Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Development Of A Procedure For Prion Surveillance In The Laboratory Setting, Damian Gorski, Isaac Schauer, Kane Spicker, Ananya Tupaki-Sreepurna, Fei Wang, Claudio Soto, Sandra Pritzkow

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Infectious prions readily adhere to common surfaces, retain infectivity, and are highly resistant to conventional decontamination, posing significant biosafety challenges in the medical and research environments. Recent occupational exposures underscore the urgency of improving safety measures. Here, we describe an approach combining foam-swab surface sampling and protein misfolding cyclic amplification to enhance prion surveillance. Our results demonstrate the ability to detect prions most relevant to human health directly from contaminated surfaces, even at 100 million-fold dilutions of the brain. We applied our method to assess the completeness of prion decontamination and show that high prion quantities can resist even approved …

Trait-Like Visual Cortical Hyperactivity In Trait Anxiety, Zhaohan Wu, Yuqi You, Joshua A Brown, Raymond J Dolan, Wen Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Sensory processing varies across individuals, with some traits-particularly sensory hypersensitivity to basic non-valenced stimuli-linked to emotional traits and psychiatric risk. Traditional accounts attribute this sensory-emotion linkage to limbic or prefrontal modulation, but empirical support is limited. Growing evidence suggests sensory cortex itself flexibly encodes value beyond labeled-line analysis. Across four high-density EEG experiments with multi-wave assessments, we identified reliable visual cortical hyperactivity in high trait anxiety. The effect emerged as early as 46 ms, localized to V1/V2, and was specific to the parvocellular pathway. It was reproducible across arousal states, stimulus valence, extended intervals, and paradigms, and evident for both …

Therapeutic Role Of Hydroxyurea In Paediatric Hydroxyurea Pertussis: A Systematic Review, Abdullah H. Alhamoud, Mohammed Y. Suhaqi, Qasem A. Arishi, Fahd Y. Somili, Hassan M. Gohal, Abdulaziz S. Almalki, Mohammed A. Eidoh, Fadhel Y. Hazazi

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

This systematic review indicates that hydroxyurea may be a promising pharmacologic option for leukoreduction in paediatric critical pertussis. In reported cases, hydroxyurea was associated with leukocyte reduction and short-term survival. Its ability to potentially reduce the need for invasive leukoreductive procedures is especially relevant in resource-limited settings. While these observations are encouraging, the evidence base remains limited to a small number of uncontrolled case reports and case series, with inconsistent safety monitoring and no long-term follow-up. Given the very low certainty of the available evidence, these results should be considered preliminary and hypothesis-generating. Further well-designed, multicentre studies and randomised trials …

The Common Cold Is Associated With Protection From Sars-Cov-2 Infections, Camille M Moore, Katherine Rivera-Spoljaric, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Adults and children often respond differently to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, with adults facing a higher risk of symptomatic and severe illness. We hypothesize that children's protection from symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 may be due to more frequent respiratory viral infections, which prime their airway antiviral defenses.

METHODS: Using case-cohort and case-control analyses in the Human Epidemiology and Response to SARS-CoV-2 cohort, we evaluated whether infection with common respiratory viruses protects against SARS-CoV-2 infections and investigated airway molecular mechanisms by which this protection is achieved. We tested 10 493 longitudinal nasal swabs from 1156 participants for 21 …

Filling The Gap: Integrating Hiv Into The Counselor Education Curriculum, J. Richelle Joe, Roseina D. Britton, Tiffany Hairston

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

People living with HIV (PLWH) are vulnerable to mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders, which in turn, often affect their health outcomes. Multiple, overlapping structural and social determinants of health exacerbate the physical and mental health concerns of PLWH, presenting a need for services that are responsive to the unique implications of the illness. Professional counselors have the potential to provide such services but must be adequately prepared to do so. In response to the lack of HIV-related professional development for counselors and the minimal preparation of counselors-in-training to serve clients with HIV, this article uses …

The Cost Of Getting To “No”: Cultural Evolution Of Community Psychology In Two Indiana Communities, Catherine Cullen, Megan Peek

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Systematic Review: Burnout In Health Care Professionals, Nicolas X. Tovar

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Rural Environmental Health Landscape: Exploring The Link Between Arsenic Concentration And Cancer Rates In Hartford City, Indiana, Hannah Bard

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Tips On The Prisma Flow Diagram & Methods Section Write-Up, Sandra Y. Desjardins

Library Class: Lunch & Learn

Clearly communicate your research methodology with a well-crafted PRISMA flow diagram. This 30-minute class provides practical tips and a step-by-step guide to creating a clear and informative methods section for your research papers.

