Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Ace2/Ang1-7 Mas Axis: The Counter-Regulator Of The Classical Renin Angiotensin System, Widelyne Dorsainval

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

To maintain homeostasis, the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) works to regulate the cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, and neurological systems of the body. However, there is evidence that abundant amounts of certain components of the RAS have detrimental effects and enhance disease. Recent studies have proved that there is a lesser known RAS which acts to counterbalance the classical RAS. To better understand their interaction, the effects of the alternate RAS against the classical RAS in the homeostatic systems of the body are researched and analyzed. The classical pathway employs these components: angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensin II (AngII), and angiotensin II type …

Arranged Marriages: An Inappropriate Fabrication, Karika Sethi, Michael D. Reiter

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

This paper explores what an inappropriate relationship is and the taxonomy scale used to evaluate different relationships, specifically, arranged marriages. Arranged marriage is a topic that is considered taboo depending on global location. It is more prevalent in Eastern nations such as India, China, Oriental countries, and the Middle East. However, Western influence plays a significant role on what is and is not acceptable, as societal norms differ from place to place. What is defined as normal by culture is what helps to define if a relationship is or is not viewed as inappropriate. This paper is designed to explore …

Can Treadmill Training With Musical Cueing In Individuals With Progressive Parkinson’S Disease Improve Ambulation?, Kristen Barta, Derrick F. Campbell, Sharon Dunnivan-Mitchell Pt, Dpt

Physical Therapy Collection

The purpose of this study was to measure the effectiveness of a specialized musical composition in combination with treadmill training to impact gait parameters and balance in people with progressive Parkinson’s disease (PD). Incorporation of auditory stimulation, typically via metronome, to improve movement has been successfully used in rehabilitation for decades. Treadmill training, also frequently used in treatment of PD, has shown short- and long-term improvements in stride length, cadence, stance and swing phase. Music assisted therapy utilizing expertly designed musical composition, known as informed composition, has recently become available for use in rehabilitation in collaboration with music therapists. Combination …

Yeast Copper Proteins And Reactive Oxygen Species In Effecting Lifespan, Megan Bestwick

Post-Grant Reports

Mitochondria are essential organelles in most eukaryotic cells because of their role in metabolism and the production of ATP by the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway, as well as other key cellular processes. Metal cofactors, such as copper (Cu) and iron (Fe), are incorporated into OXPHOS protein complexes of yeast located within the inner membrane of the mitochondria. Misincorporation or modulation of these available metals in mitochondrial enzymes leads to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS are reactive molecules containing oxygen such as peroxides, superoxide, and hydroxyl radicals. Yeast are a good model for studying aging and the effect …

Using Interactive, Adaptive Technology To Teach First-Year Physician Assistant Students, Zilola Khashimova

Physician Assistant Studies | Faculty Research Posters

Idea: Integrate adaptive technology into Anatomy curriculum.

Need: Physician assistant departments do not have the extensive labs, resources and instruction time to teach anatomy like medical schools. With faster computers and large data storage on the cloud, interactive technology has become quite useful and affordable. Interactive technology is algorithm-based systems that take advantage of advanced mathematical formulas and machine learning concepts to adapt specifically to individual learners. At its core, such systems are intended to identify what a student does and doesn’t understand, identify and provide content that will help the student learn it, assess again, help again, etc., until …

Opioids In The Las Vegas Metro, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Health

In 2014, Nevada was one of 7 states selected to participate in a national policy coalition to reduce prescription drug abuse. As a result, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) created a data dashboard to track opioid prescriptions and opioid-involved overdose incidents. This Fact Sheet synthesizes state-level data from the Nevada Opioid Overdose Surveillance Dashboard and focuses on the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The data track opioid prescription rates as they correlate to opioid-involved overdose deaths, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations.

