Student and Faculty Research

LUCOM hosted its third Research Day on Jan. 7, 2022. After the impact of COVID-19 and the near-conclusion of virtual research conferences, LUCOM Research Day highlights the work of numerous LUCOM faculty and student-doctors, as well as residents and attending physicians from some of our clinical affiliates.

Featured below are detailed lists that showcase LUCOM research and scholarly activity of Liberty University osteopathic medical students and faculty, as well as undergraduate students.

LUCOM faculty are in bold font.

Active Research and Scholarly Activity Programs by LUCOM Faculty

Anthony Bauer, PhD

Inflammation and GI tract dysfunction
Post-operative ileus and Shigellosis using mouse models
Conceptual design, construction, and implementation of a microscopic live color imaging system to record the regulation of the colonic microvasculature

Joseph Gigliotti, PhD

Determining the effect of diet and exercise on liver and kidney health in mice
Determining the effect of diet and probiotic administration on gut microbiome and metabolic health
Determining the influence of steroid intermediates on the function of renal proximal tubule cells
Assessing healthcare provider attitude and approach to managing ankyloglossia in pediatric population

Jeffrey Jasperse, PhD

Faith integration in medical education
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to improve medical student learning in physiology
Microvascular biology

Charles Joseph, MD

Integrated osteopathic-neurologic examinations with musculoskeletal treatment
A new comprehensive Liberty Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine treatment tool
Utilizing timed categorical recall (naming US cities) for rapid bedside dementia screening
Using 3D ASL MRI to identify reduced glymphatic outflow in preclinical dementia
Post–concussive head injury: Is disturbance of Glymphatic flow both an indicator of injury and with normalization correlated with recovery?

Laurieanne Hemric, PhD

Anatomical study of abdominal arterial tree
Anatomical study of the upper extremity
Anatomical study of the lower extremity and oronasal fistula
Anatomical study of the abdominal cavity
Anatomical study of the female pelvic cavity and perineum

Carl Hoegerl, DO

Clinical scholarly writing and neurological disorders
Case reports and review articles

Yingguang Liu, PhD

Effect of Dolutegravir on breast cancer development
Effect of Decitabine on breast cancer development
Effect of MiR198 on cancer growth

John R. Martin, PhD

Characterization of serotonin receptor subtype in anterior hypothalamic/preoptic area of rat involved in cardiovascular response to the serotonin agonist DOI

Linda Mintle, PhD

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical students in the 2021-2022 NRMP application process
Skills to build resiliency in medical students.
Assessing harm reduction acceptance and spirituality in preclinical medical students
Integrating cultural sensitivity into a skills-based approach of delivering bad news
The effect of forgiveness and service love intervention on psychological well-being for COM students
Assessing stress-related eating habits of medical students during COVID 19

Shekher Mohan, PhD

Short and Long-term effects of opioids using a novel preclinical model of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome

Raena Pettitt, DO

Literature review in topics pertaining to family medicine.

Michael Price, PhD

Gene regulation of pathogenicity in the human pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans

Nicholas Rider, DO

Clinical data science and machine learning

Scott Severance, PhD

Ethics and the healthcare team: educating to build moral resilience
Insight into student habits and practices during medical school remediation
Learning to thrive: learning strategies for medical school and beyond
Tracking sleep and measuring the influence of sleep information on the sleep habits of first-year medical school students
Determining efficacy of experiential learning activities on skill acquisition and overall well-being among OMS II students

R. James Swanson, PhD

Mouse embryo development in the presence of condensed vapor with varying levels of nicotine and flavor

Extramural Research Grants Awarded

Peer-Reviewed Publications

2018-19

Bauer, A. J. Ileocecal anastomosis type significantly influences long-term functional status, quality of life, and healthcare utilization in postoperative Crohn’s disease patients independent of inflammation recurrence

Gigliotti, J.C. Changes in cell fate determine the regenerative and functional capacity of the developing kidney before and after release of obstruction

Gigliotti, J.C. Potential health benefits and safety of apple pomace for human consumption

Jasperse J.L. Arteriolar vasodilation involves actin depolymerization

Liu, Y. DNA barcodes show gaps between species and support recent common bottleneck

Liu, Y. Expression of human endogenous retroviruses in peripheral leukocytes during the menstrual cycle suggests coordinated hormonal regulation

Mintle, L. Opioid abuse and dependence: Update in neuroscience and treatment

Mintle, L. Pain Management: What the latest research tells us

Mintle, L. Strategies for family conflict

Pettitt, R.M. Newborn Disorders and Nutritional Guidance

Severance, S. Corroboration of Zn(II)–Mg(II)-tertiary structure interplays essential for the optimal catalysis of a phosphorothiolate thiolesterase ribozyme

2019-20

Gigliotti, J.C. GSTM1 deletion exaggerates oxidative stress and kidney injury in experimental mouse models and modifies the protective effect of cruciferous vegetables against kidney disease in mice and humans.

