Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Investigation Of The Efficacy Local Anesthetics For Perioperative Peripheral Nerve Blocks In Patients With Diabetes: A Retrospective Chart Review, Andrew Kolodziej, Alisha Valdez, Jessica Flores, Kelsey Potter-Baker

Research Symposium

Background: Peripheral nerve neuralgia is a common manifestation of diabetes and can cause patients to have severe episodes of pain. Although pharmacologic treatment with antineuropathic drugs are first line, they often are not effective and can warrant further treatment with peripheral nerve blocks. Further studies support that peripheral nerve blocks should be considered as the first option for anesthesia for lower limb surgery in diabetic patients. The goal of this study is to evaluate local anesthetic agent regimens in the Rio Grande Valley for peripheral nerve blocks in diabetic patients and determine post operative effectiveness and complications.

Methods: …

Investigating Interrater-Reliability In Assessing Social Behavior Of Monodelphis Domestica, Bianca A. Camacho, Johanna Perez, Jatziry L. Escobedo, John L. Vandeberg, Mario Gil

Research Symposium

Background: Reliable, consistent, and objective data is a goal all studies aim to achieve, but many struggle to obtain when subjective biases between researchers can occur. Inter-rater reliability (IRR) is a statistical measure used to quantify the degree of agreement between researchers qualitatively scoring the same phenomenon. The primary goal of this study is to enhance the methodology used to achieve optimal IRR. Using an established ethogram, our team of researchers scored the social behavior of the adult gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) to propose an effective method for achieving high IRR that can contribute to future …

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 …

Influence Of Neurotoxin Load On Parkinson’S Disease Pathophysiology, Abhishekh Pokhrel, Daniel Salinas, Nawaz Hack, Kelsey Potter-Baker

Research Symposium

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder impacting movement, mood, and cognition. Among those affected, veterans, due to their occupational exposures, are particularly susceptible, contributing to over 110,000 PD cases in the United States. Studies have largely attributed this increased prevalence among veterans to environmental neurotoxins such as Agent Orange, MPTP, and 6-OHDA. However, it remains unclear how neurotoxin exposure load influences biological mechanisms in PD. This study aims to elucidate the influence of neurotoxin load on PD-associated molecular changes, neuroplasticity, neurodegeneration, and cognitive and motor function within a clinical population of the Rio Grande Valley region …

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 …

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 …

Improving Health And Sustainability In Construction Through The Use Of Ai-Based Models For Prediction And Mitigation Of Environmental Cancer Risks, Sana Khan, Asif Shah

Research Symposium

Introduction: Sustainable construction practices face significant challenges in eliminating toxic building materials, driven by a lack of awareness among professionals and economic influences shaping regulatory decisions. This study proposes a solution to address these challenges through the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) models capable of analyzing vast datasets to predict material toxicity, with a particular focus on identifying carcinogenic materials. The objective is to provide real-time insights to architects and civil engineers, fostering environments free from harmful building materials and preventing potential health hazards, including cancer. The presence of carcinogenic materials in construction processes poses severe health risks. Asbestos, a …

Impact Of A Costello Syndrome-Causing Mutation On Learning And Myelin-Producing Cells, Carlos A. Cisneros, Daniella Hernandez, Saul Lopez, Celeste Martinez, Kaelah Araiza, Ana J. Gutierrez, Alejandro Lopez-Juarez

Research Symposium

Background:Costello Syndrome (CS) is a rare genetic disorder caused by hyperactivating mutations in the HRAS gene, which controls the RAS/MAPK intracellular pathway. Symptoms of CS typically include neurocognitive developmental delays, increased risk of autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, and other neurological issues. Additionally, most CS patients present with white matter (WM) abnormalities. WM has been proposed to regulate learning due to its roles in increasing/synchronizing action potentials and protecting neuronal axons. Females of a myelin-focused mouse model of CS (PlpCre;HRasG12V; pHRas) show learning deficits in a myelin-regulated test (the complex running wheel; CW) that resolve with time. To shed …

Human Papilloma Viruses Infection And Pre-Malignant Lesions In Women On The Texas Mexico Border, Noe Garza, M. Gomez Gutierrez, Candace Robledo, Ihsan Salloum

