Anatomy Commons^™

Expanding Access To Noninvasive Spinal Neuromodulation For Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation: A Comparative Device Study, Alice E C Palmer

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Paralysis following spinal cord injury (SCI) has traditionally been considered permanent due to the disruption of supraspinal input to spinal motor circuits. However, growing evidence suggests that spinal networks below the level of injury retain intrinsic motor-generating capabilities through central pattern generators. Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (scTS) is a noninvasive neuromodulation technique that delivers electrical stimulation through the skin to reactivate these spinal networks. Although prior studies demonstrate that scTS delivered through research-grade devices is safe and effective in adults and children with chronic SCI, clinical translation remains limited by lack of FDA-approved systems, high costs, and restricted access to …

Evolving Solutions For Red Blood Cell Preservation, Ali Alkafaji, Charles A. Elder, Mohammad Zaidi, Kavin Parthiv, Michael A. Menze

The Cardinal Edge

In emergencies such as natural disasters, armed conflicts, or during outer space missions, the availability of transfusable blood can mean the difference between life and death. Red blood cells (RBCs) must be stored at +4 ± 2 °C and have a shelf life of just 42 days, which makes maintaining a stable blood supply during adverse conditions extraordinarily challenging. This challenge was especially apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic when hospitals faced severe blood shortages. Freeze-drying, or lyophilization, offers a promising avenue to extend the shelf life of RBCs for transfusion during crises. However, a significant hurdle in dry preservation is …

Investigating The Effects Of Prenatal E-Cigarette Exposure On Postnatal Liver Histology, Emma Mcclellan

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

The electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) entered the American market in the mid-2000s and quickly became popular. This product poses a significant threat to youth with 1.63 million students reporting use in 2024. Adverse health effects to different organs are well known. The liver is less studied, and despite its role in detoxification of e-cigarette chemicals, is a target of injury. Unlike the known effects of cigarettes and nicotine on the liver from adult or prenatal exposure, effects of prenatal exposure to e-cigarettes on liver remain to be defined. The current study investigated the effects of prenatal exposure of e-cigarettes on liver …

Yoga As A Didactic Tool For Musculoskeletal Anatomy For First Year Medical Students, Jennnifer Brueckner-Collins, Scott P. Stuckey

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Medical education requires students to adjust their study habits. Active learning has been shown to enhance understanding, especially regarding anatomy. Wellness has become increasingly emphasized for medical professionals; thus, it is important for medical students to develop wellness habits to mitigate burnout. Yoga is commonly practiced with a focus on wellness and flow of movements. Yoga as an educational and wellness tool integrated into medical gross anatomy is a worthwhile pursuit. This study describes a series of anatomy-based yoga videos designed to meld wellness activities with musculoskeletal anatomy review for preclinical medical students.

Approach: Six novel yoga …

Sdf-1Α Mediates Primary Tumor Escape In Glioblastoma Through Activation Of Mesenchymal Transitions., Charles T. Froman-Glover

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Glioblastoma (GBM), a highly aggressive primary brain tumor originating in glial cells, poses a significant challenge due to its rapid growth and invasive nature within healthy brain tissue.

Current treatments involve surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiation. These treatments alone are not enough to cure this disease, and a better understanding the mechanics of the tumor micro-environment is imperative to furthering the field of cancer research. This research focuses on understanding the tumor microenvironment's impact, specifically investigating the role of stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) mechanics on GBM aggressiveness. SDF-1 is known to facilitate disease progression by facilitating chemotaxis toward the …

Enhancing Adherence To Best Practice Guidelines Related To Pressure Injury Prevention In The Operating Room At A Children's Hospital During Comprehensive Dental Procedures., Alyce Bailey Seaver

Doctor of Nursing Practice Papers

Background: 1,600,000 patients develop a hospital-acquired pressure injury every year, and 23% of these originate during surgery. Research has demonstrated that the incidence of hospital-acquired pressure injuries developing during surgery has risen over the past 5 years. This rise has been attributed to nurse circulators exhibiting poor knowledge regarding best practices for intraoperative patient positioning and intraoperative documentation that does not follow standards of care.

