MOVCENTR E-Newsletter | October 2022

GRANTS GRANTS GRANTS!

Drs. Philippe Malcolm (Phase II Junior Investigator) and Mukul Mukherjee (Phase I Junior Investigator) received $37,738 for their project titled: At-home stroke rehabilitation using low-cost asymmetric exosuits.

Current gait rehabilitation therapies for stroke patients, such as split-belt treadmill training, have certain limitations. The benefits are often insufficiently retained, and health guidelines often limit access to physical therapy centers. The NU collaboration initiative supports an exciting new intercampus collaboration between experts in wearable robotics and stroke biomechanics at UNO (Drs. Malcolm and Mukherjee) and a neurologist and expert in telemedicine at UNMC (Dr. Gonzalez Castellon). This project will aim to develop and evaluate low-cost soft exosuits that can be worn during daily life to perform at-home rehab therapy and help the team grow and apply for federal funding.

Dr. Song-Young Park (Phase II Pilot Project Awardee) received $150,000 for his project titled: Hydrogen Sulfide as a Biomarker in Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a disease characterized by fatty plaque build-up in the leg arteries, which causes reduced blood flow (chronic ischemia) to the lower extremities1, 2. PAD affects about 12-20% of people over 60 years old, and presents most commonly as leg pain with difficult walking, which negatively affects quality of life1-3. However, there is no known effective treatment strategy for PAD yet. We have previously shown that excessive harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) production induces leg muscle damage in PAD3, 4. We now have preliminary data to show that the blood and plasma levels of the molecule hydrogen sulfide (H2S) are elevated in PAD, which are linked to excessive ROS, and nitric oxide production (an important molecule for vascular function), and macro- and micro- vascular dysfunction in PAD. However, there is a gap in the knowledge on how chronic ischemia-associated dysregulation of H2S specifically links to macro- and micro- vascular dysfunction, ROS, nitric oxide bioavailability, and how these may contribute to the leg pain in patients with PAD. Our objective is to understand the mechanisms underlying dysregulated H2S and signaling and the potential role(s) underlying vascular dysfunction and leg pain in patients with PAD. The overall goal of this project is to better understand how chronic ischemia can impact H2S signaling, allowing us to develop innovative therapeutic strategies for the care of patients with PAD. These mechanisms will not only serve as potential therapeutic targets for improving vascular function and reducing symptoms in PAD but could also have therapeutic effects on other age-associated vascular diseases, such as vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

STORIES

Biomechanics Open House

Friday, September 9^th we held the annual Biomechanics Open House! The Biomechanics Research Building was opened to not only the UNO community but the Omaha community. Our students, faculty and staff provided hand-on experiences of our laboratories, equipment and work spaces.

North American Congress of Biomechanics (NACOB) in Ottawa, Ontario

Several faculty and students went to the NACOB 2022 Conference fall! NACOB brought together leading scientists and researchers in all areas of biomechanics from across North America and worldwide.

Mr. Tyler Wiles’ comments about NACOB:

“My favorite part of the conference was seeing all the effort put into our workshop presented to over 90 of excited researchers.”

Ms. Anaelle Charles’ comments about NACOB:

“NACOB was a great experience! I enjoyed presenting the Workshop on Multifractal Methods in movement sciences; the attendees were excited to learn, which made it fun to teach. Overall, the conference was very well organized. I enjoyed attending the podium sessions, which offered a variety of topics. I was also pleased to see that this conference promoted a positive atmosphere, making learning and connecting with others safe."

EVENTS, WORKSHOPS, & OUTREACH

Seminar Series

The Seminar Series promotes high quality research each Friday during the academic year. The focus of the seminar series is to call for experts related to academia and research in the areas related to biomechanics, variability, motor disorders, physical therapy, and related studies.

Coming up, we are very excited to host:

• Nitesh Nama, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Oct. 21^st
• Anne Silverman, Colorado School of Mines, Oct. 28^th
• Keegan Moore, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nov. 4^th
• Farahnaz Fallah Tafti, UNO, Nov. 11^th

TOUR THE MOVCENTR: A monthly tour inside the walls of the MOVCENTR. Featuring equipment, resources, research cores and more!

Noraxon Ultium IMU sensors

MOVAN recently acquired a 16 inertial measurement units (IMUs) system to measure joint angles, segment orientation, and acceleration in natural and lab-based environments. Subject movement are displayed in real-time with graphs and a skeletal avatar. This wireless system is easy to setup, has a high sampling rate (200 Hz), and can store several hours of data on the device. Users can generate customized reports or access raw sensor data. These IMUs automatically synchronize with our EMG and pressure treadmill within Noraxon’s myoRESEARCH software platform.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MOVCENTR RESEARCH CORES