Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons^™

Dosimetric Study For Mastectomy Carcinoma Left Breast Cases With Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (Vmat), Jyoti Bisht, Meenu Gupta, Ravi Kant, Vipul Nautiyal, Viney Kumar, Rishabh Dobhal, Mushtaq Ahmad, Sunil Saini

Research Symposium

Background: Radiation therapy for breast cancer has evolved from conventional to 3-dimentional radiation therapy (3-DCRT) and through more precise IMRT and VMAT. 3-DCRT is preferred for ca breast treatment as it reduces low dose area in contra lateral lung but with the advances in radiotherapy image guided techniques can deliver precise and lower doses to OARs with better coverage. This study is aimed to evaluate the doses of PTV, heart and ipsi-lateral lung with contra lateral lung doses delivered by VMAT technique.

Method and material: Total 10 patients of carcinoma left breast with mastectomy were selected for VMAT planning with …

Developing An Assay For Easy And Rapid Detection Of Als Biomarker(S): A Hypothesis, Swati Dhasmana, Anupam Dhasmana, Meena Jaggi, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan

Research Symposium

Background: Death of motor neurons is the key pathology underlying neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Biomarkers are chemical changes in the biological fluids. Biomarkers serving as a diagnostic tool should be specific to the concerned disease. Biomarkers indicating disease progression should be very sensitive to demonstrate changes during the disease process as well as therapeutics development. Biomarkers proposed for ALS include poly (GP) repeats in C9orf72, neurofilaments, miRNAs, glutathione and 4HNE in CSF, SOD1/TDP43 protein, poly (GP) repeats in C9orf72, neurofilaments, T regulatory cells, CRP, chitotriosidase, creatinine, creatinine kinase, miRNAs, glutamate, albumin, uric acid, glutathione, ferritin, …

Unusual Inflammatory Presentation For Locally Advanced Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma, Ana I. Vargas, Samuel K. Snyder

Research Symposium

Background: Thyroid cancer usually presents as a thyroid nodule. If the history implies rapid growth of the nodule, new onset hoarseness or presence of ipsilateral cervical lymphadenopathy then it should raise concern for malignancy. Deep neck infection/inflammation has rarely been reported as initial presentation and these patients are potentially misdiagnosed.

Case Presentation: We present a 56-year-old male who comes to clinic for evaluation of left neck nodule. He started two weeks prior with sudden neck swelling associated with erythema and pain in his lower neck that caused choking sensation and swallowing discomfort, he was prescribed Bactrim and prednisone with improvement …

Using Cartesian Coordinate Systems To Create, Classify, And Retrieve Biomedical Time-Series: Applications To 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring, Antonio Garcia, Gladys E. Maestre, John Blangero, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Julio Facelli

Research Symposium

Background: Ambulatory Blood Pressure Measurement (ABPM) allows physicians to monitor blood pressure variability under everyday living conditions and predicts clinical outcomes better than conventional blood-pressure measurement. ABPM can demonstrate mean arterial pressure (MAP) behavior over 24 hours relevant to clinical practice, such as nocturnal hypertension or increased blood pressure variability. We hypothesized that individuals with the same cardiovascular health status would have the same MAP signal (MAPs) waveform.

Methods: This study reutilizes a data subset from the IDACO Consortium to create 24-hour MAPs. We assigned all the MAPs to data matrix X, performed principal components analysis (PCA) to X, and …

Submental Intubation In Oral Maxillofacial Surgery: A Case Report And Review Of Indications And Complications, Ed W. Alvarado, Jennifer Inofomoh, Mark Lavering, Diego Aleman

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

Background: Submental intubation has emerged as a crucial alternative airway management technique within the realm of oral maxillofacial surgery, addressing scenarios where conventional intraoral or nasal intubation proves infeasible or hazardous. The landscape of oral maxillofacial surgeries is characterized by intricate fractures, extensive soft tissue damage, and anatomical deviations that render traditional intubation methods untenable. This innovative technique involves the insertion of a modified oral endotracheal tube through a submental incision, subsequently threading it into the oropharynx. This procedure ensures secure airway access while safeguarding the integrity of oral and nasal passages. This modality reaps manifold benefits, spanning augmented …

Healthy Exosomes And Their Effects On Diabetic Cardiomyocytes, Miguel A. Garza, Genaro A. Ramírez-Correa, Maria Lourdes Garza-Rodríguez, Andres J. Medina

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

Extracellular Vesicles, and more specifically, exosomes, are essential for effective cell-to-cell communication in a wide variety of tissues. In the last couple of decades, these nanovesicles have been proven to be active participants and regulators in many disease processes; therefore, their therapeutic effects have been widely studied and proven in various cardiovascular diseases both, in vitro and in vivo. Thus, this study aims at assessing the effects of running healthy mice exosomes on cardiomyocyte and cardiac tissue samples obtained from diabetic mice. Here, we successfully extract exosomes from mice plasma and detect their presence through the use of anti-CD9 and …

Potential Perioperative Complications Due To Difference In Timing Of Systemic Heparinization During Ruptured Aneurysm Coiling, Rouzbeh Kotaki, Ameer E. Hassan, Wondwossen G. Tekle

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

Potential Perioperative Complications Due To Differences in Timing Of Systemic Heparin Distribution During Ruptured Aneurysm Coiling

Introduction:

In general, systematic heparin anticoagulation is standard in regards to neurovascular intervention. When coiling ruptured aneurysms, many neurointerventionalists have their own protocol as to timing of systemic heparinization. There is ample research and literature reviewing the frequency of perioperative events, predictors and outcomes, as well as the efficacy in the use of anticoagulants and/or antiplatelets before, during, and after neurovascular procedures to prevent adverse outcomes. However, there currently exists a dearth of research in regards to timing of distribution of heparin intraoperatively and …

Assessing Disease Severity Of Diabetic Retinopathy Using Novel Graphical Interpretation Of Flicker Electroretinogram, Anjalee Choudhury, Jonas Moses, Victor Gonzalez

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

Purpose: To assess the clinical value of reporting full-field electroretinogram (eg, flicker ERG) findings graphically to determine the severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) within an office-based setting.

