12th Annual Symposium of the School of Science, Engineering and Health

Welcome to the 12th Annual Symposium of the School of Science, Engineering and Health! This event continues a strong tradition showcasing student an faculty innovation, creativity and productivity in academic departments largely from within the School of Science, Engineering and Health

Integrative, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in Healthcare

This compendium describes the multimodal interventions in the field of integrative, complementary, and alternative medicine, which combines biological, behavioral, social, and environmental domains rather than merely treating the disease. Research emphasizing the understanding of connections between organs and body systems is the main focus of this text

Addressing Psychosocial Outcomes of Social Isolation in Older Adults

Purpose and Rationale The aim of the evidence-based practice (EBP) project is to improve psychological outcomes for socially isolated older adults enrolled in a Homebound Program (HP) through the implementation of an EBP intervention. Social isolation has a multitude of negative consequences, including impacting the psychological health (e.g. depression, loneliness, anxiety) of the older adult population. Synthesis of Evidence Meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and randomized controlled trials addressing the clinical problem of social isolation were identified. Through critical appraisal of the evidence, physical activity, psychotherapy, and socialization interventions have shown to decrease depression and loneliness in older adults. There were mixed findings of these interventions effect on anxiety. Practice Change and Implementation Strategies Based on the evidence, four interventions were proposed to the project team (a) reminiscent therapy, (b) physical activity, (c) cognitive behavioral therapy, and (d) mindfulness. After further evaluation of the utility and feasibility of each intervention, the two proposed interventions for implementation are reminiscent therapy and mindfulness. The Iowa EBP Model will be utilized for successful implementation. Evaluation Three outcome measures of interest will be examined. The primary outcome of loneliness will be measured with the Three-Item UCLA Loneliness Scale. Secondary outcomes include depression (GDS-15) and anxiety (GAD-7). Data collection will take place at baseline and post intervention. Conclusions and Implications for Practice Social isolation is a significant clinical problem impacting many older adults. HP patients are at increased risk as a result of their homebound status and risk for severe COVID-19 disease. Evidence supports the effectiveness of reminiscent therapy and mindfulness in reducing the psychosocial outcomes of social isolation. The quality improvement project aims to address psychological outcomes of social isolation, while considering feasibility and sustainability of such interventions in the HP practice

The effects of lavandula angustifolia on animal and human laboratory models of anxiety

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is a popular treatment for stress and mild anxiety. Currently, there are few reliable investigations of its efficacy because cognitive and associative effects of odours can confound pharmacological effects. Some of these problems can be overcome by testing the effects of odours in animals, and by using orally-administered lavender in sealed capsules in human participants. In addition, a criticism of current studies is that most employ short-term administration of lavender, even though humans most often use lavender over longer time-periods. There are two parts to this thesis. The first part addressed two questions; whether lavender odour exhibits anxiolytic effects in animal models of anxiety, and whether chronically administered lavender is more effective than acutely administered lavender. The second part addressed the question of whether, in a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial, orally-administered lavender exhibits anxiolytic effects in humans. This thesis makes three significant contributions: First, these studies provided a validation of the gerbil elevated plus-maze model of anxiety in both male and female gerbils, a model that has only previously been validated in female gerbils (Varty et al., 2002). Second, the studies on gerbils have shown that both lavender and rose essential oils have anxiolytic effects, which, rather than dissipating following acute odour administration (Cooke & Ernst, 2000), potentiate over time. Lavender’s effects were particularly apparent in female gerbils on measures related to risk-assessment, a behaviour that has been related to the human anxiety trait of worry (Blanchard, Blanchard, Griebel, & Nutt, 2008). Third, lavender had a clear dose response effect in reducing baseline anxiety in humans when tested acutely via oral administration, although there were no effects when more severe anxiety was induced. The route of administration and the fact that iv lavender had dose response effects indicate that lavender’s effects are not caused by psychological qualities of the odour, but are more likely to be due to direct pharmacological effects. Again, and comparable to results in gerbils, lavender’s anxiolytic effects in human females were more noticeable, particularly during the anxiety task and in the recovery phase of the study. In summary, prolonged exposure to lavender odour relieved anxiety in a validated animal model of anxiety, and orally-administered lavender alleviated mild anxiety in humans. In both cases, results were more prevalent in females

