On Wednesday, Jan. 25, the day before the surgery, media are invited to meet Cyrano, view the implant, and speak with surgeon Denis Marcellin-Little and engineer Ola Harrysson at 3 p.m. in Room 2530 of the Terry Center at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. Parking is available in the Veterinary Health and Wellness Center lot located on William Moore Dr. For directions or questions, call Tracey Peake at (919) 515-6142.

Cyrano is a 10-year-old tabby cat who was treated for bone cancer last year and is now in total remission. However, the disease and treatment weakened the bone in his affected back leg and Cyrano’s knee deteriorated as a result. His owner, Sandy Lerner, felt that amputation would negatively affect the cat’s quality of life, and her search for other options brought them both to NC State and the team of orthopedic surgeon Dr. Denis Marcellin-Little and industrial and systems engineer Dr. Ola Harrysson.

Marcellin-Little and Harrysson are pioneers in osseointegration, a process that fuses a prosthetic limb with an animal’s (or human’s) bones. The NC State team, in collaboration with veterinarians and engineers from around the U.S. and abroad, will provide Cyrano with the first ever custom-made, osseointegrated feline knee replacement.

“Although total knee replacements in dogs are increasingly common, a cat poses some additional challenges, particularly regarding the size of the implant,” Marcellin-Little says. “Additionally, Cyrano’s existing leg bones were weakened by the cancer, so we must take care to be sure that the implant does not place undue stress on the remaining bone.”

Marcellin-Little and Harrysson began their work on osseointegrated pet prosthetics in 2005 with a cat named George Bailey, who was born without the lower half of his hind legs. Since then, the collaborators have done several implant surgeries, improving and strengthening the design and streamlining the manufacturing process, but Cyrano’s case was different enough to warrant additional collaborations – both with veterinary surgeons familiar with knee replacements in dogs, and with implant engineers and manufacturers. The result is a truly one-of-a-kind collaboration aimed at bringing feline knee replacements into the mainstream.

Cyrano’s case is unique, but Marcellin-Little hopes that this surgery will pave the way toward making feline knee replacements more commonly available. “This collaboration between NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine,  College of Engineering, and outside implant designers and manufacturers allows us to design and make implants that we could only dream of, in the past. I am sure that this technology will help other patients with tumors, in the future.”

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Superbugs From Swine: Antibiotics are frequently used on commercial hog farms not only to fight disease, but also to help pigs gain weight faster. Research from NC State found the common pests that live on these farms acquire antibiotic-resistant bacteria and have the potential to spread these bacteria throughout the farm and to residential settings.

Supernova Solved: In 185 A.D., Chinese astronomers recorded a bright “guest star” in the night sky. By the 1960s, astronomers figured out that the guest star was in fact a supernova, and identified the remains of the stellar explosion. And in 2011, a team of astrophysicists led by NC State researchers solved the mystery of what caused this explosion and why this particular remnant is so very large.

Soft Memory: NC State researchers developed a memory device that is as soft as Jell-O and functions well in wet environments – opening the door to a new generation of biocompatible electronic devices.

Predicting and Preventing Genocide: Researchers from NC State proposed a health-based approach to identifying groups at high risk of genocide, in a first-of-its-kind attempt to target international efforts to stop these mass killings before they start.

Helicopter Parents: Parental safety concerns may prevent children from getting good exercise, according to an NC State study that examined how families use neighborhood parks.

Superstreets: The so-called “superstreet” traffic design results in significantly faster travel times, and leads to a drastic reduction in automobile collisions and injuries, according to NC State researchers who conducted the largest-ever study of superstreets and their impacts.

Sniffing Out Lymphoma: Researchers at NC State are narrowing the search for genes involved in non-Hodgkin lymphoma – by turning dogs into humans (genomically speaking).

Self-Healing Sensors: NC State researchers have designed a sensor that can measure strain in structural materials and is capable of healing itself – an important advance for collecting data to help us make informed decisions about structural safety in the wake of earthquakes, explosions or other unexpected events.

Circadian Rhythm Linked To Skin Cancer: When you’re hit with that afternoon energy lull, don’t head outside to find some sunlight to brighten your day. An NC State study shows that the same circadian rhythm that saps your afternoon energy also appears to slow down some important cellular healing mechanisms – including one that repairs DNA damage in skin cells.

