Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Conventional Versus Advanced Imaging Selection For Endovascular Treatment Of Basilar Artery Occlusion Strokes., Huanwen Chen, Marco Colasurdo, Hidetoshi Matsukawa, Conor Cunningham, Ilko Maier, Sami Al Kasab, Pascal Jabbour, Joon-Tae Kim, Stacey Quintero Wolfe, Ansaar Rai, Robert M. Starke, Marios-Nikos Psychogios, Edgar A. Samaniego, Nitin Goyal, Shinichi Yoshimura, Hugo Cuellar, Jonathan A. Grossberg, Ali Alawieh, Ali Alaraj, Mohamad Ezzeldin, Daniele G. Romano, Omar Tanweer, Justin Mascitelli, Isabel Fragata, Adam Polifka, Fazeel Siddiqui, Joshua Osbun, Roberto Crosa, Charles Matouk, Min S. Park, Michael R. Levitt, Waleed Brinjikji, Mark Moss, Travis Dumont, Ergun Daglioglu, Richard Williamson, Pedro Navia, Reade De Leacy, Shakeel Chowdhry, David J. Altschul, Alejandro M. Spiotta, Peter Kan

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is an effective treatment for basilar artery occlusion (BAO) stroke in select patients. While there is a growing body of literature suggesting that advanced imaging modalities such as computed tomography perfusion (CTP) and magnetic resonance (MR) may not be necessary for selecting anterior circulation large vessel occlusion stroke patients for EVT, whether advanced imaging may be superior to conventional imaging (non-contrast CT and CT angiography) in identifying good treatment candidates among BAO patients is less clear.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study of BAO EVT patients treated from 2013 to 2022 in …

Psychosocial Distress: Incidence And Indicators After Physical Trauma, Elizabeth Williams

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine factors that contribute to the development of psychosocial distress following unintentional physical injury. While existing research has explored psychosocial distress and protective factors in intentional trauma—such as assault or self-inflicted injury—unintentional injury remains comparatively understudied. Guided by the hypothesis that higher pre-existing resilience protects individuals from developing psychosocial distress after an adverse event, this dissertation employs a three manuscript design. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the dissertation, while each manuscript contains its own introduction, literature review, methods, results, and discussion. Chapter 2 presents Manuscript 1, which analyzes the incidence of pre-existing …

From Screens To Stress: Public Health Implications Of Cancer Worry In A Digitally Connected World, Shreya Mathur, Ethan Burns, Michael Pokojovy, Tzu-Liang Bill Tseng, Sunil Mathur

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Aims:

This study examines how digital information environments, genetic testing experiences, health behaviors, and psychological distress influence cancer-related worry among adults in the United States. It further considers the public health implications of elevated or reduced cancer worry for prevention and risk communication.

Methods:

Data were drawn from a nationally representative survey of 6,252 U.S. adults. Measures included reliance on social media for health decision-making, smoking status, history of genetic testing, and psychological distress. Multivariable analyses assessed associations between these factors and levels of cancer worry.

Results/Findings:

Reliance on social media for health decisions was associated with greater cancer worry, …

Association Between Caregiver Status And Physical And Mental Health Among National Senior Games Athletes, Chibuzo Uchechukwu Victor Obasi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

As the population ages, more people rely on informal caregivers, which puts many older adults at risk for health problems. Caregiving can be meaningful and strengthen family bonds, but it often leads to more psychological stress, especially for older adults who also have their own health concerns. Research shows that regular physical activity can help older adults build resilience and improve their mental well-being. Still, we know little about the health of older caregivers who stay very active. This study examines the health effects of caregiving among members of the National Senior Games Association (NSGA), a group of highly active …

Exploring African Students’ Experiences With Culturally Responsive Mental Health Apps In The U.S., Emelia Essumanba-Josiah

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Digital mental health applications have proven to be effective, yet adoption remains very low among African international students in the United States. This study investigated how 17 university students perceive the usefulness of mental health apps, evaluate existing tools through their cultural lens, and recommend what a culturally responsive app would look like – all through a semi-structured interview with an app exploration exercise at a Midwestern public university. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model and the African-Centered Wellness Model, there were six (6) key themes that emerged revealing participants carried skewed pre-migration mental health frameworks, dealt with their stressors …

