Cardiomyocytes In Culture, Atijah J. Collins

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States and has been for the past 80 years. Development of novel therapeutic agents to address the large number of CVD deaths requires an in depth understanding of the structural and functional properties of human cardiomyocytes. Over the last few years we have been developing an in vitro paradigm to assess molecular cardiodynamics in Primary Human Cardiomyocyte in culture (PHCC). We tested the hypothesis whether endotoxemia would exhibit a marked decrease in contractile proteins and cause apoptosis in PHCC. In the current series of experiments, we induced endotoxemia …

Is Local Infiltration Analgesia (Lia) A Safe And Effective Method For Post-Operative Pain Management After A Unilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty (Tka)?, Brooke A. Bonnette

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review is to determine whether or not local infiltration analgesia (LIA) is a safe and effective method for post-operative pain management after a unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language primary studies published in 2010 and 2011.

DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials comparing local infiltration analgesia to three separate controls: epidural analgesia, placebo infiltration and femoral nerve block found using PubMed.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Clinical outcome was measured by total morphine use postoperatively and average knee pain intensity at rest and upon movement postoperatively. Total morphine use …