Removing Radioactive Contaminants: A combination of forest byproducts and crustacean shells may be the key to removing radioactive materials from drinking water, according to researchers from NC State.

Kidney Disease: Effects of a particularly devastating human kidney disease may be blunted by making a certain cellular protein receptor much less receptive, according to research by scientists at NC State and a number of French universities and hospitals.

LED Efficiency: Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are an increasingly popular technology for use in energy-efficient lighting. Researchers from NC State have developed a technique that reduces defects in the gallium nitride films used to create LEDs, making them more efficient.

Carbon and The Big Bang: As Star Trek is so fond of reminding us, we’re carbon-based life forms. But the event that jump-started the universe, the Big Bang, didn’t actually produce any carbon, so where the heck did it – and we – come from? An NC State researcher has helped create supercomputer simulations that demonstrate how carbon is produced in stars, proving an old theory correct.

Dog-Gone Good! A Prosthetic Canine Ankle: NC State researchers designed, developed and surgically implanted a customized prosthetic ankle for a Siberian husky. NC State is the only university in the world that can manufacture custom prosthetics for veterinary patients in house, thanks to the close collaboration between veterinarians and engineers.

Snakes Are Different From You and Me: Virgin motherhood by a copperhead snake. Sperm storage for more than five years by an eastern diamondback rattlesnake before fertilization and motherhood. NC State researchers are finding that reptile reproduction, to steal from Alice in Wonderland,  is getting curioser and curioser.

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“We’ve loaded the hollow channels within microneedles with electrochemical sensors that can be used to detect specific molecules or pH levels,” says Dr. Roger Narayan, co-author of a paper describing the research, and a professor in the joint biomedical engineering department of NC State’s College of Engineering and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Scanning electron micrograph of a hollow microneedle. In this study, hollow microneedles were integrated with sensors for detection of glucose, lactate, and pH levels.

Existing technology relies on taking samples and testing them, whereas this approach allows continuous monitoring, Narayan explains. “For example, it could monitor glucose levels in a diabetic patient,” Narayan says. Microneedles are very small needles in which at least one dimension – such as length – is less than one millimeter.

“The idea is that customized microneedle sensor arrays could be developed and incorporated into wearable devices, such as something like a wristwatch, to help answer specific medical or research questions,” Narayan says. “It’s also worth pointing out that microneedles are not painful.”

In addition to its clinical applications, the new technology may also create opportunities for new research endeavors. For example, the microneedle sensor arrays could be used to track changes in lactate levels while people are exercising – rather than measuring those levels only before and after exercise.

The researchers developed a proof-of-concept sensor array incorporating three types of sensors, which could measure pH, glucose and lactate. However, Narayan says the array could be modified to monitor a wide variety of chemicals.

The paper, “Multiplexed Microneedle-based Biosensor Array for Characterization of Metabolic Acidosis,” is published online in the journal Talanta. The paper was co-authored by Narayan and NC State Ph.D. students Philip Miller and Shelby Skoog as well as researchers from Sandia National Laboratories and the University of California, San Diego. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy.

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Note to editors: The study abstract follows.

“Multiplexed Microneedle-based Biosensor Array for Characterization of Metabolic Acidosis”

Authors: Philip R. Miller, Shelby A. Skoog, Roger J. Narayan, North Carolina State University; Thayne L. Edwards, Deanna M. Lopez, David R. Wheeler, Dulce C. Arango, Xiaoyin Xiao, Susan M. Brozik, Ronen Polsky, Sandia National Laboratories; Joseph Wang, University of California at San Diego

Published: online, Talanta

Abstract: The development of a microneedle-based biosensor array for multiplexed in situ detection of exercise-induced metabolic acidosis, tumor microenvironment, and other variations in tissue chemistry is described. Simultaneous and selective amperometric detection of pH, glucose, and lactate over a range of physiologically-relevant concentrations in complex media is demonstrated. Furthermore, materials modified with a cell-resistant (Lipidure®) coating were shown to inhibit macrophage adhesion; no signs of coating delamination were noted over a 48-hour period.

