COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE ABSTRACTS
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Area Prevention Resource Centers
The Department of Psychiatry administers three Area Prevention Resource Centers (APRCs). Each APRC serves a defined catchment area from offices within its geographical region. The Tulsa APRC serves north and west Tulsa County; the PaNOK APRC provides services to Payne, Pawnee, Noble, Osage, and Kay Counties; and the Tri-County APRC functions in Creek, Okmulgee, and Okfuskee Counties.
These programs promote the prevention of substance abuse and its related problems of domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, youth depression and suicide, teenage pregnancy, STFDs and AIDS, violence, gangs and occult involvement, and school dropouts through services that positively influence the personal attributes of individuals and the environmental conditions of the community.
APRCs organize individuals into task forces that assess the mental health needs within their community and, with the assistance of APRC staff members, develop and implement programming to reduce the incidence of high-risk behaviors. APRC community-based programs provide information and education, increase community awareness and citizen involvement, present life skills development training, organize alternative activities, examine social policy, and refer individuals for intervention services, as needed.
Sponsor: Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
PI: Bruce A. Singer
African-American Specialty Center
The goal of the Specialty Center is the development of healthy, responsible, productive citizens who will be unlikely to experience alcohol or drug-related problems in their lives. This is accomplished through the delivery of culturally-specific prevention services that identify individual and environmental factors that place African-Americans at increased risk and address these conditions.
Sponsor: Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
PI: Bruce A. Singer
Cognitive Impairment Among Cherokee Elders
A pilot project is being conducted in collaboration with Ralph Richter of St. John Medical Center and the Alzheimer's Disease Center of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas dealing with cognitive impairment among Cherokee elders in Oklahoma. The purpose of the study is to obtain preliminary data on the prevalence of cognitive impairment, profiles of cognitively impaired and non-impaired Cherokee elders, and the usefulness of several standard mental health and functional assessment instruments for this population.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PI: Nancy Van Winkle
Cognitive Rehabilitation Following Brain Injury
Injury of brain tissue occurs in many diseases and traumatic insults. Impaired cognitive abilities secondary to these injuries often prevent patients from returning to productive work and family life. Rehabilitation therapies have been widely available for only the past 20 years; research into their effectiveness is in its infancy.
Current investigation involves comparing the efficacy of biofeedback and a system of in-home computerized cognitive retraining therapies (for which a patent application has been submitted) in remediating deficits in patients' abilities to sustain and modulate attention appropriately.
Collaboration with an opthalmology resident and a faculty member of the Northeatern State University College of Optometry is producing an evaluation of the efficacy of remediating impaired visuomotor functions, visual acuity, and visuospatial reasoning in brain injured patients.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PIs: Richard H. Bost and Robert H. Geeslin
Compliance to Breast Self-Exams
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer among American women. Early detection has been associated with improved prognosis, yet many women do not engage in breast cancer screening methods such as breast self-examination. Our research focuses on the factors that lead to compliance with and competence of breast self-examination. Of particular interest is the study of women of lower socioeconomic status to determine the factors and strategies that can be implemented to increase this important health behavior.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PI: Vivian M. Stevens
Effects of Exercise on Blood Pressure in Medical Students Working in a General Medicine Clinic
This study investigates effects of aerobic exercise on blood pressure levels of student doctors working in a medical teaching clinic. The goal of this research is to provide support for the hypothesis that frequent elicitation of postexercise hypotension may contribute to the blood pressure lowering effects of regular exercise.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PI: Michael H. Pollak
Oklahoma Area Health Education Center Program
The Oklahoma Area Health Education Center Program (OkAHEC) is a sponsored program of OSU-COM that is conducted through regional AHECs located in Enid, Poteau, Lawton, Pryor, and a training/health care facility in the Osage Hills Complex in Tulsa. The program combines academic and community resources to improve the supply and distribution of primary care professionals and to increase the accessibility of quality health care services in rural and medically underserved areas.
The OkAHEC mission is accomplished through community-based training for health professional students and medical residents with rural and underserved populations; educational interventions that promote disease prevention and improved health through access to primary health care services; continuing education for health practitioners in rural communities; health careers recruitment with a special focus on minority and underserved populations; locally based initiatives that respond to emerging health care needs; and coordination with other state and federal primary care initiatives.
Sponsors: Oklahoma Department of Health and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
PI: Lucia Rojas Smith
Prevention of Post-Cerebral Ischemic Damage by Intravenous Hypothermic Resuscitation Fluid Intervention in the Rat
A variety of post-ischemic treatment protocols employing normothermic and hypothermic saline and resuscitation fluid will be administered intravenously to rats that have undergone a 10-minute period of global cerebral ischemia. These will be carried out to determine whether or not the deterioration in motor skills and working and reference memory that usually accompany such conditions as stroke can be reduced or eliminated through such therapeutic maneuvers. Physiological function tests, such as electroencephalographic recordings, maze testing, and foot-fault testing, as well as histopathological data, will be correlated at the conclusion of the 21-day recovery period to determine the relative protection of the various post-ischemic protocols.
