Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Genetic Dissection Of Crossover Mutants Defines Discrete Intermediates In Mouse Meiosis, Tolkappiyan Premkumar, Lakshmi Paniker, Rhea Kang, Mathilde Biot, Ericka Humphrey, Honorine Destain, Isabella Ferranti, Iyinyeoluwa Okulate, Holly Nguyen, Vindhya Kilaru, Melissa Frasca, Parijat Chakraborty, Francesca Cole

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Crossovers (COs), the exchange of homolog arms, are required for accurate chromosome segregation during meiosis. Studies in yeast have described the single-end invasion (SEI) intermediate: a stabilized 3' end annealed with the homolog as the first detectible CO precursor. SEIs are thought to differentiate into double Holliday junctions (dHJs) that are resolved by MutLgamma (MLH1/MLH3) into COs. Currently, we lack knowledge of early steps of mammalian CO recombination or how intermediates are differentiated in any organism. Using comprehensive analysis of recombination in thirteen different genetic conditions with varying levels of compromised CO resolution, we infer CO precursors include asymmetric SEI-like …

Detection Method Has Independent Prognostic Significance In The Plco Lung Screening Trial, James P Long, Yu Shen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Prognostic models in cancer use patient demographic and tumor characteristics to predict survival and dynamic disease prognosis. Past work in breast cancer has shown that cancer detection method, screen-detected or symptom-detected, has prognostic significance. We investigate this phenomenon in the lung component of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) screening trial. Patients were randomized to intervention, receiving four annual chest x-rays (CXRs), or to control, receiving usual care. Patients were followed for a total of approximately 13 years. In PLCO, lung cancer detection method has independent prognostic value exceeding that of variables commonly used in lung cancer prognostic models, …

Incarcerated Gravid Uterus - A Systematic Review, Sujatha Narayanamoorthy, Allix Hillebrand, Rakshitha Pendam, Rodney Mclaren

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Papers

Incarcerated gravid uterus (IGU) is a serious complication of pregnancy that leads to adverse obstetric outcomes. The aim of this review was to describe this entity in detail. We also aimed to understand if pregnancies with predisposing risk factors that increase the risk of developing IGU had a difference in their clinical manifestations, treatment, and obstetric outcomes. The PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus databases and clinicaltrials.gov were searched from inception to July 2023. Case reports and series that provided all the details of the pregnancy and IGU outcome were included. Study quality and risk of bias were assessed using a tool …

Systematic Review Of Needlestick Injuries In The Operating Room: A Case For Surgical Glove Redesigning, Shalmali Mirajkar, Zachary Bauman, Bethany Lowndes

EMET Projects

Background: Sharps or needlestick injuries (NSI) occur in roughly 15% of surgeries and are largely preventable. With such injuries, healthcare workers have a high risk of exposure to blood borne pathogens. Despite the implementation of several prevention measures such as double gloving and using blunt suture needles, there is still a high prevalence of NSIs. The aim of the current study is to conduct a systematic review to identify the most vulnerable parts of the hand for needlestick injuries, the most common tasks during which injuries occurred, and the most common instrument associated with the injury.

Methods: A …

Computational Modeling And Minimization Of Unintended Neuronal Excitation In A Lifu Stimulation, Boqiang Fan, Wayne Goodman, Raymond Y Cho, Sameer A Sheth, Richard R Bouchard, Behnaam Aazhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The neuromodulation effect of low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) is highly target-specific. Unintended off-target neuronal excitation can be elicited when the beam focusing accuracy and resolution are limited, whereas the resulted side effect has not been evaluated quantitatively. There is also a lack of methods addressing the minimization of such side effects. Therefore, this work introduces a computational model of unintended neuronal excitation during LIFU neuromodulation, which evaluates the off-target activation area (OTAA) by integrating an ultrasound field model with the neuronal spiking model. In addition, a phased array beam focusing scheme called constrained optimal resolution beamforming (CORB) is proposed to …

The Rise Of Degrader Drugs, Mingxing Teng, Nathanael S Gray

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The cancer genomics revolution has served up a plethora of promising and challenging targets for the drug discovery community. The field of targeted protein degradation (TPD) uses small molecules to reprogram the protein homeostasis system to destroy desired target proteins. In the last decade, remarkable progress has enabled the rational development of degraders for a large number of target proteins, with over 20 molecules targeting more than 12 proteins entering clinical development. While TPD has been fully credentialed by the prior development of immunomodulatory drug (IMiD) class for the treatment of multiple myeloma, the field is poised for a "Gleevec …

Emerging Evidence For Diagnosis And Treatment Of Wake Up Stroke Patients, Asa Di Carlo, Kennedy Emerson, Justin Gambini

Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc)

Strokes are the leading cause of permanent disability and the second leading singular cause of death in more developed countries.3 Over 13 million individuals worldwide suffer strokes annually, 1 with the vast majority of these being from an ischemic event. Out of these, 20-25% actually occur in individuals who wake up with stroke symptoms, which historically has been considered outside of the time window for treatment.2,3 Previous guidelines indicate that in patients with acute ischemic strokes IV thrombolytic therapy should be administered within 4.5 hours for symptom onset, and is not recommended in patients with an unknown time of symptom …

The Combination Of Platelet Rich Plasma And Corticosteroids In Musculoskeletal And Musculotendinous Pathologies, Mikayla Stoudt

Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies Capstone Presentations (Center City)

Background

- 126 million Americans reported to have a musculoskeletal or musculotendinous pathology in 2012¹

- Combined direct and indirect cost of these injuries in 2015 was $874 billion¹

- Corticosteroid injections have been the mainstay of invasive management after conservative methods fail
Long-term effects of corticosteroids

• Intra-articular injections for knee osteoarthritis resulted in cartilage volume loss¹⁰
• Harm to flexor tendons, neurovascular structures, and compromised integrity^{7, 11}

- Platelet Rich Plasma

• Sample patient blood --> Centrifuge --> Separate plasma and platelets from other blood products --> Reconcentrate the platelets into the plasma
• Platelets release growth factor …

Assessing Blood Oxygen Level–Dependent Signal Variability As A Biomarker Of Brain Injury In Sport-Related Concussion, Evan D. Anderson, Tanveer Talukdar, Grace Goodwin, Valentina Di Pietro, Kamal M. Yakoub, Christopher E. Zwilling, David Davies, Antonio Belli, Aron K. Barbey

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Mild traumatic brain injury is a complex neurological disorder of significant concern among athletes who play contact sports. Athletes who sustain sport-related concussion typically undergo physical examination and neurocognitive evaluation to determine injury severity and return-to-play status. However, traumatic disruption to neurometabolic processes can occur with minimal detectable anatomic pathology or neurocognitive alteration, increasing the risk that athletes may be cleared for return-to-play during a vulnerable period and receive a repetitive injury. This underscores the need for sensitive functional neuroimaging methods to detect altered cerebral physiology in concussed athletes. The present study compared the efficacy of Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and …

The Occupational Needs Of Military Spouses During Deployments, Sin Hye Lee, Amy Lyons-Brown

Summer 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Purpose: This research delves into the occupational needs of military spouses during deployments, investigating how deployments influence their well-being and occupational performance. This study aims to increase awareness and advocate for military spouses by gaining greater insight into their lived experiences during deployments.

Methods: A mixed-methods research design - 40 participants for the survey and 6 interviewees. The survey was guided by the SAMHSA's eight dimensions of wellness and a modified Role Checklist to identify the impact of deployments on wellness and role participation. The interview was based on a modified MOHOST assessment tool to explore the impact on occupational …

Perspectives On The Doctor Of Public Health (Drph) Education Among Students And Alumni In The United States: A Cross-Sectional National Online Survey., Chulwoo Park, Cindy Delgado, Ans Irfan

Health Sciences Education Research

BACKGROUND: This study explored the current and desired identity of the DrPH degree, focusing on whether the competencies set by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) adequately prepare DrPH graduates for effective public health practice. Additionally, the study investigated the necessity of standardization in DrPH training, referring to a consensus-driven approach that equips future public health practitioners with practical skillsets applicable in real-world scenarios.

METHODS: A national cross-sectional online survey titled "National DrPH leaders & practitioners needs assessment" was conducted from November 2020 to February 2021. The survey was based on a self-report by DrPH students and DrPH …

Bridging The Gaps In Dgbi: The Mind Body Approach To Abdominal Pain, Nora Luck, Soroush Shahamatdar, Stephanie A. Eucker

URGENT Matters

No abstract provided.

