The project is in partnership with local community coalition members including the Iowa Department of Human Rights, Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines and the African American Leadership Council. The Polk County Community Betterment Grant Program was designed to provide financial support to non-profit organizations that provide cultural, recreational, educational and human needs services to the citizens of Polk County, Iowa.

Dr. Geletta also provides leadership to his colleagues by heading, along with Rachel Reimer, Ph.D., the public health area of research emphasis group. Four areas of research emphasis were recently named for DMU; public health, movement science, pedagogy in the health sciences, and cardiology sciences.

To see more details of the involvement of this project in the community and all of the screening locations, visit the Des Moines Register article that was recently published highlighting Geletta’ s project, as well as DMU’s impact in the community.

David Rettedal (DPM ‘13) and Dr. Vassilios Vardaxis received the first place award at the 2012 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Foot and Ankle Orthopedics and Medicine in Orlando for their project titled, “Reliability of the use of ultrasound in the assessment of the dorsal Lisfranc ligament.”

Kyle Moore, Blake Hines and Rebecca Mullen (all DPM ‘13) received the outstanding student scientific poster award at the 2012 Heartland Conference for their project, “A literature review of recurrence rates and ulcer free periods of venous stasis ulcerations with conservative and surgical treatments.”

Drs. Tim Yoho, Vardaxis, Brian Dix (’11) and Scott Carrington (’13) were published in the November/December issue of the Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery. The study was titled, “The association of metatarsus adductus to the proximal fifth metatarsal Jones fracture.”

Drs. Yoho, Vardaxis, Robert Renschler (’12), Jeff Dikis (’12) and Julian Rivera were published in the November/December issue of The Foot. The study was titled, “A biomechanical analysis of the effects of low-Dye taping on arch deformation.”

Drs. Kosta Antonopoulos (’10), Yoho and Vardaxis were published in the November/December issue of the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association. The study was titled, “Undergraduate GPAs, MCAT scores and academic performance the first two years in podiatric medical school at Des Moines University.”

Dr. Feilmeier was recently awarded funding in the amount of $6,414 from the DMU Research and Grants Committee for her research proposal titled, “Analysis of the relationship between first metatarsal frontal plane rotation and PASA in hallux abducto valgus and metatarsus primus adductus.”

Dr. Simon Geletta submitted a paper to the Annals of Long Term Care titled “Administrative turnover and the quality of care at Iowa Nursing Home Facilities” 

V Vardaxis, L Covill, L Koepp, J Nettrour, & C Mahoney Bilateral lower extremity stiffness during transition from stair descent to level walking in unilateral total hip arthroplasty patients and controls. European Society of Movement Analysis for Children and Adults (ESMAC). Stockholm, Sweden, September 14, 2012. “Podium”

Rettedal D, Vardaxis V. Reliability of the use of ultrasound in the assessment of the dorsal Lisfranc ligament. American College of Foot & Ankle Orthopaedic Medicine (ACFOAM). October 2012, Orlando, FL. “Poster”  The poster was awarded first place.

Robert M. Yoho, Scott Carrington, Brian Dix, Vassilios Vardaxis. The Association of Metatarsus Adductus to the Proximal Fifth Metatarsal Jones Fracture. The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery, 51(6), November–December 2012, Pages 739-742

Robert M. Yoho, Valerie Tallerico, Vassilios Vardaxis. Relationship Between Student Academic and Clinical Performance in Podiatric Medical Education at Des Moines University J. Am. Podiatr. Med. Assoc. 2012 102:314-318

Dr. Marie Nguyen research publication:  Pradhan, P., and Nguyen, M.L., Early passage neonatal and adult keratinocytes are sensitive to apoptosis induced by infection with an ICP27-null mutant of herpes simplex virus 1. Apoptosis. 2012.

Dr. Marie Nguyen had a student (Scott Roberts, DO15) program in my laboratory this summer presented a poster at the Osteopathic Medical (OMED) Conference.  Roberts, S., Pradhan, P., and Nguyen, M.L., Investigation into a Potential Role for Telomerase in the Herpes Simplex Virus 2 Life Cycle. Osteopathic Medical Conference and Exposition, San Diego, CA, October 7-11, 2012.