Gigliotti, J.C. Pulsed ultrasound attenuates the hyperglycemic exacerbation of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Liu, Y. Female sex hormones activate human endogenous retrovirus type k through the OCT4 transcription factor in T47D breast cancer cells

Mintle, L. Binge TV viewing on mobile devices

Mintle, L.S. A longitudinal assessment of medical student emotional intelligence (EI) over the first two years of medical training

Mintle, L.S. and Kribs, J. Living Beyond Pain

Pettitt, R.M. Skin & soft tissue infections: it’s more than just MRSA

2020-21

Gigliotti, J.C. T-cell derived extracellular vesicles are elevated in essential hypertension

Gigliotti, J.C. Collectrin (Tmem27) deficiency in the proximal tubule causes hypertension and Tmem27 single nucleotide polymorphisms associate with diastolic blood pressure in males in meta-analysis of two community studies

Joseph, C.R. Utilizing timed categorical recall (naming U.S. cities) for rapid bedside dementia screening

Joseph, C.R. Integrated Osteopathic-Neurologic Exams with Musculoskeletal Treatment: The ONE Approach

Joseph, C.R. Pilot study utilizing MRI 3D TGSE PASL (arterial spin labeling) differentiating clearance rates of labeled protons in the CNS of patients with early Alzheimer disease from normal subjects

2021-22

Liu, Y. Breast Cancer Tumor Microenvironment and Molecular Aberrations Hijack Tumoricidal Immunity

Liu, Y. Dolutegravir Inhibits Proliferation and Motility of BT-20 Tumor Cells Through Inhibition of Human Endogenous Retrovirus Type K

Phipps, S. Supplemental instruction in pharmacy education: Lessons learned from collected perceptions

Severance, S. Sensitive Assay for the Lactonase Activity of Serum Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) by Harnessing the Fluorescence Turn-On Characteristics of Bioorthogonally Synthesized and Geometrically Controlled Chemical Probes

Severance, S. Time-dependent effects of storage at -80 °C on the stability of butyrylcholinesterase activity in human serum

Published Case Reports, Literature Reviews, and Book Chapters

Research and Scholarly Presentations

2018-19

Boyer, M.E., and Creighton, S. Advancing ultrasound techniques in Guatemala

Brewer, J.W. The unfolded protein response, microRNA-214, and expression of the transcription factor XBP1.

Cook, J., Bogacz, K., and McLario, D. Medical students as point-of-care ultrasound instructors: learners as successful teachers

Gigliotti, J.C. Determining the effect of a novel disease-inducing rodent diet on outcomes of a murine model of polymicrobial sepsis

Gigliotti, J.C. Determining the influence of a novel Americanized rodent diet on renal health in wild-type mice administered angiotensin II

Gigliotti, J.C. Determining the influence of a novel rodent diet on body weight gain and renal health in male mice from 2 different strains

Gigliotti, J.C. Determining the significance of a novel disease inducing rodent diet on adenocarcinoma growth in vivo

Gigliotti, J.C. Neutrophil depletion influences renal outcomes in male mice with chronic angiotensin II infusion

Jasperse, J.L. Nitric oxide and sympatholysis in rat soleus feed arteries

Liu, Y. Integrated Regulation of Class II Human Endogenous Retroviruses in a Breast Cancer Cell Line

Liu, Y. Synergistic activation of LTR5HS by progesterone and the OCT4 transcription factor

Mintle, L. CME-Motivational Interviewing

Mintle, L. Preconference workshop: Chronic Pain with Michael Lyles, MD and Workshop: The Neuroscience of Addiction Relapse

Patterson, E. The History of Virginia’s Medical Futility Legislation

Swanson R.J. Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Field (nsPEF) causes Instantaneous Cellular Membrane Modulation by altering Calreticulin Expression

Swanson R.J. Design in Biology

Swanson R.J. Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields (nsPEFs) cause Neuromuscular Disruption in Rats

