Open Access Journals at IU Indianapolis
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Evaluation of the Relationship Between Collagen Matrix Damage and Proteoglycan Activity Following Submaximal Fatigue Loading
Get PDFBackground and Hypothesis:Previous research indicated that fatigue loading of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) leads to disruption and unraveling of the collagen triple helix structure. Using a novel in vivo murine model, we have spectroscopically shown that collagen unraveling at the molecular level is associated with an increase in proteoglycan activity. Moreover, we found an increase in tissue compliance within these damaged tissue domains. We hypothesize that the increase in proteoglycan activity is largely responsible for this mechanical change. To investigate this, we first need to identify the proteoglycan(s) responsible for our biochemical spectra that indicatedan elevation in activity associated with unraveled collagen domains. For this pilot project, we histomorphometrically investigated the proteoglycan activity of two potential protein candidates (decorin, versican) following sub-maximal ACL fatigue loading.
Experimental Design or Project Methods:The right knees of 20 mice underwent 5,000 cycles of moderate or strenuous fatigue loading. Left knees served as a control. Samples were collected 1 and 72 hours after loading. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect decorin and versican activity in the ACLs.
Results:A greater area of the ACL was stained with decorin relative to versican in ACLs that underwent moderate fatiguing after 1-hour rest (p = 0.02) and 72-hour rest (p < 0.01). Similar differences were found in ACLs after strenuous fatiguing and 72-hour rest (p < 0.01). No significant temporal differences were found in versican (p = 0.76) or decorin (p = 0.53) activity in fatigued ACLs relative to controls.
Conclusion and Potential Impact:These preliminary findings suggest that versican nor decorin are the proteoglycans colocalizing with unraveled collagen. We are currently investigating aggrecan, lumican, and biglycan as other potential proteoglycan candidates to explain our spectroscopic data
Ankyloglossia and its Importance in Sustained Breastfeeding
Get PDFAnkyloglossia, commonly known as tongue-tie, is reported to affect 7% of infants and can impact ability to breastfeed. A comprehensive review of literature was taken which included an assessment of which diagnostic tools are most accurate in determining ankyloglossia associated with difficult breastfeeding. It was noted that there was not a standardized approachto identifying and treating ankyloglossia in breastfed infants. Based on this review, a multidisciplinary team was established to develop a team for a holistic assessment of breastfeeding efficacy. A protocol was developed for assessment of frenotomy impact on breastfeeding. It included LATCH, Coryllos Scale, and IBFAT as the most useful evaluation tools and developed a prospective assessment in infants with ankyloglossia. This study is in the early data collection phase. The goal of this study is to fill an important gap in the knowledge of the impact of ankyloglossia in sustained breastfeeding
Maternal IVIG Administration in Rhesus Alloimmunized Pregnancies: A Systematic Review
Get PDFBackground: Rhesus (Rh) alloimmunization occurs when an Rh negative mother is exposed to red blood cells (RBC) from an Rh positive fetus. The mother develops antibodies in the current pregnancy that attack Rh positive fetus in subsequent pregnancy, causing hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN). RhD is the most common antigen to result in fetal anemia requiring intrauterine transfusions (IUT). Although the traditional method of management and highly effective, IUTs carry significant risk particularly when performed early in gestation, potentially resulting in procedure-related fetal deaths. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy may postpone or even replace invasive intrauterine treatment in fetuses of mothers with severe alloimmunization in previous pregnancies.
Objective: To evaluate whether maternal administration of IVIG in high-risk Rhesus alloimmunized pregnancies is effective in delaying the need for IUTs as well as delaying the onset of severe fetal anemia and thus in diminishing its clinical consequences.
Study design: A systematic literature search was conducted for maternal intravenous immunoglobulin administration in pregnancies with Rh isoimmunization in the following databases: Medline, Embase and Cochrane Library from 1946 to 2 February 2023. Inclusion criteria was studies done during pregnancy in which IVIG was administered to the mother in Rh alloimmunized pregnancies/fetal anemia. All non-english papers, animal papers, systematic reviews, editorials and studies in which IVIG was administered to non-pregnant patients were excluded. Data was extracted from these full texts and analyzed for inclusion based on the quantity of usable data and patient information. Extracted data included maternal antibody type and titer, number of maternal IVIG administrations, number of IUTs, and fetal Hb levels prior to first IUT and at delivery. Time interval (weeks) between IVIG and first IUT was also included in the extracted data along with gestational age at delivery. Individual patient data extraction was done for studies that provided data.