Research Symposium

Background: In United States, 24-40 million women have had at least one Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection. While HPV infection is responsible for over 93% of cervical cancer cases worldwide, it is relatively uncommon in US given screening programs and the introduction of the Papanicolaou test. In Texas, where cervical screening and uptake of the HPV vaccine is lower, the incidence of cervical cancer is 12 cases per 100,000 women. Along the border with Mexico the incidence of cervical cancer rises to 16 cases per 100,000 women, mirroring Mexico’s public health problem: cervical cancer is the leading cause of death in …

Healthcare Professional’S Attitudes Towards Interprofessional Collaboration, Martin Ekoumou, Jerome Fischer

Research Symposium

Background: Traditional healthcare has been characterized as a field where professionals work independently, creating an environment with multiple providers in multiple locations duplicating services, adding to the ineffectiveness and waste of resources. The fragmentation of healthcare provision promotes isolation, competition and attempts to preserve power among professions. Accordingly, patient care is less than optimum. To begin to ameliorate this situation Interprofessional Education has been developed. However, a significant part of this education is effective interprofessional collaboration (IPC) which creates higher patient satisfaction, better coordination of patient care, efficient use of healthcare services and higher professional job satisfaction. The purpose of …

Honey Targets Ribosome Biogenesis Process In Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells To Inhibit Their Growth And Metastatic Phenotypes, Aun A. Bangash, Muhammad Bangash, Haider Ahsan, Shiza Khan, Mudassier Ahmad, Dae Joon Kim, Sahir Alvi, Bilal Hafeez

Research Symposium

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is the fourth deadliest cancer worldwide and is expected to become the second deadliest cancer by 2030. In the USA, the National Cancer Institute put forth a grim prediction stating that there will be 64,050 new cases in 2023 alone and about 50,000 of these patients will die. Existing therapeutic regimens against PanCa are not that effective and show unacceptable toxicities. Therefore, developing highly effective new agents with less toxicity is urgently required, which could be used as a monotherapy or as an adjuvant to treat PanCa patients. Honey is known for its tremendous health benefits …

Gene By Environment Interaction: The Social Determinants Of Health And Depression, Sowmya Duddu, Eron Manusov, Vincent Diego, Marcio Almeida, Sandra Laston, John Blangero, Sarah Williams-Blangero

Research Symposium

Background: Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) influence health through psychological, social, environmental, and cultural domains according to the psychosocial-cultural model of health. This report provides evidence of the intricate relationship between genetics, depression, and the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH). We applied a joint interaction model to account for G×Sex and G×SDoH interaction in the face of depression to establish if both types of interactions are important and independent of one another in the setting of depression. We estimated the corresponding genetic effect and extracted envophenotypes using Best Linear Unbiased Prediction to remove the influence of genetic variation on expression. …

Exploring Neuroplasticity Changes In Neurotoxin-Induced Parkinson’S Disease: A Preliminary Analysis Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Tomas Gomez Jr., Daniel Salinas, Kelsey Potter-Baker, Nawaz Hack, Ramu Vadukapuram

Research Symposium

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition that affects movement, cognition, gait, and significantly impacts one's quality of life. Studies have suggested that neurotoxin pre-exposure is related to PD pathology and progressive motor/non-motor deficits, though it remains unclear how neurotoxin exposure affects neuroplasticity. The present study aimed to examine neurotoxin–induced PD-associated neuroplasticity changes in relationship to mental acuity and PD motor functionalities.

Methods: 7 voluntary participants experiencing early-stage PD symptoms with self-reported neurotoxin pre-exposure were enrolled in the longitudinal, repeated-measures clinical study; 2 sex-matched, age-matched, and occupation-matched healthy subjects were recruited for controlled comparative analysis (n=9). UTRGV’s Institute …

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (Gaba) Neurons And Perineuronal Nets (Pnn) In The Monodelphis Domestica And Relevance To Psychiatric Disorders, Jatziry Z. Luna Escobedo, Mariela Garcia, John L. Vandeberg, Mario Gil

Research Symposium

Background/ Purpose: Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an amino acid that serves as the central nervous system’s (CNS) main inhibitory neurotransmitter. By inhibiting nerve transmission, it works to lower neuronal excitability. Altered GABA levels have been associated with a variety of psychiatric disorders, for example Epilepsies, Parkinson’s Disease, and Schizophrenia. Perineuronal nets (PNN) are extracellular molecules that are released by neurons and glial cells that modulate many neuronal and glial functions by encapsulating the inhibitory cells and neurites. Altered PNN levels serve as a potential trigger to synaptic imbalance. The purpose of this study is to quantify and analyze the presence, …