Swanson, R.J. Intermittent hypoxia remedies male subfertility in humans

Troy, A. E. Evaluation of lecture presentation style in anatomical medical education

2019-20

Bauer, A.J. Colitis Induced Microvascular Leak Triggers a Neurogenic Disruption in Gastrointestinal Motility

Bauer, A.J. Exogenous synthetic oligonucleotide-based immunomodulatory agonists ameliorate postoperative ileus

Bauer, A.J. Peripheral Tissue Injury and Acute Pancreatitis Cause a SIRS-induced Intestinal Microvascular Leak Triggering Ileus via a Specific Enteric Leak Factor (ELF)

Bauer, A.J. Peripheral tissue injury and endotoxin induce a systemic inflammatory response with perfuse intestinal microvascular leak that triggers a neurogenic disruption in gastrointestinal motility

Bauer, A.J. Synthetic Tlr9 Agonists Modulate Postoperative Ileus

Bauer, A.J. Thermal ultrasound induction of an abdominal heat-shock response prevents postoperative ileus

Bauer, A.J. TLR4/MyD88 Signaling Pathway Mediates Peripheral Tissue Injury Induced Gastrointestinal Ileus and Systemic Inflammation

Bauer, A.J. Vero Cell Decoy Membrane Receptors as a Novel Biopharmaceutical Treatment for Shiga Toxin Producing Bacteria

Bauer, A.J. Crohn’s Disease: Research Advances in Etiology, Treatment and Surgical Outcomes

Behnke, A. J. Differences in the diet of central Virginia counties with different rates of diabetes

Behnke, A. J. Hypercalcemia from orange juice- an unusual presentation of the milk alkali syndrome

Behnke, A. Medical error recognition by medical students during simulated asystole: teamwork and assertiveness from aviation

Brewer, J. Regulation of MicroRNA-214 expression in the mammalian unfolded protein response

Cole, S. Infant safe sleep and the VDSS Baby Box Program: Implementation at a community-based hospital

Gigliotti, J.C. Determining the Physiological, Immunological, and Metabolic Consequences of Chronic Angiotensin II Infusion in Mice

Gigliotti, J.C. Diet significantly influences the physiological and metabolic outcomes of the angiotensin II mouse model of cardiorenal injury

Gigliotti, J.C. Pulsed Ultrasound Attenuates the Hyperglycemic Exacerbation of Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury through Vagus Nerve and Acetylcholine Signaling

Gigliotti, J.C. Anesthetic influences outcomes of the chronic angiotensin II infusion model in mice

Gigliotti, J.C. Determining the effect of diet on a novel model of fecal peritonitis in mice

Gigliotti, J.C. Determining the effect of diet on liver and renal health in a mouse model of chronic alcohol intake

Gigliotti, J.C. Determining the effect of diet on renal health and function in 2 strains of mice

Gigliotti, J.C. Determining the effect of diet on weight gain and metabolic dysfunction in 2 strains of mice

Gigliotti, J.C. Determining the physiological interaction between diet and alcohol intake in male mice

Gigliotti, J.C. Re-characterizing the murine chronic angiotensin II model of cardiovascular and renal injury

Hoegerl, C. Movement Disorders

Hoegerl, C. A case of a cervical pannus without rheumatoid arthritis or trauma

Joseph, C. R. Assessing prevalence of validated risk factors in Alzheimer disease: Toward developing a risk scale

Joseph, C.R. Novel method utilizing arterial spin labeling single acquisition 3d echo planar imaging for determining CNS waste clearance by the glymphatic/vascular systems

Joseph, C.R. Rapid clinical screening test for dementia

Kribs, J.W., Toler, A., Mintle, L.S., and Dyson, A. Integrating pain management competencies into the osteopathic medical school curriculum

Liu, Y. The effect of anti-retroviral drugs on HERV protein expression in cancerous and non-cancerous cells.