“Many products that are designed for parents don’t take ergonomics into account, and the instructions are usually not very helpful,” says Michael Clamann, a Ph.D. student at NC State and lead author of a paper describing the research. “We wanted to see whether, by changing the angle of the ICS handle, we could make it easier on parents and safer for the baby. Our idea was that it would be easier to hold on to the seat, minimizing the risk of dropping it.” The idea was inspired by Clamann’s experiences as a parent.

The researchers based their new handle design on existing research that details which angles reduce “ulnar deviation,” or how much your wrist bends, and associated pressure in the carpal tunnel. This is important in terms of lifting tasks, because the further you bend your wrist, the weaker your grip.

The researchers tested the new design versus the traditional ICS handle with 10 different women of similar height (5th to 20th percentile in height). Participants were asked to lift the car seat out of a mock-up midsize sedan and place it into a stroller.

The team used sensors to measure muscular activity at the forearm and biceps and the wrist angle of the participants as they lifted the ICSs with different handle designs.

“Our angled handle lets people better position themselves over the car seat,” Clamann says, “and allowed them to use their biceps more than their forearm muscles. That’s an improvement, because our biceps are stronger than our forearms, and so are better able to bear weight. This is particularly important for smaller females lifting ICSs.” The participants also told researchers that the angled handle design was easier to lift.

The team also tested to see how foot placement – in the car or on the ground – affected the participants’ posture – and therefore their wrist angle. Such foot placement was previously recommended in the popular press literature regarding ICS handling.

“We found that placing your foot in the car to help lift the ICS allowed participants to use their biceps more and reduced how much they bent their wrists – giving them a firmer grip on the ICS,” says Kinley Taylor, an NC State graduate student and co-author of the paper. “However,” adds Clamann, “putting your foot in the car also increased the likelihood of hitting your head on the doorframe.”

The researchers plan to move forward with additional efforts to see how variations on the angled handle design affect ergonomics when used in different car designs, such as minivans, and for people who are significantly taller than the participants in this study.

The paper, “Comparison of infant car seat grip orientations and lift strategies,” is published online in Applied Ergonomics. The paper was co-authored by: Clamann; Taylor; Dr. David Kaber, a professor of industrial and systems engineering at NC State and director of the Occupational Safety & Ergonomics Program; and former NC State students Leah Beaver and Dr. Biwen Zhu. The research was supported, in part, by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

NC State’s Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering is part of the university’s College of Engineering.

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Note to Editors: The study abstract follows.

“Comparison of infant car seat grip orientations and lift strategies”

Authors: Michael Clamann, Biwen Zhu, Leah Beaver, Kinley Taylor, David Kaber, North Carolina State University

Published: online, Applied Ergonomics

Abstract: The rear-facing Infant Car Seat (ICS) is designed to meet federal requirements for transporting children less than 1 year old. Typical use includes transfer in and out of a vehicle, which is shown to be a difficult lift. Despite the frequency of this lift, manufacturers provide little guidance for users. Review of relevant literature suggested an ICS featuring an angled handle, promoting a neutral wrist posture, would increase grip stability and decrease lifting effort. Popular press suggested a foot-in-car stance for the ICS lift would do the same. An experiment was conducted in which wrist deviations from neutral posture were recorded along with lifting muscle activation levels (multiple flexor muscles and biceps brachii) and overall perceived exertion for straight versus a new bent handle design and conventional stance versus foot-in-car. Foot position was examined to test the recommendations in the popular press. Surprisingly, wrist deviation was not significantly affected by the new bent handle design (due to compensatory behavior with the straight handle) but was related to foot placement (p = 0.04). Results revealed the bent handle to significantly reduce flexor activation compared with the straight handle (p = 0.0003); however, the level of biceps activation increased. Biceps activation also significantly increased for foot-in-car stance (p = 0.035) but not flexor activation. In general, the bent handle enabled the user to lift the ICS with a steadier grip and less effort.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in six Americans have food-borne illness annually, leading to approximately 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths each year. Chapman notes that holiday turkey meals have been linked to outbreaks of bacterial diseases caused by Salmonella and Campylobacter.

“The biggest risk comes from undercooking,” Chapman says. “Color is not an indicator of safety or doneness. We see suggestions in recipes about making sure ‘the juices run clear,’ but that’s a myth. You also have to worry about cross-contamination – which can happen when countertops, sinks or utensils aren’t being cleaned properly between use with raw meats and other foods.”

