1997 research outputs found
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The Basal Ganglia: Pathways and Movement Disorders
No full textContext: Though anatomy is a vital part of a medical student’s education, three-dimensional visualization often ends in the laboratory, months into a medical student’s journey to becoming a physician. Many physicians would agree, continuing to apply both the physiology and anatomy to clinical situations is fundamental to one’s knowledge base of disease. Using three dimensional visualizations in medical student’s education may help to create a set of tangible clinical knowledge.
The purpose of this study is to bridge the gap between physical and clinical anatomy pertaining to a somewhat difficult concept: the basal ganglia. Though small and tucked away, the basal ganglia are a source of many movement disorders. This project depicts both the normal function of the direct and indirect basal ganglia pathways, as well as Parkinson and Huntington Disorders for the education of medical students.
We acquired CT data sets from the National Institute of Health\u27s Cancer Imaging Archive and analyzed them using Amira, a three-dimensional analytical software suite available at the Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine 3D Visualization Laboratory. We exported the result of this project, the three-dimensional visualization of the basal ganglia and visual diagrams, to YouTube for presentation purposes
Investigating the HSF1-HSF2 Interaction
No full textThe over accumulation of misfolded protein aggregates is a key contributor in neurodegeneration associated with diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s disease, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). In a cell, a class of proteins known as chaperones (heat shock proteins) manages protein folding. The protein Heat Shock Factor 1 (HSF1) is the main regulator of transcriptional activation of these HSPs. It’s partner, HSF2, has been shown to moderate HSF1- faciliated expression of HSPs, acting as a limited participant in transcriptional activation of the heat shock response. The experiment investigated the HSF1-HSF2 interaction by addressing if they indeed interact and if so where this interaction is occurring. The hypothesis was that these two proteins are interacting via their coiled coil domains, located on the leucine zipper 1-3. Streptactin beads were used to pull down HSF1 due to its affinity for the strep tag. Nickel beads have an affinity for the His tag so it was used to pull down HSF2. Protein purification was performed and both streptactin beads and nickel beads were applied consecutively, allowing only HSF1-HSF2 co-expressing heteromultimers to be pulled down. Gels and western blots were then run and it was shown HSF1 and HSF2 co-express and co-purify from E.coli lysate. Using in-fusion cloning, two bacterial strains were then generated. One strain expressed HSF1 lacking the coiled coil domain and the other expressed HSF2 lacking its coiled coil. Using an FPLC, the purification was run again and through immunoblotting and protein gels a significant decrease in HSF1-HSF2 interaction was observed. It was established that HSF1 and HSF2 directly interact and co-purify from E. coli lysate. It was also concluded that the deletion of the coiled coil domains results in a significant decrease in HSF1-HSF2 interaction
Short Duration Exposure of Vibrio Cholerae to Small Intestine Conditions and the Effect on Cholera Toxin and Stringent Response Gene Expression
No full textContext: Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of cholera, the epidemic diarrheal disease. The colonization and subsequent diarrheal symptoms are produced due to toxin coregulated pilus (TCP) and cholerae toxin (CT) respectively. Regulation of their expression involves a complex regulon, toxR, which is composed of toxT, a transcription factor that directly initiates transcription of the ct and tcp genes; and its upstream regulators tcpP and toxT, which require transcription factors tcpH and toxS.
Objective: Most research in V. cholerae to date has shown expression of these virulence factors after a long exposure to small intestine conditions. The goal of this work was to determine changes that happen immediately after V. cholerae is exposed to conditions found in the small intestine.
Design: Experimental
Setting: MUCOM biologic research lab
Methods: Deletions were made in regulon genes toxR, tcpPH, and toxT, as well as the stringent response regulators relA, spoT and relV. Expression of CT and TCP were quantified via the expression of the first gene in the ctx and tcp operons using real time PCR. Results: In tcpPH knock outs, there was still expression of TCP, similar to that of wild type. Moreover, with the loss of toxT, tcpPH, toxR, or a combination of toxR/toxT, toxR/tcpPH expression levels of CT were either absent or very minimal.
Conclusions: These results show differences from those in which these strains are present in small intestine conditions for longer periods of time, particularly for the stringent response null strains. This may indicate that initial adjustment to the small intestine is affected by stringent response activity, but longer term expression of virulence factors do not require stringent response but only the toxR regulon. Further investigation will be required for understanding how V. cholerae use environmental signals to regulate virulence gene expression
Metabolic Syndrome is Associated with an Increased Risk of 30-Day Morbidity and Mortality after Lower Extremity Bypass Surgery
No full textContext. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) refers to the combination of abdominal obesity, hyperglycemia or insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. MetS has been associated with morbidity and mortality after a variety of surgeries and procedures, and is also associated with risk of peripheral artery disease.
Objective. To determine the association between MetS and 30-day morbidity and mortality after lower extremity open bypass surgeries. Secondarily, to measure the association between preoperative aspirin, statins, and beta blockade with 30-day morbidity and mortality after lower extremity open bypass surgeries.
Design. This retrospective study was conducted using the American College of Surgeon National Surgery Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) – Vascular Procedure targeted database collected between 2011 and 2015.