The Pathophysiology Of Equine Glandular Gastric Disease: Investigating The Role Of The Mucosal Microbiome And Bile Acid Reflux, Linda Paul

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD) is a common disease of athletic horses that can affect performance and welfare. Clinical signs are non-specific and diagnosis is made using gastroscopy after a prolonged fasting period. Effective prevention and treatment strategies for EGGD are lacking despite its widespread prevalence and negative effects. The goal of this research was to investigate the pathophysiology of EGGD. Objectives included: 1) compare the gastric glandular mucosal microbiome in horses with and without EGGD, 2) assess the influence of dietary and management factors on the gastric microbiome, and 3) evaluate the pyloric gastric fluid bile acid profile in …

Covid-19 Mortality Rates Were Higher In States That Limited Governments From Enacting Public Health Emergency Orders, Xue Zhang, Mildred Warner, Gen Meredith

Center for Policy Research

State and local governments enacted various public health emergency policies during the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in lower infection and death rates than would have occurred without these policies. However, some states limited emergency public health authority of state executives, state governors, and state and local officials during the pandemic. This brief summarizes the results of a study that used data from the Center for Public Health Law Research and Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker to explore which states passed laws that limited emergency public health authority during the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of those limitations on COVID-19 death …

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Dysregulation As An Essential Pathological Feature In Huntington's Disease: Mechanisms And Potential Therapeutics, Andrew Speidell, Noman Bin Abid, Hiroko Yano

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a major neurotrophin whose loss or interruption is well established to have numerous intersections with the pathogenesis of progressive neurological disorders. There is perhaps no greater example of disease pathogenesis resulting from the dysregulation of BDNF signaling than Huntington's disease (HD)-an inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor, psychiatric, and cognitive impairments associated with basal ganglia dysfunction and the ultimate death of striatal projection neurons. Investigation of the collection of mechanisms leading to BDNF loss in HD highlights this neurotrophin's importance to neuronal viability and calls attention to opportunities for therapeutic interventions. Using electronic database searches …

Enhanced Cerebroprotection Of Xenon-Loaded Liposomes In Combination With Rtpa Thrombolysis For Embolic Ischemic Stroke, Tao Peng, Keith Booher, Melanie R Moody, Xing Yin, Jaroslaw Aronowski, David D Mcpherson, Sean I Savitz, Hyunggun Kim, Shao-Ling Huang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Xenon (Xe) has shown great potential as a stroke treatment due to its exceptional ability to protect brain tissue without inducing side effects. We have previously developed Xe-loaded liposomes for the ultrasound-activated delivery of Xe into the cerebral region and demonstrated their therapeutic efficacy. At present, the sole FDA-approved thrombolytic agent for stroke treatment is recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA). In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential of combining Xe-liposomes with an intravenous rtPA treatment in a clinically relevant embolic rat stroke model. We evaluated the combinational effect using an in vitro clot lysis model and an in …

Interfraction Variability Of Breathing Amplitude Of Patients Undergoing Sbrt Lung Treatment And The Potential Impact On Dosimetry, Christian Padilla Gallegos

Masters Projects

Abstract

Introduction

The study investigated the consistency of free breathing planning margins for fractionated SBRT treatment in the lung. The study compared breathing motion from the average CT (AVE CT) scan to the Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) from each treatment session. Various breathing techniques were also discussed, including deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH), gated breathing, abdominal compression (AC), and free breathing (FB). Free-breathing may lead to overdosing on surrounding healthy tissue if significant changes in breathing amplitude occur. Abdominal compression or breath hold may reduce abnormal breathing movement if erratic breathing occurs. The study's aim was to ensure the …

Dosimetric Evaluation Of Left-Sided Chest Wall Vmat Treatment With And Without Jaw Tracking; Dose Comparison Of Left Anterior Descending Artery Versus Heart Mean Dose, Jacqueline J. Emus

Masters Projects

Radiation therapy has significantly improved breast cancer survival rates; however, it can still lead to long-term side effects, particularly affecting the heart. Left-side breast cancer patients face higher risks due to the proximity of the heart to the treatment area. To mitigate cardiac toxicity, various strategies, including jaw tracking and Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT), have been proposed. This study investigates the dosimetric impact of VMAT plans with and without jaw tracking on the left anterior descending artery (LAD) dose and heart mean dose in post-mastectomy breast cancer patients. Ten patients previously treated with VMAT were evaluated, and the results …

Beyond Economics And Politics : A Sociological Review Of Local Long-Term Care Service Provision In China, Zhen Tian

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

The socio-demographic transition presents a significant challenge that impacts the renewal of welfare arrangements and the reallocation of welfare responsibilities across sectors. Long-term care (LTC) services have emerged as a widely accepted strategy to promote the active daily living and human dignity of senior citizens. This study aims to assess the effective policy strategies employed in various Chinese contexts to address significant LTC policy concerns and synthesise lessons that can guide future policy decisions. The study addresses three questions to explore local variations in China's LTC service provision: (1) What differences exist in the long-term care services provision? (2) How …

Social Networks, Access To Healthcare, And The Health-Related Quality Of Life Of Young Informal Workers In Nigeria’S Construction Industry, Ayomide Oluwaseyi Oladosu