Exploring The Long-Term Consequences Of Neglected Hypothyroidism Patient At South Texas: A Case Report, Elimar Gonzalez Morales, Jose Gomez Casanovas, Eunbee Cho, Yareli Durazo Gonzalez, Khairiya Haj-Yahya, Andres Suarez Parraga

Research Symposium

Introduction: Hypothyroidism is a condition caused by the thyroid gland's insufficient production of thyroid hormones. This affects 13.95% of the population according to data from this year. Long-term untreated hypothyroidism, which is not frequently seen, can lead to serious health concerns as well as apparent physical signs like fatigue, cognitive difficulties, dry skin, hair loss, and constipation. While most of the people in the US may be able to receive treatment for this debilitating disease, there are specific vulnerable populations that due to socioeconomic difficulties, may not have access to medications.

Case Presentation: A 52-year-old Hispanic woman with a known …

Examining The Matrix: A Case Of Anti-Nuclear Matrix Protein 2 (Nxp-2) Positive Dermatomyositis, Victoria Cuello, Ramiro Oquita, Emilia Dulgheru

Research Symposium

Background: Dermatomyositis is a disease characterized by proximal muscle weakness, elevated muscle enzymes and cutaneous skin findings including heliotrope rash, periungual erythema, Gottron’s papules/sign and shawl-sign. Myositis-specific autoantibodies (MSA) can be used to predict disease manifestations, response to therapy and prognosis. Specifically, patients with dermatomyositis with positive anti-nuclear matrix protein (NXP-2) typically present with classical skin findings, subcutaneous edema, profound muscle weakness, severe dysphagia and hypophonia.

Case Presentation: A 21-year-old Hispanic lady presented to the hospital for severe muscle weakness. She reported soreness in her thighs for three months prior to presentation followed by arm soreness. She also developed a …

Examining Cetp Gene Associated With Ad-Related Diseases Of The Hispanic Population In The Rio Grande Valley., Erika Guajardo, Luis Aguillon, Daniela Ollervides-Charles, Kesheng Wang, Gladys Maestre, J. Garza, Chun Xu

Research Symposium

Background: There are currently about 6 million people in the United States that suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Alzheimer’s Disease related dementia (ADRD). It is a progressive disease beginning with mild memory loss and possibly leading to loss of the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to the environment. Over time, these conditions can cause many different health issues that decrease the quality of life. In addition, Hispanic people are twice as likely to develop AD or AD related dementia than non-Hispanic White people. In our study, we are investigating a known gene, CETP, that directly corresponds …

Evaluation Of Multi-Session Temporary Anesthesia To Improve Upper Limb Recovery: A Preliminary Analysis In Healthy Subjects, Abdallah Galal, Ashley Tijerina, Kelsey Potter-Baker, Daniel Salinas

Research Symposium

Background: Traditional therapy routines utilized in the recovery of patients with spinal cord injury suffer from several limitations, including the long duration needed to achieve benefits and the inability to overcome activation of spared muscles. As a result, motor and sensory function almost never reach their full potential for recovery using traditional methods. Temporary functional deafferentation (TFD) is a relatively new and noninvasive technique that can modulate mechanisms of cortical reorganization in patients with spinal cord injury to improve therapy approaches. TFD involves temporarily numbing adjacent ipsilateral muscles to improve motor and sensory outcomes in the target muscle. The purpose …

Evaluating Alternate Motor Pathway Changes Following A Stroke, Rama N. Shaath, Marylu Cabello, Daniel Salinas, Michael R. Dobbs, Kelsey Potter-Baker

Research Symposium

Background: Stroke is the fifth cause of death in the United States. Not only is stroke a leading cause of death but it is also a leading cause of long-term disability in the United States. Long-term impairments after stroke include gait instability, upper limb paralysis, sensory deficits, pain, depression, and cognitive impairments. The most common impairment is motor paresis of the upper and lower limb. Rehabilitation remains the gold standard in addressing motor paresis with the goal of enabling subjects to regain independence and daily living skills. Strokes often impact the crossed lateral corticospinal tract, by damaging the tract …

Establishing The First Student-Run Clinic To Provide Free Health Care To A South Texas Colonia, John Nicholas Cauba, Andrew B. Callan, Beatriz Tapia

Research Symposium

Purpose: The purpose of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine Student Run Clinic is to bridge the healthcare gap in the local colonias by providing excellent, compassionate primary care to all who enter our doors, free of charge. We also work to connect our patients to low-cost, high-quality services in the area like women’s health visits, appointments with social workers, and dental services. Additionally, we offer medical students’ opportunities from their first year to serve an underserved population and get hands-on experience with patients.

