Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Genetic And Epigenetic Features Of Bilateral Wilms Tumor Predisposition In Patients From The Children’S Oncology Group Aren18b5-Q, Andrew J Murphy, Changde Cheng, Justin Williams, Timothy I Shaw, Emilia M Pinto, Karissa Dieseldorff-Jones, Jack Brzezinski, Lindsay A Renfro, Brett Tornwall, Vicki Huff, Andrew L Hong, Elizabeth A Mullen, Brian Crompton, Jeffrey S Dome, Conrad V Fernandez, James I Geller, Peter F Ehrlich, Heather Mulder, Ninad Oak, Jamie Maciezsek, Carolyn M Jablonowski, Andrew M Fleming, Prahalathan Pichavaram, Christopher L Morton, John Easton, Kim E Nichols, Michael R Clay, Teresa Santiago, Jinghui Zhang, Jun Yang, Gerard P Zambetti, Zhaoming Wang, Andrew M Davidoff, Xiang Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Developing synchronous bilateral Wilms tumor suggests an underlying (epi)genetic predisposition. Here, we evaluate this predisposition in 68 patients using whole exome or genome sequencing (n = 85 tumors from 61 patients with matched germline blood DNA), RNA-seq (n = 99 tumors), and DNA methylation analysis (n = 61 peripheral blood, n = 29 non-diseased kidney, n = 99 tumors). We determine the predominant events for bilateral Wilms tumor predisposition: 1)pre-zygotic germline genetic variants readily detectable in blood DNA [WT1 (14.8%), NYNRIN (6.6%), TRIM28 (5%), and BRCA-related genes (5%)] or 2)post-zygotic epigenetic hypermethylation at 11p15.5 H19/ICR1 that may require analysis of …

Transcriptional Profiles Of Pulmonary Artery Endothelial Cells In Pulmonary Hypertension, Navneet Singh, Carsten Eickhoff, Augusto Garcia‑Agundez, Paul Bertone, Sunita S. Paudel, Dhananjay T. Tambe, Leslie A. Litzky, Katherine Cox‑Flaherty, James R. Klinger, Sean F. Monaghan, Christopher J. Mullin, Mandy Pereira, Thomas Walsh, Mary Whittenhall, Troy Stevens, Elizabeth O. Harrington, Corey E. Ventetuolo

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction. There are no data from living patients to inform whether differential gene expression of pulmonary artery ECs (PAECs) can discern disease subtypes, progression and pathogenesis. We aimed to further validate our previously described method to propagate ECs from right heart catheter (RHC) balloon tips and to perform additional PAEC phenotyping. We performed bulk RNA sequencing of PAECs from RHC balloons. Using unsupervised dimensionality reduction and clustering we compared transcriptional signatures from PAH to controls and other forms of pulmonary hypertension. Select PAEC samples underwent single cell and population growth …

The Role Of Point-Of-Care Ultrasound In The Assessment Of Pelvic Urine Leakage And Diagnosis Of Urinoma, Asra Moradkhani, Mona Zangi, Mobin Azami, Mohammad Ghasemi-Rad, Abdolghader Pakniyat

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Urinoma, a rare condition resulting from urine leakage due to trauma to the kidney, bladder, or urethra, is typically diagnosed using enhanced computed tomography urogram with delayed imaging. This report presents two cases of urinoma likely caused by overdistention of the renal pelvis following excessive fluid intake and the presence of a ureteral stone.

CASE PRESENTATION: We present two cases of 36-year-old and 38-year-old patients who presented with flank pain. point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) played a pivotal role in identifying perinephric fluid in Morrison's space and the splenorenal space, respectively. These ultrasound findings guided further investigations, leading to definitive diagnoses …

Treatment Response Of Gingival Squamous-Cell Carcinoma To Palliative Intent Immunotherapy, Natalia Trehan, Angelina Debbas, Mykaihla Sternick, Jennifer Johnson, James Gates

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

The use of PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor medications has become a common practice in the treatment of recurrent and metastatic head and neck squamous-cell carcinomas. Success in this setting has led to the investigation of their efficacy in locally advanced cases as a part of first-line therapy. In this report, we detail the treatment response to palliative intent immunotherapy of three geriatric patients with mandibular gingival squamous-cell carcinoma who decided against surgical intervention. Patient #1 was treated with pembrolizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor, and displayed complete clinical and radiologic response of the gingival mass after three months of treatment, which is …