Dr. Tim Steele submitted a research manuscript for publication: J. Crosbie, M. Magnussen, R. Dornbier, A. Iannone, T.A. Steele. Statins Inhibit Proliferation, Cytotoxicity and ERK Activation of a Human Leukemic Natural Killer Cell Line.

Dr Martin Schmidt has a paper resulting from his yeast research published in Microbiology.

Recently, Lisa Grant, a third-year podiatric medical student, and R. Tim Yoho, D.P.M., FACFAS, dean of DMU’s College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery, submitted an IRB application requesting approval to research ­­his project, “Dissimilarity in Charcot Ankles versus Charcot Midfoot.” Its goal was to identify current bone quality in patients with Charcot, a serious condition that causes weakening of the bones in the foot, by using biomarkers and DEXA scans. With their results, these researchers hope to be able to characterize Charcot types. Also included in the project was a plan to collect blood samples for serum Vitamin D to further evaluate subjects’ bone status.

In reviewing the application, the DMU Office of Research noted the high quality in which this application was put together. Key components that made it stand out included well-developed, specific goals, a clear and concise informed consent document for the participants, and a thorough explanation of the whole project in both scientific and layperson’s terms, each of which are required for the IRB process. 

“The application really had an excellent balance of strong science and attention to patient protection,” says Jeffrey Gray, Ph.D., DMU’s vice president for research.

Both Grant and Yoho reported they felt the research process was fairly easy and straightforward. Their first step, as is recommended for all investigators, is to seek funding for the project. Their team sought funding from DMU’s internal funding source and submitted a Research and Grants (R&G) grant application to support that. This application went through a peer review process by the R&G committee. Once that process was under way, the team started on the IRB application. 

Grant and Yoho found that the IRB application required much of the same information that was developed for the R&G application. On the components they had questions about, they contacted the Office of Research Compliance Manager Diane Ament, who guides DMU researchers throughout the process whenever needed.

“All our questions were answered adequately, and the turnaround time was impressive,” Yoho says. 

One area that can be difficult for scientists is to summarize the project in layperson’s terms; this is needed so that all patients completely understand the project. 

“The proposal should be written so that your neighbor can understand the language,” Ament notes.

She praises Yoho’s application for IRB approval. “It’s one of the best I’ve seen since joining DMU,” she says. “All of the questions were thoroughly and carefully addressed, it was easy to understand the progression of the study from recruitment of volunteers to the final steps of data analysis, and all of the necessary attachments – such as the informed consent document and advertisements – were included.”

In working on their informed consent document, Yoho and Grant found collaboration with other faculty members who had completed this process to be especially helpful. They reviewed sample documents to learn what had been used in approved protocols. Informed consent is one of the primary ethical requirements underpinning research with human subjects; it reflects the basic principle of respect for persons. Informed consent assures that prospective human subjects will understand the nature of the research and can knowledgeably and voluntarily decide whether to participate.

When putting together all of their information to create their IRB proposal, Yoho and his colleagues on the Charcot project kept in mind their potential to gain external funding.

“Building a strong foundation within our internal applications, both the IRB and R&G, was what we needed to start down the path of applying for external grant opportunities,” Yoho says. 

Grant says completing required training also was helpful in submitting a high-quality proposal. To be eligible to conduct research on DMU’s campus, investigators must complete some training modules relating to the type of research each project entails

“Taking the training gave me much needed guidance I would not have gained elsewhere,” she says.

DMU’s Office of Research is ready to help all University faculty and students in preparing research proposals. Faculty can use Pulse to find forms needed for the application process and also guidance for completing the necessary documents.

The Office of Research is located in Ryan Hall, Room 209; phone, 515-271-1445.

Epidemiologist Bryan James of Rush Alzheimer’s DIsease Center in Chicago recently was quoted recently by National Public Radio’s “Shots” health blog that brain decline is not an inevitable aspect of aging. “It’s simply not pre-destined for all  human beings,” he said. “Lots of people live into their 90s and even 100s with no symptoms of dementia.”