Treatment De-Escalation For Hpv-Associated Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma With Radiotherapy Vs. Trans-Oral Surgery (Orator2): Study Protocol For A Randomized Phase Ii Trial., Anthony C Nichols, Pencilla Lang, Eitan Prisman, Eric Berthelet, Eric Tran, Sarah Hamilton, Jonn Wu, Kevin Fung, John R De Almeida, Andrew Bayley, David P Goldstein, Antoine Eskander, Zain Husain, Houda Bahig, Apostolos Christopoulous, Michael Hier, Khalil Sultanem, Keith Richardson, Alex Mlynarek, Suren Krishnan, Hien Le, John Yoo, S Danielle Macneil, Adrian Mendez, Eric Winquist, Nancy Read, Varagur Venkatesan, Sara Kuruvilla, Andrew Warner, Sylvia Mitchell, Martin Corsten, Murali Rajaraman, Stephanie Johnson-Obaseki, Libni Eapen, Michael Odell, Shamir Chandarana, Robyn Banerjee, Joseph Dort, T Wayne Matthews, Robert Hart, Paul Kerr, Samuel Dowthwaite, Michael Gupta, Han Zhang, Jim Wright, Christina Parker, Bret Wehrli, Keith Kwan, Julie Theurer, David A Palma

Paediatrics Publications

BACKGROUND: Patients with human papillomavirus-positive (HPV+) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPC) have substantially better treatment response and overall survival (OS) than patients with HPV-negative disease. Treatment options for HPV+ OPC can involve either a primary radiotherapy (RT) approach (± concomitant chemotherapy) or a primary surgical approach (± adjuvant radiation) with transoral surgery (TOS). These two treatment paradigms have different spectrums of toxicity. The goals of this study are to assess the OS of two de-escalation approaches (primary radiotherapy and primary TOS) compared to historical control, and to compare survival, toxicity and quality of life (QOL) profiles between the two approaches. …

Core Outcome Measures For Adults With Neurologic Conditions: Pilot Implementation In Hospital-Based Outpatient Clinic., Brianna Ligotski, Arlene Mccarthy, Theresa Najjar, Preeti D. Oza

All Faculty Scholarship

Purpose: To describe a pilot implementation project of 3 of the core neuro outcome measures (OMs) within a small outpatient clinic.

Description: OMs provide standardized methods to track patient progress and functional status across levels of care. As the PT profession continues implementing standardized and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to reflect expertise in the movement system, consistent use of OMs is crucial.1-3 A core set of OMs (COMs) CPG was developed for adults with neurologic conditions; tools to facilitate its use are being produced through the Academy of Neurologic PT (ANPT).4-6 PTs from new grads to clinical specialists should …

Development Of A Diabetes Self-Management + Mhealth Program: Tailoring The Intervention For A Pilot Study In A Low-Income Setting In Mexico, Robin Whittemore, Mireya Vilar-Compte, Soraya Burrola-Méndez, Annel Lozano-Marrufo, Roberta Delvy, Mariana Pardo-Carrillo, Selene De La Cerda, Ninfa Pena-Purcell, Rafael Pérez-Escamilla

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a public health pandemic disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries. The purpose of this formative research was to adapt evidence-based diabetes self-management education programs to the context of Seguro Popular clinics in Mexico. A theory-based mHealth (pictorial text messaging) component was developed.

Method: Our formative research and development of the program protocol consisted of six phases: (1) interviews and focus groups with stakeholders on the challenges to T2D management, curriculum content needs, and the use of mHealth as a supplement to a DSME program; (2) review of the theoretical underpinning, curriculum, and interactive strategies …

Pcsk9 Inhibitors In Secondary Prevention – An Opportunity For Personalized Therapy, Chase Board, Michael S. Kelly, Michael D. Shapiro, Dave L. Dixon

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is the primary cause of ASCVD and reducing LDL-C levels with statin therapy significantly reduces ASCVD risk; however, significant residual risk remains. Two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), alirocumab and evolocumab, that target proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin-type 9 (PCSK9), reduce LDL-C levels by up to 60% when used in combination with statins and significantly reduce the risk of recurrent ASCVD events in both stable secondary prevention and acute coronary syndrome populations. Pre-specified analyses of recent randomized controlled trials have shed light on how best to prioritize these therapies …

Hyperammonemic Encephalopathy With Triphasic Waves: A Case, Brian Birdsong, Brielle Marks, Rishim Jayswal, Adeel Rahman

Psychiatry

No abstract provided.