A Prospective Observational Study On Role Of Intraoperative Renal & Muscle Oxygen Saturation On Post-Operative Serum Creatinine Level In Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery On Cardiopulmonary Bypass, Bhakti Banerjee, Haripada Das, Lini Srivastava, Snigdha . Pramanik, Diptimay Majumder

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Objective Near Infra-Red Spectroscopy (NIRS), can be used to monitor renal tissue oxygenation (SrO2), as well as thenar muscle oxygenation (SmO2). In this study, we have examined the ability of SrO2 and SmO2 in predicting cardiac surgery related change in serum creatinine level (ΔsCr) and explored any correlation between these two parameters.

Methods This study included 55 adult patients (18 to 60 years), who were scheduled for elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), having no pre-existing renal impairment, with skin-to-kidney depth ofSmO2, preoperatively. ΔsCr was investigated at 24, 48 and 72 hours post-operatively. Relative thresholds of SrO2 and SmO2 …

Joyful Nursing By Leading With Heart In Perinatal Loss Care And Staff Wellness, Kelli Griffiths, Holly Puckett, Bruce Slagle

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

This quasi-experimental study evaluates if providing individualized follow-up care through self-care bags, follow-up phone calls, open communication for debriefing, and tailored mental health resources enhances support for obstetric staff and improves their ability to care for patients experiencing perinatal loss. Interventions were implemented from February 2024 to August 2024. A total of 103 self-care bags were distributed throughout the designated hospital systems’ two labor and delivery departments. A five question post-intervention survey was conducted and found the following question to be statistically significant, “I feel the joy in nursing would be restored, to a degree, if obstetric staff were more …

Mental Health Stigma: Promoting Compassionate Care In The U.S. Healthcare System, Wuraola R. Awosan, Fredrick O. Akinyosoye, Perseverance N. Moyo, Akuchinyere O. Titus-Okpanachi, Giordana Morales, Emmanuel N. Clottey

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

Mental illness-related stigma is a pervasive issue that permeates every facet of psychiatric care. This phenomenon, which manifests at the societal or structural, individual, and public levels, presents a barrier to equitable and compassionate care in the U.S. healthcare system, leading to care avoidance and poor health outcomes. This systematic review aims to synthesize evidence on the forms of mental health stigma within the U.S. healthcare setting and identify strategies that foster compassionate care among healthcare professionals. Following PRISMA guidelines, a methodical search of peer-reviewed literature published between 2015 and 2025 was conducted in three databases – APA PsychInfo, CINAHL …

Immunohistochemical Analysis Of The Effects Of Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes On Mouse Testis, Rory E. Field, Brianna R. Demaio, Hannah R. Fioramonti, Makenna M. Landis, Jing Xu

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

Because diabetes mellitus (DM) poses harm to the reproductive systems of humans and mice on both the cellular and histological levels, we sought to understand the effects of streptozotocin-induced (STZ) diabetes mellitus on the spermatogenesis and Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) production of mice. The structural integrity of the testes is disrupted due to the high levels of oxidative stress caused by DM, which also hinders spermatogenesis. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have been found to induce autophagy in Sertoli cells, and the Sertoli cells of diabetic models have fewer tight junctions between them. This disorganization and decreased integrity of the seminiferous …

Barriers To Neglected Tropical Disease Service Accessibility: Challenges And Solutions For Reaching Mobile And Migrant Populations In Uganda., Victor Lambongang, Wuraola R. Awosan

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) remain a significant public health challenge in Uganda, disproportionately affecting mobile and migrant populations, including refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and cross-border workers. Despite ongoing efforts by the Ugandan government and global health organizations, these populations face barriers to accessing NTD services, including geographic inaccessibility, weak healthcare infrastructure, socio-cultural misconceptions, and policy gaps. These challenges hinder early diagnosis, treatment adherence, and prevention efforts, leading to increased disease burden and reinfection risks in high-mobility settings. This study aims to identify barriers to NTD service accessibility among migrant populations in Uganda and propose evidence-based solutions to improve healthcare …