Mintle, L. Motivational Interviewing

Potter, L. Patient rationale behind the refusal of hospital transportation

Schuller, C. Adverse Outcomes in Patients with Asymptomatic Subchorionic Hematomas

Schuller, C. Growing the Next Generation of Processionals: Utilizing Obstetric Simulation in the Women’s Health Course as a Foundation for Inter-Professional Education and Collaboration

Selwyn, J. Rapidly growing left atrial myxoma with patent foramen ovale, and left-to-right shunt presenting with dyspnea

Severance, S. Toward a better understanding of non-academic factors

Severance, S. McGlauflin, J., and Ojuola, O. Identifying unspoken differences and goals in medical school to enhance student learning

Severance, S. McGlauflin, J., and Jones, J. Learning to thrive: learning strategies for medical school and beyond

Swanson, R.J. Vaping condensate intraperitoneal exposure to in vitro mouse embryos

2020-21

Bauer, A.J. Nitrated-Oleic Acid Amelioration of Dextran-Sodium Sulfate Induced Colitis

Bauer, A.J. Nitrated-Oleic Acid and IDX 9059 in Amelioration of Postoperative Ileus

Bauer, A.J. Peripheral Tissue Injury: The role of TLR in trauma associated gastrointestinal ileus in SIRS

Brands, C. Implementing the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) Tool to Continuously Improve Systems-Based Care Provided to Patients with Migraine in a Resident-Faculty Practice

Gigliotti, J.C. Determining the Effect of IL233 in Established Angiotensin II-Induced Hypertension in the 129SVEV Mouse

Gigliotti, J.C. Determining the Effect of Prophylactic IL-233 Administration on Angiotensin II-Induced Hypertension in the C57BL/6 Mouse Strain

Gigliotti, J.C. Determining the Physiological, Immunological, and Metabolic Consequences of Chronic Angiotensin II Infusion in Mice

Gigliotti, J.C. Diet Significantly Influences Physiological and Metabolic Outcomes of a Mouse Model of Cardiovascular Disease

Gigliotti, J.C. Interleukin-6, leptin, and adiponectin expression in mouse adipose tissues is influenced by diet and angiotensin II infusion

Gigliotti, J.C. Investigating the Prophylactic and Therapeutic Effect of IL233 Administration on Angiotensin II-Induced Hypertension in 129SVEV and C57BL/6 Mouse Strains

Gigliotti, J.C. Prophylactic Administration of IL233 in Angiotensin II-Induced Hypertension in the 129SVEV Mice Strain

Hemric, M. Lifebook Excerpt: Assessing Health from Home

Joseph, C.R. Osteopathic Manipulation Improves Patient Pain Scale Regardless of Operator Experience

Lee, C. Impact of a pandemic on nursing students: does faith influence

Lee, C. Measurement Invariance Test of BGRI Between Black and White Women

Liu, Y. Antiretroviral agent inhibits proliferation and motility of BT-20 cells through inhibition of human endogenous retrovirus type K

Liu, Y. Over-expression of HERV-K Genes Enhances the Resistance of MCF12A Cells against Efavirenz.

Lockwood, M. The “ONE” Approach: An Integrated Osteopathic-Neurological Examination Enhancing Patient Care

Maitland, L. Overcoming Challenges in Web-side Teaching: Lessons Learned in Medical Student Telehealth Education

Miller, E. Effect of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in the Management of Refractory Postoperative Ileus Following Major Abdominal Surgery

Mintle, L. Religiosity as a protective factor in psychological well-being of medical Students: A one-year analysis

Mintle, L. The Association Between Religiosity and Psychological Well-Being: A One-year Analysis

Ojuola, O. Breastfeeding and Ankyloglossia – A Review of its Definition, Diagnosis, and Treatment across specialties

Pettitt, R. The Impact of Climate Change on our Patients’ Health and the Family Physician Role

Price, M. Developing a BSL1 titan cell model for cell cycle studies

Price, M. Effects on Virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans via Deletion of Hypothesized pH Response Genes

Price, M. Extent of Titan Cell Formation in the Cryptococcoses

Price, M. Investigating the link between pH regulation and membrane trafficking in Cryptococcus neoformans

Price, M. Investigation of the Genetic Basis for Cryptococcus neoformans adaptation to the pH of Host Environment

Price, M. pH Response Genes in Cryptococcus neoformans

Price, M. The evaluation of interactions between mouse bone marrow macrophages and the MPC31 strain of the pyk1Δ mutant strain of Cryptococcus neoformans via phagocytosis assay

Schuller, C. Does the use of earplug-aided tocodynamometers improve labor outcomes?