Transition To Home Guideline For Patients With Diabetes, Kathleen R. Burgner

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects

Background: Diabetes is a leading contributor to preventable hospital readmissions. These hospital readmissions often result from fragmented discharge planning, poor care coordination, and limited post-discharge support. At a 915-bed academic medical center in Southern California, the diabetes-related readmission rate was 13.3%, compared with 11.4% among patients without diabetes. This project aimed to develop an evidence-based Transition-to-Home (TTH) guideline for hospitalized patients with diabetes and evaluate the strength of its recommendations through multidisciplinary stakeholder review.

Methods: An evidence-based guideline development project was conducted over 8 weeks. A comprehensive literature search in CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, and ScienceDirect identified current evidence on transitional …

Does Guideline-Directed Breast Mri Improve Early Identification In The High-Risk Breast Cancer Population, Cemile Littlepage

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects

Introduction: In the United States, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. The American Cancer Society's 2007 guidelines (Onishi & Kataoka, 2020) and the American College of Radiology recommend that MRI screening, alongside annual mammography, be used for women at high risk for breast cancer (Lamb et al., 2023; Sardanelli et al., 2024). Currently, there are various screening models, and no standardized tool or national guideline exists for MRI screening in high-risk patients. This guideline project aims to establish a screening model and recommendations for MRI screening in high-risk women for use in primary care.

Methods: A …

Impact Of Social Media On Acne Treatment Practices In Egypt, Hadeer Fathy, Moheiddin Fakhry Alghobary, Nada Mohmed Elhadidy, Sara Hamdy Fouad

Mansoura Medical Journal

Background: Acne is one of the most prevalent global diseases, affecting up to 85% of adolescents and young adults and contributing to significant psychological burden. Despite available treatments, many patients rely on social media for guidance, where misinformation and unauthorized drug promotion can negatively influence Acne Vulgaris management.

Aim: The aim of this research is to determine the influence of social media information on the selected treatment method of Egyptian patients with Acne Vulgaris

Patients and methods: This is cross‑sectional study targets Acne Vulgaris patients aged ≥15 with current or past AV who use social media. Data was collected through …

Effect Of Active Music-Based Intervention Conducted By Music Therapists Or Medical Professionals On Reducing Agitation In Patients With Dementia: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Jian-Jia Huang, Yu-Hsuan Chen, Yun-Chen Chung, Yu-Peng Huang, Yu-Cheng Pei

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Music-based interventions (MI), including music therapy and music medicine, have been proposed to reduce agitation in patients with dementia, yet evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews remains inconsistent. Moreover, the efficacy of MI may vary by method and professional involvement, which has not been fully examined. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of active MI conducted by music therapists or medical professionals on agitation in patients with dementia compared with those of general therapy (GT). RCTs published between January 1, 2010, and July 31, 2021, were identified from MEDLINE, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library. Study quality …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Supporting Neurodiverse Individuals In The Workplace, M'Kenna J. Henson

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Posters

My doctoral capstone was completed in partnership with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and focused on the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) areas of education and program development. The project involved developing a nationally-accessible asynchronous continuing education e-course, The Role of Occupational Therapy in Supporting Neurodiverse Individuals in the Workplace, to increase occupational therapy (OT) practitioners' and students' knowledge of neurodiversity, workplace inclusion, and evidence-based employment supports.

Current literature highlights significant barriers to employment for neurodivergent individuals. Approximately 20% of people are neurodivergent, yet nearly 80% of neurodiverse adults are unemployed, demonstrating the need for greater …

Enhancing Nursing Education To Improve Care For Women Experiencing A Substance Use Disorder During Pregnancy, Sadie Caddell

UNH URC Open (2026 and after)

Enhancing Nursing Education to Improve Care for Women Experiencing a Substance Use Disorder During Pregnancy

Regulation Creations: A Trauma-Informed Resource Addressing Sensory And Socio-Emotional Childhood Challenges, Meagan Noel Barnes Pearson

