Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Can Alternative Medical Methods Evoke Neuro-Functional Somatosensory Responses? A Case Study Suggesting Functional Improvement, Alhasn Otaif, Mashan E. Alshammari, Christine G. Gerin

Research Symposium

Somatosensory pathways act as the avenue in transferring information concerning the body and its interaction with the external environment to the brain. We aim to demonstrate that through studying somatosensory, motor cortical and subcortical networks, we can explain functional recovery after stimulations applied as an alternative medical treatment. Those stimulations might have evidenced neural pathways and networks important in recovery of function. Materials and methods: The de-identified medical reports of nine patients with initial presentations of cerebral trauma or stroke inducing paralysis were studied.These included the alternative treatments they received and other available materials such as videos and photographs. Patients …

Differential Cortical Monoamines Release During Exercise In Rats Chronically Implanted With Microdialysis Probes, Christine G. Gerin

Research Symposium

Physical exercise is known to positively influence mood, to reduce anxiety and to improve reaction to stress. Cerebral monoaminergic systems are thought to underly the neurochemical influence of exercise on mood and behavior. We hypothesized that beneficial effects of exercise can be shown by variations of neurotransmitters release in the cerebral cortex. We aimed at demonstrating that there is a temporal relationship between release of plasma and cerebral monoamines (A, NA, 5-HT, DA) and spontaneous running exercise in rats. Ten Spague Dawley rats (250 g) were chronically implanted (for up to 39 days) with a left common carotid cannula and …

The Effectiveness Of Temporary Deafferentation For Upper Limb Rehabilitation, Chelsea Erazo Macias, Daniel Salinas, Monica Lozano Garcia, Victoria Cuello, Kelsey Baker

Research Symposium

Background: Temporary deafferentation (TD) is an approach that has been investigated in rehabilitation practices to improve motor function in people with spinal cord injuries. The overall goal of temporary deafferentation is to voluntarily reduce sensory input into the nervous system to improve efferent output. Temporary deafferentation is typically achieved using either topical or injectable anesthetics. Recently, our group sought to optimize a protocol for temporary deafferentation using topical anesthetic cream, and results suggested that temporary deafferentation was achieved 50 minutes after anesthetic cream application. Here, we aimed to determine if our optimized protocol impacted limb electromyography (EMG) after the intervention. …

Medical Treatment Options For Cannabis Use Disorder: An Updated Narrative Review, Chase M. Watson, Ihsan Salloum

Research Symposium

Background: Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is a common and growing condition in the United States and across the world. With the alteration of the legal landscape of the substance, normalization of the substance use in society, and a continual increase in frequency in recent years, more treatment options are desperately needed. CUD has been shown to be associated with various symptoms of mental illness. Most therapies to date have been psychotherapeutic in nature, involving theories such as cognitive-behavioral motivational-based methods. However, these are not always the most effective or accessible options for patients.

Methods: Articles for this review were obtained …

Postoperative Delirium After Hip Arthroplasty In The Elderly, Sung Kwan Hwang, Changho Yi

Research Symposium

Purpose: Our study was done to evaluate the influence of postoperative delirium on the prognosis of hip arthroplasty, and risk factors for postoperative delirium in individuals older than 65.

Materials and Methods: Among patients who received hip arthroplasty in our hospital (WCH) between March 2004and March 2008, we chose 193 patients for our study after excluding patients who had preoperative delirium and who had a history of dementia and cognitive dysfunction. We divided our cohort of 193 patients into two groups, 131patients with postoperative delirium and 62 patients without delirium. We checked for clinical results for hip arthroplasty. We checked …

Disseminated Infection With Bartonella Henselae In A Drug-Induced Immunosuppressed Adult Causing Fever, Thrombocytopenia, And Encephalitis: Case Report, Celin Rajan, Ileana Mendez, Jacinto Kadour, Mohammed Jamal, Maria Najam

Research Symposium

Cat scratch disease (CSD) is caused by the bacterium Bartonella henselae, typically characterized by self-limiting regional lymphadenopathy. CSD is more prevalent in immunocompromised individuals. However, serious illness is infrequent. This case report demonstrates uncommon symptoms of disseminated Bartonella henselae infection manifesting as encephalopathy, thrombocytopenia, and septic shock.