Prevalence Of Carriers Of Cholesterol Deficiency–Associated Apob Mutation In Some Native, Holstein And Simmental Cattle Breeds In Türkiye, Hasan Meydan, Kübra Bedi̇r Di̇bi̇ç, Onur Vural, Mehmet Ali̇ Yildiz, Jørgen S. Agerholm

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Genetic diseases play an increasingly important role in cattle breeding as breeding technologies such as artificial insemination has an inborn risk of disseminating deleterious genes, especially from high merit breeding sires. Cholesterol deficiency (CD) is a metabolic disorder first recognized in Holstein cattle in 2015. The condition is characterized by chronic diarrhea and unthriftiness in calves being homozygous for the defective allele. The prevalence of carriers of CD in Turkish cattle is at present unknown and therefore 700 heifers and cows of different breeds, including 300 Holsteins were genotyped. Of the tested Holsteins, 2.0% turned out to be carriers of …

Validation Of A Chimeric Proteins-Based Elisa For The Diagnosis Of Brucellosis In Kazakhstan, Aitbay Bulashev, Saule Eskendirova, Bakytkali Ingirbay, Alfiya Syzdykova, Fariza Zhagipar

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This study aimed to compare the suitability of three chimeric recombinant outer membrane proteins of Brucella (rOmps 19 + 25, 19 + 31, and 25 + 31) for the diagnosis of bovine and sheep brucellosis using an indirect ELISA (i-ELISA). The diagnostic properties of these proteins in an i-ELISA were studied using blood serum samples from cattle and sheep with known positive and negative results for brucellosis based on the rose Bengal plate test (RBT), complement fixation test (CFT), and a commercial ELISA (c-ELISA) kit, as well as using animal sera from fresh foci of infection with unknown reactivity. rOmps19 …

Effect Of Thermo-Insulated Kid Hutch On Location Preference, Growth Performance, And Blood Haemato-Biochemical Indices Of Winter-Born Goat Kids (Capra Hircus), Ajoy Das, Dilip Kumar Mandal, Asish Debbarma, Muthupalani Karunakaran, Anupam Chatterjee, Debajyoti Sarkar

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This study assessed the effect of thermo-insulated kid hutch (TIKH) on location preference, body surface temperature, growth performance, and blood haemato-biochemical indices of winter-born Black Bengal goat kids. Does were maintained in the same shed, born kids (n = 12) were divided into two groups along with mothers to begin experiments from day 1 of birth. The treatment group (TIKH) of kids was given a TIKH to which kids had free access, but not the adults. However, in the control group (CONT) kids were reared without TIKH. The floor surface temperature of TIKH was significantly (p < 0.05) higher at night as compared to goat shed in December (4.28%), January (3.98%), and February (7.72%). The interior roof surface of TIKH had 25.12%, 33.55%, 31.85%, 10.99%, and 4.37% higher (p < 0.01) temperatures at night compared to the roof surface temperature of the goat shed in December, January, February, March, and April, respectively. The presence of kids inside the TIKH at the age of 1–15 days was the greatest in morning (80.5%) and evening (72.2%). Between the ages of 16–-60 days, the preference of kids for the TIKH varied from 69.2% to 54.2% in the morning and from 70.0% to 66.7% in the evening. However, at the age of 61–75 days, kids’ preference for TIKH gradually declined in the morning (11.6%) and evening (19.9%) due to the increased inside temperature. Kids weaning weight was 23.25% higher (p < 0.05) in the TIKH group as compared to that of CONT. The average daily gain (0–30 days) was higher (41.34%; p < 0.05) in kids in the TIKH compared to the CONT shed. The haemato-biochemical profiles of kids were similar in both groups except for blood serum glucose, which was greater (p < 0.05) in kids of the TIKH than that of CONT shed. In conclusion, the provision of TIKH improved the growth and overall performance of winter-born Black Bengal goat kids during pre and postweaning periods.