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Introduction: Trauma is ubiquitous and can negatively impact many life outcomes. Though trauma can occur across the lifespan, particular emphasis has been placed on the outcomes of experiences that occur in childhood. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), as coined by Felitti et al. (1998), pertain to traumatic events that occur before the age of 18, and the correlation between the number of ACEs and poor health outcomes is significant. Children can begin demonstrating unfavorable symptoms upon becoming exposed to trauma. Current literature has illustrated particular differences in sensory systems and social skills for young children. These challenges can lead to hardship …

Technological Interventions For Reducing Climate Change Impacts On Health: An Overview Of Future Possibilities, Sujatha Alla, Vijay Kumar Chattu, Bawa Singh

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Globally, over five million deaths annually are attributed to extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change, such as heatwaves, hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, and floods, which create health crises and economic losses. The 2015 Paris Declaration emphasized climate technology mechanisms, including research and development, to enhance resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Biotechnological advancements have mitigated about 20% of economic losses since the 1960s, highlighting technology’s potential to address climate-induced health risks.

Investigating Speech-Language Pathologists’ Perception On Bilingual/Multilingual Aac Intervention And Quality Of Care., Lillian Griffith

2026 Research Poster Competition

In recent decades, the caseloads worldwide of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have become increasingly linguistically diverse (Soto & Yu 2014). However, current research in the field of communication sciences and disorders is primarily focused on monolingual populations, with a similar lack of research in the field regarding bilingual/multilingual Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) (Tönsing & Dada 2022). AAC refers to methods of communication other than spoken language and can augment existing speech or serve as an alternative to speech (ASHA n.d.). Although advancements in the field regarding AAC use for monolingual/English-speaking clients have been made, there is a lack of research …

Responses To Influencer’S Vlog On Instagram: Nicotine Pouches And Oral Health, Amrusha Ranjith

2026 Research Poster Competition

Despite claims by ZYN, the leading nicotine pouch brand, that it does not partner with social media influencers, influencers with large followings continue to post content depicting nicotine pouch use. Prior research suggests oral lesions are among the most commonly reported adverse events associated with nicotine pouch use; however, public discussions of these outcomes on social media remain understudied. This study examined public discourse surrounding nicotine pouch use and oral health in response to an Instagram post by a popular influencer. Methods: We collected 1,668 publicly available comments from an Instagram post by Emma Chamberlain (@emmachamberlain) using a social media …

Disrupted Circadian Rhythms Affect Hallmark Pathologies In Alzheimer’S Disease-Related Mouse Models, Valeria Buzinova

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease with two hallmark pathologies: extracellular amyloid-b (Ab) and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Ab is proteolytically processed from amyloid precursor protein (APP) by b-secretase and g-secretase as a monomeric peptide prone to aggregation. Eventually, the aggregate-prone monomers will form dense plaques that are difficult to break down and remove. These plaques begin to deposit into the cortex decades prior to the formation of NFTs and the onset of cognitive decline. NFTs are comprised of hyper-phosphorylated tau. Tau is a protein that serves to promote and stabilize the formation of microtubules. The formation of …

The Physiological And Psychological Effects Of Social Media Addiction: A Mixed Methods Study, Ella Roper

2026 Research Poster Competition

Social media is a worldwide phenomenon that has taken the world by storm; individuals, multimillion dollar companies, hospitals and universities alike are all similar in that there is a good chance they have a social media presence. Needless to say, there are many benefits of social media including connection and networking, however there are also consequences. My study focuses on one of the consequences, social media addiction, in hopes of enlightening individuals to the risks of social media and hopefully inspiring systematic change to make the future of social media a little less risky. I am using a scale from …

Bridging The Gap In Dentistry: Harnessing Behavioral Health To Improve Oral Health Outcomes For Autistic Youth, Serenity Richardson

2026 Research Poster Competition

Background: Autistic children have unique dental healthcare needs. Oral complications stemming from poor tongue and motor coordination, high sensitivity to toothpaste and flossing, and sensory reactions to fluoride, amalgam, and other dental products are common. Autistic youth are also prone to dental-related emotional (e.g., dental fear and anxiety) and behavioral (e.g., noncompliance, disruptive behavior, avoidance) symptoms. There is also a substantial gap in pediatric and autism-focused training for dental providers, and caregivers report significant challenges in finding dental practitioners who treat autistic children. Taken together, autistic youth and their families face barriers to accessing timely, equitable oral healthcare. Unfortunately, delayed …

