Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Relationship Between Self-Reported Exercise Levels During Pregnancy And Labor Pains, Jaiden Outten, Maria Johnson, Katherine Ingram Ph.D., Sadaf Dabeer Ph.D., Julianna Filguerias Meireles Ph.D., Janeen Amason R.N., Ph.D

Symposium of Student Scholars

Abstract

Background: Physical activity is important to maintain overall health and wellness even during pregnancy. There are numerous benefits to exercise during pregnancy that include reduced back pain and lower risk of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. Recent studies have shown an association between aerobic exercise and reduction in the intensity of labor pains. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the association among level of exercise level and the intensity of pain during active labor. Methods: Women up to 2 years postpartum were invited to complete an online survey about the frequency of exercise (none, occasionally, a few …

3-Dimensional Agent-Based Model Of Neural Activity In The Central Nucleus Of The Amygdala During Pain, Carley Reith, Rachael Neilan, Benedict Kolber

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

The Heart Of The Matter: Cardiac Specific Discrepancies Between Human And Mouse Models Of Friedreich Ataxia, Katherine Copenhaver, Ed Grabczyk

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Friedreich Ataxia (FRDA) is a relentlessly progressive neurodegenerative disease that manifests with multiple symptoms, which may include progressive gait and limb ataxia, loss of vibratory and position sense, progressive motor weakness, diabetes mellitus, and scoliosis. This condition also affects the heart, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the cause of death in approximately 60% of patients. FRDA is a DNA repeat disorder, caused by the somatic expansion of GAA•TTC repeats within the first intron of the frataxin (FXN) gene. This leads to decreased FXN mRNA expression. The length of the repeat tract correlates with the severity of FRDA symptoms and inversely with …

Demographics Of Periprosthetic Joint Infection Rates, Katelynn Donnelly, Abigail Erwin, Andrew Chapple, Peter Krause, Vinod Dasa

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Introduction: Risk factors for periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) following total joint arthroplasties (TJAs) include patient demographics and comorbidities such as age, gender, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes. 1 However, there is insufficient research analyzing the number of PJIs in certain racial subsets of the population despite the presence of disparities due to race that still exists in orthopedics today. 2 The purpose of this study is to investigate if PJI rates differ by race, as well as other patient demographics. This may uncover valuable information on how race relates to PJIs which is frequently unaccounted for in other studies. This …

Lack Of Demographic Information In Tha/Tka Randomized Controlled Trial Publications, Katelynn Donnelly, Hannah Theriot, John Bourgeois, Andrew Chapple, Peter Krause, Vinod Dasa

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Introduction: The impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) has been documented in orthopedic literature. However, there is a lack of data on the inclusion of these variables in orthopedic studies. Our aim was to investigate how many THA and TKA randomized controlled trials (RCTs) report SDOH variables such as race, ethnicity, insurance, income, and education within the manuscript. Methods: A literature review was conducted on a PubMed search for RCTs published from 2017-2019 in 4 major orthopedic journals which routinely publish on total joint arthroplasty: JBJS, Journal of Arthroplasty, CORR, and Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. The inclusion criteria, THA/TKA RCTs …

Peripheral Immune Cell Pro- And Anti-Nociceptive Gene Expression In Chronicbinge Alcohol Administered Siv-Infected Rhesus Macaques, Michael Dubic, Liz Simon, Patricia Molina

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

People living with HIV (PLWH) have a 2-fold higher prevalence of chronic pain compared to the general population. Reports in the literature indicate that alcohol consumption to self-medicate pain may increase the incidence of at-risk alcohol use. Chronic alcohol use, HIV infection, and anti-retroviral therapy (ART) all independently lead to altered pain states, yet the underlying pathophysiology is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to explore the utility of peripheral blood mono nuclear cells (PBMCs) as indicators of alcohol-, ART-, and HIV- associated alterations in pro and anti- nociceptive pathways in a relevant preclinical model of HIV-infection. Four- …

Demographics Of Periprosthetic Joint Infections Rates, Katelynn Donnelly, Abigail Erwin, Andrew Chapple, Peter Krause, Vinod Dasa

