Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Dose Characterization Of Galactic Cosmic Rays In The Human Brain: A Phits-Based Study With A Segmented Anatomical Phantom, Shanice N. Manning

LSU Master's Theses

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are chronically exposed to a complex space radiation environment composed of galactic cosmic rays (GCR), solar particles, and Earth's trapped radiation. These high-energy particles interact with spacecraft shielding, producing secondary particles that can penetrate inside and deposit energy in sensitive tissues. Although animal studies have been useful in assessing space radiation risks, anatomical and physiological differences limit their applicability to human anatomy especially neuroanatomy. To address this gap, we developed a computational framework to model radiation dose distribution within the human brain using Monte Carlo simulations in Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code …

Clinical Outcomes In Patients With Schizophrenia Treated With Long-Acting Injectable Vs Oral Antipsychotics: A Naturalistic Study, Francesca Bardi, Lorenzo Moccia, Georgios D Kotzalidis, Gianluca Boggio, Andrea Brugnami, Greta Sfratta, Delfina Janiri, Gabriele Sani, Alessio Simonetti

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background/Objectives: Long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) represent a significant advancement in the treatment of schizophrenia (SCZ), particularly for improving adherence and long-term outcomes. This study aimed to assess the clinical outcomes of patients receiving atypical LAIs compared to those on various oral antipsychotics over a one-year follow-up in a naturalistic setting.

Methods: Sixty patients with SCZ were subdivided in two groups, those receiving LAIs (n = 25) and those receiving oral antipsychotics (n = 35). The groups were comparable for age, gender, educational attainment, employment status, marital status, smoking habits, and baseline SCZ severity, with no differences …

Elimination Of Hiv Reservoirs Harboring Intact Proviruses, Min Li, Khanghy Truong, Suman Sharma, Baichao Sun, Min Chen, Jason T Kimata, Jin Wang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) establishes persistent infection by integrating its proviral DNA into the host genome. While most integrated proviruses are defective, a small portion of proviruses are intact that represent a major obstacle to achieving an HIV cure. We have designed an approach for selective elimination of host cells harboring replication-competent HIV (SECH), through inhibition of autophagy and anti-apoptotic molecules during viral reactivation. However, the effects of SECH on the dynamics of intact and defective HIV provirus remain unclear.

Methods: We isolated DNA from HIV-infected samples after SECH treatments. We analyzed HIV-1 proviruses in these samples by intact …

Altered Patterning Of Neural Activity In A Neuropathology, Clarissa Hoffman, Jingheng Cheng, Rodrigo Morales, Daoyun Ji, Yuri Dabaghian

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The dynamics of neural circuits and their role in mediating cellular and organismal phenomena remain poorly understood, despite numerous efforts to dissect these processes through precise instantaneous measurements or longer-time averages and approximations. We use an alternative approach: we investigate these dynamics at the system's mesoscale by analyzing spike trains and waveforms. These extended activity patterns carry robust, tractable information, are highly responsive to physiological specifics, and enable detailed tracking of circuit behavior. In particular, this methodology allows for characterizing the functionality of tau-pathology-afflicted hippocampal circuits and identifying circuit-level abnormalities that are missed by through traditional analyses. In healthy mice, …

Development And Extensive Sequencing Of A Broadly-Consented Genome In A Bottle Matched Tumor-Normal Pair, Jennifer H Mcdaniel, Vaidehi Patel, Nathan D Olson, Hua-Jun He, Zhiyong He, Kenneth D Cole, Alexander A Gooden, Anthony Schmitt, Kristin Sikkink, Fritz J Sedlazeck, Harsha Doddapaneni, Shalini N Jhangiani, Donna M Muzny, Marie-Claude Gingras, Heer Mehta, Sairam Behera, Luis F Paulin, Alex R Hastie, Hung-Chun Yu, Victor Weigman, Alison Rojas, Katie Kennedy, Jamie Remington, Isai Salas-González, Mitch Sudkamp, Kelly Wiseman, Bryan R Lajoie, Shawn Levy, Miten Jain, Stuart Akeson, Giuseppe Narzisi, Zoe Steinsnyder, Catherine Reeves, Jennifer Shelton, Sarah B Kingan, Christine Lambert, Primo Baybayan, Aaron M Wenger, Ian J Mclaughlin, Aaron Adamson, Christopher Kingsley, Melanie Wescott, Young Kim, Benedict Paten, Jimin Park, Ivo Violich, Karen H Miga, Joshua Gardner, Brandy Mcnulty, Gail L Rosen, Rajiv Mccoy, Francesco Brundu, Erfan Sayyari, Konrad Scheffler, Sean Truong, Severine Catreux, Lesley Chapman Hannah, Doron Lipson, Hila Benjamin, Nika Iremadze, Ilya Soifer, Gat Krieger, Stephen Eacker, Mary Wood, Erin Cross, Greg Husar, Stephen Gross, Michael Vernich, Mikhail Kolmogorov, Tanveer Ahmad, Ayse G Keskus, Asher Bryant, Francoise Thibaud-Nissen, Jonathan Trow, Jacqueline Proszynski, Jeremy Wain Hirschberg, Krista Ryon, Christopher E Mason, Mital S Bhakta, J Zachary Sanborn, Elizabeth M Munding, Justin Wagner, Chunlin Xiao, Andrew S Liss, Justin M Zook

