Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Idiopathic And Neuromuscular Scoliosis In A Female College Basketball Player Requiring Spinal Correction Surgery, Magan Kim

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The purpose of this report is to present the case of a 20-year-old female collegiate basketball player who was diagnosed with a combination of idiopathic and neuromuscular scoliosis. Patient underwent thoracic spinal fusion surgery when she was 15 to resolve her extreme scoliosis. The uniqueness of this case stems from the athlete’s urgency to have to undergo a life-altering spine operation and still be able to successfully contribute to a collegiate basketball team. Athletic trainers should be knowledgeable and aware of how to maintain treatment/rehabilitation for athletes with scoliosis, operative or non-operative. Scoliosis should no longer be a reason to …

Posteriormedial Ankle Impingement In A Male Division I Ice Hockey Player: A Case Report, Bethany Thompson

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The purpose of this case report is to present the case of a 21 year old male Division I collegiate hockey player’s injury during their season, resulting in posteriormedial ankle impingement of the deep posterior tibiotalar ligament, osteochondral lesion of the talus, and tenosynovitis of the tibialis posterior. The patient’s injury did not require surgery; however, they did complete a rehabilitation plan with a physical therapist and receive a cortisone injection. The patient had a positive outcome due to the athletic trainer sending the patient for immediate diagnostic imaging after initial consultation. The patient was able to continue participation in …

Acute Simultaneous Medial And Lateral Ankle Sprain In A Collegiate Football Player: A Case Report, Ian Matlack

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The purpose of this case report is to present a twenty-year-old African American male with a complex ankle injury. During a collegiate football game, the athlete injured his left ankle, damaging his deltoid ligament complex, and lateral ankle complex, causing several bone bruises and tearing his peroneal retinaculum. With surgery being declined, standard rehabilitation protocols of POLICE for initial management of inflammation, strengthening, and ROM exercises were conducted. Manual therapies consisting of milking massage, scraping, and joint mobilizations were added to aid in pain and edema control. Comparative case studies suggest that the athlete may have experienced a subluxation of …

Subacute To Chronic Subdural Hematoma In An 18-Year-Old Male Football Player, Peyton Bodemann

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The purpose of the report is to present the case of a high school football player who survived two brain surgeries to treat a subacute subdural hematoma that turned chronic (cSDH). This case proves to be unique due to the lack of mechanism, the age of the patient, the complications from surgery, and the recovery.^9,12,16 The patient underwent an MMA (middle meningeal artery) embolization to treat the subacute hematoma, followed by a double burr hole craniotomy with drainage of chronic subdural hematoma. It is important for athletic trainers along with other members of the health care system to work …

Ingredient Classification Using Food Ontology, Ricky Flores

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

A food label provides some of the most crucial information for a food product. The food label is a key resource for many health-conscious consumers for understanding ingredients. It is also vital for individuals to avoid food allergens or help patients follow dietary recommendations. While the food labels in the United States are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) many labels contain additional information or statements that are not regulated. Moreover, the food label may be complex or contain terminology that the layperson may not understand. Evidence has indicated that consumers often find nutrition labels confusing, especially when …

Impact Of Acute Exercise On Micrornas Related To Concussion Symptoms, Emily Work

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Impact of acute exercise on microRNAs related to concussion symptoms

Concussions, or traumatic brain injury (TBI), are a serious medical problem affecting approximately 1.7 million people in the United States each year. Current tools for analysis of concussion include the Glasgow Coma Scale, SCAT5, computerized topography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), however, these tools are typically not indicative of the range and severity of symptoms a patient may experience. Recent studies have explored the use of microRNAs as a biomarker for TBI severity in patients who have already experienced a TBI. We seek to investigate the microRNA levels in …

Pharmacist-Prescribed Birth Control: A Policy Analysis, Brianna Full

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Although unintended pregnancy in the United States has steadily decreased from 2008, rates are still unacceptably high as almost half (42%) of all pregnancies are not wanted or timed correctly (Finer & Zolna). In 2011, 2.8 million of the 6.1 million pregnancies in the United States each year were unintended. Public health professionals are worried about unintended pregnancy because research shows that unwanted or mistimed pregnancies come with associations to adverse maternal and child health outcomes, such as delayed prenatal care, premature birth, and negative physical and mental health effects for children (Frost, Frohwirth & Zolna, 2016). Also, two-thirds (68%) …

Psycho-Physiological Reactions To Automated Leadership, Seth Hackleman

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

We all remember the 2008 Disney Pixar film Wall-E. This amazing children’s movie highlights the relationship between two robots and a human pilot on a mission to save the planet. Advances in artificial intelligence and computer technology are enabling new and exciting opportunities for humans to interact with machines. Where humans often change jobs or inevitably retire, machines can be employed for lifetimes. This fact makes them prime candidates for replacing human leaders in some circumstances to avoid the knowledge loss that can occur when a human leader changes position or no longer works in an organization. While human-to-human leadership …