Many patients in colonias face challenges like limited transportation options and a …

Emotion Recognition As A Novel Indicator For Assessing Brain Health: A Machine Learning Approach, Nayarah Shabir, Parveen Lehana

Research Symposium

Background: Emotion is being referred to as a person’s mental state, since it relates to their ideas, feelings, and actions. There is a lot of evidence that health affects the emotion. Therefore, the nature of emotions ought to reveal the health of a person. The emotions are represented by facial expressions controlled by muscular motor actions. Brain health may affect the working of the muscles leading to the emotional changes extracted from the facial images.

Methods: A dataset of facial images annotated with matching emotion labels is the first step in using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for facial …

Emergency Total Proctocolectomy In An Uninsured Hispanic Man With Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Secondary To Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, Barbara Malaga-Espinoza, Diana Othon, Yilen K. Ng-Wong, Vamsikalyan Borra, Aramide Tijani, Fatimah Bello

Research Symposium

Background: FAP is a rare genetic disorder classically inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, which affects about 1 in 8 300 individuals (1). The Hispanic population has limited data regarding the spectrum of FAP mutation and clinical manifestation, although there is significant anecdotal evidence that the prevalence might be higher, with one only known Hispanic familial cancer registry in Puerto Rico (2).

Case Presentation: We are reporting the case of a 25-year-old Hispanic gentleman with a strong family history of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) and Colorectal Cancer (CRC) who presented for evaluation of abdominal pain, recurrent bloody stools, and profound …

Effect Of Alcohol Consumption On Cognitive Decline Among Mexican Adults, Silvia Mejia-Arango, Ihsan Salloum, Gladys E. Maestre

Research Symposium

Background: Studies on the association between alcohol use and cognitive impairment have yielded controversial results suggesting a reduced risk of dementia in drinkers vs. nondrinkers. We aimed to examine the effect of alcohol use on cognitive trajectories among Mexican adults aged 50 and over.

Methods: Data are from 5,898 cognitively normal individuals (2,512 men and 3,386 women) from the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) with a mean age of 59 years (50-90 years) at baseline (2001) and followed-up after 11 years (2012). The Cross-Cultural Cognitive Examination was the cognitive battery measuring verbal memory, visual memory, attention, and …

Engaging The South Texas Latino Community: Utilizing Community Member Feedback To Inform Research On Community Engagement, Dolores Garcia, Rebecca Jones, Sonia Rincon-Sanchez, Paula Bravo

Research Symposium

Background: The UT Health San Antonio Mays Cancer Center Community Outreach and Engagement Core is identifying how South Texas Latino residents navigate cancer-related health needs. Our team explored these from a class and place perspective.

Methods: Listening sessions were conducted across South Texas. Sessions lasted 1.5 hours, were in English and Spanish, and recorded. Recordings were transcribed, and a thematic analysis was completed.

Results: Seventy-four South Texas residents participated in the sessions.

Insurance status and healthcare access were key factors impacting communities’ ability to navigate cancer-related health needs. Analyses were explored from an urban, rural, inland, and border perspective.

Urban …

Development Of Solitary Keratoacanthoma From A Cutaneous Wart, Joshua M. Ninan, Veronica Salazar

Research Symposium

Background: Common cutaneous warts, referred to in medicine as verrucae vulgaris, are proliferative lesions caused by human papillomavirus. These lesions are mostly benign and usually resolve without incident, except in the case of the patient mentioned in this report. Our patient developed a solitary keratoacanthoma, currently accepted as a clinical variant of squamous cell carcinoma, as a result of several risk factors and traumatic exposure. The current literature does not have an established association of HPV with solitary keratoacanthomas. This case report explores the presentation and pathogenesis of solitary keratoacanthomas within the setting of HPV.

