Student Scholar Showcase 2009

Persistent link for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11299/54848

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Browsing Student Scholar Showcase 2009 by Subject "Academic Health Center"

Now showing 1 - 12 of 12
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    Computational Modeling of Protein Kinase A and Comparison with Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Data
    (2009-10-07) Shi, Lei; Veglia, Gianluigi
    Protein phosphorylation is fundamental in the modulation of myocardial contractility. Sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase(SERCA) removes cytosolic Ca2+ to initiate relaxation, but the regulatory protein, phospholamban(PLN), decreases SERCA’s affinity for free Ca2+. Phosphorylation of PLN by Protein Kinase A (PKA) induces a relief of inhibition on SERCA and augments the rate of SERCA Ca2+ uptake. Here, we studied the interaction between PKA and PLN by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), computational docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Comparative simulations of PKA apo, binary and ternary states were performed, which provided molecular details to understand the mechanism of PKA substrate recognition.
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    EPR Analysis of Myosin Structural Dynamics
    (2009-10-07) Harris, Robert
    The structural dynamics of myosin during muscle contraction can be discerned in situ through site directed spin labeling of myosin and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. To achieve in situ measurements, spin labeled myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) is exchanged for endogenous RLC in rabbit psoas fiber bundles. In order to ensure the structural integrity of exchanged muscle fibers, functional measurements must be done before and after exchange. After verifying function after RLC exchange, we can use EPR to measure the orientational dynamics of the RLC in a variety of states during muscle contraction.
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    Homelessness and End of Life Care: A Qualitative Analysis of the Living Wills of Underprivileged Individuals
    (2009-10-07) Grengs, Leah
    The major objective of this study is to test an advance directive (AD) intervention in the homeless population of Minneapolis and St. Paul. This project will address the end of life (EOL) concerns of homeless people and provide the basis to test the needs of others who are separated from their loved ones and/or experience episodic healthcare.   Estimates of the number of homeless people in the United States range up to several million. In the Twin Cities metro area over 4,000 youth and adults are in temporary housing programs and over 600 are unsheltered.   “Homeless” is defined as having no regular place to live (i.e. having to stay in a shelter, a hotel paid for with a voucher, a friend’s house, an abandoned building or outdoors).   Among disadvantaged populations, homeless individuals experience the greatest risk of death, barriers to healthcare and lack of resources and close relationships deemed necessary for proper EOL care.   Homeless individuals are admitted to the emergency room and hospitalized at almost four times the rate of the general population of the United States.   Although homeless individuals experience such high rates of mortality and hospitalization, their attitudes, values and desires regarding EOL care had yet to be studied. Their concerns have generally been ignored, since most EOL care has focused on the concerns of the white middle class. In general, homeless people have been found to be very willing to describe their preferences and concerns and eager to have a voice in what the future may bring in the event of serious illness or death. Homeless people have been found to have very unique concerns regarding healthcare and EOL care, since they frequently witness sudden and violent death on the streets.
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    The Perception of Vietnamese-American Women Towards Cervical Cancer and Prevention Methods
    (2009-10-07) Nguyen-Tran, Thuy Duong
    The purpose of this project was to learn about the perceptions Vietnamese-American women have towards cervical cancer and prevention methods. In addition, this project sought to better understand barriers Vietnamese-American women may have in receiving preventative care, such as Pap tests, and ways to increase awareness and usage of preventative medicine.
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    The PKC Inhibitor Gö 6976 Blocks C-Type Natriuretic Peptide Activation of Guanylyl Cyclase B
    (2009-10-07) Lou, Xiaoying
    This study characterizes the effects of the widely used protein kinase C inhibitor, Gö 6976, on NPR-B guanylyl cyclase activity as a means to identify its inhibitory mechanisms.
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    Plant Signaling Compounds Alter Secondary Metabolite Production Among Antagonistic Streptomyces
    (2009-10-07) Bakker, Matthew; Salomon, Christine; Kinkel, Linda
    Streptomycetes have been implicated in the control of soil-borne plant pathogens, and are known to produce an extensive array of antimicrobial secondary metabolites. We investigated the hypothesis that plants manipulate the production of secondary metabolites by streptomycetes. We tested a collection of diverse Streptomyces isolates for responses to potential signaling molecules produced by plants, including plant hormones, flavonoids, sesquiterpene lactones, and crude root exudates. Secondary metabolite production was investigated with the use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and bioassays for inhibitory activity. We found evidence that streptomycetes respond to plant-produced compounds with altered patterns of secondary metabolite production. Streptomyces isolates in our study had the ability to chemically modify and produce close analogs of plant-derived compounds. The production of similar chemical compounds may facilitate cross-kingdom communication. Our work suggests the potential for plants to manipulate the activities of soil microbial communities, which may confer a selective advantage in suppression of plant pathogens. These results concur with studies from many different systems showing that microbial activity is tightly linked with the health and functioning of higher organisms.