Effectiveness Of Rehabilitation In Patients After Covid-19: Example Interventions And Recommendations, Adam Łątka, Tomasz Król, Michał Kuszewski, Piotr Król, Alicja Kasprzak, Anna Brzęk

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: Rehabilitation after COVID-19 plays a vital role in the lengthy treatment process, contributing to the acceleration of recovery and minimizing the effects of the disease. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of rehabilitation in patients after COVID-19. An attempt was made to assess whether the rehabilitation changed spirometric indices, cardiopulmonary efficiency and the subjective quantification of dyspnea. Material and methods: The study, conducted from March to May 2022, involved 52 individuals aged 25 to 71 years (50.48 ± 11.6) divided into the study group, undergoing three weeks of outpatient rehabilitation, and the control group. Both groups underwent the …

Metabolomic Profiling Reveals Brain Lipid Alterations In Pex7-Deficient Models Of Rhizomelic Chondrodysplasia Punctata, Riya Sankhe, Meredith I Williams, Wedad Fallatah, Laura Mackay, Mary Layne Brown, Pranjali Bhagwat, Sarah H Elsea, Nancy Braverman, Michael F Wangler

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata type 1 (RCDP1) is a peroxisomal disorder characterized by skeletal shortening, intellectual disability, seizures, cataracts, and reduced lifespans. RCDP1 is caused by biallelic loss-of-function variants in PEX7, which encodes a protein required for importing select enzymes into the peroxisome matrix, including those essential for ether lipid synthesis (e.g., plasmalogens) and the branched-chain fatty acid catabolism. Plasmalogen deficiency is a hallmark of RCDP1 and other peroxisomal disorders, including RCDP types 2-5 (RCDP2-5) and Zellweger spectrum disorders (ZSD). Here, we performed comprehensive metabolomic profiling of clinical samples from RCDP patients and Pex7-deficient mouse models. We identified profound …

Sleep Menus: A Personalized Approach To Enhancing Patient Rest And Improving Sleep Quality, Justin W. Dorman

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Manuscripts

Sleep disruptions among hospitalized patients can negatively impact healing, recovery, and patient satisfaction. Hospital noise remains a persistent barrier to restful sleep, yet previous hospital-based noise reduction strategies have shown limited sustained success. This quality improvement project aimed to enhance patient-perceived sleep quality by implementing a patient-centered Sleep Menu offering patients earplugs or sound machines. A pre-post design was employed, using the Richard-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) to assess patients' sleep quality before and after the Sleep Menu intervention. Sixty patients were approached; 25 chose earplugs, and 7 selected the sound machine. Despite environmental decibel levels remaining above the WHO recommendations …

Likes For Love: Examining The Relationship Of Sociocultural Factors On Social Media Influences Of Instagram Use For Young Black Women, Cheria S. Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years there has been a push toward studying ethnic minority women related to the psychological implications of image and beauty, as historically the focus has been on the experiences of European women (Awad et al., 2015). Black women must process sexual development, attitudes, and behaviors through the lens of the sexual scripts and stereotypes of their ethnic group and must negotiate between mainstream and culture specific norms of sexuality (Daniels and Zurbriggen, 2016; Jerald et al., 2017). The presence of these scripts signifies a difference between Black women and other races about how they may internalize and react …

Peripheral Blood Biomarkers For Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease, Brent A. Luedders

Theses & Dissertations

Rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) is a common extra-articular complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Measuring peripheral blood biomarkers represents an appealing strategy to inform the screening and prediction of RA-ILD. In these studies, I aimed to further characterize the associations of peripheral blood biomarkers with prevalent and incident RA-ILD. First, I evaluated the associations of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) with RA-ILD among a multicenter cohort of RA U.S. Veteran patients (n = 2,312). Higher concentrations of MMP-7 and MMP-9 were independently associated with both prevalent and incident RA-ILD, including a nearly four-fold increased odds of prevalent RA-ILD (adjusted odds ratio …

Impact Of Adhesive Curing Mode And Dentin Sealing On Bond Strength Of Cad/Cam Resin Composite, Sara Adel Botros, Mohamed Fouad Haridy, Nermin Mohieldin Abdelmohssen

Dentistry

No abstract provided.

