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In vitro OMT-like stimulation of dermal fibroblasts reduces pro-inflammatory cytokine expression
No full textSarcopenia is a disease characterized by degeneration of muscle and strength that puts individuals at increased risk of functional impairment, physical disability, and mortality. The risk of disability is 1.5 to 4.6 times higher in older individuals with sarcopenia than those with normal muscle. Very few DOs utilize OMT in management of gait disorders such as sarcopenia despite studies showing improved mobility in patients after OMT and improved gait in Parkinson’s patients after after OMT. The body’s exquisite ability to sense loading makes it conceivable that mechanical stimulation may lead to anabolic effects on muscle. To investigate this, we first build upon prior work that established an in vitro model system for studying soft tissue OMT-like mechanical stimulation of human dermal fibroblasts. This work demonstrated that injury-like strain of fibroblasts induces the secretion of numerous cytokines; reduces fibroblast proliferation rate; and increases fibroblast apoptosis. Moreover, mechanical stimulation mimicking soft tissue OMT reverses numerous aspects of this phenotype, such as reducing section of pro-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-3 and IL-6, inducing secretion of anti-inflammatory IL-1ra; increasing fibroblast proliferation; and reducing fibroblast apoptosis. Additionally, conditioned medium from fibroblasts subjected to OMT-like mechanical strain promotes differentiation of satellite cells into skeletal muscle myocytes. The utilization of OMT may represent a novel therapy for treating skeletal muscle atrophy in patients who are mobility limited or unable/unwilling to carry out resistance training. In this study, we validate these findings by subjecting human dermal fibroblasts to the same injury-like and OMT-like strains as the previous investigators. Following these strains, the cytokine expression was analyzed using the R&D Human Cytokine Array, the BD Cytometric Bead Array (CBA), and enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays (ELISA). The primary cytokines expressed were interleukins 6 and 8. The CBA showed increased expression in both IL-6 and IL-8 in the injury-like strain when compared to the control and significant decrease in expression for both cytokines in the OMT-like strain when compared to the injury-like strain. These results were validated by the ELISAs. These interleukins are both pro-inflammatory in nature, suggesting that OMT may reduce inflammation following an atrophy-like state
Analyzing a New Approach to the Assessment of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Get PDFBackground and Review of Literature: Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is becoming an increasingly complex problem across many facilities. The use of standardized assessment is vital to ensuring that infants are properly assessed and managed. The use of the Finnegan or modified
Finnegan score has been the most common method for assessing infants but lacks statistical validity or reliability. It also suffers from a lack of interrater reliability. This technique also requires that an infant be disrupted at least every four hours to look for signs of withdrawal. A new model called Eat, Sleep, Console Approach (ESC) is evaluating the importance of first line interventions such as cuddling, swaddling, breastfeeding on demand, and low stimulation environments. The model focuses on a neonate\u27s ability to maintain vital functions.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to find a new approach to assessing NAS that will enhance the ease and reliability of NAS assessment.
Methods: A pre and post assessment survey of frontline staff will help to determine how implementation of the new model improves care and assessment.
Implementation Plan: Implementation of this project included a PowerPoint training to help ensure that staff can utilize the new assessment technique. A side by side comparison of the Finnegan scoring and ESC model was done with both assessments taking place on each infant. Surveys will evaluate the before (Finnegan) and after (ESC) to see if staff perceive one method as superior in simplicity and reliability.
Conclusions: ESC model has been well received by staff on the unit. It has been a better way to decrease interruptions for neonates and is perceived as an easier alternative to Finnegan\u27s scoring
“What are we trying to accomplish?”: Student resistance as racial wisdom
No full textThis work analyzes a Grade 9 English Language Arts classroom discussion for moments of resistance and asks, What does student resistance accomplish when viewed as racial wisdom? Drawing from “posts” traditions, we analyzed the discussion’s intra-actions or entanglements in order to more clearly understand how students draw from their “well of knowledge” to resist. Findings indicate student resistance interrupts the grammar of schooling and, at the same time, creates new openings for other ways to disrupt and resist. This work demonstrates the importance of situating resistance as counter narratives grounded in racial wisdom that work to reconfigure interpretations and definitions of personal and social identities situated more completely within embodied experiences
In Vitro Wound Healing Assays to Investigate Epidermal Migration.