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Introduction: Risk factors for periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) following total joint arthroplasties (TJAs) include patient demographics and comorbidities such as age, gender, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes. However, there is insufficient research analyzing the number of PJIs in certain racial subsets of the population despite the presence of disparities due to race that still exists in orthopedics today. The purpose of this study is to investigate if PJI rates differ by race, as well as other patient demographics. This may uncover valuable information on how race relates to PJIs which is frequently unaccounted for in other studies. This study aims …

Impaired Aicd In Senescent Cd8 T-Cells: Cell Death Pathwayselectivity & The Effects Of Alcohol, Nabil Essajee, I Welsh, Pm Mcternan, David A. Welsh, Robert W. Siggins

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Background: Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is prevalent in People Living with HIV (PLWH). Chronic alcohol use and HIV infections are both stressors that can accelerate the onset of cellular senescence, a pro-inflammatory phenotype associated with unhealthy ageing and contributor to the phenomenon known as “inflamm-aging.” Furthermore, it has been observed that in senescent cells, there is an impairment of Activation-Induced Cell Death (AICD). The mechanism of impairment of AICD in senescent cells remains unknown. The goal of our research is to investigate by which pathway of cell death (apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis) senescent cells are susceptible by analyzing markers of senescence …

Neurobiological Consequences Of Chronic Binge Alcohol Exposure And Ovariectomy On Markers Of Hippocampal Plasticity In Siv-Infected Rhesus Macaques, Taylor Fitzpatrick-Schmidt, Larry B. Coleman, Kimberly N. Edwards, Liz Simon, Patricia E. Molina, Scott Edwards

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has profound impacts on the central nervous system, including HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). HIV-associated cognitive deficits can be further exacerbated by alcohol consumption1 . With the rising prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in females, understanding the neurobiological impact of AUD and HIV infection in this population is increasingly important 2 . The hippocampus is part of the brain’s limbic system and plays prominent roles in both cognition and affective regulation. Thus, investigating hippocampal neuroadaptations in the context of comorbid HIV infection and AUD is critical for understanding the mechanisms of neurocognitive and affective impairment …

Short-Term High Fat, High Sucrose Diet Increases Markers Associated With Hepaticlipid Accumulation In Rhesus Macaques, Eden Gallegos, Liz Simon, Patricia Molina

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Self-reported data collected from our clinical cohort, the New Orleans Alcohol Use in HIV (NOAH), shows that a significant number of people living with HIV (PLWH) consume a suboptimal diet as determined by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Consumption of a high fat, high sucrose diet (HFSD), known as a Western Diet contributes to metabolic dyshomeostasis and development of metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. At-risk alcohol consumption, HIV-infection, and consumption of a HFSD independently can lead to liver disease. Thus, PLWH with at risk alcohol consumption and consuming a HFSD may have increased risk for liver pathology. Alcoholic …

Female Mice Are Protected From Chronic Inhaled Nicotine-Induced Pulmonaryhypertension Via A Sex Hormone-Independent Mechanism, Idanis Z. Garcia, Nicholas D. Fried, Anna K. Whitehead, Eric Lazartigues, Xinping Yue, Jason D. Gardner

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Introduction: Cigarette smoking has declined in the United States, but e-cigarettes use increased by 46.2% in young adults and 77.8% in high school students between 2017-2018. Little is known about the long-term health implications of these nicotine-containing devices, but cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, which are the primary cause of death in industrialized countries. Our group previously demonstrated that chronic inhaled nicotine induces pulmonary hypertension (PH) and right ventricular (RV) remodeling in male mice, but female mice exposed to nicotine failed to develop PH, suggesting a sex difference. This led us to hypothesize …

Alcohol Metabolism Negatively Affects Early Atdc5 Chondrocyte Differentiationindependent Of Nox4 Expression, Hardy Hang, Alexandra Denys, Martin J. J. Ronis

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Alcohol (ethanol) abuse is a widely recognized risk factor in the development of several diseases. Previous studies in our lab have shown that ethanol induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in osteogenic cells, which results in oxidative damage, skeletal dysfunction, and osteoporosis. Moreover, ethanol inhibits epiphyseal plate proliferation in longitudinal bones and affects chondrocyte function, which results in shorter bones. In osteogenic cells, a major source of ethanol-mediated ROS is derived from NADPH oxidases (NOXs). However, it remains uncertain if ROS produced by NOXs during alcohol metabolism result in impaired chondrocyte function and differentiation. In this study, we investigated if …

