Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Assaying The Splicing Activity Of Novel Human Disease Variants Of U4atac Snrna, Maitri K. Patel, Rosemary C. Dietrich

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

In eukaryotes, pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) splicing is an essential process in gene expression. Splicing is carried out by a dynamic multi-megadalton RNA-protein complex known as the spliceosome. Sequential transesterification reactions catalyzed by the spliceosome convert pre-mRNA to mRNA by removing the intervening sequences (introns) and joining the coding sequences (exons) together. Small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) are essential splicing factors. Biallelic mutations of the human RNU4ATAC gene, which codes for U4atac snRNA, have been identified in patients diagnosed with Microcephalic Osteodysplastic Primordial Dwarfism type I (MOPD I). MOPD I is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by extreme intrauterine growth retardation, multiple …

Lead Optimization Of Tubulin Inhibitor For Cancer Treatment, Morgan Ashcraft

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Tubulin-containing structures are important for many important cellular functions, including chromosome segregation during cell division, development and maintenance of cell shape, cell motility, and distribution of molecules on cell membranes. The rapid growth of cancer cells makes them very sensitive to the disruption of tubulin polymerization/depolymerization. Taxol (paclitaxel), a tubulin inhibitor approved by the FDA in 1992 for cancer treatment, is one of the most powerful chemotherapeutic agents. However, the low water solubility and drug resistance limits its clinical application. Various effort in drug discovery field focuses on more water soluble smaller molecular tubulin inhibitors. Our previous study led to …

Effects Of Accelerometer Based Feedback On Clinical Measures And Paretic Upper Extremity Amount Of Use In Subjects Chronic Post-Stroke, Amber Kuehn, Nathan Pohl, Mishgan Abdullah

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Purpose/Hypothesis: To determine the effects of accelerometer based feedback on clinical measures of paretic upper extremity (UE) recovery in people post-stroke and examine the relationship between these changes and paretic UE amount of use (AOU) measured by an accelerometer. Subjects: 7 people chronic post-stroke (5 males, 2 females; aged 62.03 ± 11.33 years) with an Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer score range of 10-63 were included for this poster. Materials/Methods: Subjects wore wrist accelerometers for 3 weeks in the home. Clinical measures (Motor Activity Log, Stroke Impact Scale, Chedoke Arm and Hand Activity Inventory, and the ABILHAND) were assessed weekly. Data analysis …

Mechanism Of Action By Which 5-Nidr Acts As A Therapeutic Agent Against Brain Cancer, Seol Kim, Jung-Suk Choi

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Approximately 10,000 people in the United States are diagnosed annually with a brain tumor. In addition, the prognosis for brain cancer patients is poor as these cancers have low survival rates of less than 10%. One important chemotherapeutic agent used to treat brain cancer is temozolomide, an alkylating agent that causes cell death by damaging DNA. In this project, we tested the ability of a specific non-natural nucleoside developed in our lab, designated 5-NIdR, to increase the efficacy of temozolomide against brain cancer. Animal studies using xenograft mice were performed to evaluate the in vivo efficacy of this drug combination …

Safe Movement Practices By Stnas For Residents In Nursing Homes, Christine Fortuna

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Previous research reports that with compliance, safe movement programs and policies play a large roll in reducing worker injury and safe patient handling. The purpose for our research is to better understand the daily safe movement practices of State Tested Nursing Assistants as it relates to the safe handling and transferring of patients. We used Qualtric software to electronically survey 14 STNAs from Jenning’s Center for Older Adults Upper Level Neighborhood. The survey consisted of 7 forced choice questions and 19 open ended or follow up questions. The scope of our research covers the complexities of the daily tasks of …

Balance Training Application Of A Systematic Framework For Clinical Decision Making In Therapeutic Gaming For Older Adults, Brian Boccieri

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Falling is a major health concern for older adults. Balance is crucial in order to prevent falls. For balance to be functional an individual must be able to maintain balance while focusing on other tasks. For example, an individual must focus on more than just staying upright during walking while drinking a mug of coffee, or during standing while washing dishes. There are a countless number of daily activities that challenge balance. One of the problems with current clinical balance rehabilitation is that the training is often completed using isolated exercises that do not include the various other cognitive and …

Statistical Analysis Of Dasi Questionnaire And Modeling The Prediction Of Heart Failure Risk In Patients, Christian Negron