Case Presentation: 48-year-old Caucasian female …

Development Of Liposomes Using Microfluids For Delivery Of Mir-205, Victoria Herrera, Rahul Tiwari, Meghana Kolli, Neeraj Chauhan, Amber M. Garza, Eswara Naga Hanuma Kumar Ghali, Subhash C. Chauhan, Murali Yallapu

Research Symposium

Background: The therapeutic application of microRNA(s) in the field of cancer has generated significant attention in research. miR-205 is a tumor suppressor in various cancers. However, the delivery of miR-205 is an unmet clinical need. Thus, the development of liposomal formulation platform to deliver miR-205 is highly sought. The most common applications of liposome formulations are vaccines and anticancer formulations (e.g., mRNA, small molecule drugs). However, large-scale production with precise control of size and size distribution of the lipid-based drug delivery systems (DDSs) is one of the major challenges in the pharmaceutical industry. The objective of this study is to …

Development Of An Experiential Learning Lab Activity On Skeletal Muscle Physiology In Undergraduate Md Pre-Clerkship Curriculum, Meyer B. Maddox, Angela Martinez, Daniel Salinas, Kelsey Potter-Baker, Amin Shah

Research Symposium

Background: Experiential learning is an important part of the medical education curriculum. Due to the clinical relevance of skeletal muscle strength in evaluating patients’ complaints of muscle weakness or imbalance, skeletal muscle physiology is an important concept with extensive potential for experiential learning opportunities. Our goal was to establish an experiential learning skeletal muscle physiology lab activity that would improve undergraduate MD pre-clerkship students’ skill to collect muscle force measurements using a hand-held dynamometer (HHD) and understanding of core physiological concepts.

Methods: As part of the Musculoskeletal and Dermatology (MSKD) Module in the undergraduate MD pre-clerkship curriculum, we developed a …

Comparative Effectiveness Of Endovascular Vs Surgical Arteriovenous Fistulas: A Preliminary Analysis, Melissa M. Cruz, James J. Fitzgibbon, Patrick Heindel, Mohamad Hussain

Research Symposium

Purpose: The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of endovascular arteriovenous fistula (endoAVF) creation versus open surgical AVF (openAVF) for hemodialysis access across centers participating in the Dialysis Access Learning and Innovation Collaborative (DiAL-In Collaborative) in the United States. In this preliminary analysis, we report the baseline characteristics and clinical profile of patients enrolled at a single center.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in chronic kidney disease patients who underwent creation of an upper arm autogenous vascular access for hemodialysis (2018-2022) at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. Data …

Contribution Of 24-H Blood Pressure Variability To Dementia-Related Disorders In Hispanics, Nura Salhadar, Kristina Vatcheva, Silvia Mejia-Arango Dr., Luis J. Mena, Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, Carlos A. Chavez, Ciro A. Goana, Egle Silva, Gustavo Calmon, Rosa P. Mavarez, Joseph H. Lee, Joseph D. Terwilliger, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Gladys E. Maestre

Research Symposium

Introduction: As the number of people living with dementia is increasing at alarming rates worldwide, there is an urgent need to understand the physiopathology of dementia syndromes. Among the most important preventable risk factors, treatment of vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure (BP) decreases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). Recent evidence suggests that examining BP variability provides additional physiopathological and predictive information above the mean BP level. However, studies examining the relationship between 24-h BP variability and ADRD are limited, and evidence of the association with dementia has not been documented yet. Therefore, we …

The Influence Of Concussions On Fracture Severity: A Retrospective Chart Review, Hunter M. Butler, Blake Martin, Jared Hensley, Russell Wiggins, Kevin Garcia Valdez, Chloe Harris, Kelsey Potter-Baker

Research Symposium

Background: Since 2005, there has been an 87% increase in concussions in high school sports. Concussions and concussion-like events are associated with a myriad of pathologies, but recently, clinical research has suggested that such events can lead to hypoparathyroidism and decreased bone mass. Specifically, research has suggested that following a concussion-like event, blood calcium may be reduced and influence bone mass and future healing from bone insults. However, a specific correlation between the loss of available blood calcium and severity of bone fractures in previously concussed individuals has yet to be identified. In this study, we will explore the clinical …