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

Young informal workers in Nigeria face a significant decline in their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) due to their lack of control over their employment conditions. This problem is particularly pronounced among young informal workers in the construction industry, given its precarious and hazardous nature. To enhance HRQoL, these workers primarily rely on their social networks for support. However, given the level of hazards they encounter in the construction industry, social networks alone may not be sufficient to directly improve their HRQoL. Nevertheless, social networks can facilitate access to healthcare, which in turn may enhance HRQoL. Unfortunately, limited research has …

Platelet-Derived Exerkine Cxcl4/Platelet Factor 4 Rejuvenates Hippocampal Neurogenesis And Restores Cognitive Function In Aged Mice, Odette Leiter, David Brici, Stephen J Fletcher, Xuan Ling Hilary Yong, Jocelyn Widagdo, Nicholas Matigian, Adam B Schroer, Gregor Bieri, Daniel G Blackmore, Perry F Bartlett, Victor Anggono, Saul A Villeda, Tara L Walker

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The beneficial effects of physical activity on brain ageing are well recognised, with exerkines, factors that are secreted into the circulation in response to exercise, emerging as likely mediators of this response. However, the source and identity of these exerkines remain unclear. Here we provide evidence that an anti-geronic exerkine is secreted by platelets. We show that platelets are activated by exercise and are required for the exercise-induced increase in hippocampal precursor cell proliferation in aged mice. We also demonstrate that increasing the systemic levels of the platelet-derived exerkine CXCL4/platelet factor 4 (PF4) ameliorates age-related regenerative and cognitive impairments in …

Dynamics Of Anti-Influenza Mucosal Iga Over A Season In A Cohort Of Individuals Living Or Working In A Long-Term Care Facility, Matt D T Hitchings, Brooke A Borgert, Adam Shir, Bingyi Yang, Kyra H Grantz, Jacob Ball, Carlos A Moreno, Kenneth Rand, Parker A Small, Keith R Fowke, Derek A T Cummings

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Serological surveys are used to ascertain influenza infection and immunity, but evidence for the utility of mucosal immunoglobulin A (IgA) as a correlate of infection or protection is limited.

METHODS: We performed influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance on 220 individuals living or working in a retirement community in Gainesville, Florida from January to May 2018, and took pre- and postseason nasal samples of 11 individuals with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed influenza infection and 60 randomly selected controls. Mucosal IgA against 10 strains of influenza was measured from nasal samples.

RESULTS: Overall, 28.2% and 11.3% of individuals experienced a 2-fold and …

Liposome-Based Carriers For Crispr Genome Editing, Xing Yin, Romain Harmancey, David D Mcpherson, Hyunggun Kim, Shao-Ling Huang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The CRISPR-based genome editing technology, known as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), has sparked renewed interest in gene therapy. This interest is accompanied by the development of single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs), which enable the introduction of desired genetic modifications at the targeted site when used alongside the CRISPR components. However, the efficient delivery of CRISPR/Cas remains a challenge. Successful gene editing relies on the development of a delivery strategy that can effectively deliver the CRISPR cargo to the target site. To overcome this obstacle, researchers have extensively explored non-viral, viral, and physical methods for targeted delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 and …

Automated Lung Ultrasound Pulmonary Disease Quantification Using An Unsupervised Machine Learning Technique For Covid-19, Hersh Sagreiya, Michael A Jacobs, Alireza Akhbardeh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

COVID-19 is an ongoing global health pandemic. Although COVID-19 can be diagnosed with various tests such as PCR, these tests do not establish pulmonary disease burden. Whereas point-of-care lung ultrasound (POCUS) can directly assess the severity of characteristic pulmonary findings of COVID-19, the advantage of using US is that it is inexpensive, portable, and widely available for use in many clinical settings. For automated assessment of pulmonary findings, we have developed an unsupervised learning technique termed the calculated lung ultrasound (CLU) index. The CLU can quantify various types of lung findings, such as A or B lines, consolidations, and pleural …

Pilot Study Of A Screen-Free Week: Exploration Of Changes In Parent And Child Screen Time, Parent Well-Being And Attitudes, And Parent-Child Relationship Quality, Brandon T. Mcdaniel Phd, Sydney Rasmussen, Lauren Reining, Leesha Culp, Kacey Deverall

Health Services and Informatics Research

Screen use is associated with a variety of potential impacts on child development, which has led to recommendations to regulate screen use. The current pilot study was conducted to explore the potential effects of implementing screen-free times (Screen-Free Week) on parent and child screen use, parent feelings and well-being, and parent-child interactions and relationships. Specifically, we evaluated the outcomes utilizing pre and postintervention self-report surveys with 24 parents (of a child age 5 years or younger). Overall, the screen-free week program decreased parent depressive symptoms, increased the parenting of child screen time and establishments of screen time limits, and decreased …