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

9,880 patients were asked to complete the DASI questionnaire along with other questions to assess the predictability of heart failure risk. In this paper we attempt to reduce the amount of questions asked by hierarchical clustering of the question responses to determine if there is a change in the predictability of heart failure risk in patients. The data was modeled using Cox hazards multiple regression and validated through ROC and AUC. Our validation models show there is no difference between the usage of 12 and 6 DASI questions, therefore improving the simplicity of the questionnaire. Abbreviations: DASI, Duke Activity Status …

Ciliary Mechanosensation In Mdck Cells, Muhammad Tayeh

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Cilia are microscopic structures that extend from the surface of mammalian cells. Cilia can be categorized into two groups, primary cilia (non-motile) and motile cilia. Cilia are composed of tubulin subunits (microtubules) and covered by a plasma membrane. The physiological role of motile cilia has been very well documented, but the function of primary cilia remains largely unknown. It has been shown that primary cilia allow cells to sense and respond to mechanical stimuli. The ability for a cell to respond to mechanical stimuli is crucial for maintaining processes such as homeostasis. It has also been shown that defects in …

Developing Affordable Wet-Sample Electron Microscopy Integrated With A Temperature Controlled Sample Holder, Dan Terrano

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is widely used to analyze the size, shape and composition of material systems. However, using this tool for analyzing systems such as particles suspended in solution, requires drastic sample alterations, such as precipitation and fixation. Besides altering their environment, this exposes the particles to the harsh conditions within an electron microscope, such as high vacuum and electron beam exposure. To this end, the first goal of this study was to develop methodologies for imaging wet samples using electron microscopy. This is realized by creating a sandwich structure containing the solution of interest between a partially electron …

The Effect Of Depression Symptoms On The Cardiac Autonomic Response To Positive Mood Induction, Elizabeth Golias, Khadeja Najjar, Brock Bodenbender

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Depression is characterized by a reduced capacity to experience pleasure (hedonic capacity). A growing literature suggests that hedonic capacity is supported by the sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic (PNS) branches of the autonomic nervous system. Both branches may work in a reciprocal fashion, or in tandem, reflecting co-activation of the SNS and PNS. While reduced PNS and increased SNS activity are associated with happy states among healthy individuals, preliminary findings suggest that depressed persons evidence blunted physiologic responses across a variety of emotion inducing stimuli. Much of this work, however, has examined PNS and SNS activity separately, and never with respect …

Cultural Differences In Coping And Depression Between Individuals Of Middle-Eastern And Non-Arab Backgrounds, Khadeja Najjar

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

The Middle Eastern (Arab) demographic is a growing, yet neglected cultural group in mental health research. While Arabs are more predisposed to depression than other ethnic groups in US, little is known about mechanisms that account for this risk. One set of mechanisms may be the use of ineffective (maladaptive) coping or insufficient use of effective (adaptive) coping responses, which are robust predictors of depression in US samples, but virtually unexamined in Arabs. Further, the effect of a coping is influenced by culture, which, for Arabs, may change as a function of acculturation. Thus, the present study aimed to examine …

Effect Of Accelerometer Based Feedback On Paretic Upper Extremity Amount Of Use And Quality Of Movement: A Case Study, Mishgan Abdullah, Nathan Pohl, Amber Kuehn

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Purpose/Hypothesis: To determine the effects of accelerometer based feedback on clinical measures of paretic upper extremity (UE) recovery in people post-stroke and examine the relationship between these changes and paretic UE amount of use (AOU) measured by an accelerometer. Subjects: 7 people chronic post-stroke (5 males, 2 females; aged 62.03 ± 11.33 years) with an Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer score range of 10-63 were included for this poster. Materials/Methods: Subjects wore wrist accelerometers for 3 weeks in the home. Clinical measures (Motor Activity Log, Stroke Impact Scale, Chedoke Arm and Hand Activity Inventory, and the ABILHAND) were assessed weekly. Data analysis …

Designing Tuftsin Conjugate For Directing Antimicrobial Ionophores To Macrophages, Sokhna Seck, Zeenat Razvi