The History Of Lobotomies: Examining Its Impacts On Marginalized Groups And The Development Of Psychosurgery, Simon Godin, Brett Leblanc

Psychology from the Margins

Frontal lobotomies, which are defined as the lesioning of the frontal lobe from the rest of the brain, were performed extensively from the 1930s to the 1960s in Europe and the United States, significantly impacting psychology and psychosurgery. The history of frontal lobotomies features many different practitioners with diverse methods; however, the overwhelming majority of popular lobotomists committed unethical actions by today’s standards that led to the direct marginalization of specific demographics. Using a framework guided by an exploration of those historically disempowered by the performance of lobotomies, this review article traces the lobotomy’s historical progression, focusing on the unethical …

Promoting Bike Safety And Physical Activity In The Community: The Kenton-Hardin County Family Bike Program, Jamie Hunsicker

Ada Chats

No abstract provided.

Learning Strategies And Academic Difficulty In Physical And Occupational Therapy Online Education, Evan M. Pucillo, Erica J. Kiernan

Physical Therapy Collection

The purpose of this study was to explore the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) in relation to hybrid-online clinical neuroscience course outcomes in occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) students. OT and PT students self-administered the LASSI during the Spring of 2019. N=34 students (14 OT; 20 PT) completed the LASSI. The scales of Information Processing (r = -0.43; p

Improvements In Physical Functional Performance Test 10 (Pfp-10) In An Amputee Following Contralateral Total Knee Arthroplasty, Scott Love, Rebekah Langreck, Payton Mcwilliams, Jenna Yent, Michael Jason Highsmith

Physical Therapy Collection

Introduction: Due to abnormal gait patterns in patients with lower extremity amputation (LEA), it has been hypothesized that this population experiences early onset of osteoarthritis (OA) of sound side limb causing pain and impaired function which may lead to surgical intervention.

Purpose: The purpose of this case report is to present a transfemoral LEA who received sound limb total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Just prior to and immediately following surgery, there is a time period where a person with LEA can experience a decrease in physical functional performance and become dependent on assistance for daily activities. Case

Description: The patient …

Iseqqc: A Tool For Expression-Based Quality Control In Rna Sequencing., Gaurav Kumar, Adam Ertel, George Feldman, Joan Kupper, Paolo Fortina

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Quality Control in any high-throughput sequencing technology is a critical step, which if overlooked can compromise an experiment and the resulting conclusions. A number of methods exist to identify biases during sequencing or alignment, yet not many tools exist to interpret biases due to outliers.

RESULTS: Hence, we developed iSeqQC, an expression-based QC tool that detects outliers either produced due to variable laboratory conditions or due to dissimilarity within a phenotypic group. iSeqQC implements various statistical approaches including unsupervised clustering, agglomerative hierarchical clustering and correlation coefficients to provide insight into outliers. It can be utilized through command-line (Github: https://github.com/gkumar09/iSeqQC) …

Tracing Change In Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Through Social Networks: An Intersectional Analysis Of The Influence Of Gender, Generation, Status, And Structural Inequality, Amadou Moreau, Bettina Shell-Duncan

Reproductive Health

Policies and programs designed to eliminate female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in Senegal have been implemented over several decades, but the practice has been surprisingly tenacious. Strategies for accelerating abandonment have been informed by theories of change, and social norms theory, in particular, has become a prominent framework for understanding behavior change dynamics. FGM/C is held in place by interdependent normative expectations: what one family chooses to do is linked to expectations of others and reinforced through social sanctions. Hence, a key strategy for promoting behavior change rests on coordinating change in norms and behavior among people who interact with one …

Exploring The Nature And Extent Of Normative Change In Fgm/C In Somaliland, Richard A. Powell, Mohamed Yussuf, Bettina Shell-Duncan, Caroline W. Kabiru