Determining The Quality Of Sugar Beet Pulp, Lenox, And Ryegrass Silages Used In Feeding Dairy Cattle, In Comparison To Corn Silage, Fatma Özkan, Suphi̇ Deni̇z

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This study was carried out to determine the quality of sugar beet pulp (Beta vulgaris L.), lenox (Brassica rapa L.), and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorium cv. caramba) silages used in feeding dairy cattle, in comparison to corn silage. Whole corn was harvested at the dough stage, lenox was harvested at the end of flowering, and ryegrass was harvested at the beginning of spike. No additives were added to the corn silage, but 5% molasses was added to the sugar beet pulp, ryegrass, and lenox silages that have low levels of easily degradable sugar. Additionally, 5% sainfoin was added to the sugar …

Water Buffalo Social Networks During Their Activities On Pasture Under The Rain, Eleni Tsiobani, Maria Yiakoulaki, Nikolaos Hasanagas, Ioannis Antoniou

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Water buffaloes exhibit various social structures during their activities on pasture, but the impact of abiotic factors (i.e. rainfall) on these structures remains unknown. While existing research has provided evidence concerning the effect of weather conditions on grazing animals’ behavior, they have not examined how animals differentiate their social organization within the herd during their activities on pasture under the rainfall. This study utilized social network analysis to construct, depict, and analyze the proximity networks among buffaloes in each activity they perform on pasture before, during, and after the rainfall. By applying various network indices, we have shown that water …

Noninvasive Pregnancy Detection In Wild Felids Using Enzyme Immunoassay Of Fecal 13, 14–Dihydro–15–Keto–Pgf2Α Metabolite (Pgfm), Nikitha Prakash, Suchitra Bhadravathi Raju, Sahadev Annayappa, Leena Gowda, Veena Malavalli Prabhushankar

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The study was carried out on Panthera species (4 lions and 5 tigers) housed in Bannerghatta Biological Park, Bengaluru, and Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, Mysuru. Estrus behavior such as rolling, licking, nudging, chuffing, frequent urination, whitish discharge, vocalisation, lordosis and copulatory behavior such as vocalisation, allowed to be mounted, aggression towards male, mounting, and biting of the nape of female were exhibited both in lions and tigers which helped to identify the time of fecal sample collection. The study’s main aim was to carry out noninvasive and noncontact pregnancy detection in these wild felids. Feces samples collected from the female …

Investigation Of Three Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms (1252 G>A, 2534 G>A, And 2569 T>C) Of The Mbl1 Gene In Anatolian Buffaloes, Esma Gamze Aksel, Bi̇lal Akyüz

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

It has been reported that since the MBL gene is involved in the first step of infection and inflammation processes, it may be associated with susceptibility to bacterial and viral diseases in living organisms. In this study, it was aimed to determine the genotypic variation of Anatolian buffaloes in terms of three (1252G>A, 2534 G>A, and 2569 T>C) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the MBL-1 gene. For this purpose, 103 Anatolian buffaloes were genotyped for relevant SNPs by PCR-RFLP process. The allele and genotype frequencies of the examined samples were determined, and the population was examined for …

Radiology Versus Rt-Pcr For Detection Of Proventricular Dilatation Disease In Psittacines, Mohammad Bayat, Abolfazl Ghaniei, Majid Jamshidian Mojaver, Ali Mirshahi, Mohammad Azizzadeh

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Proventricular dilatation disease (PDD) is a potentially fatal disease of psittacine birds. Avian bornavirus (ABV), the causative agent of PDD, causes inflammation of the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems. Clinically, birds affected by PDD present with gastrointestinal tract dysfunction, neurological symptoms, or both. In this study, we evaluated the presence of proventriculus dilation and ABV in 40 birds (cockatiel, n = 12; budgerigar, n = 28), submitted to the veterinary clinic, by radiology and RT-PCR. Lateral and ventrodorsal radiographs and feather samples were taken from 36 live birds including the cockatiel and budgerigar, as well as samples of proventriculus …

Virological And Pathological Investigation Of Canine Parvovirus-2 (Cpv-2) With The Assessment Of The Genetic Variability Of Field Strains, Zeynep Karapinar, Musa Karaman, İhsan Kisadere, Mustafa Usta, Mehmet Özkan Ti̇murkan

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Canine parvovirus-2 (CPV-2), which is common worldwide, is a highly contagious pathogen in domestic dogs and some wild carnivore species. The agent causes a multisystemic infection in affected animals, especially acute hemorrhagic enteritis and fatal myocarditis in puppies. The study aimed to reveal the presence of virus in dogs with clinical symptoms of CPV-2 infection using virological, pathological, and immunohistochemical methods and make molecular characterization based on partial VP-2 gene of strains circulating in the region. As a result of PCR studies, 9 out of 16 rectal swab samples and 17 out of 38 blood samples were positive. A phylogenetic …