No full textRe-epithelialization after cutaneous injury is a complex and multifaceted process that incorporates numerous cellular components interacting in a myriad of pathways. One of the most crucial aspects of this process is the initiation of keratinocyte migration to fill the wound bed. Re-epithelialization involves both the individual and collective movement of epidermal cells under the control of integrated signaling paradigms. It is therefore essential to develop a simple methodology to dissect the basic movement of epidermal cells in vitro. Scratch assays are relatively simple experiments in which a single layer of cells are plated onto a prepared dish with multiple furrows created in the cell bed. The resulting cellular migration to fill the wound bed can then be imaged and processed quantitatively to investigate migration rates and other factors of interest. Here, we provide important adaptations to the classic scratch assay to make it a robust, reproducible, and quantitative tool for the evaluation of epidermal cell migration
Review of Music Education in an Age of Virtuality and Post-truth
Get PDFIn his book, Music Education in an Age of Virtuality and Post-Truth, Woodford presents a welcomed discussion of the aims of music education in a time of political unrest. This timely text is needed due to the stresses of the current political climate in which students are “seldom encouraged to seriously question or otherwise challenge the existing political system” (p. 2). Woodford’s consideration of contemporary political phenomena sheds new light on issues related to arts education policy implementation as well as intersections of music education and students’ lived experiences. Throughout this text, Woodford questions the current application of democratic values in music education, condemns the misuse of art in contemporary politics, and explains the purposes of a liberal music education. Woodford addresses current social and political issues that impact music educators and anticipates future problems so that they might “better defend themselves and their students, and ultimately democratic society, from those who would pervert the purpose of education by reducing it to job training and/or thought control” (p. 10). After providing an overview of the book and a summary of each chapter, we offer our reflections of the author’s points and extensions for consideration. Specifically, we reflect on how generalizing the views of political populations might be problematic and how the inclusion of multiple perspectives might enhance a liberal music education. We then propose possibilities for how Woodford’s liberal music education might look in K–12 classrooms and pose questions related to the presentation of this book in collegiate music education courses
Aim for Engagement - Tools for tailoring content to allow all students to participate
Get PDFPDF of presenter\u27s slides
Type 2 Diabetes-Driven Alterations in Bone Healing and Angiogenesis
No full textINTRODUCTION: Two out of five U.S. citizens born after 2014 are expected to develop type 2 diabetes (T2D). T2D patients are at increased risk for fracture and impaired fracture healing, including: increased frequency of partial union, delayed union, or nonunion. These outcomes can in part be explained by T2D-mediated physiological and structural changes in bone; most prominently, compromised microvascular performance, which negatively impacts angiogenesis necessary for bone regeneration. Currently, to enhance bone healing in nonunion, the only FDA-approved biological treatment is the use of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2). However, BMP-2 does not always achieve union, has adverse side effects, and may not be optimal for overcoming the T2D-specific impairments to bone healing. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to characterize the mechanisms by which T2D impairs bone healing and hypothesize that this effect is mediated by impairments in angiogenesis and endothelial cell proliferation and function. METHODS: Using Tie2-CreER;Td-Tomato mice (Tie2CreERT+), we established a high fat diet (HFD)-induced T2D mouse model to compare with low fat diet (LFD)-fed mice. Mice underwent glucose tolerance testing, insulin tolerance testing, and echoMRI to confirm the T2D-like metabolic phenotype. They were then subjected to a femoral critical-size defect surgery and were treated with either saline or BMP-2. 