Reproductive Health

More than 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM/C across 30 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. While most affected countries have adopted legal frameworks prohibiting FGM/C, these have been varyingly effective in preventing the practice or significantly accelerating its abandonment. The success of programmatic interventions to address FGM/C has also been variable. One possible reason for the limited success of these initiatives is the neglect of the collectively held social norms underpinning the practice’s continuation. This study, conducted in 30 villages in Somaliland, aimed to investigate: 1) if the norms associated with FGM/C are …

A Ten-Year Retrospective Evaluation Of Acute Flaccid Myelitis At 5 Pediatric Centers In The United States, 2005-2014., Margaret M. Cortese, Anita K. Kambhampati, Jennifer E. Schuster, Zaid Alhinai, Gary R. Nelson, Gloria J. Guzman Perez-Carrillo, Arastoo Vossough, Michael A. Smit, Robert C. Mckinstry, Timothy Zinkus, Kevin R. Moore, Jeffrey M. Rogg, Meghan S. Candee, James J. Sejvar, Sarah E. Hopkins

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a severe illness similar to paralytic poliomyelitis. It is unclear how frequently AFM occurred in U.S. children after poliovirus elimination. In 2014, an AFM cluster was identified in Colorado, prompting passive US surveillance that yielded 120 AFM cases of unconfirmed etiology. Subsequently, increased reports were received in 2016 and 2018. To help inform investigations on causality of the recent AFM outbreaks, our objective was to determine how frequently AFM had occurred before 2014, and if 2014 cases had different characteristics.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study covering 2005-2014 at 5 pediatric centers in 3 …

Opioids In Nevada, Peter Grema, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Health

This Fact Sheet presents data from the Washington Post’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) database on opioid shipments in the United States and provides information pertaining to Nevada and each of its 17 regions (16 counties and one independent city). This Fact Sheet compares the Washington Post’s opioid shipment data with opioid prescription rates relative to Nevada’s population in 2010.

The Use Of Immersive 360 Videos To Induce Different Strategies Of Postural Control, Chenfan Gui, Jung Hung Chien, Ka-Chun Siu

Posters and Presentations: Physical Therapy

Purpose/Hypothesis: Visual perception is a decision-making process of the central nervous system based on recognitions of relative distances and velocities between objects. With the input from visual perception, an appropriate postural control is applied to maintain balance. Previous studies on how visual perception affects the postural control were only in one direction. Therefore, this study used immersive 360° videos to identify how visual perception affects the postural control in multiple directions. We hypothesized that video with more turns could induce more ML body sway, and video with higher elevation could induce more AP body sway. Number of Subjects: Nineteen healthy …

The Effect Of Inclination On Lower Extremity Inter-Joint Coordination During Treadmill Walking, Jiani Lu, Jung Hung Chien, Ka-Chun Siu

Posters and Presentations: Physical Therapy

Purpose/Hypothesis: Inclined walking is a challenging daily task in comparison with level walking. It requires specific control from central nervous system and exhibits increases in muscle activities and alternations of joint kinematics in lower extremities. However, the knowledge of the inclination effect on the inter-joint coordination is limited. Previous studies have shown the benefits of investigating the inter-joint coordination in patients with Parkinson’s disease, low back pain and hemiplegic gait. This study aimed to evaluate such coordination in healthy young adults during inclined walking.

Number of Subjects: 19 healthy young adults (13 females, 6 males; aged 22 – 29 yrs) …

Declined Treadmill Walking Eliminates Asymmetric Walking Pattern In Healthy Young Adults, Yuhang Zhang, Ka-Chun Siu, Jung Hung Chien

Posters and Presentations: Physical Therapy

Background: Human locomotion is flexible in any environment, and this fact has been proven when walking on different speeds in each leg on the split-belt treadmill. However, during the split-belt walking, participant’s locomotor behaviors are passively adopted by a motor-driven treadmill. Therefore, how humans actively adjust the flexibility of locomotion is still limited by using the split-belt treadmill. Our current study investigated the flexibility of locomotion by using ankle weight on the dominant leg to induce asymmetric walking pattern when walking on a regular treadmill. We hypothesized that the level of active control would increase to adapt the asymmetric walking …

Minding The Mindfulness Research In Healthcare: More Data On Diversity Are Urgently Needed, Basant Pradhan

Cooper Rowan Medical Journal

Amongst the myriads of applications of meditative practice, mindfulness meditation can be arguably the simple yet most evidence-based type of meditative method. This simple and age-old technique emphasizes upon cultivating in the practitioner a nonjudgmental awareness on a moment-to-moment basis. Mindfulness meditation was introduced to the American audience in the early 1990’s by Jon Kabat-Zinn, and beginning the early 2000s has seen an exponential growth trajectory that continues to this day. However, its rising popularity has given rise to considerable misinformation and misunderstanding as well.

