Physiological Processes Commons^™

Assessing Sleep Quality In A Preclinical Model Of Low Back Pain Through Novel Noninvasive Methods, Lydia C. Saltz

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Chronic low back pain (LBP) has widespread negative impacts on quality of life. Current treatments for chronic LBP fail to provide long-term efficacy and motivate the need to understand key drivers of poor patient outcomes. Mounting evidence indicates that sleep disturbances and chronic LBP have a strong reciprocal relationship. Women may be particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of the sleep-pain axis, exhibiting greater prevalence in both conditions. However, the relationship between sleep, pain, and sex remains understudied. Preclinical models can be used to parse out characteristic sleep features that degrade with pain, which can be further broken out by …

Sodium And Potassium In Health And Cellular Function, Jordyn Branz

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Sodium (Na⁺) and potassium (K⁺) are essential electrolytes that regulate numerous physiological processes. These include cell function, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction. The Na+/K+-ATPase plays a critical role in maintaining the balance of these ions by actively transporting three sodium ions out of the cell and two potassium ions into the cell against their concentration gradients. This process is vital for maintaining the resting membrane potential and supporting the function of excitable cells. The Na+/K+-ATPase consists of two main subunits, with the alpha-subunit being primarily responsible for ion transport activity. Isoforms alpha1, alpha2, and alpha3 are tissue-specific and contribute to …

Addressing The Lack Of Patient Adherence To Exercise Within The Physical Therapy Clinic And Creating Infographics To Improve Patient Adherence, Gretchen Panovich

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The primary objective of this applied knowledge project is to develop educational materials to enhance patient adherence. The World Health Organization defines adherence as “the extent to which a person’s behavior…corresponds with agreed recommendations from a healthcare provider.” Within the physical therapy field, non-adherence to exercise is a significant problem linked with increased duration of treatment, more patient complaints, reduced positive clinical outcomes, and even surgical intervention.

Multiple factors affect patient adherence, making it hard to pinpoint a singular cause. Clinical observations and research suggest that belief in the rehabilitation process may suffer due to a prolonged recovery period, lack …

Aging-Related Hearing Decline And Resting State Networks, Cassidy S. T. Ellsworth

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study investigated the effects of age-related hearing decline on functional networks using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). The main objective of the present study was to examine resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and graph theory-based network efficiency metrics in forty-nine adults categorized by age and hearing thresholds to identify the neural mechanisms of age-related hearing decline. RsFC within key brain networks and auditory-related brain regions, including the default mode network, salience network, dorsal attention network, and primary auditory cortices, was assessed using region-of-interest (ROI)-based and graph theory approaches. Functional metrics, such as rsFC strength and global and local efficiency, …

The Effect Of Genetic Taste Status On Swallowing: A Literature Review, Theresa S. Lee, Angela M. Dietsch, Rana H. Damra, Rachel W. Mulheren

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose

Swallowing and taste share innervation pathways and are crucial to nutritive intake. Individuals vary in their perception of taste due to factors such as genetics; however, it is unclear to what extent genetic taste status influences swallowing physiology and function. The purpose of this review article is to provide background on genetic taste status, review the evidence on the association between genetic taste status and swallowing, and discuss research and clinical implications.

Method

A comprehensive literature review was conducted using search terms related to swallowing and genetic taste status. Studies were included if they investigated the main effect of …

The Effects Of Exercise On The Lipid Profile Of Extracellular Vesicles, Tesha Kerr

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

We sought to ascertain the effect of different types of exercise (aerobic training and resistance training) on the lipid profile of extracellular vesicles. Thus, we had participants perform bouts of AT and RT and rest (control) and collected blood samples from them immediately after (timepoint 0) and 30 minutes after (timepoint 30) exercise. Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) were isolated from plasma of participants using cushioned-density gradient ultracentrifugation (C-DGUC). Small EV size, morphology, and protein markers were determined using nanoparticle tracking analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and western blot, respectively. Additionally, we performed untargeted lipidomics on the sEV isolate. We found that …

Enduring Chronic Kidney Disease: An Investigation Of Psychosocial Factors And Life Satisfaction In Older Adults Receiving Dialysis Treatment, Bailee Sobotka

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Chronic kidney disease is a condition during which the kidneys begin to shut down and no longer filter blood efficiently. Once the disease has progressed far enough, dialysis treatments are mandatory to sustain life. To further understand how older adults receiving dialysis treatments cope with their disease, psychosocial factors were evaluated to investigate possible correlations with life satisfaction using a Life Satisfaction Index Z (LSI-Z). Expected correlations with life satisfaction were sociability, financial satisfaction, importance of spirituality, and activities of daily living scores. Interviews were conducted with 30 dialysis patients and results were analyzed using various statistical measures. Significant correlations …

Supracutaneous Vibrotactile Perception Threshold At Various Non-Glabrous Body Loci, Miriam Bikah, M. Susan Hallbeck, John H. Flowers

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Researchers at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are currently designing a wearable/portable neutron detector. As an alerting mechanism, the device will transmit vibration to the wearer’s skin in the presence of hazardous levels of neutron radiation. The present study was designed to help in the ergonomically correct body placement of the neutron detection device while providing numerical values for vibratory thresholds at the surface of various non-glabrous body loci. The aim of the study was to investigate the underlying effects of locus stimulated, amount of subcutaneous fat around a specific body site and gender on low frequency vibration thresholds. Thirty-six participants, …