Functional Training Promotes Benefits In The Physical Condition Of Horses, Paula Gomes Rodrigues, Camila Fernanda Fidêncio, Katia De Oliveira, Camilla Mendonça Silva, Clistenes Gomes Oliveira, José Miradelson Oliveira Carvalho, Anselmo Domingos Ferreira Santos, Gregorio Murilo De Oliveira Junior, José Camisão De Souza

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Horses that perform constant physical activity related to sport or work are subject to musculoskeletal disorders. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of a functional training program to promote physical conditions (epaxial musculature biometry and linear kinematics) and behavior traits in patrol horses. Sixteen crossbred horses were randomly distributed in two experimental treatments: not submitted (control group) and submitted (test group) to a functional exercise program. The training program exercises were performed three times per week for 90 days and consisted of dynamic mobilization techniques, reflexive mobilization, dynamic imbalance, and passive stretching. The studied variables were Longissimus dorsi …

Lesion Detection In Women Breast’S Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Using Deep Learning, Sudarshan Saikia, Tapas Si, Darpan Deb, Kangkana Bora, Saurav Mallik, Ujjwal Maulik, Zhongming Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women and the second foremost cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer. Recent technological advances in breast cancer treatment offer hope to millions of women in the world. Segmentation of the breast's Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI) is one of the necessary tasks in the diagnosis and detection of breast cancer. Currently, a popular deep learning model, U-Net is extensively used in biomedical image segmentation. This article aims to advance the state of the art and conduct a more in-depth analysis with a focus on the use …

Engineering E. Coli Strains Using Antibiotic-Resistance-Gene-Free Plasmids, Matthew B Amrofell, Sunaina Rengarajan, Steven T Vo, Erick S Ramirez Tovar, Larissa Lobello, Gautam Dantas, Tae Seok Moon

2020-Current year OA Pubs

We created a generalizable pipeline for antibiotic-resistance-gene-free plasmid (ARGFP)-based cloning using a dual auxotrophic- and essential-gene-based selection strategy. We use auxotrophic selection to construct plasmids in engineered E. coli DH10B cloning strains and both auxotrophic- and essential-gene-based selection to (1) select for recombinant strains and (2) maintain a plasmid in E. coli Nissle 1917, a common chassis for engineered probiotic applications, and E. coli MG1655, the laboratory "wild-type" E. coli strain. We show that our approach has comparable efficiency to that of antibiotic-resistance-gene-based cloning. We also show that the double-knockout Nissle and MG1655 strains are simple to transform with plasmids …

Vodka2: A Fast And Accurate Method To Detect Non-Standard Viral Genomes From Large Rna-Seq Data Sets, Emna Achouri, Sébastien A Felt, Matthew Hackbart, Nicole S Rivera-Espinal, Carolina B López

2020-Current year OA Pubs

During viral replication, viruses carrying an RNA genome produce non-standard viral genomes (nsVGs), including copy-back viral genomes (cbVGs) and deletion viral genomes (delVGs), that play a crucial role in regulating viral replication and pathogenesis. Because of their critical roles in determining the outcome of RNA virus infections, the study of nsVGs has flourished in recent years, exposing a need for bioinformatic tools that can accurately identify them within next-generation sequencing data obtained from infected samples. Here, we present our data analysis pipeline, Viral Opensource DVG Key Algorithm 2 (VODKA2), that is optimized to run on a parallel computing environment for …

Pathway Centric Analysis For Single-Cell Rna-Seq And Spatial Transcriptomics Data With Gsdensity, Qingnan Liang, Yuefan Huang, Shan He, Ken Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Advances in single-cell technology have enabled molecular dissection of heterogeneous biospecimens at unprecedented scales and resolutions. Cluster-centric approaches are widely applied in analyzing single-cell data, however they have limited power in dissecting and interpreting highly heterogenous, dynamically evolving data. Here, we present GSDensity, a graph-modeling approach that allows users to obtain pathway-centric interpretation and dissection of single-cell and spatial transcriptomics (ST) data without performing clustering. Using pathway gene sets, we show that GSDensity can accurately detect biologically distinct cells and reveal novel cell-pathway associations ignored by existing methods. Moreover, GSDensity, combined with trajectory analysis can identify curated pathways that are …