Purpose: This quality improvement project aimed to enhance circulator knowledge on best practices for intraoperative patient positioning and improve documentation of intraoperative patient positioning in the electronic medical record to comply with standards of …

Novel Insights Into Oligodendrocyte Biology From Developmental Myelination Studies In Autophagy Deficient Mice And Analysis Of Oligodendrocyte Translatome Response To Contusive Spinal Cord Injury., Michael David Forston

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Loss of myelin causes severe neurological disorders and functional deficits in white matter injuries (WMI) such as traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). This dissertation is focused on autophagy in OL development and the OL translatome after SCI. Chapter I describes the history of myelin, OL development, and their involvement in neurodegenerative diseases and SCI. The proteostasis network, in particular autophagy, and its contributions to white matter pathology is discussed. It concludes examining advantages and disadvantages of unbiased omics tools, like RiboTag, to study transcriptional/translational landscapes after SCI. Chapter II focuses on autophagy in OPC/OL differentiation, survival, and proper myelination in …

Supraspinal Reorganization After Pediatric-Onset Spinal Cord Injury., Luis Alvarado

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts the efferent and afferent flow of the developing brain, leading to devastating functional impairments below the injury site, yet our understanding of its impact on the brain remains limited. This study examines supraspinal reorganization in children with SCI using electrophysiology and neuroimaging techniques to understand the relationship between residual spinal transmission and supraspinal reorganization. Chapter 2 discusses the development of a child-centric approach using ‘learn, play, and practice’ to foster a trusting relationship with each child and increase compliance with experimental protocols. Chapter 3 evaluates the residual neural transmission of three spinal pathways in …

Immobilization And Its Effects On Functional Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury., William H. Gregory

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Recovery, or rather the failure to recover, is a perplexing issue of spinal cord injury that is currently being investigated. This issue becomes more puzzling when investigating models in which spinal cord injury (SCI) is studied. There appears to be greater functional recovery experienced by animals within these models after injury as compared to patients in the clinical setting. While many things could contribute to this disparity, one difference that stands out when comparing the basic research model and clinical experience of SCI is the inactivity and limb disuse after the injury. This same level of immobility is rarely accounted …

Anatomy Lab, Brian R. Smith

Journal of Wellness

No abstract provided.

Examining The Effects Of Npra Antagonist Anantin On Sci-Induced Ployuria., Lindsey Zipperer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polyuria, or the over production of urine, is a prevalent condition that significantly impacts the quality of life in individuals suffering from a spinal cord injury (SCI). Post-SCI induced polyuria is thought to have been associated with altered levels of vasopressin (AVP), atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), and natriuretic peptide receptor A (NPRA). In the present study, the function of NPRA was analyzed in the rat contusion model using anantin, an NPRA antagonist. A daily dose of either 100 µg of anantin or vehicle was administered intraperitoneally immediately following the SCI surgery and continued until termination, 4 weeks post injury (wpi). …

Evaluation Of Respiratory Function Using Blood Gas Parameters In Yucatan Minipigs Following Spinal Cord Injury, Jackson Gallagher, Monique Morgan, Chase Knibbe, Destiny Gibson, Maxwell Boakye

The Cardinal Edge

There are approximately 17,810 new spinal cord injuries (SCI) in the U.S. each year [1]. Physical damage to the spinal cord has the potential to interfere with normal motor, sensory, and/or autonomic function, such as impairment of the respiratory system. In fact, respiratory insufficiency is the number one cause of mortality and morbidity after SCI. The more rostral the injury, the more likely there will be disruption to normal ventilation (generally rostral to T6) [2]. To conduct relevant preclinical research, it has been shown that large animal models, such as the Yucatan minipig, have a better success rate of translating …

