Physiology Commons^™

Influence Of Body Composition, Velocity Profiles, And Sex-Related Differences On Army Combat Fitness Test Performance, David Boffey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) will become the United States Army's mandatory physical fitness test in March of 2022. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between ACFT performance and both body composition and velocity profiles, and to determine sex differences for these variables. Data was collected in November 2020 (Fall) and March 2021 (Spring) from male (n = 55) and female (n = 17) Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets. Body composition was assessed with a bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS) device, and cadets completed a squat jump (SJ) force-velocity profile (FVP) and a hex …

Novel Mammalian Models For Understanding And Treating Spinal Cord Injury, Michael B. Orr

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is devastating and often leaves the injured individual with persistent dysfunction. The injury persists because humans have poor wound repair and there are no pharmacologic treatments to induce wound repair after SCI. The continued efforts to discover therapeutic targets and develop treatments heavily relies on animal models. The purpose of this project is to develop and study novel mammalian models of SCI to provide insights for the development and effective implementation of SCI therapies.

Lab mice (Mus musculus) are a powerful tool for recapitulating the progression and persistent damage evident in human SCI, but …

Extracellular Vesicles Released By Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium Mediate Increased Polarised Secretion Of Drusen Proteins In Response To Amd Stressors, Miguel Flores-Bellver, Jason Mighty, Silvia Aparicio-Domingo, Kang V. Li, Cui Shi, Jing Zhou, Hannah Cobb, Patrick Mcgrath, German Michelis, Patricia Lenhart, Ganna Bilousova, Søren Heissel, Michael J. Rudy, Christina Coughlan, Andrew E. Goodspeed, S. Patricia Becerra, Stephen Redenti, M. Valeria Canto-Soler

Publications and Research

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Drusen are key contributors to the etiology of AMD and the ability to modulate drusen biogenesis could lead to therapeutic strategies to slow or halt AMD progression. The mechanisms underlying drusen biogenesis, however, remain mostly unknown. Here we demonstrate that under homeostatic conditions extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells are enriched in proteins associated with mechanisms involved in AMD pathophysiology, including oxidative stress, immune response, inflammation, complement system and drusen composition. Furthermore, we provide first evidence that drusen-associated proteins are released as cargo of extracellular …

Human Retinal Organoids Release Extracellular Vesicles That Regulate Gene Expression In Target Human Retinal Progenitor Cells, Jing Zhou, Miguel Flores‑Bellver, Jianbo Pan, Alberto Benito‑Martin, Cui Shi, Onyekwere Onwumere, Jason Mighty, Jiang Qian, Xiufeng Zhong, Tasmim Hogue, Baffour Amponsah‑Antwi, Linda Einbond, Rajendra Gharbaran, Hao Wu, Bo‑Juen Chen, Zhiliang Zheng, Tatyana Tchaikovskaya, Xusheng Zhang, Hector Peinado, Maria Valeria Canto‑Soler, Stephen Redenti

Publications and Research

The mechanisms underlying retinal development have not been completely elucidated. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are novel essential mediators of cell‑to‑cell communication with emerging roles in developmental processes. Nevertheless, the identification of EVs in human retinal tissue, characterization of their cargo, and analysis of their potential role in retina development has not been accomplished. Three‑dimensional retinal tissue derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) provide an ideal developmental system to achieve this goal. Here we report that hiPSC‑derived retinal organoids release exosomes and microvesicles with small noncoding RNA cargo. EV miRNA cargo‑predicted targetome correlates with Gene Ontology (GO) pathways involved in …

Effects Of Voluntary Exercise On Pressure-Induced Natriuresis In Hypertensive Female And Male Rats, Keshari Sudasinghe

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Hypertension (HT) is one of the major diseases associated with the circulatory system and remains a public health problem with a high rate of prevalence in the adult population in the USA. The pressure natriuresis mechanism which is Na+ excretion in respond to rise in blood pressure acts as a long-term regulator of arterial blood pressure. Recent studies have demonstrated that impairment of this long-term pressure natriuresis mechanism is involved in hypertension (HT) and many other renal disorders. Exercise is a nonpharmacological treatment to help control HT, and exercise has a beneficial effect on vascular health, endothelial functions, arterial stiffness, …

Search For New Fertility Markers In Bull Sperm, Saulo Menegatti Zoca

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sperm are stored for extended periods of time in the epididymis, but upon ejaculation motility is increased and lifespan is decreased. After insemination, sperm must traverse the female barriers and undergo capacitation to complete fertilization; however, there are differences in fertility even among bulls that successfully pass a breeding soundness exam. For any potential marker of fertility, there must be variability expressed among animals. The series of studies in this dissertation had the objective 1) to evaluate differences between epididymal and ejaculated sperm and respective fluids proteins to understand increased longevity of epididymal sperm; 2) to evaluate the potential of …

Opioid Use Disorder: The Timeline For Medication Assisted Therapy, Alexander Cristofori