Nursing Care Of The Pediatric Patient With Autism, Cayley Frolik

Honors Capstones

The purpose of this project is to help educate current and future nurses on ways to understand and better connect with pediatric patients with autism. Standard nursing curriculum tends to focus primarily on the clinical approach for mainstream patients. In one short year, I recognized a glaring need for nurses to learn how to care for those with autism, as well as how to support and educate their families to create the best environment for whole success. It is very difficult to understand the needs of these specific patients without the proper toolkit. It is my intention to research and …

Rare Presentation Of Postpericardiotomy Syndrome After Left Atrial Myxoma Removal, Jessy Feng, Shyama Appareddy, Yaman Gibran, Aryana Garza, Jacqueline Luevano, Gustavo Garcia

School of Medicine Publications

Postpericardiotomy syndrome (PPS) is a known complication of cardiac valve surgery, but it has not been commonly reported as a postoperative complication of cardiac myxoma removal. A 78-year-old female with hypertension and atrial fibrillation presenting with angina was found to have a large left atrial myxoma (7.5 cm × 4.4 cm). The myxoma was resected; however, 1-week postoperation hemoglobin and blood pressure decreased with elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Limited transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) showed moderate pericardial effusion, confirming the diagnosis of PPS. This case highlights the importance of monitoring patients postremoval of myxoma for symptoms of …

Tuftelin1 Drives Experimental Pulmonary Fibrosis Progression By Facilitating Stress Fiber Assembly, Caoyuan Niu, Kai Xu, Yanan Hu, Yanling Jia, Yuexia Yang, Xiaoyue Pan, Ruyan Wan, Hui Lian, Qiwen Wang, Juntang Yang, Yajun Li, Ivan Rosas, Lan Wang, Guoying Yu

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive interstitial lung disease (ILD) with unknown etiology, characterized by sustained damage repair of epithelial cells and abnormal activation of fibroblasts, the underlying mechanism of the disease remains elusive.

Methods: To evaluate the role of Tuftelin1 (TUFT1) in IPF and elucidate its molecular mechanism. We investigated the level of TUFT1 in the IPF and bleomycin-induced mouse models and explored the influence of TUFT1 deficiency on pulmonary fibrosis. Additionally, we explored the effect of TUFT1 on the cytoskeleton and illustrated the relationship between stress fiber and pulmonary fibrosis.

Results: Our results demonstrated a significant …

The Influence Of English Proficiency In Online Health Information-Seeking: A Comprehensive Model Of Information-Seeking (Cmis) Based Study Using Health Information National Trends Survey (Hints) Data, Lauren M. Perez

Pharmaceutical Sciences ETDs

Understanding language-related challenges is crucial for addressing health and healthcare access disparities. This study examines differences in online health information seeking (OHIS) experiences by English proficiency. It explores factors influencing OHIS that patients in the United States with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) may encounter to shed light on the online health information needs of patients with LEP. The research utilizes data from the 2017 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 5 Cycle 1 to analyze the OHIS experiences of patients. Findings will inform healthcare providers, policymakers, and researchers, promoting equitable access to reliable health information.

Strategies To Reduce Chronic Disease: Adding Role To Community Health Workers, Ingrid J. Renwanz Dnp, Pmhfnp-Bc/Aprn, Msn, Rnc

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Underserved, rural, immigrant, low-income Latinx communities need to strengthen healthcare access to improve their quality of life (Capitman et al., 2009; McCartney et al., 2019; Save the Children [STC] Organization, 2021). Non-communicable chronic disease of physical and behavioral origin is the leading cause of morbidity for adults and children in Latinx communities (Campbell et al., 2020). Estimates of greater than 30% of the Latinx populations within the United States have these health needs, with projections to reach 28% of the U.S. population by 2060 (Eghaneyan & Murphy, 2019; Ortega et al., 2018).