Dental Morphology In A Juvenile Mammal From The Late Cretaceous Of South America: Tooth Eruption And Development., Kayla E Newton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Meridiolestids are a diverse and distinct clade of Cretaceous–Miocene South American dryolestoid mammals ranging in size from small shrew-sized insectivores to large dog- sized omnivores. Cronopio dentiacutus from the Cenomanian La Buitrera locality, Rio Negro Province, Argentina (Candeleros Fm.) is the oldest and best known of them, represented by skull material and associated jaws. A juvenile skull as attributed to Cronopio dentiacutus, based on tooth size and morphology, was collected from the type locality. The specimen includes the skull and both articulated lower jaws. The fossil is poorly ossified and partially flattened; CT scanning reveals most of the dentition …

Role Of Meibum And Tear Phospholipids In The Evaporative Water Loss Associated With Dry Eye., Samiyyah M. Sledge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is generally believed that the tear film lipid surface film inhibits the rate of evaporation (Revap) of the underlying tear aqueous. It is also generally believed that changes in the composition of the tear film lipid layer is responsible for an increase in Revap in patients with dry eye. Both of these ideas have never been proven. The purpose of the current studies was to test these ideas. Revap was measured in vitro gravimetrically. Lipid spreading was measured using Raman spectroscopy and microscopy. The influence of the following surface films on the Revap of the sub phase of physiologically …

A Literature Review On The Development Of Upper Limbs In Humans, Anh T. Phan

The Cardinal Edge

The development of tetrapod upper limbs shares an evolutionary origin and has been adapted and specialized for different functions for different species, such as flight in birds, swimming and balance in sea mammals, and coordination and grabbing objects in humans. The basis of tetrapod limb development has common developmental patterns, starting with the formation of the limb bud via Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling, where later developmental steps are modified for specialized functions. This review covers the basic developmental patterns of mammalian tetrapod development seen in humans, beginning with the formation of the limb bud, to the axis development of the …

Angiogenesis' Effect Overall On Health And Disease, Wendy Tang

The Cardinal Edge

Angiogenesis plays a major role in the development of diseases and cancer. The development of illnesses like metastatic breast cancer, cell carcinomas, tumors and various other illnesses, originate from the activation of endothelial cells. When the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is released from hypoxic tissues, they bind to vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR). The binding of VEGF and VEGFR allows for cellular proliferation, increased migration of lattice networks, and the invasion of endothelial cells, which stimulate the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones. As a result, it can be concluded that the inhibition of VEGFs would …

Medical Schools Ignore The Nature Of Consciousness At Great Cost, Anoop Kumar

Journal of Wellness

The essential question of the relationship between consciousness and matter is ignored in medical school curricula, leading to a machine-like view of the human being that contributes to physician burnout and intellectual dissatisfaction. The evidence suggesting that the brain may not be the seat of consciousness is generally ignored to preserve the worldview of the primacy of matter. By investigating new frameworks detailing the nature of consciousness at different levels of hierarchy, we can bring intellectual rigor to a once opaque subject that supports a fundamental reality about our experience: We are human beings, not only human bodies.

Assessment Of Pathogenic Changes In The Gut-Liver Axis In Plwh With Heavy Alcohol Drinking And Gut Dysbiosis Marked By Decreased Butyrogenic Potential., Smita Ghare, Vaughn Bryant, Richa Singhal, Sabina Gautam, Chanakya Charan Tirumala, Andrea Reyes-Vega, Craig J. Mcclain, Ronald Cohen, Varand Govind, Robert L. Cook, Shirish Barve

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Purpose: People living with HIV infection (PLWH) experience increasing risk for non-AIDS diseases including liver dysfunction and injury. Both HIV-infection and heavy alcohol drinking (HAD) are known to cause gut microbial dysbiosis and systemic inflammation that may potentially contribute to altered Gut-Liver axis. However, the specific pathogenic features associated with combinatorial harmful effects of alcohol and HIV infection on gut-liver interactions are not completely understood. This study evaluate the pathogenic changes in the Gut-Liver axis in PLWH with HAD.