Sponsor: Life Resuscitation Technologies, Inc.
PIs: Loren G. Martin, Thomas Wesley Allen, George M. Brenner, Richard G. Cooper, Warren E. Finn, Kirby L. Jarolim, JoAnn Ryan, and Thomas J. Stees
Prevention Resource and Evaluation Center
The Prevention Resource and Evaluation Center (PREC) provides consultation, material resource support, and a wide range of program evaluation services for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (DMHSAS), the Oklahoma Area Health Education Centers (OKAHEC), and other agencies throughout the state. Originally developed exclusively for drug and alcohol prevention programs, PREC has expanded its scope to include the evaluation of other health-related topics and provides services (i.e., evaluation design, instrument development, the production of formal evaluation reports) to many agencies. The collection, input, analysis, and services offered by PREC staff are survey development and implementation, evaluation site visits, conducting informational or training presentations on evaluation or related topics, and providing consultation or technical assistance.
Sponsor: Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
PI: Bruce A. Singer
Suicide Among Native Americans in New Mexico
Work is being done, in collaboration with Philip May of the University of New Mexico, as well as the Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque and the National Center for American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research in Denver, on various aspects of suicide among Native American cultural groups in New Mexico. Current focus is on the relationship of alcohol to suicide, gender and suicide, and characteristics of suicides occurring in jails.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PI: Nancy Van Winkle
Adipocyte Steroid Receptor Dynamics in Obese Sheep
This project studies the presence and physiological significance of sex steroid receptors in adipose tissue in lean and obese sheep. The goal is to better understand fat cell metabolism and fat deposition in humans and other species. This is a collaborative project with Dr. Joseph McCann, OSU College of Veterinary Medicine.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PIs: Gary H. Watson and Jary S. Mayes
Alterations in Lipopolysaccharides of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Strains With Varying Antibiotic Susceptibilities
Lipopolysaccharides are extracted from wild type, resistant, and supersensitive strains of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and then chemically characterized. Comparative analyses include fatty acids, neutral and acidic carbohydrates, amino compounds, and phosphate groups. This proposal will study the relationships between chemical structures, membrane architecture, and antibiotic sensitivity.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PI: Robert S. Conrad
Amphibian Research Laboratory (1)
The goals of our laboratory are to establish an alternative, non-mammalian model for the assessment of opioid analgesia and, more generally, for use in pain research. Our studies use a variety of analgesic agents administered to the grass frog, Rana pipiens, which are then observed for behavioral changes. Ongoing studies are examining the relative potency of opioid agents, tolerance and dependence, and the physiology of endogenous opioid agents (endorphins) in amphibians. We are also using receptor autoradiography to visualize the specific sites in the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS) mediating opioid analgesia.
Sponsors: Whitehall Foundation, Inc. and National Institutes of Health/National Institute for Drug Abuse
PI: Craig W. Stevens
Amphibian Research Laboratory (2)
To develop a non-mammalian (amphibian) model of chronic pain using a peripheral nerve injury paradigm similar to those currently used in at pain models. The development of an amphibian model of chronic pain would provide an alternative to current mammalian models for conducting research in neuropathic pain and other chronic pain syndromes as well as an avenue for comparative study of behavioral and physiological changes associated with chronic pain syndromes.
Sponsor: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
PIs: Stan Willenbring and Craig Stevens
Anatomy and Physiology of the Mechanisms Underlying Nociception and Pain Transmission in the Amphibian
This project studies the mechanisms by which pain is perceived and its intensity modulated by the nervous system of the frog. The nerve local circuitry and neurochemistry for pain processing is being investigated by combining modern nerve tract mapping techniques with electrophysiological recording from spinal cord neurons. These pain processing mechanisms are being correlated with the segmental motor patterns that are induced by nociceptor stimulation at the level of the skin.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PIs: Warren E. Finn and Craig Stevens
Biological Effects of Small Peptides
Studies of the effects of peptides from natural sources on cell physiology.
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health Area Grant
PI: J.A. Price
Chemotactic Responses by Amebae
Little is understood about the tissue tropism of the certain ameba that infect the brain. Studies are clarifying aspects of their sensory biology.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PIs: J.A. Price and David T. John
Chromatography
New chromatographic approaches to antibody measurement and in vivo visualization are under development.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PIs: J.A. Price and Charles Sanny
Drug Effects on Liver Aldehyde Dehydrogenase
This project studies the effects of various drug therapies used for the treatment of alcoholism. Change in the isoenzymes of aldehyde dehydrogenase, the enzyme that oxidizes acetaldehyde produced during the metabolism of ethanol, have been documented, and studies are continuing using a dog model to further document changes and to identify any genetic variants that may exist.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PI: Charles G. Sanny
Effect of Dexmedetomidine and Epinephrine on Water and Urea Permeability in the Rat Inner Medullary Collecting Duct
This study will investigate the cellular mechanism involved with the known inhibitory effects of dexmedetomidine and epinephrine on arginine vasopressin-stimulated water and urea permeability in the isolated inner medullary collecting duct of the rat kidney. The study will provide information on how the kidney controls water balance and excretes the metabolic waste product urea.