A 62-year-old malnourished, Hispanic man presented with fever and malaise for 1 week which was associated with headache. Past medical history was significant for rheumatoid arthritis treated with prolonged, unmonitored prednisone, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and a history of 18 cats at home. On examination, the patient was alert and oriented, febrile, and …

Prevalence Comparison Of Accompanying Lesions Between Primary And Recurrent Anteriordislocation In The Shoulder, Doo-Sup Kim, Changho Yi, Yeo-Seung Yoon

Research Symposium

Background: Many authors have reported the presence of intra-articular lesions after primary dislocation of the shoulder joint. However, few studies have focused on their prevalence or the differences in accompanying lesions between primary and recurrent dislocations of the shoulder joint.

Purpose: This study was undertaken to investigate and analyze accompanying lesions, including types of anteroinferior labrum injuries, using diagnostic arthroscopy and magnetic resonance arthrography (MRA) in 144 patients with traumatic anterior dislocation of the shoulder joint.Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods: There were 33 patients with 33 dislocations in the primary dislocation group and 111 patients with …

Comparison Of The Clinical Outcomes Of Open Surgery Versus Arthroscopic Surgery For Chronic Refractory Lateral Epicondylitis Of The Elbow, Doo Sup Kim, Hoe Jeong Chung, Chang-Ho Yi, Seong-Hyeon Kim

Research Symposium

Numerous surgical options have been introduced for the treatment of chronic refractory lateral epicondylitis of the elbow, but it remains unclear which option is superior. The clinical outcomes of an open surgery group and an arthroscopic surgery group were evaluated, and the results of the 2 procedures were compared. From among patients with lateral epicondylitis refractory to 6 months of conservative treatment, 68 patients satisfying study criteria were recruited. Open surgery was performed in 34 cases (group 1), and arthroscopic surgery was performed in 34 cases (group 2). Compared with preoperatively, the 2 groups had significantly improved values for grip …

Familial Chylomicronemia Syndrome: A Family Case Report In U.S./Mexico Border By Cediamet, Carlos E. Maldonado, Carlo Hector, Mariana Mendez, Claudia Munguia-Cisneros, Leonel Vela, Juan Carlos Lopez Alvarenga

Research Symposium

Primary familiar hyperchylomicronemia syndrome (FHS) is an extremely rare autosomal recessive condition. In 80% of cases is a result of a mutation in lipoprotein lipase, meanwhile, the 20% is a malfunctioning enzyme due to APOC2, APOA5, LMF1, or GP1HBP1. It is estimated FHS affects 3000 to 5000 individuals globally, with no correlation by sex or race. We are presenting a family with FHS in Reynosa, Mexico.

The index patient was a male 36 years old who attended the CEDIAMET clinic after his 6th episode of acute pancreatitis. He has triglycerides 1300 mg/dl and CT scan with Balthazar C score. He …

Hepatic Encephalopathy Complicated By Decompensated Alcoholic Liver Cirrhosis In A Hispanic Male, Baron S. Ekeledo, Semenawit Burka, Shreel Patel, Joseph Pean

Research Symposium

Introduction: Alcohol can directly affect the brain via neuroinflammation or alter the gut microbiome which concomitantly results in hepatic encephalopathy. Hepatic encephalopathy can cause altered mental status from liver dysfunction with or without portal-systemic blood shunting. Chronic alcohol use has been associated with dementia, cirrhosis, and hepatic encephalopathy. This case report highlights the prognosis of hepatic encephalopathy in the setting of decompensated liver cirrhosis complicated by acute alcohol intoxication.

Case report: A 35-year-old Hispanic man with history of alcohol use disorder, decompensated alcoholic liver cirrhosis with ascites, severe anemia secondary to upper GI bleeding with underlying esophageal varices who was …

Quality Assessment Of The Utrgv-Dhr Fmrp Wellness Committee, Cameron Paul Lancarte, Deepu George

Research Symposium

Purpose: The purpose of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV)-Doctors Hospital at Renaissance (DHR) Family Medicine Residency Program’s (FMRP) Wellness Committee (WC) was aimed at improving resident wellbeing as measured by the annual ACGME well-being survey. In 2021, residents reported higher rates of illbeing in the annual wellness survey, potentially influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, Resident responses to the following items fell below the national average: fostering a supportive environment by the program, feeling emotionally drained, and needing more recovery time. The WC hypothesized that the following elements are critical in improving resident wellbeing: a definitive wellness …

Duolingo To Improve Linguistics Of The Medical Resident, Cameron Paul Lancarte, James Fahey

Research Symposium

Purpose: Create an attainable Spanish language education program within a medical residency program to increase the quality, efficiency, and equality of healthcare received by patients.