60 mice were allocated to each diet and experimental treatment group. Healing of the defect was assessed by X-rays. Additionally, bone marrow-derived endothelial cells (BMECs) were collected from the surgically treated mice to assess changes in endothelial colony and tube formation in vitro. Statistical analyses were performed with a two-way ANOVA and a Tukey post-hoc test. All procedures completed were approved by the Indiana University School of Medicine Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. RESULTS: Our results showed that after 12 weeks, HFD mice acquired a T2D-like metabolic phenotype. X-ray imaging revealed that fracture healing was impaired in the HFD mice, even with the administration of BMP-2. The isolation of BMECs was confirmed by visualization of fluorescent Tie2+ cells. Unexpectedly, in vitro tube formation assays indicated that HFD improved vessel-like formation properties. BMP-2 treatment appeared to improve some vessel-like formation properties compared to control treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Further data will need to be collected to better characterize differences in bone healing and to analyze angiogenesis in the healing femurs. Still, these data are significant as they reveal the mechanisms by which T2D impairs bone healing and demonstrate the important difference between examining endothelial cells in vitro vs. in vivo. Future investigations will examine if thrombopoietin, which our group has previously shown to improve both fracture healing and angiogenesis, may be a more effective treatment than BMP-2 in this model
Salmonella protein AvrA Promotes Chronic Infection Through MDM2
No full textBackground: Recent studies indicated that chronic Salmonella infection contributes to increased risk of human colon cancer. In our previous studies, we found that Salmonella type III secretion effector protein AvrA can induce colon cancer by activating the wnt/ β-catenin pathway. Here, we examined the mechanism of DNA damage and repair by AvrA in the context of Salmonella infectivity. We hypothesize that AvrA downregulates P53 through MDM2, inhibiting apoptosis and allowing Salmonella to establish chronic infection. Methods: We used Salmonella infected human colon epithelial HCT116 cells in vitro and a Salmonella infected mouse model in vivo. The Salmonella strains used included wild type Salmonella (WT), AvrA knockout Salmonella (AvrA-), AvrA overexpression Salmonella (AvrA+), and a Salmonella mutant strain Phopc (Phopc). Western Blot (WB) analysis of proteins in the MDM2/P53 pathway was performed at multiple time points. Tangential markers of virulence included weight loss, fecal Salmonella content, and invasion of Salmonella to other tissues. Results: In human HCT116 cells infected with Salmonella for 8 hours, MDM2, LB1, and RAD51 were significantly higher in the WT and AvrA+ groups compared to the AvrA- group, while P53 was lower. Colon tissue from mice infected with Salmonella for 8 hours showed a similar trend observed in vivo. In colon tissue from mice infected with Salmonella for 11 days, MDM2 expression remained high in the WT and AvrA+ groups compared to the AvrA- group, but P53 expression was presumably recovered through the known ATM/CHK pathway, indicating that AvrA mainly influenced cell-survival in the short-term to allow establishment of chronic infection. ArvA- mice infected for 10 days had lower Salmonella liver translocation and fecal CFU than WT or AvrA+ infected mice, indicating that AvrA promoted intracellular survival, growth, and spread. AvrAinfected mice lost more weight than AvrA+ infected mice, however WT infected mice lost more weight than both groups. This project is ongoing; there are additional 11-day infection mouse samples to WB and the cell culture infection will be repeated before quantifying the WB data. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that Salmonella effector protein AvrA negatively regulates P53 through MDM2, decreasing the virulence of Salmonella and promoting translocation and chronic infection. Our study provides new insight into the bacterial regulation of DNA damage in host-bacterial interactions. Acknowledgements: This work was performed with Dr. Lang Zha in the lab of Dr. Jun Sun at the University of Illinois at Chicago
Building a health outcomes database & Frontend Visualuzation
No full textThis project created the first website capable of searching published biomedical knowledge and returning a rank ordered list of actions most effective at improving health. These actions have font scaled based on the odds ratios (O.R.), which is a statistical method to measure the relation between an incident occurring (as in a disease) and the variable of interest (the input/action). This website was designed with the intent of making data more easily consumable for the average user concerned with health outcomes. The database PubMed has over 1 million new articles added annually, and a single human can not read and/or compare the importance of these disparate outcomes. As part of the website, a user can enter information from published peer reviewed studies which will store the information in a SQL database. The data is then searchable via the search box. Data can be input into or searched from the database in lay terms; however, the information is codified using synonyms of Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms. Search capability allows for lifestyle input, interventions, or outcomes desired with the results visually scaled based on PubMed odds ratio effectiveness. This is the first time the magnitude of scientific importance, as published in PubMed, is translated in a fashion to draw people’s cognitive attention scaled to that O.R. importance. Future work may include providing feedback (e.g. educational credit) to incentivize submissions, or natural language processing (NLP) to allow real time automated incorporation of newly deposited PubMed articles