Mortality From Or With Covid-19 Infection, Dagan Coppock, Joseph Glowacki, Constantine Daskalakis, John Zurlo, Nikita Jaggernauth, Daniel Taupin

Division of Infectious Diseases and Environmental Medicine Faculty Papers

In this retrospective study, we compared the cause of death among hospitalized patients who died with a diagnosis of COVID-19 across two periods of the pandemic two years apart: an early period (admissions June to October 2020), when the population was immunologically naïve, and a later period (admissions April to October 2022), when an estimated 96% of the population had immunity from prior infection, vaccination, or both. Two investigators independently reviewed the medical records of 100 in-hospital deaths (50 per period) and classified each death as COVID-19 related, uncertain, or not COVID-19 related, using logistic regression to compare the two …

Microsolvation Effects Of 1,1-Dimethyl-Biguanide (Metformin), Jasmine L. Sanders

Honors Theses

The microsolvation of a 1,1-dimethyl-biguanide hydrochloride molecule in the presence of water molecules illustrates the initial interactions between the common drug metformin and water. This explicit water-solvation approach employs coupled-cluster theory with an explicit-correlation F12 correction and the cc-pVTZ-F12 basis set to determine the optimalgeometry of the molecule and to observe intermolecular interaction energies. 1,1-dimethyl-biguanide hydrochloride (an antidiabetic agent, metformin) is constantly in contact with water molecules in the human body, where it reduces intestinal glucose absorption, lowers hepatic glucose sensitivity, and improves overall insulin sensitivity to lower blood-glucose concentration. The B3LYP method with an aug-cc-pVTZ basis set is used …

Building Mental Health Literacy: The Impact Of Youth Mental Health First Aid On Emerging Youth Professionals, Burgin Rome

2026 Research Poster Competition

Nearly half of individuals in the United States will experience a mental health disorder during their lifetime, with many symptoms first emerging in childhood or adolescence. Adolescence is a critical developmental period characterized by emotional, social, and psychological changes that increase vulnerability to mental health challenges. Although public awareness of mental health has grown, stigma and societal taboos continue to limit open dialogue and delay intervention. As a result, many young people experience a significant gap between the onset of symptoms and receipt of professional support, which can worsen mental health concerns and contribute to long-term consequences that persist into …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists Following Implementation Of H.R.1 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act), Jenna Burns

2026 Research Poster Competition

Communication is a human right. As such, ASHA’s official Code of Ethics (2023) states that all speech-language pathologists working under the organization’s credentials have a responsibility to provide equitable and accessible care, regardless of socioeconomic status, citizenship status, or place of origin; however, there can be many barriers to the provision of this service, one of the most prominent being policy. Beginning in 2025, federal policy reforms enacted under H.R.1, colloquially known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” have impacted health care access, immigration policy, and educational funding, leading to eventual effects on the services of paraprofessionals in publicly-funded …

Exploring The Impact Of Age On Traumatic Brain Injury Cause And Recovery In Arkansas: A Retrospective Review, Abby Jones

2026 Research Poster Competition

Traumatic brain injury remains a major public health concern, and increasing evidence demonstrates the significance of the effect of age in quality of care, diagnosis, and recovery outcomes. In rural states, such as Arkansas, where research has shown a lack of resources and higher fatality rates among persons with TBI, healthcare professionals can become better informed and equipped to optimize recovery and rehabilitation as a result of research efforts to explore the effects of age from the standpoint of cause and recovery (Daugherty et al., 2022). This study was a retrospective analysis involving data covering a two-year period extracted from …

A Bayesian Late-Fusion Supportability Framework For Rare-Disease Severity Prediction In Glut1 Deficiency Syndrome, Jordan M. Rodriguez

Mathematics Dissertations

Glucose transporter type 1 deficiency syndrome (GLUT1-DS) is a rare neurometabolic disorder with heterogeneous neurological and developmental severity. Because patient-level severity is not observed as a single validated outcome, this dissertation develops a Bayesian late-fusion supportability framework for constructing and predicting an ordered latent severity phenotype from clinical, genetic, and EEG-derived evidence. The primary target was constructed in a larger clinical cohort using age-5 symptom burden and learning cognition, then assigned to an aligned multimodal prediction cohort. Target-defining variables were excluded from supervised predictors, and models were evaluated using patient-exclusive cross-validation with training-fold preprocessing and fold-wise EEG PCA.