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The Genome in a Bottle Consortium (GIAB), hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is developing new matched tumor-normal samples, the first explicitly consented for public dissemination of genomic data and cell lines. Here, we describe a comprehensive genomic dataset from the first individual, HG008, including DNA from an adherent, epithelial-like pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumor cell line and matched normal cells from duodenal and pancreatic tissues. Data for the tumor-normal matched samples comes from seventeen distinct state-of-the-art whole genome measurement technologies, including high depth short and long-read bulk whole genome sequencing (WGS), single cell WGS, Hi-C, …

Spase: Spatially Resolved Pathology Scores Using Optimal Transport On Spatial Transcriptomics Data, Mohammad Nuwaisir Rahman, Mohammed Abid Abrar, Vikram Rakesh Shaw, James F Martin, M Saifur Rahman, Md Abul Hassan Samee

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Pathological events often impact tissue regions in a spatial variable manner, making it challenging to identify therapeutic targets. Spatial transcriptomics (ST) is a powerful technology to map spatially variable molecular mechanisms, yet suitable analytical methods have been lacking. We introduce SPaSE (Spatially-resolved Pathology ScorE), an optimal transport-based algorithm to compare ST data from diseased and control tissues. SPaSE computes a “pathology score” for each spot in the diseased sample, quantifying the pathological impact at that spot. In post-MI (myocardial infarction) mouse hearts, these scores delineated zones that matched independent expert annotations. Modeling pathology scores from gene expression revealed signatures predictive …

Role And Electrophysiological Properties Of Sexually Dimorphic Oxytocin Receptor Expressing Neurons In The Anteroventral Periventricular Nucleus Of The Female Mice, Armita Abdollahi Govar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Oxytocin is a neurohypophyseal hormone that plays a crucial role in regulating mother-infant bonding and maternal behavior. Oxytocin modulates sex-specific parental behaviors by binding to the oxytocin receptor (OXTR)-expressing neurons in the brain. This study investigates the sexually dimorphic OXTR neurons in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) to understand how oxytocin modulates behavior in females. Specifically, we explored the behavioral roles, neural projections, and intrinsic electrophysiological characteristics of these neurons in the female mice. Using immunohistochemistry revealed that the number of OXTR-expressing neurons was enhanced in postpartum females compared with virgin females, suggesting that these neurons are involved in female-specific …

Cryo-Em Structures Of A Pentameric Ligand-Gated Ion Channel In Liposomes, Vikram Dalal, Brandon K Tan, Hanrui Xu, Wayland W L Cheng

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Detergents and lipid nanodiscs affect the cryo-EM structures of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) including ELIC. To determine the structure of a pLGIC in a membrane environment that supports ion channel function, we performed single particle cryo-EM of ELIC in liposomes. ELIC activation and desensitization were confirmed in liposomes with a stopped-flow thallium flux assay. Using WT ELIC and a non-desensitizing mutant (ELIC5), we captured resting, activated, and desensitized structures at high resolution. In the desensitized structure, the ion conduction pore has a constriction at the 9' leucine of the pore-lining M2 helix, indicating that 9' is the desensitization gate …

V2b Neurons Act Via Multiple Targets To Produce In Phase Inhibition During Locomotion, Mohini Sengupta, Alaina Bertram, Shuyu Iris Zhu, Geoffrey J Goodhill, Martha W Bagnall

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Spinal interneurons shape motor neuron activity. Gata3