Schuller, C. The Efficacy of The Motherhood Collective Labor Comfort Measures Workshop

Severance, S. Identifying and Monitoring Changes in the Study Habits of First-Year Medical School Students

Severance, S. Learning to Thrive: Learning Strategies for Medical School and Beyond

Severance, S. Seeking an Understanding of What Makes Successful Students Successful

Severance, S. The Effect of Sleep & Sleep Training on Wellness and Performance of Medical School Students

Swanson, R.J. Two-Cell-To-Hatching-Blastocyst Development of Mouse Embryos During Continuous Culture with Electronic Cigarette (E-Cig) Aerosol Condensate

2021-22

Bauer, A.J. Acute Mechanisms of Sterile Tissue Injury Induced Vascular Leak, Ileus and Death

Bauer, A.J. 3D Architecture of the Intestinal Microvasculature and Its Association with the Enteric Nervous System and Innate Immune Cells

Bauer, A.J. Acute Endothelial Cell Dysfunction Caused By A Protein Extract From Damaged Skeletal Muscle

Bauer, A.J. Architecture of the Intestinal Microvasculature and Its Association to the Enteric Nervous System and Immune Cell Populations

Bauer, A.J. Conceptual Design, Construction, and Implementation of a Microscopic Live Color Imaging System to Record the Regulation of the Colonic Microvasculature

Bauer, A.J. Development of a Model of Postoperative Surgical Adhesions and Potential Pharmacological Preventions

Bauer, A.J. Elucidation of A Novel Mechanism Of Perioperative And Postoperative Ileus: Microvascular Leak Of Serum Immunoglobulins Directly Activate Inhibitory Nitrergic Neuromuscular Transmission Causing Ileus

Bauer, A.J. Iatrogenic-induced Intestinal Microvascular Leak as a Novel Mechanism of Perioperative Ileus

Bauer, A.J. Intestinal Microvascular Leak as the Major Cause of Perioperative Ileus

Bauer, A.J. Isolation and Physiological Effects of an Intestinal Serum Enteric Leak Factor on the Murine Colonic Circular and Longitudinal Muscle Contractility

Bauer, A.J. Isolation, Characterization and Effects of a Novel Peripheral Tissue Injury Extract Causing Endothelial Cell Dysfunction, Ileus and a Precipitous Death

Bauer, A.J. Therapeutic Potential of miR-198 to Suppress MC38 Colonic Adenocarcinoma

Bauer, A.J. Therapeutic Potential of Synthetic Oligonucleotide Immunomodulatory Agonists to Ameliorate Postoperative Ileus

Gigliotti, J.C. Characterizing the Effect of Different Diets on The Structure Of The Liver And Kidney In Male C57BL/6 Mice

Gigliotti, J.C. Determining the Effect of Biological Sex and Therapy On Diet-Induced Alterations In Liver And Kidney Health In Mice

Gigliotti, J.C. Determining the Effect of Diet on Markers of Lipid Metabolism in a Mouse Model of Hypertension.

Hemric, M. “Lifebook

Hoegerl, C. Sudden Hearing Loss and Why It’s an Emergency!

Hoegerl, C. What’s new in Neurology 2021?

Jasperse, J. Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy in Medical Education

Jasperse, J. Inhibition of Endothelium-Dependent Hyperpolarization Attenuates Reactive Dilation in Isolated Rat Soleus Feed Arteries

Jasperse, J. The Role of Membrane Hyperpolarization and SKCa and IKCa Potassium Channels In Nitric Oxide Mediated Inhibition of Functional Sympatholysis

Lee, C. Hybrid Threshold-Sequential Procedures for the CAT Security.

Leonard, T.O. Gallbladder Malakoplakia

Liu, Y. Decitabine inhibits breast cancer cell proliferation through inhibition of endogenous retroviruses in vitro.

Liu, Y. Multiyear Changes in the Genome of SARS-CoV-2 Reveal a Trend of Degeneration

Maitland, L.A. & Mintle, L. Multidisciplinary Case Approach for Primary Care, Dermatology and Psychiatry Through the Development of a Self-Learning Module

Mintle, L. Analysis of Presurvey Data for A Forgiveness And Agape Love Intervention

Mintle, L. Empowering a student-led grassroots movement to increase DEI awareness and actions among DO medical students and faculty

Ojuola, O., & Gigliotti, J.C. Ankyloglossia: Definition, Diagnosis, And Treatment

Pelletier, M. ExamSoft Categories and Machine Learning to Identify Students at High Risk of Failing Board Exams

Price, M. Characterization of a putative histone acetyltransferase in Cryptococcus neoformans

Price, M. Deletion of pH Response Genes in Cryptococcus neoformans

Price, M. Influence of pathogen carbon metabolism on interactions with host immunity. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

Price, M. Investigating the link between pH Regulation and membrane trafficking in Cryptococcus neoformans