Chapman is available to field questions from news media at 919/515-8099 or benjamin_chapman@ncsu.edu.

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When new species evolve, they leave genetic evidence behind in the form of “breakpoint regions.” These regions are sites on the genome where chromosomes broke during speciation (when new species of dogs developed). Dr. Matthew Breen, professor of genomics at NC State, and graduate student Shannon Becker looked at the breakpoint regions that occurred when the canid (dog) species differentiated during evolution. They compared the genomes of several wild canine species with those of the domestic dog. By overlaying the genomes, they found shared breakpoints among 11 different canid species – the so-called evolutionary breakpoints.

“The interesting thing about the breakpoint areas in the canid chromosome is that they are the same regions that we have shown to be associated with chromosome breaks in spontaneously occurring cancers,” Breen says. “It is possible that the re-arrangement of chromosomes that occurred when these species diverged from one another created unstable regions on the chromosome, and that is why these regions are associated with cancer.”

The researchers’ results appear in Chromosome Research.

“As species evolve, genetic information encoded on chromosomes can be restructured – resulting in closely related species having differently organized genomes,” says Becker. “In some cases, species acquire extra chromosomes, called B chromosomes. We looked at these extra B chromosomes in three canid species and found that they harbor several cancer-associated genes. Our work adds to the growing evidence that there is an association between cancer-associated genomic instability and genomic rearrangement during speciation.”

“The presence of clusters of cancer- associated genes on canid B chromosomes suggests that while previously though to be inert, these chromosomes may have played a role in sequestering excess copies of such genes that were generated during speciation,” adds Breen. “We now need to determine whether these stored genes are active or inert – that information could give us new tools in cancer detection and treatment.”

The research was funded by the Morris Animal Foundation. The Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences is part of NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

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Note to editors:  An abstract of the paper follows.

“Anchoring the dog to its relatives reveals new evolutionary breakpoints across 11 species of the Canidae and provides new clues for the role of B chromosomes”

Authors: Matthew Breen, Shannon E. Duke Becker, Rachael Thomas, North Carolina State University; and Robert K. Wayne, University of California Los Angeles; Vladimir A. Trifonov and Alexander S. Graphodatsky, Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, SB RAS, Russia

Published: Chromosome Research

Abstract: The emergence of genome-integrated molecular cytogenetic resources allows for comprehensive comparative analysis of gross karyotype architecture across related species. The identification of evolutionarily conserved chromosome segment (ECCS) boundaries provides deeper insight into the process of chromosome evolution associated with speciation. We evaluated the genome-wide distribution and relative orientation of ECCSs in three wild canid species with diverse karyotypes (red fox,Chinese raccoon dog, and gray fox). Chromosomespecific panels of dog genome-integrated bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones spaced at ∼10-Mb intervals were used in fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis to construct integrated physical genome maps of these three species. Conserved evolutionary breakpoint regions (EBRs) shared between their karyotypes were refined across these and eight additional wild canid  species using targeted BAC panels spaced at ∼1-Mb intervals. Our findings suggest that the EBRs associated with speciation in the Canidae are compatible with recent phylogenetic groupings and provide evidence that these breakpoints are also recurrently associated with spontaneous canine cancers. We identified several regions of domestic dog sequence that share homology with canid B chromosomes, including additional cancer-associated genes, suggesting that these supernumerary elements may represent more than inert passengers within the cell. We propose that the complex karyotype rearrangements associated with speciation of the Canidae reflect unstable chromosome regions described by the fragile breakage model.

Who:
Sponsored by NC State Campus Recreation

When:
Friday, Nov. 18. Three class sessions are offered, and begin at 9 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Where:
Carmichael Gymnasium on the NC State campus.

Cost:
The cost for the general public is $50; the cost is $40 for NC State faculty, staff, students, affiliates, and their sponsored guests who register by Nov. 16.

Contact:
For more information or to register, visit: http://ncsu.edu/stud_affairs/campus_rec/special-events/registration.php or contact Peter Koutroumpis, University Recreation, at 919/513-3893.

NC State’s Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research (CCMTR) and the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center are pooling resources in order to find safe and effective ways to use cells to regenerate damaged organs in people and pets. Dr. Jorge Piedrahita, professor of genomics at NC State and interim director of the CCMTR, believes that this partnership will not only benefit companion animals right away, but will also help bring these therapies to human patients more quickly.

