Perceptions of Nutrition Education in the Current Medical School Curriculum.

Background And Objectives: Although the National Academy of Sciences has recommended a minimum of 25 hours of nutrition education, the majority of medical schools offer very little to no training or education in nutrition to medical students during their tenure in medical school. In order to assess the relevance and efficacy of current levels of nutrition training as viewed by students, residents, and physicians, as well as possible areas for further improvement, the authors conducted a qualitative study exploring students' experiences.

Methods: Medical students, residents, and physicians at a Midwestern medical school were interviewed during a series of eight focus groups and one-on-one interviews.

The bioengineering of changing lifestyle and wearable technology: a mini review.

Chronic diseases are a major health concern at the national and global level. According to the CDC, 86% of US health dollars go toward the treatment of chronic diseases. Many chronic diseases are manageable or preventable if individuals make appropriate lifestyle choices.

Posturographic performance and repeatability of the computerized sit-to-stand test: preliminary results.

Each year, one in every three adults over the age of 65 falls often with injury. While this public health problem can be substantially reduced with simple interventions such as vestibular rehabilitation, balance assessments are not routinely done in the clinic, and less than half of affected adults talk to their physicians about such concerns. The goal of this study is to investigate distinct posturographic parameters of the computerized Sit-to-Stand (StS) Test to determine between- and within- subject variability of these.

Using posturography to measure balance control during seated tai chi.

Background: Tai Chi for Arthritis (TCA) is recognized by the CDC as an evidenced-based program to prevent falls in older adults. Although seated Tai Chi is recommended for those unable to stand, little is known about balance control during seated TCA.

Purpose: To explore the use of posturography to assess differences between experts and non-expert practitioners of seated TCA.

Thoughts on an integrative approach to teach wellness within the context of a traditional science/bioengineering curriculum.

Engineers and scientists are valuable resources to society and might be referred to as human capital. Faculties are charged with protecting society’s investment in human capital by developing competency-based curricula. These curricula primarily focus on technical skills to assure society that the trainees are competent to perform their job but frequently neglect to teach the competency of self-awareness.

A pilot study on the effect of tai chi exercise on peripheral blood cytokines assoicated with nociceptive pain in healthy volunteers.

Purpose: Tai chi (TC) is a gentle form of exercise having focused mindfulness associated with physical movement. Published outcomes data using the WOMAC pain score indicate that TC has an impact on the level of pain reported by individuals with arthritis. The arthritis-associated pain is generally considered to be nociceptive and influenced by peripheral sensitization associated with the actions of inflammatory mediators such as neuropeptides and cytokines.

Neuropeptides as biologial system integrators – mini review.

This paper provides a review on the emerging role of neuropeptides for body systems integration. Neuropeptides are small protein-like substances that are released into the synaptic space and/or the blood, hence, acting as neurotransmitters and neurohormones. Classically, their role has been viewed as integrating the central nervous system and the endocrine system.

Exploring the use of five color flow cytometry to examine the effect of acute tai chi practice on pro inflammatory monocyte subtypes - biomed 2013.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether five-color flow cytometry could be used to examine the effect of acute Tai Chi (TC) practice on pro-inflammatory monocyte subtypes within the total monocyte population in peripheral blood.

Design: A pilot pre- post- intervention design was our experimental model: pre-intervention measurements acted as the control for the post- intervention measurements. The research was conducted at Landsbaum Center for Health Education in a Midwestern community.

Using posturography to assess expertise among tai chi practitioners - biomed 2013.

Tai Chi, performed either seating or standing, is frequently recommended to improve various aspects of health, including balance, metabolic control, heart rate variability, sleep, or immune response. Many studies exploring mind-body interventions, both with self-reported or biologically-measured outcomes, report significant differences in outcomes among participants. However, neither the physiological or psychological mechanisms behind the variations are understood.

A pilot study on the effect of acute tai chi practice on peripheral blood cytokine expression in healthy volunteers.

Tai chi (TC) is a unique form of exercise having both mind and body components – focused mindfulness and physical movement. It is perhaps best known for its ability to prevent falls in elderly people. It is also thought to improve vitality, longevity, mental and physical health.

Acute effects of tai chi exercise on cardiac autonomic function in healthy adults with tai chi experience.

About 1 in 3 American adults have cardiovascular disease associated with risk factors such as physical inactivity, obesity, and stress. Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is considered a non-invasive procedure for analyzing cardiovascular autonomic influence. Depressed HRV has been linked to abnormal cardiovascular autonomic modulation.

Using computerized posturography to explore the connection between bmi and postural stability in long-term tai chi practitioners - biomed 2011.

Obesity is a major health concern because of its linkage to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Another less studied outcome is the observed increase in the incidence of accidental falls. According to CDC, medical costs associated with fall injuries exceeded $16 billion in 2000 and by 2020 will exceed $54 billion.

The effect of low oxygen with and without steady-state hydrogen peroxide on cytokine gene and protein expression of monocyte-derived macrophages - biomed 2011.

An early event during inflammation and infection is the migration of monocytes into tissues where they differentiate into macrophages. Such monocyte-derived macrophages face an unfavorable environment characterized by extremely low oxygen tension and accumulation of reactive oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide. Previous experiments showed that a macrophage cell line cultured under these conditions responded to inflammatory stimulants with an increased respiratory burst compared to cells kept at regular ambient oxygen conditions.

Balance improvements after a week-long tai chi workshop as determined by dynamic posturography - biomed 2010.

The purpose of this study was threefold: 1) to explore static and dynamic posturography as an objective measure of balance performance after intensive practice of Tai Chi; 2) to determine whether multi-day Tai Chi workshops are viable venues to gather data from long-term Tai Chi practitioners and 3) to determine whether a 6-day, intensive Tai Chi intervention would improve the balance of participants. For posturography measurements we used the CAPS Professional System (Vestibular Technologies, Cheyenne, WY), a portable computerized device which monitors body sway for 20 seconds, with eyes open or closed, when standing on a hard (static) or unstable (dynamic) surface. We employed the system to test 54 participants in a 6-day.