Capstone Showcase

Opioid Use Disorder is patterns of opioid use leading to withdrawal, giving up important life events in order to use opioids, and excessive time spent using opioids, to name a few diagnostic criteria. The clinical progression of the disorder involves periods of acute exacerbation and remission that are cyclic in nature. Treatment is most effective when it includes both pharmacological and psychosocial modalities, referred to as medication assisted therapy (MAT). Three drugs used commonly in MAT-based treatment for OUD from oldest to newest include Methadone, Buprenorphine-naloxone, and Naltrexone. Treatment program models that prioritize total abstinence from the addictive substance attached …

The Presentation Of Adhesive Capsulitis Of The Hip: A Case Study, Patrick E. Jurewicz, Ryan C. Berlinrut, Frank K. Noojin Iii, Zachary K. Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

A 47-year-old female patient employed as a nurse in a mental health facility working 10-hour shifts reported to the sports medicine clinic for an initial orthopaedic examination after she twisted and fell out of bed causing direct compressive forces on her right hip. She has a history of an underdeveloped right hip, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) allergy, and low back pain (Oswestry score: 41/50, NPRS: 8/10) and is classified as a heavy smoker for 30 years. After initial onset, the patient’s pain increased with all motions. The patient also described a ‘catching sensation’ in her hip. The patient used …

Community Opioid Overdose Prevention And Naloxone Distribution Programs: An Evidence-To-Practice Review, Madison M. Hauge, Kathryn C. Downs, Zachary K. Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 100 people die of drug overdose in the United States every day. This frighteningly high mortality rate has created the need for community-based opioid overdose prevention programs (OOPPs). Currently, there are more than 188 community-run programs operating in the United States. These programs teach individuals how to distribute naloxone and respond properly to a drug overdose situation. This guiding systematic review depicts the current literature available on OOPPs and their effectiveness. The authors performed an article search to discover the most relevant and recent articles, which were graded using a quality …

The Role And Value Of The Athletic Trainer In The Chiropractic Medicine Setting, Nicholas Spangler

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

In the United States, back pain is the most common cause of activity limitation in people younger than 45 years, the second most frequent reason for visits to the physician, the third most common cause of surgical procedure, and the most frequently reported subcategory of musculoskeletal impairment in the United States of people aged up to 65 years (51.7%).1 Chiropractors are healthcare professionals who are trained in the evaluation and treatment of this patient population and utilize a variety of skills like spinal manipulation, soft tissue mobilization, modalities, and therapeutic exercise. Athletic trainers are healthcare professionals whose educational and clinical …

Evaluation And Treatment Of The Water-Polo Player With Anterior Glenohumeral Instability, M Zimmerman

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Background: Glenohumeral (GH) instability is a common shoulder condition with a range of characteristics from laxity within the GH joint to complete dislocation of the humerus. The GH joint is held in place by static and dynamic stabilizers that need to be functioning appropriately to center the humerus in the glenoid fossa. Acquired shoulder instability is defined as chronic stress of the humerus in an externally rotated and abducted position on the shoulder joint from repetitive overhead (OH) sports causing anterior instability of the shoulder. Diagnosing shoulder instability is reliant on the patient’s history and physical examination findings during testing. …

Cervical Kyphosis In A Collegiate Baseball Player, L E. Trail, B J. Warner, D M. Gallegos

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Background: A 21-year-old collegiate baseball player reported to the athletic training staff complaining of pain along the superior angle of the scapula, decreased shoulder range of motion, and transient numbness and tingling in the 4th and 5th digits of his right hand. Physical evaluation revealed substantial spasm and rigidity of the upper trapezius and scapular stabilizer musculature, along with myofascial adhesions in the rhomboids and levator scapulae, in addition to weakness with shoulder abduction and external rotation. All thoracic outlet syndrome testing yielded no positive tests. Thorough patient history revealed a history of shoulder arthroscopy the previous summer to address …

Mite Diet Sequences Obtained By High Throughput Sequencing Of Gut Contents Of Freshly Collected Water Mites, Adrian Amelio Vasquez, Obadeh Mohiddin, Zeyu Li, Brittany L. Bonnici, Katherine Gurdziel, Jeffrey L. Ram

Physiology Faculty Research Publications

Cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) barcode sequences in this file were obtained from gut DNA extracted from 54 freshly collected water mites, comprising 21 Lebertia quinquemaculosa , 30 Lebertia davidcooki , 1 Limnesia , and 2 Arrenurus specimens. Methods and other details about these sequences are described in a paper by the same authors in a submitted publication (2021: URL to be given here when published). Data on collection locations, primers (mLep and LCOI), amino acid translations, etc. are included in corresponding sequences uploaded to GenBank. The right column below contains additional notes on naming the taxa of the sequences …

An Exploratory Analysis Of A Treatment Based Classification Algorithm To Treat Patellar Tendinopathy, Monica Matocha, Patti Syvertson, Janet Mcmurray, Emily R. Dietz, Russell T. Baker, Alan Nasypany, Don Reordan, Darcy Downey