Characterization Of Dimerization Domains On The Mannose-6-Phosphate/Insulin-Like Growth Factor 2 Receptor, Tyler Degener

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The mannose-6-phosphate/insulin-like growth factor 2 (M6P/IGF2) receptor is a transmembrane protein with the ability to sequester growth factors from the extracellular matrix. This behavior links the receptor to tumor suppression. On a structural level, the extracellular portion of the protein is segmented into 15 homologous repeats, which can be divided further into 5 triplet domains, labelled 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12, and 13-15. Each triplet receptor displays its own unique ligand binding affinity, including the ability to form dimers with triplets on a second M6P/IGF2 receptor. In fact, previous studies indicate that this protein functions optimally when dimerized. Thus, the purpose …

Utilizing Chemical Mutagenesis To Determine U21 Mechanism Of Action In Toxoplasma Gondii, Andrew Pham

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The abstract has been removed to protect intellectual property of the project.

Lessons Learned From Designing A Health Monitoring System To Improve First Responders Safety User Interface, Janaki Devi Naveena Akula, Jackson Urrutia, Hitesh Kumar Khatri, Anusha Manda, Jacob C. Grothe

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Every day, first responders put their own lives at risk to help individuals, families, and communities. They experience many safety and health hazards on the front-line that can lead to injuries, chronic illnesses, and even death. Chronic illnesses include cancer, heart diseases, and behavioral health issues that often cause first responders life expectancy to be significantly shortened.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, there were 64 on-duty firefighter deaths in 2018. Sudden cardiac death accounted for about 40% of the on-duty fatalities. During 2017, there were an estimated 44,530 documented exposures to hazardous conditions (e.g. chemicals, fumes, radioactive materials) …

Quantitative Analysis Of Sexual Function In Women Up To 1-Year Postpartum, Amber Kelly

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Background. Sexual satisfaction is a strong predictor of relationship satisfaction and a component of general well-being. Changes in sexual behavior are common during pregnancy and the subsequent transition to parenthood. Currently, little literature exists that examines the breadth of factors contributing to decreased female sexual functionality during the postpartum period. Identifying factors associated with decreased female sexual function following childbirth has the potential to improve postpartum women’s sexual satisfaction and overall quality of life. The study seeks to answer the following research questions: RQ 1: What impact has childbirth had on frequency of sexual activity in women within the first …

Comparing Individual Perceptions Of Food Desert With Quantitative Measures In Omaha, Nebraska., Hector N. Samani, Bradley Bereitschaft

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Food deserts have been linked to an increase in chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes, due to lower access to affordable and healthy foods. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) outlines various methods and variables for defining food deserts, in attempts to standardize what constitutes a food desert or their characteristics. The USDA identifies the state of Nebraska as having both rural and urban food deserts, with an increase of food insecurity from 1.1% – 3.0% between 2007 and 2012 and warns of further increase of food deserts and its impact if measures are not taken. However, there …

Unintended Pregnancy Among The Lgbtq+ Population, Kenna M. Barnes

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Unintended births are related to adverse health outcomes for both parents and children (Mosher, et al., 2012). For the context of this research, unintended will include both mistimed (too early) and unwanted (wanted to avoid pregnancy) pregnancies. Non-heterosexual women, defined as anyone who has same-sex sexual behaviors, attractions, or identities, make up about 5.1% of the population according to Williams Institute (2019). The impact of unintended pregnancy among non-heterosexual individuals is not well understood, creating large disparities in the community. This has manifested in emotional, physical, and social wellness gaps compared to their heterosexual counterparts (Buchmueller & Carpenter, 2010; Everett …

Updates On Epigenetic Alterations To Brca1: Chemosensitivities, Haley Blum

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Breast cancer 1, early onset (BRCA1) is a human tumor suppressor gene encoding the BRCA1 protein that maintains genomic integrity. Molecular events may contribute to the loss of BRCA1 function, contributing to site specific tumorigenesis. Loss of BRCA1 function may arise from mutation or epigenetic events. Germline mutations of BRCA1 have been thoroughly implicated in heritable breast and ovarian cancers. More recently, sporadic breast cancer has been shown to be driven by epigenetic alterations to the BRCA1 promoter region, specifically methylation. Breast carcinomas that present with BRCA1 promoter methylation have been associated with triple negative breast cancers, as well …

An Exploration Of Why Healthcare Professionals Under-Report Observed Patient Aggression, Sydney Bonta

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

An Exploration of Why Healthcare Professionals Under-Report Observed Patient Aggression

Authors: Sydney Bonta & Lisa L. Scherer, Ph.D.