Identification Of Functional Non-Coding Variants Associated With Orofacial Cleft, Priyanka Kumari, Ryan Z Friedman, Michael A White, Barak A Cohen, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Oral facial cleft (OFC) comprises cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) or cleft palate only. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) of isolated OFC have identified common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in many genomic loci where the presumed effector gene (for example, IRF6 in the 1q32 locus) is expressed in embryonic oral epithelium. To identify candidates for functional SNPs at eight such loci we conduct a massively parallel reporter assay in a fetal oral epithelial cell line, revealing SNPs with allele-specific effects on enhancer activity. We filter these SNPs against chromatin-mark evidence of enhancers and test a subset in …

Assessing The Lgbtq+ Beliefs, Behaviors, And Competency Of Nutrition Professionals: A Mixed-Methods Study, Anthony Dissen, Christina Riccardo, Liam Oliver Lair

Journal of Dietetic Education

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals often experience disproportionate levels of physical and mental health issues including nutrition-specific issues such as eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and food insecurity related to psychological distress from discrimination and stigmatization. This study sought to understand nutrition professionals’ LGBTQ+ competence, beliefs, and behaviors. Researchers distributed 2 data collection tools to registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs): the Gay Affirmative Practice Scale (GAP-Scale) and the LGBT Competency Assessment Tool (LGBT-CAT). Data from the GAP-Scale were numerically scored using a 5-point Likert scale, and data from LGBT-CAT were scored on a scale of 0 to 3 points. …

Examining Weight Bias Attitude Changes After Exposure To A Brief Photovoice Assignment, Gretchen L. George, Hillary L. Roberts, Kristin Rose, Madison Clemens, Kate G. Burt

Journal of Dietetic Education

Weight bias is present among pre-health professional students (e.g., nutrition, dietetics, nursing, physical therapy, medicine). Educators need support and guidelines about how to enhance learning through engaging assignments while also meeting accreditation requirements. This pilot study examined the impact of an innovative weight bias assignment using photovoice and reflection within existing nutrition education courses, measured through pre-post assessments from the Fat Attitudes Assessment Toolkit. While not all subscales showed significant change, improvements in the Fat Acceptance and Attribution Complexity Composites suggest these methods may be effective in shifting attitudes about fatness. Further research is needed to assess the long-term impact …

Development Of Dietetics Students’ Skills And Self-Efficacy In The Nutrition Care Process, Kristen Heitman, Marcia Nahikian-Nelms, Holly Estes-Doetsch, Kristen M. Roberts, Jennifer A. Garner, Julie Kennel, Christopher A. Taylor

Journal of Dietetic Education

The Nutrition Care Process (NCP) is a systematic framework for providing nutrition care and a cornerstone of dietetics practice. Dietetics education relies on development of skills to achieve competence and demonstrate readiness for practice. The relationship between development of fundamental skills and self-efficacy among dietetics students preparing for clinical practice remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the development of dietetics students’ skills in NCP documentation and their self-efficacy in performing the skills over one academic year. Student nutrition notes (n = 120 notes, n = 30 students) from standardized patient encounters were evaluated for quality using …

Integrated Advanced Education Supports Future Registered Dietitian Nutritionists’ Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy In Practice, Crystal C. Douglas, Simone Camel

Journal of Dietetic Education

Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of graduate-level breastfeeding and lactation management education that includes didactive and active learning components on future RDNs’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy. Design: A pre-and post-test design, utilizing a 41-item pre-intervention survey, learning modules, and a 35-item post-intervention survey. Setting: Three U.S. public universities located in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Participants: Graduate-level dietetic internship students. Intervention: Four advanced education modules (2 didactive; 2 active learning) developed by Registered Dietitian Nutritionists. Main outcome measures: Gains in breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy to assist with breastfeeding education and problem-solving using validated and newly developed survey items. Analysis: Descriptive statistics, …

Sense Of Belonging In The Profession And Program Of Study Among Nutrition And Dietetics Students, Jessica Torro, Melissa Masters, Rachel C. Sinley, Jesse Lunsford, Heidi Masching, Miranda Chen Musgrove

Journal of Dietetic Education

Sense of belonging may positively impact student performance, especially in marginalized groups. This study aimed to examine sense of belonging among a diverse group of nutrition and dietetics students. An online survey investigated students’ feelings of belonging, isolation, and connection to the field of nutrition and dietetics and department of study. The survey was distributed through email to the nutrition and dietetics student body in the Department of Nutrition at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Quantitative data were analyzed as count and percentage. Overall sense of belonging scores were calculated as an average on a 5-point scale (1-strongly disagree to …

Cover, Table Of Contents, About The Journal, Diana Cuy Castellanos, M Elizabeth (Beth) Miller

Journal of Dietetic Education

No abstract provided.