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

The general and athletic populations commonly experience patellar tendon pain, which is frequently treated with a gold standard 12-week eccentric exercise protocol. The present research study was designed to determine the effects of a treatment based classification (TBC) algorithm utilizing indirect treatment techniques in patellar tendinopathy participants. Ten participants (seven females, three males, mean age = 19.6 ± 1.07, mean symptom duration = 2.14 years with a range of one week to six years) with patellar tendinopathy were evaluated and included in this study. Each participant underwent a thorough evaluation process to aid in determining inclusion: participant medical history, range …

Health & Nutritional Sciences Free Communication Day: Spring 2021 Plan B Abstracts, Brianna Vig, Michael Pappan, Taylor Svehla, Alexander Iverson, Tanner Jerome, Christian Gravius, Kaitlyn Jackman, Savannah Ratermann, Gwyneth Phillips, Jenna Rheder, Erin Hallenbeck, Logan Ammons, Rachel Astleford, Francine Hoffman, Ryan Folley, Kylie Serie, Jenna Christianson, Haley Strait, Kelsey Kessler

Health and Nutritional Sciences Graduate Students Plan B Capstone Projects

This document contains Plan B abstracts presented by graduate students at the Health and Nutritional Sciences Free Communication Day, held on May 4th, 2021.

Abstract titles include:

• Local Restaurants’ Marketing and Sponsorship Within Collegiate Athletics
• Preparing the Future of Campus Recreation
• Motivational Factors Influencing College Choice: NCAA Division I Female Volleyball Athletes
• The Significance of a Successful Internship Program
• Foundations of Publicly Subsidized Sport Stadiums: The Case of U.S. Bank Stadium
• Enhancing Member Experience During a Pandemic
• The Risk of Depression in Football Players Diagnosed with a Concussion
• Effectiveness of Color-Tinted Glasses in Reducing Photophobia in Patients Diagnosed with Mild …

Myelin, Cpla2, And Azithromycin: Modulation Of Macrophage Activation In Spinal Cord Injury Inflammation, Timothy J. Kopper

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Spinal cord injury (SCI) produces a chronic inflammatory state primarily mediated by macrophages consisting of resident microglia and infiltrating monocytes. These chronically activated SCI macrophages adopt a pro-inflammatory, pathological state that continues to cause additional damage after the initial injury and inhibits recovery. While the roles of macrophages in SCI pathophysiology are well documented, the factors contributing to this maladaptive response are poorly understood. Here, we identify the detrimental effects of myelin debris on macrophage physiology and demonstrate a novel, activation state-dependent role for cytosolic phospholipase-A2 (cPLA₂) in myelin- mediated potentiation of pro-inflammatory macrophage activation. Macrophage- mediated inflammatory …

Dry Needling And Management Of Trigger Points With Low Back Pain: An Evidence To Practice Review, Matthew J. Drescher, Matthew J. Rivera, Lindsey E. Eberman

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Low back pain is a common health concern. The development of myofascial trigger points due to low back pain can cause debilitating pain and loss of functional movement in patients. Dry needling is a minimally invasive procedure that has shown to be useful in the treatment of myofascial trigger points when used with other forms of treatment. However, the literature surrounding dry needling and myofascial trigger points in patients with low back pain is lacking. The guiding systematic review and meta-analysis sought to analyze the effectiveness of dry needling for patients with low back pain. The review utilized eight databases …

Cold-Induced Metabolic Changes In Lean, Nag-1 Transgenic Mice, Rachel J. Davey

All Master's Theses

Obesity is a multifaceted metabolic disorder with severe worldwide public health consequences. While obesity can often be treated using diet and exercise, there are complex genetic interactions driving obesity that don’t always respond to such changes. One important research focus for addressing genetic factors is activating brown adipose tissue which increases thermogenesis, the process of burning stored fats to generate heat. Cold exposure is a known way to activate brown adipose tissue through b3-adrenergic signaling. This signaling pathway causes an upregulation of thermogenesis in brown adipocytes and beige adipocytes, which is white adipose tissue that “browns” and becomes metabolically active. …

Utility Of Novel Rotational Load-Velocity Profiling Methods In Collegiate Softball Players, Chad Herring

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purposes of this study were to determine the reliability of the bat swing (BS) and rotational medicine ball throw (RMBT) load-velocity profiling (LVP) methods and the relationships between LVP variables and batting performance in NCAA Division I softball players. Current NCAA Division I softball athletes participated in this study. Bat velocity was tracked with a swing sensor during the BS method. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) tracked forearm velocity during the BS and RMBT methods. Two-way intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used for relative reliability and coefficient of variation (CV) was used for absolute reliability. For the BS method …

Effectiveness Of Take-Home Naloxone Programs In Athletic Training: An Evidence-To-Practice Review, Michael J. Palm, Amanda N. Flanscha, Zachary K. Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

The number of opioid overdoses (ODs) has risen in recent years and has become more complex due to the co-involvement of both prescription and illicit opioid drug use. Provisional programs for take-home naloxone (a medication designed to rapidly reverse opiate OD symptoms) kits have been distributed to combat this potentially fatal epidemic. Although there is strong evidence to support the efficacy of naloxone in the reversal of opiate OD, there is limited evidence to support the efficacy of take-home naloxone (THN) kits. The purpose of this evidence-to-practice review was to summarize a systematic review on the efficacy of THN programs. …