Setting. 10,053 patients receiving lower extremity bypass surgery were included in this analysis. ACS NSQIP randomly samples patients from participating hospitals nation-wide. All procedures were conducted in the inpatient setting.
Methods. The association of MetS and preoperative aspirin, statin, and beta blocker with 30-day perioperative outcomes was assessed using univariate and multiple regression techniques. MetS was defined using the modified metabolic syndrome criteria (mMetS): Diabetes, Hypertension, and BMI \u3e 30 kg/m2.
Results. After adjusting for covariates, mMetS was significantly associated with Infection (OR: 1.76, 95% CI:1.49, 2.09), Renal Dysfunction (OR: 2.42, 95% CI: 1.59, 3.69), Days from Operation to Discharge (0.60 days, 95% CI: 0.31, 0.89), and MI (OR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.23, 2.24). Beta Blockade significantly increased length of stay(Days: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.56).
Conclusion. mMetS was associated with an increased risk of perioperative morbidity and mortality. Preoperative statins and aspirin were not associated with any change in risk of perioperative morbidity and mortality. Preoperative beta blockade was associated with an increase in the average length of stay, but otherwise was not associated with perioperative morbidity and mortality
3D visualization in medical-student training
No full textVisualizing the spatial relationships of anatomical features, gross pathologies, and diagnostic findings is a fundamental part of the training of medical students and other learners in health-professions curricula. But to what extent can we augment the conventional training opportunities (e.g. Gross dissection, interpretation of sectional imagery, interpretation of histological sections) with 3D enhanced visualizations of anatomic, histologic, and diagnostic data-sets? Here we present a case study of medical-students at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine utilizing 3D visualization and printing techniques as part of a summer training opportunity. Medical students, in the summer between their first and second year of medical school training, self-identified an interest in the interpretation of sectional imagery. These students were then encouraged to design a project with the aim of presenting a 3D visualization of an anatomic or pathologic study that could be better understood in a 3D format than conventional imaging formats. The students also identified the target audience for these studies— these included student-doctors, medical residents, and clinical patients. Case studies the students completed included visualizations of maxillofacial surgical interventions, pediatric cardiac defects, neurological tracts, cerebral basal ganglia, and paranasal sinuses, among others. The resulting 3D interpretations were then presented as either 3D prints (utilizing stereolithography), YouTube videos, interactive 3D PDF files, or some combination of these media. It is possible to develop case studies to a high degree of maturity during a summer program. The next step in this study is to identify the efficacy of these presentations in various learning environments
Automated Suturing For Pacemaker Lead Placement Via Video Guided Minimally Invasive Surgical Access
Get PDFThe placement of permanent and temporary cardiac epicardial pacemaker leads through minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) access remains a challenge. A reliable ergonomic approach for remote lead placement requires improved technology. We present a novel means to enable the remote placement of epicardial leads using automated suturing devices and videoscopy
Level Up! Online Strategies for Managing Student Workers
Get PDFMarian University has a small but mighty staff that thrives on the power of our student workers. In order to successfully manage them, we created an online space in our LMS and started to incorporate project management applications, Google apps, and web-based data collection tools to assist with supervising them
Women’s Rights and Women’s Empowerment in the Americas
Get PDFA research assignment outlined by the instructors associated with the Women’s Rights and Women’s Empowerment in the Americas project
Hexosamine Biosynthesis Pathway Is a Potential Link Between Insulin Resistance and Alzheimer’s Disease
No full textInsulin resistance is associated with a high cumulative risk of AD and reduced cerebral glucose metabolism. New data suggest that increased hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP) activity induces insulin resistance in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle via increased O-linked N-acetylglucosamine modification of Sp1, leading to transcriptional activation of HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis. This HBP-induced cholesterolgenic transcriptional response in adipocytes and muscle cells increases cholesterol in the plasma membrane that impairs insulin-stimulated glucose transporter GLUT4-mediated glucose transport. A pilot, short-term (3-wk) high-fat (HF, 45% kCal) feeding study revealed that insulin-resistant mice trended to display early signs of cognitive dysfunction accompanied by apparent increases in cerebral, but not cerebellar, cholesterol. To extend those analyses and investigate whether a similar HBP response could contribute to excess cerebrum cholesterol, male and female C57BL/6 mice were placed on low-fat (LF, 10% kCal) or HF diets for 8 weeks. While HF-feeding induced impaired glucose tolerance in male and female mice, only male mice displayed impaired insulin tolerance. Strikingly, insulin-resistant male, but not insulin-sensitive female, mice displayed an increase in cerebral cholesterol (62.4%, p=0.02) with an apparent accompanying increase in cerebral, but not cerebellar, O-linked N-acetylglucosamine modification of Sp1. These preliminary data suggest that insulin resistance is associated with an increased cerebral HBP-induced cholesterolgenic transcriptional response that could impair cerebral glucose transport also mediated by GLUT4. Further molecular studies, glucose transport analyses, and cognitive/behavioral testing on this putative mechanism of AD are needed
Canvas 102: Beyond the Basics
No full textSo, you have been using Canvas but know there is probably more that it can do for you and your students. Join Steve, Senior Solution Specialist, to learn how to better organize and control content through Modules, stay on top of what is happening in your course with Canvas Analytics, manage the Gradebook, and increase efficiency with some cool, new tools