Editors' Message, Diana Cuy Castellanos, M Elizabeth (Beth) Miller

Journal of Dietetic Education

No abstract provided.

Following Painting's Quiet Call To Adventure, Kelly Allen

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Yael Goverover, OTR/L, Ph.D., professor and post-professional program director of occupational therapy at New York University at Steinhardt (NYU), provided the cover art for the summer issue of the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. This oil painting on canvas, titled, Still Life, 2024, features an arrangement of everyday objects with vibrant tones of gold, yellow, orange, and green found in the vase, and a coffeepot, fruits, and botanicals set against a backdrop of scarlet and striped patterned fabrics. She created this piece while on sabbatical in Israel as she studied under the tutelage of a seasoned oil …

Letter To The Editor: Embedding Indigenous Knowledges In Occupational Therapy: ‘Nothing About Us Without Us.’, Chontel Gibson, Isla Emery-Whittington, Lavonne Fox, Tirritpa Ritchie, Kaarina Valavaara, Angela Phenix, Tara Pride

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

As a collective of Indigenous occupational therapists, we write this letter not only in response to McColl et al.'s (2024) Letter to the Editor, but as a call to action for the profession, to enhance its ability to apply decoloniality and Indigenous human rights via strengths-based approaches.

Occupation-Based Practice Needs Occupation-Based Assessments: The Loss Of The Amps Family Assessments And How We Move Forward From Here, Leon Kirschner

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The Occupational Therapy Domain and Process identifies participation in life activities as a key aspect of occupational therapy’s domain. It also identifies assessment as a key process in our practice. Still, few commonly used assessments use real, meaningful activities in real context to identify what factors are affecting performance. The AMPS family of assessments were among the only assessments used for these purposes. Because of a series of factors, these assessments recently became unavailable for new users and are no longer supported by a central organization. This paper explores the strengths and needs for these types of assessments, the factors …

The Urgent Need For Global Nuclear Disarmament: An Occupational Therapy Perspective, Ryan Thomure, Leon Kirschner, Robert Croonquist

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The risk of nuclear war, exacerbated by recent global conflict, poses an existential threat to humanity and undermines the ability of individuals and communities to engage in meaningful occupation. This article argues that occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants have a role to play in supporting global nuclear disarmament and that such efforts align with both our ethical responsibilities and scope of practice. It explores the profound impact of nuclear weapons on health and well-being, emphasizing the relevance of this issue to occupational therapy. The article outlines practical strategies for occupational therapists to engage in advocacy, including public education campaigns, …

Environmental Advocacy As An Occupation: Perceived Self-Efficacy And Occupational Justice In Community Programming, Emma Sims, Laura H. Vanpuymbrouck

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Current occupational therapy literature demonstrates a gap in knowledge of environmental advocacy as an occupation, which directly impacts occupational justice in those experiencing environmental racism or discrimination. This study’s purpose was to provide foundational information on the importance of advocacy work in the sphere of environmental and occupational justice through the lived experiences of those directly involved in community environmental advocacy.

Method: Qualitative data was collected via three focus groups using semi-structured interviews focused on perceptions of participant experiences in environmental advocacy occupations. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes relating to research questions.

Results: When …

Benefits Of Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Training (Smart) In Occupational Therapy Graduate Students, Asha K. Vas, Lori G. Cook, Wanyi Wang, Alisha Schaefer

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists engage in critical thinking to integrate knowledge into clinical application. Academic curricula offer critical thinking strategies to facilitate flexible thinking and innovation to optimize clinical outcomes. Prior research has demonstrated that a gist-based reasoning program called Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Training (SMART) is beneficial in improving critical thinking skills in both healthy and clinical populations. The current study examined the benefits of the SMART program in masters-level occupational therapy (OT) students. Fourteen students between the ages of 22 and 45 (M = 25.71, SD = 6.34) completed the research study. The SMART program teaches strategies of strategic attention, …

Best Practices For Managing Cultural Taxation, Elizabeth Ching

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The majority of faculty in higher education in the US identify racially as White. Cultural Taxation is a term from 1994 that refers to a common practice in which minoritized racial groups have more responsibilities expected from them than their White counterparts. Since occupational therapy (OT) education is a microcosm of higher education in the US, this affects Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) faculty in occupational therapy as well. Recent Supreme Court rulings allow some states like Florida and Texas to eliminate their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Departments in higher education institutions. With DEI efforts being cut or …