Description: Free DuoLingo language education application was chosen for the program due to being easily accessible, offering the ability to break down lessons into small timeframes, being user-friendly, and game format design. User’s learning goals can be tracked on this application.

The duration of the QI Project was 4 months, and the population size was 3 residents. Each were requested to complete 10 minutes per day or 70 min per week (on average) for Spanish …

Tale Of Traveling In A Stealth Mode, Blesset Alexander, Priyasha Suri, Don Rajan, Praveen Vijhani

Research Symposium

Background: Melanoma is an aggressive malignancy that tends to form metastases in the brain. The nature of metastatic melanoma with unknown primary is poorly understood and has only theoretical assumptions. Less than 10% of melanoma cases present with an unknown primary tumor location.

Case presentation: A 68-year-old Caucasian male patient, Canadian citizen, presented to the hospital with left-sided weakness and deviation of right side of angle of mouth for three days. Pertinent positive physical signs were motor weakness of left upper and lower extremities. Labs were unremarkable. CT-scan of the brain showed right temporal lobe lobulated masses associated with vasogenic …

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, Presentation As A Cardiac Arrest In A 67 Year Old Female With Depression And Anxiety History, Blesset Alexander, Joseph Caporusso, Priyasha Suri, Brandon Cantazaro

Research Symposium

Background: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy also known as broken heart syndrome or stress induced cardiomyopathy is a sudden transient reversible dramatic left ventricular apical akinesis mimicking acute coronary syndrome, making it a diagnostic challenge. Most common mechanism for Taktosubo is stress induced catecholamine release causing sympathetic activation leading to microvascular dysfunction or direct toxicity. Mayo Clinic Criteria for making diagnosis at the time of presentation requires 1) transient hypokinesis, dyskinesis, or akinesis of the LV midsegments with or without apical involvement, and a stressful trigger is often but not always present. 2) absence of obstructive coronary disease or angiographic evidence of acute …

Foxo Transcription Factors & Gene Expression, Larissa Barroso, Angelica M. Reyes, David Flores, Millat Jahan, Shania Pintor, Alma Lopez, Megan Keniry

Research Symposium

This paper attempts to highlight ForkHead box transcription factors (FOXO -1, -3, and -4) importance of subcellular localization in U87MG and myoblasts.

Fecal Occult Blood Test (Fobt) Efficacy In Hospitalized Patients, Baron S. Ekeledo, Juan Naranjo, Jorge Duarte, Nazish Khan, Radhika Mehta

Research Symposium

Introduction:Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) is one of the most popular diagnostic tools for screening colorectal cancer in the inpatient setting. Despite that, its outpatient use has been largely replaced by more advanced tools that decrease cost and increase sensitivity/specificity. This is essential when factors including diet and medications contribute to the low sensitivity and elevated false positive results FOBT demonstrate when detecting gastrointestinal (GI) bleeds.

Obesity Management In Primary Care Medicine: A Review Of Obesity Perception And Barriers To Weight Loss, Asma Syed, Saima Siddiqui

Research Symposium

Background: This project addresses the obesity epidemic in America. According to the CDC, in 2018, the US obesity prevalence was 42.4%. Obesity is linked to many conditions including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Successfully treating obesity can decrease these leading causes of preventable and premature deaths. A proper understanding of the successes and failures of current obesity management in primary care medicine with the help of qualitative research through patient and provider interviews can elucidate the best practices to reduce the burden of disease in America.

Methods: A review of literature was conducted …

Patient Safety Workshop: A Graduate Medical Education Interprofessional Simulation Half-Day, Ans Albustamy, Roque Mifuji, Michelle Lopez, Teresa Villagomez, Chelsea Chang

Research Symposium

Introduction: As per the National Academy of Medicine, patient safety is considered indistinguishable from the delivery of quality health care, and is referred to as the foundation upon which all other aspects of quality care are built. Throughout the years, graduate medical education (GME) across the world has evolved to ensure the training of future medical professionals includes exposure to many of the elements that compose patient safety, such as implementing root cause analysis, systems thinking, and disclosing adverse events. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is the sponsoring institution for 19 GME programs across different specialties. As part …

Enhancing Appropriate Statin Therapy In Type 2 Diabetic Patients Aged Between 40-75 Years At Graduate Medical Education (Gme) Internal Medicine Clinic, Adriana Betancourth Alvarenga, Ans Albustamy, Ayesha Khan, Steffi Sathiyaraj, Nghia Nguyen, Martha Solis, Rodolfo Garza-Morales, Oscar Lopez, Yilen Karen Ng-Wong, Hector Arredondo, Andres R. Suarez Parraga

Research Symposium

Background: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is significantly higher in Rio Grande Valley than the rest of the United States. T2DM patients have an elevated risk of Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), and clinical trials have demonstrated the beneficial effects of statin therapy on ASCVD. A quality-improvement project was implemented in the GME Internal Medicine (IM) Clinic at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance to improve statin therapy appropriateness.