The primary …

Genome-Wide Gene-Sleep Interaction Study Identifies Novel Lipid Loci In 732,564 Participants, Raymond Noordam, Wenyi Wang, Pavithra Nagarajan, Heming Wang, Michael R Brown, Amy R Bentley, Qin Hui, Aldi T Kraja, John L Morrison, Jeffrey R O'Connel, Songmi Lee, Karen Schwander, Traci M Bartz, Lisa De Las Fuentes, Mary F Feitosa, Xiuqing Guo, Xu Hanfei, Sarah E Harris, Zhijie Huang, Mart Kals, Christophe Lefevre, Massimo Mangino, Yuri Milaneschi, Peter J Van Der Most, Natasha L Pacheco, Nicholette D Palmer, Varun Rao, Rainer Rauramaa, Quan Sun, Yasuharu Tabara, Dina Vojinovic, Yujie Wang, Stefan Weiss, Qian Yang, Wei Zhao, Wanying Zhu, Md Abu Yusuf Ansari, Hugues Aschard, Pramod Anugu, Themistocles L Assimes, John Attia, Laura D Baker, Christie Ballantyne, Lydia Bazzano, Eric Boerwinkle, Brain Cade, Hung-Hsin Chen, Wei Chen, Yii-Der Ida Chen, Zekai Chen, Kelly Cho, Ileana De Anda-Duran, Latchezar Dimitrov, Anh Do, Todd Edwards, Tariq Faquih, Aroon Hingorani, Susan P Fisher-Hoch, J Michael Gaziano, Sina A Gharib, Ayush Giri, Mohsen Ghanbari, Hans Jörgen Grabe, Mariaelisa Graff, C Charles Gu, Jiang He, Sami Heikkinen, James Hixson, Yuk-Lam Ho, Michelle M Hood, Serena C Houghton, Carrie A Karvonen-Gutierrez, Takahisa Kawaguchi, Tuomas O Kilpeläinen, Pirjo Komulainen, Henry J Lin, Gregorio V Linchangco, Annemarie I Luik, Jintao Ma, James B Meigs, Joseph B Mccormick, Cristina Menni, Ilja M Nolte, Jill M Norris, Lauren E Petty, Hannah G Polikowsky, Laura M Raffield, Stephen S Rich, Renata L Riha, Thomas C Russ, Edward A Ruiz-Narvaez, Colleen M Sitlani, Jennifer A Smith, Harold Snieder, Tamar Sofer, Botong Shen, Jingxian Tang, Kent D Taylor, Maris Teder-Laving, Rima Triatin, Michael Y Tsai, Henry Völzke, Kenneth E Westerman, Rui Xia, Jie Yao, Kristin L Young, Ruiyuan Zhang, Alan B Zonderman, Xiaofeng Zhu, Jennifer E Below, Simon R Cox, Michelle Evans, Myriam Fornage, Ervin R Fox, Nora Franceschini, Sioban D Harlow, Elizabeth Holliday, M Arfan Ikram, Tanika Kelly, Timo A Lakka, Deborah A Lawlor, Changwei Li, Ching-Ti Liu, Reedik Mägi, Alisa K Manning, Fumihiko Matsuda, Alanna C Morrison, Matthias Nauck, Kari E North, Brenda Wjh Penninx, Michael A Province, Bruce M Psaty, Jerome I Rotter, Tim D Spector, Lynne E Wagenknecht, Ko Willems Van Dijk, Lifelines Cohort Study, Million Veteran Program, Cashell E Jaquish, Peter Wf Wilson, Patricia A Peyser, Patricia B Munroe, Paul S De Vries, W James Gauderman, Yan V Sun, Han Chen, Clint L Miller, Thomas W Winkler, Dabeeru C Rao, Susan Redline, Diana Van Heemst

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and aims: Deviations from the population mean in sleep duration have been associated with increased risk for developing dyslipidemia and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, but the mechanism of effect is poorly characterized. We performed large-scale genome-wide gene-sleep interaction analyses of lipid levels to identify genetic variants underpinning the biomolecular pathways of sleep-associated lipid disturbances and to suggest possible druggable targets.