Prevalence Of Incivility And Bullying In Occupational Therapy Fieldwork, Edwin Myers, Kaitlyn Cremer

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The prevalence of incivility and bullying in the domain of occupational therapy warrants attention. The long-term effects of incivility and bullying can be profound and multifaceted. These may include job dissatisfaction, depressive symptoms, heightened hostility, and an increased likelihood of malpractice. Despite the implications of such behavior, there remains a noticeable gap in existing literature. This study investigated the prevalence of incivility and bullying occurring during occupational therapy (OT) fieldwork. The Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) was completed by 702 occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and students regarding their fieldwork experiences. Over 80% of participants reported being exposed to bullying or …

Occupational Therapy Students’ Perceptions Of Using Chatgpt For An Academic Course Assignment, Diane Tom, Robyn Wu, Chi-Kwan Shea

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT), a natural language based artificial intelligence (AI), has been either welcomed or maligned by academia. This project aimed to: (a) provide a structured opportunity for students to use ChatGPT and critique its responses and (b) investigate student perceptions before and after using ChatGPT for a class assignment. Forty graduate occupational therapy students used ChatGPT to complete two written assignments. Pre- and post-ChatGPT assignment surveys completed by students were analyzed. After using ChatGPT to complete course assignments, students were significantly more likely to agree that: (a) ChatGPT is helpful for completing assignments, (b) ChatGPT provides accurate …

Becoming A Skater: A Mixed Methods Study Exploring Supports And Barriers To Participation In Adaptive Skateboarding, Megan Sandwith, Susan Macdermott, Amy Griswold

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The occupation of adaptive skateboarding expands concepts of skateboarding through modifications that support performance for individuals with disabilities. There is a gap in the literature representing the experience of individuals with disabilities who desire to participate in adaptive skateboarding. The intent of the research study was to provide a foundational understanding of the occupation of adaptive skateboarding by exploring the question: What are the supports and barriers to participation in adaptive skateboarding?

Methods:This mixed-methods study was comprised of a 14-question virtual survey, a semi-structured interview, and an optional video submission.

Results: A total of 41 participants participated …

Paving A Path From Occupational Therapy Clinician To Researcher: A Grounded Theory, Marissa J. Wuennemann, Barbara Nadeau

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Research is vital for continued development and support of practice for occupational therapy, yet little is known about occupational therapists currently in research roles. Occupational therapists who primarily conduct research see themselves as a unique minority in the profession. This study aimed to understand the process of occupational therapists who shift their professional identity from being a clinician to a researcher.

Method: Purposive and snowballing sampling was used to recruit occupational therapy clinicians who transitioned into roles where they spend the majority of their time conducting research. Data was collected through individual, semi-structured interviews and analyzed following …

Enhancing Occupational Therapy Practice Through A Mentorship Program: A Qualitative Study, Natalie S. King, Bryan M. Gee, Sarah A. Schoen, Mim Ochsenbein

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Occupational therapy entry-level education is filled with opportunities for experiential learning. Post-professionally, few opportunities exist for participation in structured mentored experiences. Mentoring in health care professions is not new; it has resurged over the past 15 years, documenting the nature of mentorship for practicing clinicians, the design of programs to promote advancement, and the effectiveness of these programs. Level I Mentorship by the STAR Institute uses a small group format and entails a blend of live and online instruction, fostering discussion and reflection rooted in on-site learning experiences. This qualitative study aims to understand participants' perceptions of STAR …

Breastfeeding Interventions For Dyads With Medical Complexity: A Mixed Methods Study, Jairrah L. Godsil, Julia R. Farrell, Julia Shin, Cary C. Moore, Yongyue Qi, Vanessa D. Jewell

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Breastfeeding dyads with medical complexity have lower success with direct breastfeeding. Evidence to support occupational therapists working with this population is limited. This study explored occupational therapists' experiences, training, and interventions for breastfeeding dyads with medical complexity.

Method: Occupational therapists providing clinical breastfeeding services for parents and or children with medically complex conditions participated in this study. The study employed an explanatory, sequential mixed-methods design, consisting of an online survey (N = 102) followed by two 75-min semi-structured focus groups (N = 7).

Results: Occupational therapists with more clinical breastfeeding experience (p = .003) and …