In Clinical Practice, Patients Have Names, James Peter Meza

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

In order to better reflect this robust description of clinical practice, we have initiated the use of pseudonyms for patients in our publications.

Obesity In America, Caroline Mcgibbon

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

No abstract provided.

Psychometric Properties Of Segmental Assessment Of Trunk Control In Infants And Toddlers With Down Syndrome, Megan Flores, Katy Mitchell, Carolyn Da Silva, Christina Bickley

Physical Therapy Collection

Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to investigate infants and toddlers with Down Syndrome (DS) to determine: 1) interrater, intrarater, and live versus video reliability of the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo), 2) concurrent validity of the SATCo with the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), and 3) whether a model of staggered entry with age and SATCo score predicts GMFM score.

Number of Subjects: 18 children with DS between 6 to 23 months (mean = 13.67, SD = 5.31) participated. Materials and Methods: The SATCo is a dichotomous scale to assess 7 discrete levels of trunk control in …

A Randomized Feasibility Trial Of A Novel, Integrative, And Intensive Virtual Rehabilitation Program For Service Members Post-Acquired Brain Injury., Kiara H Buccellato, Michelle Nordstrom, Justin M Murphy, Grigore C Burdea, Kevin Polistico, Gregory House, Nam Kim, Namrata Grampurohit, Jeff Sorensen, Brad M Isaacson, Paul F Pasquina

Department of Occupational Therapy Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Acquired Brain Injury, whether resulting from Traumatic brain injury (TBI) or Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA), represent major health concerns for the Department of Defense and the nation. TBI has been referred to as the "signature" injury of recent U.S. military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan - affecting approximately 380,000 service members from 2000 to 2017; whereas CVA has been estimated to effect 795,000 individuals each year in the United States. TBI and CVA often present with similar motor, cognitive, and emotional deficits; therefore the treatment interventions for both often overlap. The Defense Health Agency and Veterans Health Administration would …

A Universal, Genomewide Guidefinder For Crispr/Cas9 Targeting In Microbial Genomes., Michelle Spoto, Changhui Guan, Elizabeth Fleming, Julia Oh

Faculty Research 2020

The CRISPR/Cas system has significant potential to facilitate gene editing in a variety of bacterial species. CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) represent modifications of the CRISPR/Cas9 system utilizing a catalytically inactive Cas9 protein for transcription repression and activation, respectively. While CRISPRi and CRISPRa have tremendous potential to systematically investigate gene function in bacteria, few programs are specifically tailored to identify guides in draft bacterial genomes genomewide. Furthermore, few programs offer open-source code with flexible design parameters for bacterial targeting. To address these limitations, we created GuideFinder, a customizable, user-friendly program that can design guides for any annotated bacterial …

Pyrosequencing Analysis Of Irs1 Methylation Levels In Schizophrenia With Tardive Dyskinesia, Yanli Li, Kesheng Wang, Ping Zhang, Junchao Huang, Ying Liu, Zhiren Wang, Yongke Lu, Shuping Tan, Fude Yang, Yunlong Tan

Pharmacology, Physiology and Toxicology

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a serious side effect of certain antipsychotic medications that are used to treat schizophrenia (SCZ) and other mental illnesses. The methylation status of the insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) gene is reportedly associated with SCZ; however, no study, to the best of the authors' knowledge, has focused on the quantitative DNA methylation levels of the IRS1 gene using pyrosequencing in SCZ with or without TD. The present study aimed to quantify DNA methylation levels of 4 CpG sites in the IRS1 gene using a Chinese sample including SCZ patients with TD and without TD (NTD) and …