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    Predicting Limited Health Literacy in Probability and Convenience Samples of ED Patients
    (2009-10-07) Olives, T.; Patel, S.; Patel, R.; Hottinger, J.; Miner, J.
    Health literacy is the "capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.” More than 90 million US adults possess limited health literacy, and are at risk for increased emergency department (ED) usage, prolonged hospitalizations, increased health care costs and medication noncompliance. Risk factors for limited health literacy include advanced age, lower educational background, lower socioeconomic status, and non-Caucasian ethnicity. Recent studies have demonstrated that up to 25% of urban ED patients possess limited health literacy skills. We sought to determine the prevalence of limited health literacy among patients in an urban ED and its association with sociodemographic variables. We also sought to assess differences in findings across probability (random) and convenience (non-random) samples, in order to estimate the importance of the logistically more difficult probability sampling technique.
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    Quantative Intra-operative Disc Volume Measurement to Provide Guidelines for Spinal Fusion Surgery
    (2009-10-07) Hendricks, Alex J.
    Spinal fusion surgery has shown to be an effective treatment of lumbar instability, deformity, and debilitating lower back pain when unresponsive to non-surgical techniques. Spinal interbody fusion involves the removal of the intervertebral disc and scraping of the bony endplates to promote fusion of the vertebrae across the disc section after cages or screws are inserted. The most common techniques for interbody fusion include: Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF) and Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF). For these procedures, in vitro models have shown that disc removal greater than 30% is needed to promote fusion supporting loads greater than 600N. Unfortunately, no clinical validation exists comparing disc volume removed to clinical outcomes. The objective of this study was to identify the relationship between the percentage of disc material removed intra-operatively and clinical outcomes for interbody fusion procedures.
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    Regulation of Human HRAS1 Minisatellite Stability During Stationary Phase
    (2009-10-07) Brosnan, Laura
    Minisatellites are repetitive tracts of DNA with repeat units ranging from 16-100 base pairs in length. They are stable during mitosis but display changes in repeat number and order after meiosis. Rare alleles of minisatellite tracts thought to arise from repeat instability are associated with human diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and epilepsy. The stability of minisatellites in non-proliferating stationary phase cells is not well understood. Previous work has shown that the zinc transporter ZRT1, the checkpoint gene RAD53, the DNA repair gene RAD27, the endocytosis gene END3, and the protein kinase PKC1 regulate the stability of minisatellites in S. cerevisiae during stationary phase. We inserted the human minisatellite associated with HRAS1 into the ADE2 gene to determine how its stability is regulated during stationary phase. Loss of ZRT1, RAD27, or RAD53 destabilized the minisatellite; loss of PKC1 or END3 had no effect. This work contributes significantly to our understanding of repeat stability and genome stability during stationary phase; this has important implications for human genome stability, since most human somatic cells are non-proliferating.
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    Using Virtual Reality Environments for Medical Devices Design
    (2009-10-07) Konchada, Vamsi; Coffey, Dane; Borazjani, Iman; Sotiropoulos, Fotis; Erdman, Arthur; Interrante, Victoria; Keefe, Daniel F.
    There is an urgent need for improved design methodologies and tools that give designers meaningful and accurate feedback early in the design process; virtual reality can be used to fill this need.  Virtual reality provides a highly engaging environment that allows user to experience and comprehend abstract concepts.  It can allow designers to broadly explore the space of potential design alternatives, and to expand the boundaries of complex designs that are possible given today's computer assisted tools.  Medical device researchers seek to better understand the complexities of cardiac anatomy, visualize how surrounding structures affect device function and deployment, and ultimately design more effective devices. Virtual representation combines visual graphics, virtual reality applications, finite element analysis based on the architecture of a 3D model. Introducing virtual reality based tools into the process of medical device design can significantly improve the process. We present our initial work aimed at developing new immersive visualization and interactive design tools for improving the medical device design process. Our initial work focuses on developing 3-dimensional visualizations of simulated blood flow through mechanical heart valves. Our goal is to develop 3D user interfaces for refining medical device designs within the context of patient-specific anatomy and simulated flow data.