May 1, 2015

Plantar Fasciitis: Comparing Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma and Corticosteroid Treatments

Caitlyn Gottwald '15

Plantar fasciitis is an orthopedic condition that causes significant pain and impairment in approximately 10% of the population (Monto, 2014). Stemming from multiple causes, this condition can progress in severity rather easily. Initially, clinicians attempt to treat plantar fasciitis non-surgically, as surgery also has additional risks and is reserved for only very severe cases. Currently, cortisone steroid injection is the common treatment of choice, but with the difficulty experienced with treating plantar fasciitis successfully, new methods are needed. Because cortisone injections do not provide relief for an extended period of time, many plantar fasciitis patients receive multiple injections while being treated; these collective injections can eventually lead to tissue deterioration. Autologous platelet-rich plasma is a new treatment technique for not only plantar fasciitis, but in other aggravated connective tissues. Platelet-rich plasma consists of high concentrations of growth factors that are released and enhance bone, wound, and tendon healing (Omar et al., 2012). In this presentation, the treatment efficacies of platelet-rich plasma, a concentrated blood component, and traditional cortisone injection treatments will be compared.

Elucidating the relationships between arthritis, depression, and inflammatory biomarkers in the blood

Brandon Young '15

Research has demonstrated that some forms of arthritis are associated with inflammatory biomarkers C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), among others (Kojima et al., 2009; Liu et al., 2012). Research also suggests that depression may negatively affect immune responses (Danner et al., 2002; Toker et al., 2005). Depression may increase the problematic immune responses in arthritis patients, yielding increases in inflammatory biomarkers in the blood (Zautra et al., 2004). In the current study, we examined a large scale epidemiological data set that collected psychological, health, and biological markers from adults in midlife (Ryff et al., 2010). Participants were 1255 adults participating in a longitudinal study (MIDUS II*). Blood samples of IL-6 and CRP were collected as well as whether or not participants had experienced depression and arthritis in their lifetime. Results suggested main effects of arthritis (p<.005) and depression (p=.01) on IL-6, but no significant interaction. Specifically, those with arthritis had higher levels of IL-6 and those with depression had higher levels of IL-6 than those without. While the data does not demonstrate an interaction, those with depression and arthritis had the highest levels of IL-6. Results were similar for CRP, with a main effect of arthritis and depression (p’s<.05), and no interaction. The results of this study suggest that arthritis and depression are risk factors for increased inflammation in the body and that depression and arthritis together may magnify the effects of increased inflammation.

Characterization of phenotypic and molecular response of maize to abiotic stress

Cameo Frechette '15

In order to support the world’s ever-growing population, crop production must also increase, and with limited cultivatable land, crop production must become more efficient. One of the most effective ways of doing this is by breeding plants to have better stress tolerance. However, abiotic stress conditions such as cold, heat, and drought trigger many complex physiological changes to occur in maize and are not currently well understood. Furthermore, different inbred maize varieties show similarities in gene expression in response to stress, but there are distinct groups of genes that are affected by stress in some varieties and not in others. In this study, phenotypic differences were observed between three maize inbred lines in response to heat, cold, drought, high salinity, and UV radiation stress. RNA-Seq data was also analyzed for molecular differences in these lines in response to cold stress. These preliminary observations can be further utilized in future quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping studies, for more effective breeding of stress-tolerant strains of maize. They are also already being integrated in the development of an inquiry-based genetics laboratory protocol.