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

For all microorganisms, acquisition of metal ions is essential for survival in the environment or their infected host. Metal ions are required in many biological processes as cofactors for proteins or structural elements for enzymes. These ions play a role in chemotaxis, phosphorylation, transport of sugars and proteins, and initiation of DNA replication, among other things. It is critical for bacteria to ensure that metal uptake and availability meet its physiological needs; too little can impede these important biological processes, while too much can be toxic leading to radical formation which can cause damage to proteins and cell structures (Porcheron, …

Feasibility And Effects Of Accelerometer Based Feedback On Paretic Upper Extremity Amount Of Use In The Home Setting In Subjects Chronic Post-Stroke, Nathan Pohl, Amber Kuehn, Mishgan Abdullah

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Purpose : to (1) evaluate the feasibility of using accelerometers in the home to quantify how much subjects chronic post-stroke (PS) use their upper extremities (UE), (2) measure differences between amount of UE movement in subjects PS and a healthy control group (HC), (3) determine the effects of accelerometer based feedback on paretic UE use in subjects PS, and (4) determine if those effects are retained over time. Methods : Six subjects PS wore accelerometers for 3 weeks with two feedback sessions given during week two. Seven HC subjects wore accelerometers for one week. Accelerometer based outcome measures included relative …

Cell Surface Sialylation Status Of Monocytes And Macrophages, Henry Wang, Dan Wang

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Sialic acids (SAs), a family of 9-carbon containing acidic monosaccharides, often terminate the glycan structures of cell surface glycoconjugates such as glycoproteins and glycolipids. The levels and linkages of sialic acids named as sialylation status vary as cell environment changes related to both physiological and pathological processes. Changes in sialylation of cell surface modulate cellular activity. SAs are highly involved in the immune system, however, the sialylation status related to individual immune cells and their activation state and functions are still unknown. In this study, we used a newly developed LC-MS/MS method to examine the cellular SA content during THP-1 …

Novel Incorportation Of Biomedical Engineering Algorithms (Bispectral Index Guided Or Anesthetic Concentration Guided) In Real-Time Decision Support To Prevent Intraoperative Awareness Using An Electronic Anesthesia Information Mananagement System, Amy Melanie Shanks

Wayne State University Dissertations

Background: Intraoperative awareness with explicit recall (AWR) is a feared complication of surgery that can lead to significant psychological distress. Several large prospective trials have been completed comparing two methods of monitoring anesthetic depth [minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) or electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring using the bispectral index (BIS)] for the prevention of AWR. However, these trials were conducted in high risk populations, limiting generalizability.

Research Hypothesis: Real-time decision support with Anesthesia Information Management System alerts based on a novel anesthetic concentration algorithm (incorporating the use of intravenous anesthetics) or an EEG-guided algorithm will reduce the known incidence of AWR.

Methods: First, …

Stormwater Management And Residents Perceptions, Mark Gatesman

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Stormwater runoff is a major problem in many residential municipalities. Rain water washes pollutants and chemicals off of streets, driveways and lawns. Stormwater management practices help filter out harmful particles before they enter into our water ways. The goal of this project was to assess green infrastructure stormwater practices throughout Cuyahoga County. We assessed 165 sites in over 10 cities in Cuyahoga County. We examined bioswales, bioretention basins, and rain gardens. Sites were visited in late May through early June and revisited in mid-July to early August. We compared spring condition of plants and gardens and recorded resident’s perceptions whether …

Acoustic Objective And Subjective Measurements Of Noise Levels In Various Places Of Worship And The Potential Consequences On The Auditory System, Celeste Thomas

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

The purpose of this study is to record the objective and subjective measurements of noise levels in ten religious institutions of various faiths: Apostolic/Pentecostal, Baptist, Catholic, Muslim, Non-Denominational, and Seven-Day Adventist places of worship within the greater Cleveland area; in conjunction with the assessing the hearing sensitivity of the ministerial staff members who are most susceptible to prolonged noise exposure. The objective is to generate a statistical analysis of the objective acoustical measurements of primary church services of all participating religious institutions determine if the noise levels are loud enough to cause potential harm to the auditory system. The researcher …

Distribution Of Sphaeriid Clams In Lake Erie Twenty-Five Years After Invasion Of Dreissena, Michael Keller