Interactions Of Mglur1/5 Transmission And Crf Signaling Following Adolescentalcohol Exposure & Adult Stress, John M. Lacey, Eleanor Holmgren, Tiffany Wills

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Alcohol exposure in adolescence serves as a strong predictor of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in adulthood. Adolescence is time when alcohol drinking is commonly initiated and recent data points to sex differences in this consumption, with females consuming more alcohol during adolescence than males. Understanding the long-term consequences of adolescent alcohol exposure on neurocircuitry and behavior may help us identify the factors that increase AUD risk. Negative affect and stress are known to be common triggers for alcohol relapse and are also thought to be more powerful drivers for female drinking compared to male, whom are more likely to drink …

Longitudinal Shotgun Metagenomic Analysis Of The Vaginal Microbiome During The Onsetof Bacterial Vaginosis, John W. Lammons, Jacob H. Elnagger, Evelyn Toh, Amy Dong, Kristal J. Aaron, Meng Luo, Ashutosh Tamhane, Elliot J. Lefkowitz, David E. Nelson, Christina A. Muzny, Christopher M. Taylor

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Introduction: Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is a common disorder associated with the vaginal microbiome characterized by the displacement of lactobacillus with an overgrowth of anaerobes. Symptomatic cases can be associated with Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), complications with pregnancy, and greater susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections. In cases where antibiotics are needed to treat BV, recurrence commonly occurs within 3 months to a year. Despite the prevalence of BV, the specific mechanism associated with the onset is unclear. In this pilot study we utilized shotgun metagenomics to identify the discrete changes occurring in the vaginal microbiome leading up to the onset of …

Effects Of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Thc) On Thermal Nociception Andconditioned Behavior In Sprague Dawley Rats, Taylor Marks, Peter Winsauer, Tamara Morris, Madison Priestley, Kayla Prevost

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Cannabinoids have been suggested as a possible alternative to opioids for pain management and as an adjunct to opioid administration to reduce the many adverse effects associated with their administration (i.e., administered to produce opioid-sparing effects). Although cannabinoids such as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) have been shown to produce antinociceptive effects, these effects have not typically been compared directly with its adverse effects – some of which include the disruption of cognitive and conditioned behaviors. These types of studies are necessary if cannabinoids such as THC can be considered a valid option for pain management. The present experiment was conducted to directly …

Regulatory Function Of The Anticoagulant Protein S In Patients With Chuvashpolycythemia, Devin M. Melancon, Verima Pereira, Rinku Majumder

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Background: Chuvash polycythemia is a hematological disorder that is present worldwide but endemic to the Chuvash population, a Turkish ethnic group, in Russia. The disorder is caused by a homozygous germline mutation (R200W) in the von Hippel Lindau gene. This mutation impairs binding of pVHL to hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α); lack of this interaction prevents degradation of HIF-1α. The resultant upregulation of HIF-1α, even in a normal oxygen state, increases the activity of erythropoietin, thereby causing polycythemia. Affected individuals experience increased rates of arterial and venous thrombosis unrelated to the increased concentration of hemoglobin. Aims: To determine whether upregulation of …

Investigating The Role Of Adipor1 In Pro-Homeostatic Fatty Acid Metabolism Pathways, Eric Prestenburg, Alise Aucoin, Marie-Audrey Kautzmann-Guerin, Bokkyoo Jun, William Gordon, Nicolas Bazan

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6) is a substrate widely accepted as necessary for synthesizing very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs), a class of lipids found in high concentrations in the retina. VLC-PUFAs are formed from 28:6 derived in the omega-3 fatty acid pathway involving eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6) by a series of reactions catalyzed by the elongase ELOVL4 within the inner segments of the photoreceptor cells (PRCs). VLC-PUFAs are precursors to elovanoids (ELVs), which have been indicated to maintain homeostasis in the retina in response to inflammation and uncompensated oxidative stress (UOS). During these conditions, elovanoids are …