Your brain is better on exercise.

Further, “Shots” described a study by Art Kramer, a neuroscientist and director of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois, in which he scanned the brains of 120 older adults. Half of the group then started a program of moderate aerobic exercise of 45 minutes of mostly walking, three days a week. After a year, the MRI scans showed the volume of the brains of the aerobic group had actually increased.

Also important to a maintained brain are protecting one’s heart health, keeping one brain active (while evidence of mental exercises’ impact on the brain is less conclusive, Kramer said, such activities can’t hurt), leading an active social life and consuming foods that may help nourish the brain, like omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Given that red wine contains the latter, “Shots” noted, “Kramer jokingly suggests that the best advice might be to join a book group that walks and drinks red wine while talking about the book.”

Umm, where can I sign up for that?

Seriously, do something nice for your noggin today: Grab a friend and go for a walk.

Electron microscope image of H5N1 viruses (gold) in a cell culture. Image: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That was the question that circulated late last week when scientists announced that research on H5N1, an apparently unusually deadly bird flu virus, was going to begin again in some labs. Researchers had voluntarily halted such investigations in 2011, after there was a huge outcry that a deadly pandemic could break out if the mutant virus leaked out of the lab accidentally or if terrorists stole it or made it themselves, reported The New York Times on Friday.

Scientists involved with the research say adequate safety rules are in place to contain the virus. That won’t happen yet in the U.S., which has not released new safety guidelines.

According to The New York Times article, H5N1 does not often infect people, and so far it has rarely spread from person to person. “People who fall ill nearly always have caught it from poultry,” the article noted. “But flu viruses mutate a lot, and the fear has been that H5N1 will somehow become more contagious in humans.”

Studying the virus, research advocates say, will help scientists recognize changes in naturally occurring viruses that are dangerous and could lead to development of more effective vaccines and antiviral drugs.

What do you think? Are these researchers doing important work or playing with fire – or something even more dangerous?

• “Undergraduate GPAs, MCAT scores and academic performance the first two years in podiatric medical school at Des Moines University,” authored by Drs. Kosta Antonopoulos (D.P.M. ’10), Tim Yoho and Vassilios Vardaxis was published in the November/December 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association.
• “The association of metatarsus adductus to the proximal fifth metatarsal Jones fracture,” authored by Dr. Brian Dix ( D.P.M. ’11), Scott Carrington (D.P.M. ’13) and Drs. Yoho and Vardaxis appeared in the November/December 2012 issue of the Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery.
• “A biomechanical analysis of the effects of low-Dye taping on arch deformation,” authored by Drs. Robert Renschler (D.P.M. ’12), Jeff Dikis (D.P.M. ’12), Yoho, Vardaxis and Julian Rivera was published in the November/December issue of The Foot.

In addition to his faculty appointment in the physical therapy program, Dr. Vardaxis also serves as the CPMS Director of Research. He and Yoho teamed up for five podiatric peer-review publications in 2012.

Katherine Flegal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of the review’s researchers, said that people with a body mass index (BMI) under 30 but above normal have a 6 percent decreased risk of death of all causes. “It’s statistically significant,” she told National Public Radio.

Don’t make a beeline to the bon bons yet.

Before you make a beeline to the bon bons, though, the research comes with caveats. People considered obese based on BMI were about 18 percent more likely to die of any cause compared to normal-weight  individuals. The review also only considered the link between death and body size; it didn’t include other health measures possibly related to weight. Its focus on BMI led Walter Willett, an epidemiologist with the Harvard School of Public Health, to call the study “really a pile of rubbish,” adding that “no one should waste their time reading it.”

Flegal acknowledges that the study shouldn’t tell people to stop eating healthfully and exercising. “It’s not intended as a call to any kind of action,” she said.

In that sense, the study’s call to action seems to be further study on the impact of weight and lifestyle on people’s health.