Role Of Kvβ2 Subunits In Regulation Of Resistance Arterial Tone., Sean M Raph

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels control vascular resistance and facilitate the augmentation of myocardial blood flow in response to increases in cardiac workload (i.e., metabolic hyperemia). Native sarcolemmal Kv1 channels in arterial myocytes associate with a heteromeric auxiliary complex consisting of intracellular Kvβ1 and Kvβ2 proteins. The Kvβ proteins differentially regulate the function of heterologously expressed Kv channels, as well as native Kv1 channels in excitable cells of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. The physiological importance of vascular Kvβ proteins in mediating vasodilation remains unknown. In this study, I tested the hypothesis that Kvβ proteins functionally regulate vascular tone in response …

Characterization Of Age-Associated Gut Microbial Dysbiosis And Plasma Metabolite Alterations In People Living With Hiv (Plwh)., R. Sighal, Smita Ghare, Vaughn Bryant, Sabina Gautam, Chanakya Charan Tirumala, Andrea Reyes-Vega, Craig J. Mcclain, Ronald Cohen, Varand Govind, R L. Cook, Shirish Barve

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Background: HIV-1 infection and aging are independently associated with gut microbial dysbiosis and neurocognitive impairment. However, the interactive effects of HIV-infection and aging on the development of specific pathogenic features of gut microbial dysbiosis and consequent metabolic abnormalities associated with neurocognitive dysfunction remain largely undetermined and were examined in the present study

Examining Neuroanatomical Effects Of Prenatal Valproic Acid And Postnatal Testosterone In A Mouse Model Of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Bishakha Kumari, Elizabeth Ann Gordon, Cynthia Corbitt

Undergraduate Arts and Research Showcase

Sex differences in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are well documented; males are diagnosed 4:1 over females. Testosterone (T) is one factor that differs by sex in humans and mice that could increase vulnerability to developing ASD in males. Valproic acid (VPA) is an anticonvulsant that has been found to increase the risk of autism in male offspring of pregnant women who take it to control seizures and is commonly used in mouse models of ASD. After prenatal VPA or vehicle on embryonic day 13, testosterone (T) or vehicle was administered to the mice on postnatal day 2 to investigate whether …

In Vitro Immune Activation By Treponema Pallidum And The Effect On Osteoclastogenesis: First Experimental Step Towards An Integration Between Osteoimmunology And Paleopathology., Emily Ann Rich

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

The presence of pathogens in the human body influences the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines by activated immune cells. These cytokines, and other factors, regulate osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast activity. Through experimental osteoimmunology, interactions between the inflammatory response and bone cell physiology may provide insight into how immune processes can be translated into the lesions or abnormalities observed in the osteological record. In this research, our objective was to determine if the cytokines produced by activated immune cells increase osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast activity. To evaluate this hypothesis, we used two main protocols, one for immune activation and one for osteoclastogenesis, that utilized …

Evaluation Of Tracing Techniques In The Rat Spinal Cord Using A Custom Matlab Application., Rachel M. Zalla

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research project is to evaluate the efficiency of traditional chemical tracing compared to dual-viral tracing for labeling long ascending propriospinal neurons (LAPNs) in the uninjured rat spinal cord, and to develop a MATLAB program which will accurately quantify this labeling.

To evaluate chemical tracing, Fluoro-Ruby (FR) was injected at the level of the axon terminals, and the number of ipsilateral labeled cell bodies at lumbar level was quantified. Similarly, two dual-viral systems were evaluated, by either injecting retro-AAV-Cre or HiRet-Lenti-Cre unilaterally in combination with a Cre-dependent adeno-associated virus. The HiRet-Lenti and FR groups labeled significantly greater …

Seen In Science: Lgbtq+ Inclusivity In Anatomy & Physiology Texts, Harshini Sirvisetty, Kat Ray King, Linda Catherine Fuselier

Undergraduate Arts and Research Showcase

Biology is unique from other science disciplines in that concepts taught in core classes can inform our student’s understanding of sex and gender. A biology major encounters lessons on sex determination, sexual reproduction, and sex characteristics in their courses. The language used in these units matters. It is imperative that educators consider how the language, examples, and content that we use in classrooms drive (or not) inclusivity for gender- and sexuality-diverse (GSD) (aka LGBTQ+) individuals. We chose to analyze four college-level human anatomy/physiology (AP) textbooks for GSD population inclusivity. We adopted a queer theory framework to critically examine how sex, …