Sponsor: National Science Center of Brazil (Brasilia, Brazil)
PIs: Lucia Kudo and Alexander Rouch
Effect of Nerves on Kidney Function
This project is designed to study the physiological mechanisms associated with alpha-2 adrenergic receptors in the kidney. The study will investigate signal transduction processes involved with alpha-2 mediated inhibition of water and ion transport in the cortical collecting duct of the rat kidney. The project will utilize the experimental methodology of the isolated perfused kidney tubule technique and will add information on how the kidney controls salt and water balance.
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
PI: Alexander Rouch
Estrogen and Progesterone Action During Implantation
Studies to determine fluctuations in receptor numbers for E2 and P4 during implantation and interrelationships that may exist with interferon levels.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PIs: Gary H. Watson and Jary S. Mayes
Collaborators: F.W. Bager and T.C. Spencer (Texas A&M)
Hypobaric Physiology
In collaboration with OSU's Department of Aviation and Space Education (both at Stillwater and through the University Center at Tulsa), the impact of simulated high altitude is being examined in human and in animal models subjected to acute or chronic exposure in a 20-man United States Air Force Guardite Hypobaric Chamber. Special emphasis is placed upon acute and chronic adaptations elicited in response to these hypoxic stimuli. Vision, cognitive ability, hematopoiesis, respiratory dynamics, and various cardiovascular parameters are being examined in both sedentary and exercising subjects. The effects of age, previous exercise-training, and gender upon hypoxic tolerance are being evaluated.
Sponsors: United States Air Force and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
PIs: Loren G. Martin, Thomas W. Allen, George M. Brenner, L. Thomas Brewster, Michael H. Pollak, and Kenneth E. Wiggins
Intermediate Filaments in Mitosis
The role of intermediate filaments in mitosis is currently being investigated. Immunoelectronmicroscopy, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, mammalian cell culture, and high voltage electron microscopy are used to study cells as they progress through mitosis. The interaction of the intermediate filament system with other cytoskeletal components (microtubules and microfilaments) is also being explored. The status of the cytoskeleton in transformed or cancerous cells is a topic of interest with emphasis on the transfer of information between the cell membrane and the nuclear membrane. The function of cyclic AMP in this mechanism is being studied.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PI: William D. Meek
Interaction of Antibodies with Toxins
This project studies the interaction of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies with various toxins using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Methods are being developed to determine binding constants in complex mixtures.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PI: Charles G. Sanny
Os/+ Mice As a Model for Molecular Analysis of Spontaneous Glomerulosclerosis
Several collaborative electron microscopy (EM) projects are currently investigating the cellular and molecular changes resulting from adaptation to a congenital reductionin the number of nephrons in the kidneys of a radiation-induced mutant strain of mice (ROP Os/+). This strain, which has a 50% reduction in the number of nephrons, as well as several fused or missing toes (oligosyndactyly), is being proposed as a model for study of kidney damage comparable to certain kidney diseases.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PI: David A. Henderson
Collaborators: Gary Striker, Lilliane Striker, and Rudolfs Zalups (National Institutes of Health Funding)
Pathogenic Freeliving Amebae
Occurring in the environment, pathogenic freeliving ameba cause serious human disease including infections of the eye and the central nervous system. The goal of our research is to isolate, identify, and determine the environmental distribution of pathogenic freeliving ameba. Additionally, we are involved in studies aimed at determining the factors responsible for pathogenicity and resistance.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PI: David T. John
Rapid Diagnosis of Human Coronavirus Infections
Coronavirus mouse monoclonal antibodies are prepared and characterized for use in the rapid diagnosis of acute and persistent human coronavirus infections.
Sponsor: College Seed Grant
PI: Ortwin W. Schmidt
Vision Research Program
The Vision Research Program at OSU-COM is an integrated, multidisciplinary investigation into the basic mechanisms by which normal vision occurs and the origins of various diseases. Several animal models and computer simulations are used to identify the pathophysiology of vision diseases such as the common condition amblyopia. Electrophysiology and modern microanatomical methods are utilized to study the site and nature of the disease processes. The program collaborates with clinicians trained in opthamology. Laser surgery methods are utilized. One component of the program focuses on the development and testing of an "artificial vision system" to be used in robotics and to provide a foundation for the development of a human eye prosthesis. This project is a joint effort by a biomedical team consisting of neuroscientists, electrical engineers, and clinicians.
Sponsors: College Seed Funds and a Mead Johnson Fellowship Grant
PIs: Warren E. Finn and Michael R. Willman
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