The 2012 Des Moines University Research Symposium was held December 6, 2012. It was another successful year with a great turnout! This year the number of attendees kept steady at 152, the exact number as the previous year’s symposium in 2011. The Office of Research is happy to report that the total number of presentations increased from 52 poster and oral presentations in 2011 to 63 in 2012. A new award component was implemented this year and was very well-received. Awards were given in six categories including both the oral and poster presentations.

There was also a large increase in the number of students participating in the Mentored Student Research Program that presented their research. This year 23 students presented either an oral or poster presentation at the symposium compared with 16 in 2011 and an even lower total, 9, in 2010. Dr. Jeff Gray stated that he is particularly excited about the number of students that presented at the symposium and is confident it will continue to increase in the years to come.  He also commented that he was impressed with the number of residents that presented and he hopes to increase their participation, also, in the future. Seventeen residents co-authored poster presentations at the symposium this year.

More information about the award winners in each category can be seen here.

Please visit the DMU Research webpage to learn more about the Mentored Student Research Program and complete an application.

Biomedical Sciences Oral Presentation

Justin Bloomberg, D.O.’14 and Jeffrey Gray, Ph.D.

Bacterial Species and Surgical Sites Involved in Contamination During Strabismus Surgery: Justin Bloomberg, D.O.’14, Des Moines University; Grace Wang, D.O., Bronx-Lebanon Medical Center; Donny Suh, M.D., and Matthew Rauen, M.D., Wolfe Eye Clinic

Movement Science and Education Oral Presentation

Ebonie Vincent, D.P.M.’15 and Jeffrey Gray, Ph.D.

Modified Paper Grip Test for Foot Muscle Performance: Measurement Properties and Preliminary Results of Individuals with Plantar Heel Pain: Ebonie Vincent, D.P.M.’15, and Shane McClinton, P.T., D.P.T., OCS, FAAOMPT, Des Moines University 

Biomedical Sciences Poster Presentations

Jeffrey Gray, Ph.D., Laura Vollmer and Julie Ronnebaum, P.T., GCS

Human Cytomegalovirus Resistance to Cyclopropavir Maps to a Base Pair Deletion in UL97 Resulting in a Viral Protein Lacking an Active Kinase Domain: Laura E. Vollmer, Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; Ellie D. Hall, Louisiana State University Department of Microbiology and Immunology; Katherine Z. Borysko and Julie M. Breitenbach, University of Michigan Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences; Jiri Zemlicka, Wayne State University School of Medicine; Jeremy P. Kamil, Louisiana State University; John C. Drach, University of Michigan; Brian G. Gentry, Ph.D., Drake University

Jeffrey Gray, Ph.D., Natalie Benson and Julie Ronnebaum, P.T., GCS

Monoolein and Monolaurin Blends for Thermo-responsive Local Drug Delivery Systems: Natalie Benson and Abebe Mengesha, Ph.D., M.S., Drake University

Movement Science Poster Presentation

Jeffrey Gray, Ph.D.,  Jordan Hirshi, D.P.M.’14 and Julie Ronnebaum, P.T., GCS

Relationship of Frontal Plane Rotation of the First Metatarsal to Proximal Articular Set Angle and Hallux Alignment in Patients Having Tarsal Metatarsal Arthrodesis for Hallux Abducto Valgus: A Case Series and Critical Review of the Literature: Paul Dayton, D.P.M., M.S., FACFAS, Trimark Physicians Group, Trinity Regional Medical Center; Mindi Feilmeier, D.P.M., FACFAS, Des Moines University College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery; Kauwe Merrell, B.S., and Jordan Hirschi, D.P.M.’14, Des Moines University

Education Poster Presentation

Jeffrey Gray, Ph.D., Travis Langan, D.P.M.’15 and Julie Ronnebaum, P.T., GCS

Cultural Competency in Podiatry: Kevin Smith, D.P.M., M.S., Des Moines University College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery; Simon Geletta, Ph.D., Des Moines University College of Health Sciences; Travis Langan, D.P.M.’15, Des Moines University

Public Health Poster Presentation

Jeffrey Gray, Ph.D.,  Lindsey Miller and Julie Ronnebaum, P.T., GCS

Hospital Capacity and Utilization in Iowa: Lindsey Miller, D.O.’15, and Simon Geletta, Ph.D., Des Moines University

Photos

Martin Schmidt, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry and nutrition, and Michael Boyer, research assistant, along with students Kento Akasaka, D.O.’14, and Jeffrey T. Messerly, D.O.’14, had their research, “Role of Hog1, Tps1 and Sod1 in boric acid tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae,” published in the October 2012 issue of Microbiology.