Investigating Neuroprotective Efficacy Of Lipid Mediators Neuroprotectin D1 (Npd1)And Resolvin D1 (Rvd1) On Behavioral Outcomes And Ischemic Penumbra, Kierany B. Shelvin, Madigan M. Reid, Larissa Khourtorova, Jeff Ji, William Lewis, Pranab Mukherjee, Ludmila Belayev, Nicolas G. Bazan

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Background: In the United States, stroke is the sixth leading cause of death, and a major cause of long-term disability. Ischemic stroke elicits a cascade of immune and neuroinflammatory responses that form an ischemic core and surrounding area (penumbra) which can be salvaged upon reperfusion within a limited period of time. Reperfusion signals the release of an essential omega-3 fatty acid, Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from injured neuronal cell membranes. DHA is converted into its derivatives, Neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1) via 15- lypoxygenase and Resolvin D1 (RvD1) via 15- and 5-lypoxygenase. These docosanoid lipid mediators have been shown to improve neurologic outcomes …

Novel Biomarkers For Early And Accurate Detection Of A Fatal Gut Inflammatory Diseasein Preemie Babies, Lana Thaljeh, Rebecca Buckley, Anne Tufton, Maya Heath, Brian Barkemeyer, Zhide Fang, Lee Mcdaniel, Andrew Chapple, Kelly Laborde, Beverly Ogden, Misty Good, Duna Penn, Steven Spedale, Sunyoung Kim

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is an inflammatory disease that primarily affects the intestinal tract of premature and low birthweight infants. It is one of the most common complications that occur with prematurity, which also results in high morbidity and mortality due to unchecked pathogenic bacterial growth. The median time between death and x-ray diagnosis is 1 day and, currently, there are no reliable molecular methods to predict the onset of NEC in infants. Association of intestinal alkaline phosphatase (iAP) with moderate and severe forms of the disease suggested that iAP can be a diagnostic tool that is accurate and specific for …

Asymptomatic Covid-19 On Lsuhsc’S Campus: Antibodies, Pcr Tests, And Variants, Mallory K. Varnado, San Chu, Caroline Duncan, Ron Horswell, Lucio Miele, Judy Crabtree

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Background: Rapid spreading of the highly contagious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused a pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19) which has infected 188,128,952 people and resulted in 4,059,339 deaths worldwide (WHO COVID-19 Dashboard). Despite profound disease prevention measures and recent attempts at widespread vaccination, the virus continues to mutate and infect new people each day. Objective: The goal of this study is to analyze the data collected from the COVID-19 screening and testing program at LSUHSC-New Orleans. This includes antibody testing data, exposure and symptom questionnaires, PCR viral testing, and viral RNA sequencing data from deidentified, …

Role Of Lymph From Alcohol-Treated Animals On Naïve Perilymphaticadipose Tissue Immunomodulation, Kourtney Weaver, Flavia Souza-Smith

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Alcohol impairs innate and adaptive immune responses, harming host defense against infections. Chronic alcohol administration has also been shown to impact early manifestations of metabolic dysfunction such as insulin resistance in rodent models. In our previous studies, we found that alcohol induces mesenteric lymphatic leakage and perilymphatic adipose tissue (PLAT) immunometabolic dysregulation. Whether the lymph from alcohol-treated animals is directly causing PLAT immunometabolic dysregulation is still to be determined. We hypothesize that lymph contents from alcohol-treated animals will immunomodulate naïve PLAT explants. To test this hypothesis, male Fischer 344 rats received Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet containing 36% of calories from alcohol …

Sex Differences In The Effects Of Adolescent Alcohol Exposure, Rebecca K. Yoon, S.L. Rein, O.R. Brunke, Eleanor B. Holmgren, T. Henderson, C.R. Kasten, Tiffany Wills

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Adolescent alcohol exposure is one of the strongest risk factors for the development of alcohol use disorder. Notably, affective disorders tend to emerge during this period of development as well. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests adolescent alcohol use in females is outpacing males, and that there are sex differences in various aspects of alcohol use. Women are more likely to use alcohol to blunt emotions of negative affective disorders such as anxiety and depression, while men are more likely to drink alcohol for the positive reward effects. To understand the underlying mechanism, it is necessary to …