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Clams in the family Sphaeriidae are widespread native mollusk species that are often overlooked. The distribution of these organisms in Lake Erie has not been examined in the 25 years since the initial invasion of the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha. Carr and Hiltunen identified 10 species of Sphaeriidae in Western Lake Erie in 1961, of which Pisidium casertanum, P. compressum, P. nitidum, Sphaerium corneum, and S. striatinum and Musculium transversum, contributed 89.7% of all fingernail and pea clams sampled and were considered common. Four other species were reported as rare. Our research examines whether the distribution of Sphaeriid clams in …

Investigating Rhoptry Gene Conservation Between Plasmodium Yoelii And Plasmodium Falciparum Using The Polymerase Chain Reaction For Dna Amplification, Brooke Burkhalter

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

In order to obtain a tangible basis for vaccine targets, it is crucial to understand the role of proteins at the site of invasion. In previous study, 27 novel rhoptry proteins were identified by MudPIT analysis and immunoelectron microscopy. In this investigation, the conservation of rhoptry genes between Plasmodium yoelii and Plasmodium falciparum was assessed. From the previously identified rhoptry genes, 14 were investigated with the orthologues/paralogues of the Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium yoelii, Plasmodium chabaudi, and Plasmodium berghei. Also, primers designed for the 14 Plasmodium yoelli rhoptry genes were used to test DNA amplification with the PCR. Amplification of Plasmodium …

Optimizing The Design And Potency Of Diterpenic Acid Derivatives To Improve Cell Membrane Permeability And Hsp27 Targeting Characteristics, Aicha Quamine

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) acts as a protective protein allowing it to play an integral role in aiding cancer cell resistance. Stress-induced Hsp 27 overexpression aids in the stabilization of partially denatured proteins to establish protein refolding resulting in thermotolerance, inhibition of apoptosis, cytoprotection, etc. As a result of rapid proliferation and general instability, cancer cells exhibit increased dependency on the support of Hsp 27 and it’s chaperone proteins, therefore generating an ideal target for anticancer therapy. Copalic acid, a clerodane diterpenoid, has already been confirmed in effective chaperone inhibition and antiproliferative synergistic effect. We hypothesize that by optimizing …

Characterization Of The Detailed Interaction Interface Between T. Brucei Telomere Proteins Trf And Tif2, Jennifer Kungle, John Sabljic, Tia Nikova

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei causes fatal African trypanosomiasis in humans and nagana in cattle. T. brucei switches its variant surface glycoproteins (VSGs) inside the mammalian host, evading the host immune response. VSGs are expressed monoallelically from subtelomeric expression sites, and telomere proteins regulate VSGs. We previously found that telomere protein TbTIF2 interacts with TbTRF (TTAGGG-repeat binding factor) and plays important roles in VSG switching regulation. TbTRF maintains the telomere terminal structure. TbTIF2 is essential for subtelomeric integrity and suppresses VSG switching by inhibiting subtelomeric gene conversion. Depletion of TbTIF2 decreases TbTRF protein level. We hypothesize that TbTRF-TbTIF2 interaction is …

Enhancement Of Solar Energy Conversion In Bio-Derived Cells Via Side Selective Modification Of Photosystem I, Uchechukwu Obiako, Evan Gizzie

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Deleterious effects of some methods used to harness energy from the environment today have garnered the exploration of safer and more reliable options, specifically solar energy conversion. Current solar cell technology has yielded quantum efficiencies commonly in the range of 10-20% but is limited by extensive processing methods, high cost, and need for rare materials. However, bio-derived solar cells containing Photosystem I (PSI) address these problems as PSI is highly abundant, very efficient, and low-cost. PSI acts as a biomolecular photodiode through rapid photoexcited charge separation, making it very promising for use as an integral element in solar cells. To …

Development Of A Gc-Ms Method For Investigation Mouse Plasma Amino Acid Levels And Their Significance To The Circadian Clock, Kylin Emhoff

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

An extraction procedure and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method was developed for quantitation of plasma amino acids. The experimental workflow included extraction of amino acids from plasma, followed by derivatization protocol for GC-MS compatibility. Automated Mass spectral Deconvolution and Identification System (AMDIS) and laboratory developed library was used for compound identification. Levels of plasma amino acids were calculated based on one point calibration with non-physiological amino acid L-norvaline as internal standard. The assay was applied to obtain and monitor levels of plasma amino acids to study the effect of feeding restriction on the circadian clock in mice. The circadian …