Multi Agent Large Language Models For Biomedical Hypothesis Generation In Drug Combination Discovery, Qidi Xu, Claudio Soto, Mohammad Shahnawaz, Xiaozhong Liu, Xiaoqian Jiang, Yejin Kim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Recent advancements in large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated their potential in scientific reasoning, but their ability to open-ended hypotheses in data-scarce domains remains underexplored. Here, we introduce Combinatorial Alzheimer’s Disease Therapeutic Efficacy Decision (Coated-LLM), an AI-driven framework that is inspired by scientific collaboration to predict efficacious combinatorial therapy when data-driven prediction is infeasible. Coated-LLM employs multiple specialized LLM agents—Researcher, Reviewers, and Moderator—to systematically generate and evaluate hypotheses through several in-context learning techniques. Using Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as a test case, Coated-LLM outperformed traditional knowledge-based methods (accuracy: 0.74 vs. 0.52), with external validation achieving an …

Protocol For Nucleo-Cytoplasmic Fractionation Of Mammalian Cells To Study Protein Translocation Via Immunoblotting, Adhikarimayum Lakhikumar Sharma, Eddy Zhu, Rithika Padyala, Kavya Parikh, Mudit Tyagi

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

Studying protein translocation is essential for understanding protein function and regulatory mechanisms, including the activity of transcription factors. Here, we present a protocol for isolating high-quality cytoplasmic and nuclear protein fractions from mammalian cells. We describe steps for separating cytoplasmic proteins, washing nuclei, and extracting nuclear proteins. We then detail procedures for quantifying proteins and analyzing their distribution by immunoblotting within a single immunoblot. This protocol is applicable to both suspension and adherent cell types. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Sharma et al.

Feasibility And Function Of A Tilt-In-Space Wheelchair Insert For Low Resource Settings (Development Of The Open Tilt Base), Luke Mcauley, Karen Menard

Student Capstone Papers

The ability to move and be mobile is a basic part of human function. For those without the muscle control and/or strength to attain and maintain the posture necessary for basic movement and mobility a device is necessary to support them and provide them with the highest level of independence possible. This type of device comes at a significant cost and need for highly customizable products which are difficult to obtain in most situations, but especially in Low-Middle-Income Countries (LMIC). The product discussed in this paper is designed to provide a cost effective solution for those in need of a …

Manual Therapy In Conjunction With Other Multimodal Interventions In A Patient With Chronic Pain And Hypertension: A Case Report, Craig P. Hensley, Renzo Mendoza, Jennifer Ryan, Emmanuel Yung

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Chronic pain and hypertension (HTN) are worldwide epidemics that are difficult to manage and frequently encountered as comorbid conditions in patient care. There is a paucity of information regarding the effect that manual therapy has on blood pressure (BP), particularly in those with chronic pain and HTN. This case report describes the management of a patient with chronic pain and HTN. The patient was a 41-year-old female with chronic multisite pain and multiple comorbidities, including HTN. Her BP at the initial evaluation was 147/78 with an oscillated device and 142/82 with a sphygmomanometer in the right arm and 144/80 in …

Abnormalities In Sensorimotor Brain Function Are Related To Chronicity Of Low Back Pain, Jo Armour Smith, Rongwen Tain, Kelli G. Sharp, Laura M. Glynn, Linda R. Van Dillen, Jesse V. Jacobs, Steven C. Cramer

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Maladaptive plasticity in the brain may contribute to chronic low back pain (LBP) and underlie the altered postural control of the lumbopelvic musculature that is evident in some individuals with LBP. We recently described an MRI-compatible leg-raise paradigm to measure brain activity associated with lumbopelvic postural control. The objective of this study was to compare brain function in young adults with and without a history of LBP and to determine relationships between brain function, pain, and postural control characteristics. We recruited 55 participants with a history of LBP, who were asymptomatic when studied, and 30 healthy controls. Postural control during …

Public Perception About Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy In South Central Nebraska, Rita Nnenne Oparaocha

Biology Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

The COVID-19 pandemic created a shift in the trajectory of vaccination hesitancy, altering risk perceptions and vaccination attitudes among individuals in rural communities. The 5C framework highlights confidence, complacency, constraints, calculation, and collective responsibility as influencing factors of vaccine hesitancy. This study assessed the proportion of adults who refused COVID-19 vaccination and identified the individual reasons for hesitancy among those who refused the COVID -19 vaccines in South Central Nebraska. Data was analyzed from a local cross-sectional public health survey administered to 2,034 adult participants over a six-month period (March-August 2024), including 91 respondents who were from outside the seven-county …