Local Problem: If poor access to preventive …

Interprofessional Perspectives On School-Wide Mental Health Interventions For Enhancing Resilience In Adolescents, Danielle Costanzo, Ms, Otr/L

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate Culminating Presentations

Introduction: There is a significant crisis in adolescent mental health (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2021; Radhakrishnan et al., 2022) that have been compounded by traumatic experiences experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2022) and widespread fear of violence in schools (Silver et al., 2021). The crisis and resulting vulnerability has led to a dire need to focus on overcoming mental health challenges and moving forward in the face of adversity, which calls for a focus on resilience to promote overall life outcomes (Fenwick-Smith et al., 2019; Ijadi-Maghsoodi et al., 2022; Steiner et al., 2019). …

New Jersey’S Web-Based Parent-Engaged Developmental Monitoring Information: Mapping And Critical Appraisal, Danielle Catalano, Ms, Otr/L

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate Culminating Presentations

Caregivers use web-based information to make decisions about their children’s health and development. Due to the state’s high prevalence of developmental delays, New Jersey has developed numerous web-based early childhood initiatives to promote parent engagement. However, the quality of those resources is unknown. This critical appraisal evaluated the quality, readability, and accessibility of New Jersey’s commonly used web-based information on parent-engaged developmental monitoring in children aged 0-3. A systematic web search yielded 112 results. Thirty-six webpages were reviewed by three independent reviewers using four standardized assessment tools. Reviewers found that most information was written at a twelfth-grade reading level, two …

Arachnoid Webs With Spinal Cord Compression: Insights From Three Cases, Kaleb Derouen, Kierany B. Shelvin, Tayler Payton, George A. Crabill, John M. Wilson, Gabriel Tender

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Spinal arachnoid webs are intradural bands of abnormally formed arachnoid tissue, located within the subarachnoid space and causing compression of the dorsal aspect of the spinal cord. Arachnoid webs are uncommon and can be difficult to treat. We report 3 patients presenting with a spinal arachnoid web within a 6-month period. All of them exhibited signs of thoracic myelopathy and the MRI showed the pathognomonic 'scalpel sign'. Two of the patients underwent surgery for removal of their spinal arachnoid web, whereas the third patient case is currently being managed conservatively. We also present our 2D intraoperative video for arachnoid web …

Evaluating Hope: A Trauma-Informed Sensory Training For Early Childhood Educators, Andrea Houtras, Otd, Otr/L

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate Culminating Presentations

Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences create challenges in sensory integration (Perry, 2006) impacting preschoolers’ participation and occupational performance (May-Benson, 2016). Professional development in trauma-informed sensory training is essential to support early childhood educators working with this population (Loomis, 2018; Perry, 2006).

Objectives: To develop a trauma-informed sensory training and evaluate its validity and usefulness for early childhood educators.

Methods: We used a modified Delphi method to evaluate the training’s adherence to Ayres Sensory Integration® and trauma-informed care principles of practice and usefulness for early childhood educators. A convenience sample of three expert groups reviewed the training and completed surveys to …

Investigation Of The Effectiveness Of Intraoperative Radiotherapy In Treatment Of Unifocal Invasive Breast Cancer, Julie Schultz, Annie M. Oslund

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Objective: Assess the 5 year local recurrence rate of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) in relation to the conventional treatment of external breast radiotherapy (EBRT) in eligible females diagnosed with breast cancer over age 40.

Design: Systematic literature review.

Methods: PubMed was searched using the following limits and terms: breast neoplasms, intraoperative radiotherapy, randomized control trial, clinical trial, females, English, and published in the last 10 years.

Results: Three studies were found to directly compare IORT and EBRT regarding 5 year local recurrence rates.

Conclusion: IORT was shown to be non-inferior to EBRT in two of the three studies that were examined; …

Shorter Duration Of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Following Second Generation Drug Eluting Stent Placement, Alexandra Coy, Caitlyn M. Murtha

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women in The United States. Because advanced heart disease is often treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for stent implantation, many patients will be put on dual antiplatelet therapy to prevent adverse effects such as stent thrombosis or restenosis. The purpose of this literature review is to determine if the development of second-generation drug eluting stents allows for a shorter, 6-month, duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) versus the currently recommended 12 months. The articles discussed in this review were obtained on PubMed and narrowed using search terms …

Efficacy Of Dry Cupping Therapy As Treatment For Non-Specific Lower Back Pain, Lucas Albrecht, Kelly Ettari

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Lower back pain (LBP) is one of the most common conditions affecting adults globally. Non-specific lower back pain (NSLBP) is a diagnosis based on the exclusion of other pathoanatomical causes, and accounts for over 80% of cases of LBP. 1 Current treatments typically involve a multidisciplinary approach. Dry cupping therapy is a noninvasive treatment option that is used to treat musculoskeletal pain. 2 Three studies were analyzed which assess the utility of dry cupping therapy as a treatment modality for non-acute NSLBP; two of the studies were randomized control trials, and the third was a small pilot study. All three …