Probing novel compound classes & a new interacting protein for the Mammalian GАВА(_A) receptor

y-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate brain mediating its fast inhibitory action via GABA(_A) receptors. These receptors are implicated in a number of neurological diseases, making GABA(_A) receptor ligands interesting as potential therapeutic agents. The aims of this research project were two-fold: identifying leads for the discovery of new chemical entities that modify GABA(_A) receptor function. The second aim was to increase the understanding of GABAgeric transmission by studying the pharmacological influence of a new interacting protein for the mammalian GABA(_A) receptor, GRIF-1. In the search for novel ligands for GABA(_A) receptor, the pharmacology of three structurally distinct compound classes was investigated. The first class was the NSAID, Mefenamic acid (MFA) and a group of analogues. Results showed that MFA and a series of analogues selectively modulate GABAAR at the agonist binding site, but did not interact with either the picrotoxin or the benzodiazepine sites. Indeed the most significant result of this study was the identification of common active conformers of MFA compound and the differentiation of two analogues based on MFA structure, with an improvement in apparent efficacy. The second compound studied was Octyi-13-Dglucoside, a small molecule congener of a natural fungal metabolite, Caloporoside. These studies demonstrated that Octyi-13-D-glucoside is a positive modulator of GABAA receptor at the channel site demonstrated by its stimulation of specific [(^35)S] TBPS binding. The level of stimulation was similar to that elicited by diazepam and was occluded by GABA. Preliminary structure-activity study showed that the 13-glycosidic linkage and chain length are crucial for the positive modulation of [(^35)S] TBPS binding to the GABAAR by this novel chemical class. The third compound series were essential oils derived from Melissa officinalis and Lavendula angustifolia. These two oils either singly or in combination have been reported to have a significant benefit in the treatment of agitation in dementia. The purpose of this study was to clarify the sedative and calming mechanisms of these two common essential oils by investigating their effects on the GABAAR complex. Melissa and Lavender both singly and in combination inhibit [(^35)S] TBPS binding to the channel site of GABAAR. Melissa oil displayed the higher affinity. Melissa oil alone also showed a stimulatory effect on [(^3)H] muscimol binding. Interestingly, a combination effect on the inhibition of [(^3)H] flunitrazepam binding to the GABAAR has been shown when Lavender and Melissa oils are applied together (50:50), with no effect when applied alone. Neither Melissa nor Lavender oils demonstrated any effect on the binding of [(^3)H] MK-801 to NMDA receptors, or [3H) nicotine to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Furthermore, functional studies have demonstrated that both oils (0.01 mg/ml) applied to rat primary cortical neuron cultures, results in a significant reduction in both inhibitory and excitatory transmission, with a net depressant effect on neurotransmission. These data suggests that the calming/sedative effects of Melissa are mediated by multiple mechanisms in the CNS; the net effect is depressant on the overall neuronal network. Finally, a pharmacological study was performed on GRIF-1a, a novel GABAA receptor 132 subunit trafficking protein, to gain further insights into the potential role of this novel protein at the inhibitory synapse. In the present work, evidence was provided that GRIF-1a does not increase a1j32y2 receptor complex numbers, but appears importantly to stabilise the GABAAR in a conformation which facilitates binding to both GABA and benzodiazepines. These findings suggest that GRIF-1 protein may be a novel means of modifying the efficacy of synaptic inhibition. In summary, this thesis provides a clear picture about four novel ways for the modulation of the GABAA receptor inhibitory transmission

Immunization and Autism of Children 3 to 16 Years Old in Rumah Autis Bekasi

Autism is defined as neurology disorder affecting brain functionalities so that resulting communication, social interaction, behavior difficulties and the symptom appears before age 3. This study is aimed at understanding the factors related to autism cases in Rumah Autis Bekasi. Methods: There variables in this study namely, independent variable was immunization and dependent variable was autism and confounding variable were genetic, parents’ age, maternal health history during pregnancy, and medication during pregnancy. Primary data collected through questionaire and interview to the families of autism. This is a case study on 60 samples divided into 30 samples of autism in Rumah Autis and 30 samples of normal people living nearby with the proportion 1:1. The data were analyzed using univariate, bivariate using chi square test, and multivariate statistical analysis using regresi logistic. The results show that there is no correlation between immunization history and the autism with p-value 0.774>0.05. There is a correlation between the father’s age and the autism with p-value 0.038<0.05 and OR 0.333,there is a significant relationship between maternal health history and autism with p-value 0.038<0.05 and OR 3.763 and multivariate analysis shows that the most dominant variable is maternal health history with p-value 0.019 and OR 13.496. This study suggests that the pregnant women should check up their condition if there are some health problems and taking medication without doctor’s prescription. Keyword: Immunization, Autism, Children 3 to 16 years ol