Advisor: Lisa L. Scherer, Ph.D.

According to the 2011 US Bureau of Justice Statistics report, medical professionals experienced the third highest proportion of workplace violence (WPV), with violence primarily emanating from patient. In a national survey of nurses employed in hospitals, 76% stated that they had encountered some sort of violence in their workplace (Speroni, Fitch, Dawson, Dugan, Atherton, & Leesburg, 2014). Similarly, patient aggression against physicians has long been a problem (Morrison, Lantos, Levinson, 1998). Despite this widespread exposure to WPV …

The Effect Of Arm Swing On Countermovement Vertical Jump Performance, Arash Mohammadzadeh Gonabadi

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Vertical jumping is one of the popular ways to evaluate ankle-knee efficiency in athletic population. Arm swing can play a crucial role in enhancing vertical jump performance. This study aimed to address the differences in kinetic and kinematic parameters during countermovement jump motion with arm swing (AS) and no arm swing (NAS). We used OpenSim to examine the efficacy of AS in reducing the impulse applied to the body and changes in range of lower limb joint angles at landing instant. We calculated the maximum vertical peak of the ground reaction force and impulse generated at landing in two different …

Visual Contributions To Balance Control During Gait, Kyle Brozek

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

We propose to isolate the contributions of continuous OF to the orthogonal relationship between balance and gait control during treadmill walking using a series of conditions. Manipulating the direction of OF using a CAREN (Motek Medical, Amsterdam, Netherlands) virtual reality treadmill environment will isolate these visual contributions in human subjects as they walk. We plan to tease out the effect of OF direction on the relationship between gait and balance control by having healthy young adults perform a series of treadmill walking trials while immersed in a VR environment. This will be done by manipulating the direction of walking and …

Temporal Step Coordination While Walking With A Single-Point Cane, Monica Barajas

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

TEMPORAL STEP COORDINATION WHILE WALKING WITH A SINGLE-POINT CANE

Monica Barajas, Russel Buffum, Tyler Hamer, Brian A. Knarr

University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE

Stroke is the primary cause of long-term adult disability in the United States. Some physical limitations that a stroke survivor may encounter are foot drop, unilateral muscle weakness, limited coordination and muscle movement, among other effects that may directly affect gait. To address weakness and poor coordination post-stroke, a cane is commonly used. While a cane can help with balance, coordinating steps with an additional device can prove difficult to learn and may alter natural …

Division I Collegiate Male Basketball Player Post-Surgical Cai With Bone Spur Excision: A Case Report, Jacqueline Gutierrez

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

A Division I basketball player planted his foot and injured his ankle. He had a significant history of repeated lateral ankle sprains and was evaluated as having a grade 2 ankle sprain. He was referred for imaging revealing significant damage to a variety of tissues including a talar osteochondral defect and joint degeneration. He opted for surgical repair, however, post-surgical rehabilitation did not improve the athlete and a secondary procedure was necessary to correct complications. The initial procedure was successful to repair ligamentous stability of the joint. But was not sufficient to fully restore the joint to full function.

Estimating Variations In Metabolic Cost Within The Stride Cycle During Level And Uphill Walking, Arash Mohammadzadeh Gonabadi

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Indirect calorimetry provides the average cost of a stride cycle and prevents from identifying which part of the gait cycle causes increased metabolic cost in patients, however, recent simulation methods allow estimating the time profile of metabolic cost within the stride cycle. In this study, we compare the estimations of the time profile of the metabolic cost of two simulation methods for level and uphill walking. We used kinematic, kinetic and electromyography data from level and uphill walking (one participant) to estimate the time profiles of metabolic cost using the muscle-level metabolic model of Umberger using electromyography and kinematic data …

Diagnostic Accuracy Of Instrumented Helmets To Assess Concussions In High School Football Athletics, Alyssa Irby

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Approximately 300,000 high school students experience a concussion yearly and are the third most common injury for youth football players accounting for 9.6% of all injuries. The current concussion monitoring systems are subjective and rely heavily on symptom recognition by players and coaches. Instrumented helmets fill a gap when subjective monitoring systems fail to recognize concussions. The purpose of this study is to determine the diagnostic accuracy of instrumented helmets and the effectiveness of alerting for a concussion in a youth population. Fifty-five football players from a local high school during the 2018 season who wore instrumented helmets participated. Impact …

An Investigation Of Stimulants: Reviewing Their Effects On The Brain, Including Memory And Microglia, Michael Douchey