Results: 16 studies were included in data analysis. Analysis of extracted data is ongoing
Implantation of Flexible Electrodes for Simultaneous in-vivo Extracellular Recording and Two-Photon Imaging
Get PDFIntroduction: Rigid silicon electrodes like Utah array grids and Neuropixel probes have been used in human and animal brain models to understand the dynamics of neural computation, treat neurodegenerative disorders, and act as brain-machine-interfaces. However, when implanted chronically, glial proliferation can rapidly disrupt the interaction between neurons and electrodes, drastically reducing recording fidelity. The development of flexible electrodes has the potential to minimize tissue damage and inflammation, which allows for long-term recordings over several months. In line with this objective, the Nano-neurotechnology Lab at Purdue University has developed a 6-µm thick, flexible, and biocompatible Parylene probe to facilitate chronic recordings in awake mice. However, flexible electrodes present a unique engineering challenge as the force required to insert into the brain causes the probe to buckle and fail during insertion.
Methods and Results: Here, I designed a micropipette shuttle using a glass micropipette and custom insertion system which provided reproducible probe implantation into the cortex. The implantation device was designed in CAD software and 3D-printed for rapid prototyping. The procedure was developed on brain phantoms made of 0.6% agarose with a comparable Young’s modulus to mouse brain tissue. Utilizing 3D-printed pieces and the surface tension of diluted poly-vinyl-acrylate adhesive to align the probe to a micropipette, insertion of the electrode and retraction of the shuttle was accomplished in awake mice.
Conclusion: The implications of flexible recording electrodes are extensive. Long-term implantation opens the door for understanding behavioral and learning dynamics over time. Moreover, the flexibility of these probes allows for the combination of 2-photon optical microscopy, thus enabling multi-modal investigation of neuronal physiology. A low-cost, consistent procedure is the first step in the implementation of these flexible probes for further advancements in fundamental neuroscience research and its potential applications in human and animal studies. 
Trends in Thymic Epithelial Tumor Patients with Comorbid Autoimmune Disease
Get PDFThymic epithelial tumors (TETs) are rare malignancies originating from the thymus in the anterior mediastinum. TETs include thymic carcinoma and thymoma. Approximately 30-40% of thymomas have associated autoimmune paraneoplastic disorders, the most common being myasthenia gravis. A broad range of other paraneoplastic syndromes have also been reported. Currently, little is known about demographic or histological trends in thymoma patients with comorbid autoimmune disease. In this single institution retrospective chart review, we assessed the distribution of thymoma-associated paraneoplastic syndromes at the IU Simon Cancer Center (IUSCC) to identify trends within demographic and histological features. We created a database of IUSCC patients seen from 2000-2023 and identified 170 subjects with biopsy-proven malignant TET and associated autoimmune disease. Data was exported to excel and R for analysis. Factors analyzed included: age at diagnosis, sex assigned at birth, BMI, WHO (World Health Organization) classification, and Masaoka staging. Overall survival was also compared to matched controls without paraneoplastic syndrome. A total of 37 different paraneoplastic syndromes were identified in association with thymoma in IUSCC patients. The most prevalent was Myasthenia Gravis (110 patients), followed by Hypothyroidism (21 patients, 5 confirmed as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), Good Syndrome (19 patients), and Pure Red Cell Aplasia (15 patients). Significant findings included: 36.4% of patients with paraneoplastic comorbidity had >1 paraneoplastic syndrome, 51.8% presented with Stage IV disease, and 40.4% had WHO Type B2 tumor pathology, with Type B3 being second most common (25%). No significant demographic associations were identified. 10-year survival of TET patients with paraneoplastic syndromes was not significantly different from those without (p= 0.721). These results indicate potential associations between thymoma staging and grading and development of paraneoplastic disease. Further analysis with a larger data set is warranted. Serum and blood test analysis may also elucidate reasons behind the development of paraneoplastic disease in thymoma patients. 
Development of an Empowering Language Assessment Tool for Type 1 Diabetes
Get PDFIntroduction: This brief report describes the early development of an Empowering Language Assessment Tool (T1D-ELAT) for patient education materials (PEMs) designed for people with type 1 diabetes (T1D), consisting of a checklist to assess the frequency of disempowering language.