Samina Akbar, Ph.D., assistant professor of microbiology and immunology, presented a poster titled “Molecular Analysis and Dissemination of CMY2 Plasmids from Diverse Isolates of Salmonella” at the 112th annual general meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, San Francisco.

Andrew Brittingham, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and immunology; Ryan Huffman, M.S.’16; Lauren Nawrocki, M.S.’16; T.J. Nielsen; and Wayne Wilson, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry and nutrition, gave the oral presentation “Degradation and utilization of complex carbohydrates by Trichomonas vaginalis” at the 64^th annual Midwest Conference of Parasitologists in Kirksville, MO.

Two abstracts from the laboratory of Marie Nguyen, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and immunology, were presented as posters at the American Society for Virology meeting in Madison, WI: “Early Passage Neonate and Adult Keratinocytes are Sensitive to Herpes Simplex Virus-dependent Apoptosis” and “Inhibition of herpes simplex virus 1 replication by the telomerase inhibitor MST-312.”

Catherine Stevermer, M.P.T., Ph.D., GC, assistant professor in the post-professional doctor of physical therapy program, was among the authors of “Lower extremity joint moments during carrying tasks in children” in the Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 28: 156-164.

R. Tim Yoho, D.P.M., FACFAS, dean of the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery; Valerie Tallerico, D.P.M.’10*; and Vassilios Vardaxis, Ph.D., authored “Relationship Between Student Academic and Clinical Performance in Podiatric Medical Education at Des Moines University” in the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association (JAPMA), Volume 102, Number 4, July 2012, pp. 314-318.

James Mahoney, D.P.M., associate dean for academic affairs, College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery (CPMS); Vassilios Vardaxis; and CPMS graduates Joshua Moore,* Andrew Hall,* Kyle Haffner* and Matthew Peterson* authored “Topical Ketamine Cream in the Treatment of Painful Diabetic Neuropathy” in JAPMA, Volume 102, Number 3, May 2012, pp. 178-183.

Robert M. Greenhagen*, Dane K. Wukich, Rachel H. Jung*, Vassilios Vardaxis and R. Tim Yoho authored “Peripheral and Central Bone Mineral Density in Charcot Neuroarthropathy Compared in Diabetic and Nondiabetic Populations” in JAPMA, Volume 102, Number 3, May 2012, pp. 213-222.

Kosta Antonopoulos*, D.P.M.’10, Vassilios Vardaxis and R. Tim Yoho received the first place award for outstanding poster abstract (larger research studies/clinical trials) at the 2012 annual national scientific meeting of the American Podiatric Medical Association in Washington, DC, August 15-18. The title of their project was “The relationship between undergraduate GPAs and the MCAT to academic performance in podiatric medical school at Des Moines University.”

Vassilios Vardaxis, Ph.D.

David Rettedal, D.P.M.’13

David Rettedal and Vassilios Vardaxis, Ph.D., professor of physical therapy and CPMS director of research, received the first place award at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Foot and Ankle Orthopedics and Medicine (ACFAOM) in Orlando in October. Their project was titled “Reliability of the use of ultrasound in the assessment of the dorsal Lisfranc ligament.”

Kyle Moore, Blake Hines and Rebecca Mullin received the outstanding scientific poster award at the  Iowa Podiatric Medical Society’s 2012 Heartland Podiatry Conference in Des Moines in October. Their project was titled “A review of recurrence rates and ulcer free periods of venous stasis ulcerations with conservative and surgical treatments.”

Kyle Moore, D.P.M.’13

Blake Hines, D.P.M.’13

Rebecca Mullin, D.P.M.’13