“A major part of our work will be to translate laboratory research results into medical therapies for companion animals,” Piedrahita says. “The ability to study diseases that affect organ health in animals is critically useful for advances in human medicine as these animals share our environment and the vast majority of our genes. Also, there are some human therapies currently in use that companion animals can benefit from right away, such as bladder  tissue regeneration.”

The official collaboration will include the exchange of students and faculty, as well as joint research projects and publications.

“We are delighted to form a partnership with our colleagues at the Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research,” says Anthony Atala, M.D., director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. “The goal of the  collaboration is to develop advanced treatments for companion animals as well as accelerate new regenerative medicine therapies for human patients.”

At the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, more than 250 scientists in the fields of biomedical and chemical engineering, cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, physiology, materials science, nanotechnology, genomics, proteomics, surgery and medicine work to grow tissues and organs and develop healing cell therapies for more than 30 different areas of the body.

The CCMTR is a community of more than 100 NC State scientists who collaborate in “One Medicine” studies with government, private, and academic researchers to advance knowledge and practical applications that improve the health of animals and humans.

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Chapman, 919/515-8099 or benjamin_chapman@ncsu.edu, is an expert on food service and consumer food safety. “As demonstrated with the hospitalizations associated with this outbreak, pathogenic E. coli can be a serious and devastating bug,” Chapman says. “While investigators still have not identified the source of these illnesses, secondary illnesses are possible. Practicing good personal hygiene after using the restroom and around food preparation, either in a restaurant or in the home, can limit its spread. ”

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The project, Fostering Youth Educational Stability (FosteringYES), is funded by a grant from the U.S. Children’s Bureau and is focusing on educational stability for foster children because these children often struggle in the school system and are facing upheaval in other parts of their lives. The grant is for approximately $250,000 over 17 months.

As part of the project, researchers will be working with groups in Cumberland County, N.C., including social services, public schools, the court system, mental health services and community nonprofit organizations. FosteringYES is a joint endeavor of NC State’s Center for Family and Community Engagement and Department of Social Work.

“Currently, in Cumberland County as in most communities, there can be administrative delays in admitting a child to a new school when that child enters foster care. We’re hoping to devise ways of overcoming these administrative hurdles,” says Dr. Joan Pennell, a professor of social work and center director at NC State and principal investigator for FosteringYES.

“Ideally, children can be kept in the same school, to minimize disruption in their lives,” says Dr. Jodi Hall, a clinical assistant professor of social work at NC State and co-principal investigator on the project. “But moving to a new home can mean moving to a new school. If that happens, we need to make sure that important information about these children travels with them – so that new teachers and school administrators are aware of educational progress and any other relevant information that could contribute to academic and social success.”

But the project hopes to do more than ensure children are enrolled in schools promptly. “Getting a good education, and maintaining a child’s social network, are important parts of helping children become successful adults,” Pennell says. “To that end, we’re also hoping to increase the use of child and family teams (CFTs) in Cumberland County schools.” The CFT concept utilizes teams made up of youth and their families, teachers, social workers, pastors or other community members to develop a plan for helping a child succeed both in school and in the broader community.

The FosteringYES team will conduct interviews with foster youth, families, social workers, school personnel, and other involved parties in Cumberland County to identify existing barriers to educational stability, as well as potential solutions. This research will help in crafting plans to help individual children involved with the project.

However, this research will also inform the development of new policies and procedures designed to support a stable and continuous education and support system for foster children. “We’re hoping to create a blueprint that can be used throughout North Carolina and nationally,” Pennell says.

Researchers also plan to use information collected through this project to develop modules that focus on improving stability and academic performance for foster children. These materials could be used in academic classrooms or in training workshops for social workers, teachers, youth groups and others involved in child education, welfare and mental health. “This should have real value for students and professionals – as well as the children themselves,” Pennell says.

One reason the project is taking place in Cumberland County is because the county has a large military population – and approximately one-third of students in the school system are part of military-connected families. These families can be subject to high stress, particularly during times of deployment. In some instances, all of a family’s caregivers can be deployed simultaneously. And military families have often moved repeatedly as parents are assigned to different bases. “All of these things mean that the issue of school stability is particularly important to Cumberland County,” Pennell says.

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