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Stimulants are a class of drugs that have a variety of effects on the brain, including changes in receptor activity in the brain areas responsible for- memory, attention, emotion, motor control, and the reward pathway. Stimulants may be generally classified by their availability. For example, prescription stimulants, which include drugs such as methylphenidate (Concerta™, Ritalin™) and mixed amphetamine salts (Adderall™), must be prescribed by medical professionals. Another regulated stimulant, albeit one available without a prescription, is nicotine; a highly addictive chemical that is age-restricted by the U.S. federal government. Nicotine is found in tobacco products, and in tobacco-free alternatives including …

3d Prosthetics Effects On Standing Posture In Unilateral Upper Limb Deficient Children, Keaton Young

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

3D Prosthetics Effects on Standing Posture in Unilateral Upper Limb Deficient Children

Keaton Young

Department of Biomechanics, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Introduction

Upper Limb Reduction Deficiency (ULD) is a congenital disability that affects the upper limb, which the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 1,500 babies are born with ULD in the United States yearly ^1,2. Prior research has focused on functional treatment of the upper limbs but has lacked observance of the effects that prosthetics and limb loss incur to the trunk. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the acute effects …

Left Achilles Tendon Rupture In A Male Collegiate Soccer Player, Benjamin Welch

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

ABSTRACT

Objective: To present the case of an Achilles tendon rupture including surgical repair and rehabilitation in a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I, male, soccer athlete.

Background: While attempting to perform a backflip following a match victory, the athlete jumped up and experienced a gunshot sound and feeling on his posterior, distal, left leg. On-field evaluation included a positive Thompson Test for Achilles tendon (AT) rupture. Post injury imaging revealed a coinciding diagnosis.

Differential Diagnosis: AT strain, calcaneal fracture, fibula fracture, Shepard’s fracture

Treatment: Open surgery technique to repair the tear followed by rehabilitation protocol beginning with rest and …

The Energy Paradox Of The Ankle-Foot Complex During Human Walking, Nikolaos Papachatzis, Kota Takahashi

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Flexor hallucis longus (FHL) is a multiarticular muscle that possesses the potential to alter foot’s functional and mechanical behavior, since it performs multiple significant functions during walking (e.g supports the medial longitudinal arch of the foot).The purpose of this study was to determine if the functional changes of the FHL are associated with the foot’s adaptations to the mechanical demands of walking. Backward walking is an experimental method capable of altering how the forces propagate underneath the foot and disrupting the mechanical function of the FHL muscle. We hypothesized that: (1) the muscle activity of the FHL will increase during …

The Utility Of 3d Printing As A Method Of Pre-Operative Planning For Pediatric Skull Surgeries, David Salazar

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Salazar Oral Presentation

Perceptions Of Physical Activity While Breastfeeding: 
A Mixed Methods Approach, Kailey Snyder

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Background: Being physically active and breastfeeding can greatly support a new mother’s physiological and psychological health. However, within the United States, only 35% of women are maintaining their pre-pregnancy physical activity after childbirth and only 31% of infants are being breastfed at 12 months of age. Preliminary investigations suggest barriers such as lack of time and knowledge hinder a breastfeeding woman’s ability to be physically active however more research is needed. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore women’s perceptions of physical activity while breastfeeding. Methods: This mixed methods study utilized quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interview) measures, both …

Synthesis Of A Sulfur Variant For Treatment Of Trypanosomiasis, Carlos Vera-Esquivel

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Previous work in our lab has found diphenyl ether benzylamines showed a successful response with a micromolar concentration of our lead compound to treat the deadly Trypanosamiosis rhodesience. Furthermore, mammalian cell lines saw promising resistance towards damages. The goal of this study was to synthesize a diphenyl thio benzylamine variant. This variant was more active toward T. b. rhodesience but showed more toxicity to both rat 10 (IC₅₀ mM) and human cell lines (HFF, HC-₀₄, U-₂ OS, and HEK₂₉₃). The selectivity index (ratio of toxicity to activity in the same concentration units (SI)) …

Studies Of Amino Acid Mutations In Drug Resistance Of The Smo Protein, Eunice Wintona

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Smoothened receptor (SMO) is a protein that in humans, is encoded by the SMO gene. A systemic mutation in its binding pocket helps predict the sensitivity of mutant proteins to different drugs. Known as a GPCR-like receptor, it is a component of the hedgehog signaling pathway; a pathway involved in body patterning and the regulation of adult stem cells. An uncontrolled or inappropriate activation of the Hedgehog pathway drives tumor progression in cancers and a number of birth defects. To achieve these goals, the molecular modeling software MOE was used to build small molecules and drug molecules like Vismodegib and …