Autonomic Nervous System Response To Interpersonal Exclusion In Borderline Personality Disorder, Ilona Ponomariova, Brock Bodenbender, Khadeja Najjar, Elizabeth Golias

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Intense emotional reactions to interpersonal rejection reflect the core of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). These reactions supported by the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which has been linked to neural regions that undergird emotional experience and regulation that are affected among individuals with BPD. Despite such links, relatively few studies have examined ANS functioning among BPD populations. The few studies that have primarily focused on the independent activity of the two sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic (PNS) ANS branches during resting states or in response to emotion evocative films, rather than to interpersonal rejection. The present study overcomes the above noted gaps …

Traditional Medicine Usage And The Transmission Of Traditional Ecological Knowledge In Three Villages Near Phnom Kulen National Park, Kayla N. Deur

Environmental Studies / Environmental Science Student Scholarship

Traditional ecological knowledge refers to knowledge regarding the relationships between humans and the natural environment. This knowledge and skill set is acquired by local and indigenous peoples through generations of direct contact with the environment, and is often shared in an intergenerational pattern of verbal retelling and instruction. Traditional medicine is one component of traditional ecological knowledge, and this paper outlines the investigation of traditional medicine usage and the transmission of such knowledge in three villages near Phnom Kulen National Park in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The study was conducted through semi-structured interviews at homes that were both randomly and purposively …

A History Of Undergraduate Education For Public Health: From Behind The Scenes To Center Stage., Richard Kenneth Riegelman, Susan Albertine, Randy Wykoff

GW Biostatistics Center

No abstract provided.

Scaling Down To Scale Up: A Health Economic Analysis Of Integrating Point-Of-Care Syphilis Testing Into Antenatal Care In Zambia During Pilot And National Rollout Implementation., Katharine D. Shelley, Éimhín M. Ansbro, Alexander Tshaka Ncube, Sedona Sweeney, Colette Fleischer, Grace Tembo Mumba, Michelle M. Gill, Susan Strasser, Rosanna W. Peeling, Fern Terris-Prestholt

GW Biostatistics Center

Maternal syphilis results in an estimated 500,000 stillbirths and neonatal deaths annually in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the existence of national guidelines for antenatal syphilis screening, syphilis testing is often limited by inadequate laboratory and staff services. Recent availability of inexpensive rapid point-of-care syphilis tests (RST) can improve access to antenatal syphilis screening. A 2010 pilot in Zambia explored the feasibility of integrating RST within prevention of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV services. Following successful demonstration, the Zambian Ministry of Health adopted RSTs into national policy in 2011. Cost data from the pilot and 2012 preliminary national rollout were extracted from project records, …

Treatment-Induced Changes In Plasma Adiponectin Do Not Reduce Urinary Albumin Excretion In The Diabetes Prevention Program Cohort., Kieren J. Mather, Qing Pan, William C. Knowler, Tohru Funahashi, George A. Bray, Et Al.

GW Biostatistics Center

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Molecular data suggests that adiponectin may directly regulate urinary albumin excretion. In the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) we measured adiponectin and albuminuria before and after intervention, and we previously reported increases in adiponectin with interventions. Here we have used the DPP dataset to test the hypothesis that treatment-related increases in adiponectin may reduce albuminuria in obesity.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: We evaluated cross-sectional correlations between plasma adiponectin and urinary albumin excretion at baseline, and the relationship of treatment-related changes in adiponectin and albuminuria. Baseline and follow-up urine albumin to creatinine ratios (ACR (albumin to creatinine ratio)) …

The Cost-Effectiveness Of Diabetes Prevention: Results From The Diabetes Prevention Program And The Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study, William H. Herman

GW Biostatistics Center

Background

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) was a randomized, controlled clinical trial. It demonstrated that among high-risk individuals with impaired glucose tolerance, diabetes incidence was reduced by 58 % with lifestyle intervention and 31 % with metformin compared to placebo. During the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS), all DPP participants were unmasked to their treatment assignments, the original lifestyle intervention group was offered additional lifestyle support, the metformin group continued metformin, and all three groups were offered a group-implemented lifestyle intervention. Over the 10 years of combined DPP/DPPOS follow-up, diabetes incidence was reduced by 34 % in the lifestyle …