Methods: T2DM patients aged 40-75 were selected from the GME IM Clinic visits from July 2021 to October 2021 for baseline data and from January 2022 to April 2022 after implementing …

An Unusual Case Of Chronic Superior Mesenteric Vein Thrombosis, Ans Albustamy, Eric Sanchez, Oscar Lopez, Schamma Salomon

Research Symposium

Introduction:Intestinal ischemia can be caused by any process that reduces intestinal blood flow. Mesenteric venous thrombosis (MVT) describes thrombosis of the superior or inferior mesenteric vein, and represents approximately 10 percent of all cases of acute mesenteric ischemia. The incidence of MVT has increased over the past 40 years, likely as a result of greater use of abdominal CT, and may present with acute abdominal pain or as an asymptomatic incidental finding on abdominal imaging. We present a rare and unusual case of MVT.

Case presentation: A 42 year old female with decompensated alcoholic liver cirrhosis presented to the …

A Patient With Advanced Head And Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Presenting With Unexplained Syncope, Andreina Baird, Eric Sanchez Maria, Dawn Jensen, Daniela Hernandez

Research Symposium

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) arise from the mucosal epithelium in the oral cavity. These malignancies account for 90% of the US annual incidence of head and neck cancers. Rarely, these masses can cause syncope. In this case, we present a 61-year-old male from an underserved population in the Rio Grande Valley, with advanced HNSCC, causing carotid sinus syndrome (CSS), due to compression of the carotid sinus by the tumor. Probability of syncope in this setting is <1%.

Case Presentation: A 61-year-old male with HNSCC presented to the emergency department with facial pain, increased oral secretions, fever, dysphagia, …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Resilience In Medical School Students: A Scope Of Medical Literature, Andrea Soto Abarca, Yvette Cortino, Juan Carlos Lopez Alvarenga, Maya Guevara

Research Symposium

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) represent types of childhood trauma that are associated with long-term negative effects on health and wellbeing. An elevated number of ACEs can lead to depression, suicidality, alcoholism, and substance use. Factors that can protect a person from increased health risks include resilience, which is broadly defined as the ability to bounce back from adversity. Few studies have analyzed the exposure of ACEs in medical students, however, there is extensive literature on how low levels of resilience are linked to higher rates of depression, fatigue, and burnout among medical students. Little is known about the …

Response Of Obesity-Resistant Balb/C Mice To A Ketogenic Diet, Ana L. Cantú Ruiz, Diana E. Caballero Hernández, Ana C. Martínez Torres, Ricardo Gomez Flores, Patricia Tamez Guerra, Cristina Rodríguez Padilla

Research Symposium

Introduction. The ketogenic diet (KD) is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet in which the body undergoes metabolic adjustments that stimulate ketogenesis, thereby increasing circulating ketone bodies. Loss of body weight is attributed to these adjustments, as well as neuroprotective properties. However, the mechanisms involved are still not fully elucidated. That aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of a ketogenic diet on body composition, feeding behavior and glucose metabolism in mice of the BALB/c strain, a mouse model resistant to obesity.

Materials and methods. BALB/c mice of both sexes, 12 weeks old, were divided into KD and control …

Ybx1 Modulates Drug Resistance In Liver Cancer, Ana G. Ayala Pazzi

Research Symposium

According to the Texas Cancer Registry, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cause of cancer death. In 2015, Texas had the country's highest incidence rate and the fourth highest mortality rate. Texas Hispanics (87% of Mexican origin) showed the highest incidence and mortality rates compared to the overall US Hispanic population, with individuals of Mexican origin having the highest rates. The Rio Grande Valley, which is predominantly Mexican, is extremely affected by this fact, which exacerbates the need to address this issue within our community.