Methods: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were included and classified into varying degrees of DR based on presence and severity. Flicker ERG responses were recorded and compared between groups.

Results: Between the varying disease stages, significant differences in the mean magnitude and phase values were found. There was also a significant difference between the proportions of the magnitude and phase color-coded frequencies between groups of severity and threat to …

A Single-Center Comparison Using Exoskeleton Rehabilitation For Cerebrovascular Accidents And Traumatic Brain Injury In A Cohort Of Hispanic Patients, Lisa R. Trevino, Kristina Vatcheva, Michael E. Auer, Angela Morales, Lama M. Abdurrahman, Sarajova Viswamitra, Annelyn Torres-Reveron

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of disability in the United States. The EKSO GT Bionics® (EKSO®) is a robotic exoskeleton approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for rehabilitation following a cerebrovascular accident (CVA or stroke) and recently received approval for use in patients with TBI. The aim of the study was to examine if the use of exoskeleton rehabilitation in patients with TBI will produce beneficial outcomes.

Methods This retrospective chart-review reports the use of the (EKSO®) robotic device in the rehabilitation of patients with TBI compared to patients with CVA. We utilized …

Point-Of-Care Ultrasound (Pocus) Workshop For Internal Medicine Residents: A Pre/Post-Training Assessment Of Confidence And Knowledge, Abraham Lee, Cesar Gutierrez, Michelle Lopez

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

Across the country, internal medicine residency training programs are having difficulty figuring out how to optimally implement an effective point-of-care ultrasound training into their respective curricula. This study aimed to assess whether a week-long training course of didactics, followed by hands-on practice, improved both the confidence and knowledge skills of internal medicine residents using point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). The trainees were asked to complete pre/post-training surveys, which tested their ability to interpret POCUS images and also asked them to score their confidence in using POCUS. Results showed a statistically significant improvement in not only their confidence in using POCUS, but also …

Psychiatric Assessment Of A Spanish Understanding Patient Who Is Deaf – A Literature Review, Vania Nwokolo, Francisco Fernadez

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

Mental illness can be misdiagnosed amongst the population who are deaf or hearing impaired. It is important to have the effective tools and resources necessary to appropriately diagnose mental health diseases within this population. In this paper, the authors present a review of the literature on this topic and its significance.

Electrospinning Piezoelectric Fibers For Biocompatible Devices, Bahareh Azimi, Mario Milazzo, Andrea Lazzeri, Stefano Berrettini, M. Jasim Uddin, Zhao Qin, Markus J. Buehler, Serena Danti

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Chemistry)

The field of nanotechnology has been gaining great success due to its potential in developing new generations of nanoscale materials with unprecedented properties and enhanced biological responses. This is particularly exciting using nanofibers, as their mechanical and topographic characteristics can approach those found in naturally occurring biological materials. Electrospinning is a key technique to manufacture ultrafine fibers and fiber meshes with multifunctional features, such as piezoelectricity, to be available on a smaller length scale, thus comparable to subcellular scale, which makes their use increasingly appealing for biomedical applications. These include biocompatible fiber-based devices as smart scaffolds, biosensors, energy harvesters, and …

Associations Between Pqct-Based Fat And Muscle Area And Density And Dxa-Based Total And Leg Soft Tissue Mass In Healthy Women And Men, Vanessa D. Sherk, Robert S. Thiebaud, Zhaojing Chen, Murat Karabulut, So Jung Kim, Debra A. Bemben

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (pQCT) can be used for muscle and fat area and density assessments. These may independently influence muscle and fat mass measurements from Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA).

Objective: To determine associations between pQCT-derived soft tissue density and area measures and DXA-derived soft tissue mass.

Methods: Linear regression models were developed based on BMI and calf fat and muscle cross-sectional area (FCSA and MCSA) and density measured by pQCT in healthy women (n=76) and men (n=82) aged 20-59 years. Independent variables for these models were leg and total bone-free lean mass (BFLM) and fat mass (FM) measured …

Design And Configuration Of Laser Tweezers Microscopy For Force Measurements On Single Dna Molecules, Carlos Jeziel Gonzalez Banuelos

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

In this study, a detailed description of the optical tweezers microscopy technique is presented, as well as the methodologies used to prepare the DNA molecule for mechanical measurements at the nanoscale. The main objective is to initiate and extend the experimental biophysical studies on the DNA-proteins interactions at the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB). DNA-binding proteins control almost all aspects of cellular function, such as transcription; chromosome maintenance, replication and DNA repair depend on the interaction of proteins with DNA. In view of such an important role played by DNA–protein interactions, various techniques have evolved over the years to …