Floppy Eyelid Syndrome And Obesity (Flo) Study, Bethany S. Acosta, Kyle V. Acosta, Stefany D. Primeaux

Medical Student Research Poster Symposium

Floppy Eyelid Syndrome (FES) was first described in 1981 by Culbertson and Ostler. Often under-diagnosed, the reported incidence ranges from 0.5-31.5% with an average age of 51 years. A patient will typically present with a soft, rubbery tarsus that folds in on itself, a loose upper eyelid that everts easily with manual manipulation, and papillary conjunctivitis. Studies indicate that patients with FES are often diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and have high rates of obesity (Body Mass Index (BMI) > 30). Patients with FES exhibit a diminished quantity of elastin fibers throughout the pretarsal orbicularis oculi muscle and tarsus. Interestingly, …

Nutritional Supplementation To Reduce The Risk Of Malnutrition In The Dsu, Rebeca Zamora, Bsn, Rn, Pccn

St. Joseph Hospital, Orange, CA. Evidence Based Practice Conference

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Adiponectin And Dietary Iron In Non-Diabetic Young Women, Calah Coleman

Symposium of Student Scholars

Introduction: Adiponectin is a protein-based hormone that is secreted by adipocytes and assists in several metabolic processes including glucose regulation and fatty acid oxidation. Low adiponectin levels have been linked to metabolic conditions such as increased insulin resistance and obesity. Previous studies have shown that circulating iron has an inverse relationship with adiponectin levels. It is unknown whether dietary iron has the same association with adiponectin levels.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between dietary iron intake and adiponectin levels.

Methods: This study examined 42 non-diabetic women (Age: 20.7 ±2.8 years; BMI 27.6 ±3.6). The …

Gestational Diabetes: What About Your Exercise?, Andreana Henry

Symposium of Student Scholars

Previous research on exercise as a form of preventative care to reduce the risk of gestational diabetes has produced conflicting views. When and why exercise is the most beneficial during pregnancy has been widely debated, as well as which trimester exercise is the most effective to reduce the risk of gestational diabetes. It has been argued that if a woman has not previously incorporated exercise into her lifestyle, during pregnancy is not the ideal time to start. Conversely, light to moderate exercise is encouraged to decrease the chances of gestational diabetes, but which gestation period exercise will have the greatest …

Scrna Seq Analysis Of Ebv+ Associated Gastric Cancer, Eric Wang

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Estrogen In The Glucoregulatory Response To Exercise In Type 1 Diabetes, Mitchell James Sammut

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Regular exercise has shown to benefit the health of individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). However, a barrier to regular exercise for this population is the fear of low blood glucose (BG) levels, also known as hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia can result in short and long-term side-effects, such as recurring loss of consciousness or in severe cases death.

In non-diabetics, sex-related differences in fuel selection during exercise are well established. Women shift towards using fats as fuel whereas men rely mostly on sugars (i.e., carbohydrates) for energy production. Exercise during the luteal phase of the female menstrual cycle, where estrogen levels …

Development Of A Low Field Mri-Based Approach For Observation Of Water Penetration Into Clay: Preliminary Results, Shivam Gupta

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are considered one of the most efficient and non-invasive methods of observing water content in permeable substances. MRI can visualize and quantify the movement of water in real time. In this study, MRI was used to observe the water penetration through clay. Furthermore, MRI can acquire three-dimensional data due to its radio-frequency signals from any orientation. The contrast of the images produced by MRI is a display of the fluid concentration. As such, any change in the contrast intensity is interpreted as a regional change in the concentration of fluid. This report summarizes the preliminary results …

Simulating 129-Xe Hyperpolarization, Jacob F. Abiad

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Hyperpolarized 129-Xe is an important resource in many fields of medical physics and MRI research. The physics of the efficient production of hyperpolarized 129-Xe is therefore equally worth investigation. The main process of hyperpolarizing 129-Xe is Spin Exchange Optical Pumping (SEOP) and is dependent on several physical factors that can be difficult to constantly change in a lab setting. Physical modelling of 129-Xe hyperpolarization allows for the more efficient testing of hyperpolarization physics in a wide array of experimental setups to better determine the optimal values for hyperpolarization. This research project attempted to create a working model for 129-Xe hyperpolarization …