Methods: The authors followed professional society guidelines to develop a checklist to quantify the use of disempowering words and phrases. We determined inclusion and exclusion criteria and grouped checklist terms into functional categories. We also collected descriptive characteristics about each PEM, such as publication date, authorship, and country of origin, and created a codebook defining these terms and descriptive characteristics.
Results: The authors tested the checklist in two rounds and added nine term variations as a result. We removed the imperative can/can’t/cannot during testing because it was not consistently used as an imperative.
Discussion: Pilot testing the checklist informed revisions to the checklist and study protocol. Future phases of this research project will also explore the context in which disempowering terms are used in these materials
Combining Web Analytics and a Web-Based User Survey for LibGuides Assessment
Get PDFMethod name(s)
Web/Data Analytics; Web Survey; Project Outcome Model
Objective
The aim of this method is to assess an online library guide, using both qualitativeand quantitative methods, with the specific objective of discovering who is using the guideand why, as well as understanding the impact of the guide on user learning outcomes.Approach: This method combines the use of web/data analytics (quantitative) and aweb-based survey (quantitative and qualitative) with an existing model for measuring learningoutcomes. By combining these methods, a more robust assessment of an online guide can beachieved.
Data Type Used
The discussed online guide assessment used data from Google Analyticsand from a web-based survey, created in Qualtrics, with learning outcome questionsdeveloped using the Project Outcome for Academic Libraries Toolkit.
Strengths
The combined analysis of the web analytics and survey data resulted in anexpanded assessment of the library guide and a richer picture of guide users, their behavior,and their learning outcomes.
Limitations
Individually, each method used in this research has limitations. Web analyticsare unable to determine users’ motivation (why) for using the guide and whether they havelearned (impact) from their behavior/interaction while using the guide. Surveys collectself-reported data and may be subject to recall bias. However, when the methods arecombined, each helps to counteract the individual limitations
Case-based EBM instruction for Osteopathic Medical Students: A Case Report
Get PDFBackground: Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is an important part of graduate medical education and a learning outcome necessary for preparing students to become effective residents. However, many medical educators and librarians struggle to offer EBM instruction that is contextualized, relevant, and engaging. Case-based learning (CBL) can establish the relevance of EBM instruction sessions by using clinical scenarios that link theory to practice.
Experience: This case report describes how a college of osteopathic medicine (COM) liaison librarian redesigned a large cohort, lecture-based learning approach to EBM instruction into interactive, relevant, and contextualized CBL labs. CBL labs with smaller student groups were designed to provide an active learning environment and encourage peer-to-peer learning. The CBL format has been previously applied to EBM instruction but not quantifiably evaluated. A modified rubric was created to provide a quantifiable measurement of student performance in future evaluations.
Discussion: First-year osteopathic medical students participated in CBL sessions, integrating EBM into their curriculum. The small groups facilitated personalized guidance, peer-to-peer learning, and critical thinking. Clinical scenarios that were mapped to the students’ curriculum provided relevance to the learning experience.
The CBL format allowed the librarian to support students individually and increased engagement compared to lecture-based learning. Challenges included assessing the students’ prior EBM knowledge and the time commitment for a solo librarian. However, group assignments and a grading rubric helped to minimize the challenge.
Conclusion: The initial pilot testing of this instructional design format and rubric has shown promise in reaching the objectives of providing a relevant and active learning platform with quantifiable results. A future randomized controlled trial is planned to provide quantifiable evidence supporting CBL labs for EBM instruction when compared to lecture-based learnin
Integrating Physiological Measures within a Music Therapy Research Course:: Program Description and Initial Evaluation
No full textApplying research to practice is an essential competency, and some educators have turned to course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) to support music therapy students in developing these skills. We provided a bounded CURE involving a research question requiring data from three different biosensors. We collected program evaluation outcomes where respondents reported increased interest and confidence in reading and doing research as well as personal investment in the project. Respondents also indicated that, as a result of taking this course, they were more likely to take part in research projects in the future and they were interested in pursuing master’s level research. The students also reported that using the sensors in the course supported their learning. We discuss the role of the research assistant, including her deepened understanding of research concepts through her work with the data collection and preparation stages. We plan to continue implementing CUREs with biosensors in future runs of the course, and with larger class sizes we aim to publish data from our projects, while also examining students’ experiences.