Surgical Delay Of Thoracodorsal Artery Perforator Flaps For Bilateral Autologous Breast Reconstruction, Ryan D. Hoffman, Mark A. Maier, Hugo St. Hilaire, Robert J. Allen

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Summary; Autologous reconstruction accounts for nearly one-quarter of all breast reconstruction cases in the United States, with the abdomen functioning as the most popular donor site. This case describes a 62-year-old woman who presented to our clinic with a remote history of estrogen receptor+/progesterone+ breast cancer and bilateral implant-based reconstruction. After grade IV capsular contracture of her left breast, she presented for autologous reconstruction. Due to her body habitus and prior belt lipectomy, deep inferior epigastric perforator flap reconstruction was contra-indicated. The thoracodorsal artery perforator (TDAP) flap is well described in the literature, and was chosen as an alternative salvage …

Strategies For Overcoming The Single-Molecule Concentration Barrier, David S White, Mackinsey A Smith, Baron Chanda, Randall H Goldsmith

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Fluorescence-based single-molecule approaches have helped revolutionize our understanding of chemical and biological mechanisms. Unfortunately, these methods are only suitable at low concentrations of fluorescent molecules so that single fluorescent species of interest can be successfully resolved beyond background signal. The application of these techniques has therefore been limited to high-affinity interactions despite most biological and chemical processes occurring at much higher reactant concentrations. Fortunately, recent methodological advances have demonstrated that this concentration barrier can indeed be broken, with techniques reaching concentrations as high as 1 mM. The goal of this Review is to discuss the challenges in performing single-molecule fluorescence …

Labeling Piezo2 Activity In The Peripheral Nervous System, Nicholas W Villarino, Yasmeen M F Hamed, Britya Ghosh, Adrienne E Dubin, Amanda H Lewis, Max A Odem, Meaghan C Loud, Yu Wang, M Rocio Servin-Vences, Ardem Patapoutian, Kara L Marshall

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Sensory neurons detect mechanical forces from both the environment and internal organs to regulate physiology. PIEZO2 is a mechanosensory ion channel critical for touch, proprioception, and bladder stretch sensation, yet its broad expression in sensory neurons suggests it has undiscovered physiological roles. To fully understand mechanosensory physiology, we must know where and when PIEZO2-expressing neurons detect force. The fluorescent styryl dye FM 1-43 was previously shown to label sensory neurons. Surprisingly, we find that the vast majority of FM 1-43 somatosensory neuron labeling in mice in vivo is dependent on PIEZO2 activity within the peripheral nerve endings. We illustrate the …

Class-Driven Synergy And Antagonism Between A Pseudomonas Phage And Antibiotics, Paul Nicholls, Justin R Clark, Carmen Gu Liu, Austen Terwilliger, Anthony W Maresso

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The ubiquitous bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is responsible for severe infections in patients with burns, cystic fibrosis, and neutropenia. Biofilm formation gives physical refuge and a protected microenvironment for sessile cells, rendering cure by antibiotics a challenge. Bacteriophages have evolved to prey on these biofilms over millions of years, using hydrolases and depolymerases to penetrate biofilms and reach cellular targets. Here, we assessed how a newly discovered KMV-like phage (ΦJB10) interacts with antibiotics to treat P. aeruginosa more effectively in both planktonic and biofilm forms. By testing representatives of four classes of antibiotics (cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, and carbapenems), we demonstrated …

Genome-Wide Association Studies And Fine-Mapping Identify Genomic Loci For N-3 And N-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids In Hispanic American And African American Cohorts, Chaojie Yang, Jenna Veenstra, Traci M Bartz, Matthew C Pahl, Brian Hallmark, Yii-Der Ida Chen, Jason Westra, Lyn M Steffen, Christopher D Brown, David Siscovick, Michael Y Tsai, Alexis C Wood, Stephen S Rich, Caren E Smith, Timothy D O'Connor, Dariush Mozaffarian, Struan F A Grant, Floyd H Chilton, Nathan L Tintle, Rozenn N Lemaitre, Ani Manichaikul

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) play critical roles in human health. Prior genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of n-3 and n-6 PUFAs in European Americans from the CHARGE Consortium have documented strong genetic signals in/near the FADS locus on chromosome 11. We performed a GWAS of four n-3 and four n-6 PUFAs in Hispanic American (n = 1454) and African American (n = 2278) participants from three CHARGE cohorts. Applying a genome-wide significance threshold of P < 5 × 10