Hemoglobin A1c Levels And Sport Participation In Children With Type 1 Diabetes., Amy Kozerski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study’s purpose was to determine a possible difference in hemoglobin A1c levels and sport participation in children with type 1 diabetes. Patients with provided consent via an iPad electronic informed consent/assent (preamble) completed a physical activity and sport participation survey. The survey was linked to their medical chart including demographic and diabetes medical history (e.g. HbA1c). The analyses provided a sample of 120 participants, 40 in the no sport participation group and 78 in the sport participation group with 56 females and 64 males, with an average age12.94±2.8 years. An independent sample t-test, removing one outlier from the …

Defects In Fetal Mouth Movement And Pharyngeal Patterning Underlie Cleft Palate Caused By Retinoid Deficiency., Regina Friedl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cleft palate is a common birth defect. Etiologic mechanisms of palate cleft include defects in palate morphogenesis, mandibular growth, or spontaneous fetal mouth movement. Cleft palate linked to deficient fetal mouth movement has been demonstrated directly only in a single experimental model of loss of neurotransmission. Here, using retinoid deficient mouse embryos, we demonstrate directly for the first time that deficient fetal mouth movement and cleft palate occurs as a result of mis-patterned development of pharyngeal peripheral nerves and cartilages. Retinoid deficient embryos were generated by inactivation of retinol dehydrogenase 10 (Rdh10), which is critical for production of …

Unfolded Protein Response Pathways In Skeletal Muscle Homeostasis., Kyle R. Bohnert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Skeletal muscle mass, contractile properties, and metabolic function are regulated through the coordinated activation of multiple intracellular signaling pathways and genetic reprogramming. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays a pivotal role in protein folding and calcium homeostasis in many cell types, including skeletal muscle. Disruption of calcium levels or accumulation of misfolded proteins in the ER lumen leads to stress, which results in the activation of a signaling network called the unfolded protein response (UPR). Further, recent studies have suggested that in certain conditions, UPR pathways can be activated independent of ER stress. However, the role of ER stress and the …

Biomechanical Testing Of An Exercise For Strengthening The Proximal Femur., Alyssa Osbourne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Based on the principles of cutting edge bone remodeling research, a unique therapeutic exercise device was designed specifically to improve bone quality at the most critical location of the proximal femur prone to fracture: the superior-lateral femoral neck where the fracture first initiates during a fall. The exercise/device is intended to work by inducing enough strain in the bone to stimulate the body’s natural bone remodeling mechanisms to increase bone density in the proximal femur and consequently prevent a fracture from arising if a fall to the side does occur.

In order to test the proposed exercise, experiments simulating the …

Spinal Cord Injury Induced Cardiac Decline And The Limitations Of Exercise., Kathryn Michele Deveau

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a general consensus that the level and the severity of spinal cord injury (SCI) impacts chronic cardiac abnormalities such that high thoracic and cervical SCI are the most severely affected. Furthermore, the extreme degree of immobility/inactivity experienced by the persons with SCI has implications on cardiac decline. Yet it has been difficult to separate the relative contributions of the decentralized autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the immediate and profound inactivity to chronic cardiac abnormalities. As such, this body of work sought to characterize a contusion SCI that results in persistent CV dysfunction. Echocardiography, Dobutamine stress echocardiography and pressure …

Glycine Receptor Alpha Subunit (Glyra) Specific Inhibition Contributes To Ganglion Cell Signaling In Mouse Retina., Chi Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the retina, numerous types of neurons are wired together in a highly specific albeit complex pattern. This sophisticated retinal network allows extraction and encoding of more than 20 representations of the visual scene in its output neurons, the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Within the inner plexiform layer (IPL) of retina, glycine receptors (GlyRs) are expressed on different cell classes and modulate RGC visual activity to light onset (ON RGCs) and to light offset (OFF RGCs), for example, their temporal precision and gain control. There are four GlyR alpha subunits (GlyRα1-4) with differential expression patterns in IPL. Each mediates spontaneous …