FSU College of Medicine 2018 annual report 2018 Annual Report - FSU College of Medicine | Page 47

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Research faculty member
Martina Luchetti received
a
,
NIH National
Institute on Aging grant to
study how alcohol consumption
may slow or accelerate age-
related cognitive decline, as well
as how cognitive functioning may impact alcohol
consumption.
David Meckes, assistant
professor of biomedical
sciences, received a
,
supplemental grant from the
National Cancer Institute
of the NIH to continue his
work in describing how cells
communicate with each other. Cells secrete small
vesicles packed with proteins and RNA that allow
life to ourish when secreted from a healthy cell.
However, damaged cells may be sending signals
that are a possible source for the spread of cancer
and other diseases.
Judy Muller-Delp, professor
of biomedical sciences, and
Emily Pritchard, biomedical
sciences research faculty
and a biomedical engineer
at the FAMU-FSU College
of Engineering, developed a
specialized splint that uses
calibrated stretching to manage
the symptoms of peripheral
arterial disease PAD .
The splint is an affordable,
convenient and safe intervention that has been
demonstrated through clinical trials to promote
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blood vessel formation and decrease pain levels
among PAD patients during walking.
Delp also led a team of international researchers
whose findings regarding the benefits of regular
stretching for individuals with low mobility were
published in the Journal of Physiology. Our research
suggests that static muscle stretching performed
regularly can have a real impact by increasing
blood ow to muscles in the lower leg, said Delp.
Aimee Pragle, assistant
professor in the School of
Physician Assistant Practice,
and Susan Salahshor,
professor, surveyed years of
data on epidemiological and
clinical factors and found that
individuals with coronary
artery disease and depression
diagnoses occurring together
have significantly poorer health
outcomes, possibly as much as a
two-fold higher risk of mortality
in cases with the dual diagnosis. Their findings
were published in the Journal of the American
Academy of Physician Assistants. The article defines
the criteria for major depression diagnosis, outlines
an array of screening tools and offers a battery of
recommended treatment options for at-risk CAD
patients.
Assistant Professor Raed
Rizkallah received a
,
NIH and National Institute
of General Medical Sciences
grant to better understand an
enzyme that may be a viable
target for cancer therapy. The
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enzyme, called TOPK, has been found to be
highly expressed in most cancer cells, and its
high expression has correlated with poor patient
prognosis.
Autism Institute Director
Amy Wetherby and former
colleague Lindee Morgan
conducted a three-year study
measuring the effectiveness of
a curriculum called SCERTS
SCERTS.com . The
curriculum was developed
by Wetherby and others in
to address
the challenges faced by children with autism
spectrum disorder and related disabilities. The
study was funded by a
million grant from
the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S.
Department of Education DOE . It involved
schools mostly in North Florida and found that
the curriculum improves learning among school-
age kids whether or not they re on the autism
spectrum.
Wetherby also received a five-year, . million
DOE grant to study the efficacy of the Early
Social Interaction ESI model for toddlers
with early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder
ASD . ESI is a community-based program that
provides early intervention for toddlers with
ASD and their families. ESI teaches parents how
to support their child s social communication,
emotional regulation, and play in everyday
activities and settings.
Wetherby also received a
million DOE grant
to study the effectiveness of an early social
interaction model for toddlers who display signs of
ASD in community early-intervention programs.