Methods: We collected data from 55 cohorts with a combined sample size of 732,564 participants (87 % European ancestry) with data on lipid traits (high-density lipoprotein [HDL-c] and low-density lipoprotein [LDL-c] cholesterol and triglycerides [TG]). Short (STST) and long (LTST) …

Blood Flow Regulates Metabolism In Hematopoietic Development, Pamela L Wenzel

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Blood flow modifies oxygen availability and biomechanical forces within the vasculature of the embryo as the hematopoietic system develops. The aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) envelops the largest artery in the body and is a critical site for the emergence of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Herein, I discuss the role of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) and force as determinants of metabolism and fate determination. To address the effects of blood flow on hematopoietic development, I employ mouse embryo models and biomimetic culture. Real-time cell metabolic analyses show that oxygen consumption rates (OCR) and extracellular acidification rates (ECAR) are altered by flow in cultures of …

Meta-Analysis Of The Health Effects Of Gas Cooking In Homes, P. Jacob Bueno De Mesquita, Núria Casquero-Modrego, Erik Pontes

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Given existing evidence linking indoor gas combustion with potential health effects, we aimed to quantify from epidemiologic field studies the health impacts associated with residential gas cooking and unvented heating.

Methods: We evaluated and synthesized results from peer-reviewed epidemiologic studies that isolated associations between exposure to residential gas cooking and/or unvented heating and an unrestricted range of health outcomes. We focused on studies conducted since 2000 that cited at least one of five, well-regarded studies. We evaluated relevant studies and computed pooled effect estimates, where at least three studies contributed data, using random effect meta-analysis models with inverse-variance weighting. …

Continuum Of Care Zine, Natanya Dewar

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Beyond Mean Length Of Utterance: Novel Measures For Characterizing The Spoken Language Of Autistic Children, Janine Mathee-Scott, Courtney E. Venker

Speech Pathology and Audiology Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose:

Mean length of utterance (MLU) is a common measure of expressive language complexity in young children, including autistic children. However, means, by nature, obscure some information about spread and variability in data. Thus, we aimed to examine a new approach to characterizing linguistic complexity in autistic children by investigating the validity of two novel measures—range of length of utterance (RLU), standard deviation of length of utterance (SDLU)—alongside established measures: MLU and total utterances (TU).

Method:

Participants were 40 autistic children (12 girls, 28 boys; M_age = 41.78 months). Children participated in 10-min, play-based language samples with their caregivers. …

Comparative Analysis Of M1 And M2 Macrophage Distribution And Localization In Chronic Wounds Of Metabolically Healthy And Diabetic Hosts Using A C57bl/6 Mouse Model, Bryan Liu, Ramiro Cisneros, Nathaniel Primous, Estephania Garcia, Bhuvana Lakkasetter Chandrashekar, Claudia Biguetti

School of Podiatric Medicine - Student Research

Introduction/Purpose: Type 2 diabetes and obesity are major risk factors for delayed wound healing in chronic foot ulcers. This study investigated whether a high-fat diet induces diabetes-like metabolic dysfunction in mice and characterized associated morphological changes and macrophage polarization during wound healing. Macrophages exist as pro-inflammatory M1 and anti-inflammatory M2 phenotypes that regulate tissue repair.

Methods: Ten male C57BL/6J mice (8 weeks old) were divided into high-fat diet (HFD) and regular diet (RD) (IACUC Protocol 22-33) groups.  After 12 weeks, body weight and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test were measured to confirm metabolic phenotypes, after which a 6mm dorsal excision wound …