Investigate The Role Of Tgfβ3 In Regulating Irf6 And Δnp63 In Periderm Desquamation, Nam Ha

Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Failure in palatal fusion during palate development results in cleft palate, one of the most common birth defects in the US. During the final phases of palatogenesis, the palatal periderm (a protective cell layer that prevents premature fusion and adhesion with oral epithelium) must be removed, also known as desquamation. This process is a prerequisite for establishing the midline seam in the fused palate. Previous studies have shown that transforming growth factor-β3 (TGFβ3) plays an irreplaceable role in palate development in mice. Our previously published mechanistic models outline the role of TGFβ3 and its downstream signaling cascade involving proteins …

Long Covid Incidence Across Sars-Cov-2 Lineages And Identification Of Conserved Spike Targets For Multivalent Vaccines, Grace J. Kim, Md Ashad Alam, Judy S. Crabtree, Rebecca Rose, Susanna L. Lamers, San Chu, Ronald Horswell, Daniel Fort, Lucio Miele

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Background: Long COVID remains poorly characterized at the genomic level. The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationship between viral sequences and the incidence of Long COVID at a tertiary care center in Louisiana between April 2020 and December 2022. A secondary aim was analysis of the Spike protein to identify conserved regions for multivalent vaccine targets. Method: To estimate Long COVID incidence across variants, we linked 4,789 SARS-CoV-2 sequences to 3,090 de-identified patient electronic health record information. The base population was defined as any patient with an International Classification of Diseases-10-Clinical Modification COVID-19 diagnosis code (U07.1) …

Adaptive Neuromodulation Dialogues: Navigating Current Challenges And Emerging Innovations In Neuromodulation System Development, Frederik Lampert, Matthew R Baker, Michael A Jensen, Amir H Ayyoubi, Christian Bentler, Jessica L Bowersock, Rosana Esteller, Jeffrey A Herron, Graham W Johnson, Daryl R Kipke, Christopher K Kovach, Vaclav Kremen, Filip Mivalt, Joseph S Neimat, Theoden I Netoff, Enrico Opri, Alexander Rockhill, Joshua M Rosenow, Kristin K Sellers, Nathan P Staff, Chandra Prakash Swamy, Ashwin Viswanathan, Gerwin Schalk, Timothy Denison, Dora Hermes, Nuri F Ince, Peter Brunner, Gregory A Worrell, Kai J Miller

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Adaptive neuromodulation systems and implantable brain-computer interfaces have made notable strides in recent years, translating experimental prototypes into clinical applications and garnering substantial attention from the public. This surge in interest is accompanied by increased scrutiny related to the safety, efficacy, and ethical implications of these systems, all of which must be directly addressed as we introduce new neurotechnologies. In response, we have synthesized the insights resulting from discussions between groups of experts in the field and summarized them into five key domains essential to therapeutic device development: (1) analyzing current landscape of neuromodulation devices and translational platforms (2) identifying …

P-15 Peptide Enhanced Bone Graft Improves Time To Fusion In Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Randomized, Controlled, Investigational Device Exemption Study, James S. Harrop, Michael P. Steinmetz, John E. O'Toole, Christopher D Chaput, Rick C. Sasso, K. Brandon Strenge, Greg Maislin, Jeffrey P. Mullin, Thomas B. Freeman, Anthony Guanciale, Howard Lantner, Michael E. Janssen, David G. Schwartz, John M. Small, Wellington K. Hsu, Paul M. Arnold

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, multicenter, single-blind, randomized, and controlled pivotal study.

OBJECTIVE: Compare time-to-fusion in patients treated with P-15L (PearlMatrix TM P-15 peptide enhanced bone graft) versus local autograft over 24 months and evaluate changes in pain and quality of life at 24 months relative to baseline.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: P-15L, an FDA-designated breakthrough device, is a composite bone graft with P-15, a 15-amino acid polypeptide that promotes cellular adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation to support bone formation.

METHODS: Patients (22-80 y) with degenerative disc disease were randomized to the investigational (P-15L) or control (local autograft) group during single-level transforaminal lumbar …