A major challenge in improving patient therapy in liver cancer is Sorafenib resistance. …

Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis With A Decompensated Hypothyroidism In The Setting Of A Recent Cerebrovascular Accident: A Case Report, Jose Gerardo Gomez Casanovas, Alfarooq Alshaikhli, Sergio Saenz, Daniela Hernandez

Research Symposium

Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (EDKA) is an underdiagnosed endocrine emergency. It consists of an increased anion gap metabolic acidosis (pH < 7.3 or serum bicarbonate < 18 mmol/L), moderate ketonuria with a blood glucose levels

The Patient is a 73-year-old female with a past medical history of Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Hyperlipidemia, Hypothyroidism and deafness and muteness since birth. Patient had a recent ischemic stroke 5 days prior to the admission and was admitted at a different hospital for management of her stroke. Patient left against medical advice and presented to our ED later that day complaining of rectal prolapse. Of note, the patient is non-compliant with her medications. Upon admission, she is alert, oriented, and in …

Medical Students Preventing Medical Errors: A Student-Led Approach To Patient Safety In Preclinical Curriculum, Daniel Habenicht, Niti Dharwadkar, Aishwarya Gatiganti, Sahar Panjwani, Daniel Nwoschua, Lauren Muenchow, Jose Campo Maldonado

Research Symposium

Introduction: Preventable medical errors are currently the third leading cause of death in the United States following heart disease and cancer (1). Early exposure to patient safety knowledge may lead to students to deliver safer care in their clerkship and residency years. This study was designed to assess the change in knowledge from earlier exposure and education during pre-clinical years and its impact on interest and knowledge about patient safety.

Methods: For the past four years, a patient safety training has been conducted for interested first and second-year medical students and responses are assessed through a pre-test, immediate …

A Stomach Bug? Not What You May Think: A Case Of Post-Viral Gastroparesis Caused By Sars-Cov-2, Adrienne Anderson, Nina Shyama Appareddy, Jose Ramos, Grecia Dominguez Rivera, Robinson Pena, Jose E. Campo Maldonado

Research Symposium

Gastroparesis has a wide range of etiologies including diabetes, medications, post-surgical, post-viral and idiopathic (1). SARS-CoV-2 can cause gastrointestinal symptoms which typically resolve within the first few weeks of infection (2). However, some sequelae persist beyond the initial infectious period.

Computational Studies Of Novel Thiazolidine-4-One Based Mao Inhibitors As Neuro-Protective Anti-Parkinson Agents, Abhimannu Shome, Pooja Chawla

Research Symposium

Now a day’s Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson disease is a big concern in the field of medical sciences. In Parkinson’s disease, neurodegeneration occurs in several ways. Monoamine oxidase enzyme is one of them. MAO oxidize the dopamine into its precursor 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), which leads to increased ROS and decreased dopamine level. Thiazolidine-4-one pharmacophore has been used to design the desired compound for the target. Thiazolidine-4-one derivatives have been reported to possess anti-oxidant property so the thiazolidine-4-one clubbed compounds were designed and studied via Molecular docking via AutoDock vina, drug-likeness profile by swissADME and pharmacophore modelling through Pharmagist …

Cell-Based Screening Of Antistress Activity Of Some Phytochemicals: Identification, Validation, And Relevance To Old-Age Related Pathologies, Huayue Zhang, Sunil Kaul, Renu Wadhwa

Research Symposium

Background: A variety of environmental stresses have been shown to contribute to poor quality of life, tissue dysfunctions and ailments including metabolic disorders, cognitive impairment, and accelerated aging. Oxidative stress (an imbalance between the production and processing of highly reactive oxygen species) is largely associated with these phenotypes. Whereas drug development and disease therapeutics have advanced remarkably in last three decades, there are still limited options for stress management. Since the later can effectively decrease the disease burden, we aimed to screen phytochemicals with anti-oxidative stress activity using cell-based assays.

Methods: Brain-derived cells were subjected to chemical models of oxidative …

Medicinal Plants And Herbs For Cancer Prevention, Madeline Mctigue, Julianna Goelzer, William Ranahan

Research Symposium

Modern medicine has yet to produce selective treatments for the vast majority of cancer types. Most chemotherapies, though complex, remain non-specific, and thus destroy healthy cells. Over 25% of cancer patients die from the effects of chemotherapy before the actual tumor would have progressed to the point of organismal death (Megget 2008). Early detection remains the most accurate indicator of successful treatment outcome. But why wait until the disease presents to deal with it? Here the authors argue that a well supported immune system coupled with a dietary regimen of key food-based medicines is a far superior strategy. Given that …