College of Health and Human Sciences advances Health of the Forces initiative through pilot grants

Because musculoskeletal injuries are a barrier to military readiness, Chad Carroll, associate professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology, and PhD student Eric Gutierrez, a U.S. Army major, are using the pilot funds to investigate collagen peptide (CP) supplements as an inexpensive and easily deployable therapeutic approach to optimize tendon healing. The project also includes investigators Deva Chan, assistant professor in Purdue’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering; Zachary Hass, assistant professor in Purdue’s School of Nursing; Nathaniel Dyment, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Pennsylvania; Abe Dummar, U.S. Army major; and Brandon Roberts, U.S. Army captain. Using preclinical mouse models, the team will assess the properties of the Achilles tendon in those treated with CP supplements and those left untreated to determine if supplementation results in greater biomechanical strength and tendon organization. The team will also explore any adverse changes in the attached skeletal muscle, which can be associated with tendon injury.

Psychological Sciences professor Julia Chester plans to use the grant to establish proof of concept for a novel preclinical drug that will treat pain disorders while also limiting adverse side effects or addictive properties. Chester will be working alongside collaborators Ryan Altman and Val Watts, both of whom are faculty in Purdue’s Borch Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology in the College of Pharmacy, to assess the effects of this novel drug on pain levels in preclinical mouse models and explore the relationship between the drug and pain sensitivity.

The team hypothesizes it will find a dose-response relationship between the drug and a reduction in pain sensitivity. From there, they plan to focus on developing pharmacological therapies to treat chronic pain that are alternatives to opiates and have fewer side effects. These results will also provide a basis for further work exploring pain treatment alternatives in individuals with co-occurring psychiatric disorders.

Exercise is an important component of musculoskeletal health, including increased skeletal muscle strength, improved bone density and increased endurance, and for military members, these benefits provide significant advantages in training and combat. Natasha Jaiswal, assistant professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology, and Deva Chan, assistant professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, aim to explore how the gut microbiome may have an influence on muscle function and health.

The researchers will investigate how disruption in the gut microbiome could lead to impaired skeletal muscle function and metabolism. They hypothesize that an alteration or disruption in gut microbiome induces muscle atrophy and dysfunction by a mechanism unidentified. Using preclinical mouse models, Chan and Jaiswal will elucidate the effect on insulin signaling pathway, the key molecular pathway in skeletal muscle that regulates muscle growth and function.

Military members are often placed in high-stakes scenarios in which they must make sudden critical decisions that could have severe consequences. In addition to mental stressors, they also may have to navigate rigorous physical activity in extreme environmental conditions with little time to acclimate to their surroundings. This can put physical pressure on their bodies that can influence their cognition and decision-making. To help offset these barriers to clear thinking, Department of Health and Kinesiology faculty members Igor Fernandes, Bruno Roseguini and Alvin Kao alongside Steven Steinhubl, professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, are investigating the feasibility of using the drug acetazolamide, which enhances blood flow to the brain, to increase cognitive functioning in extreme environments with high elevation, reduced oxygen, high heat and where rigorous exercise is required.

The researchers will use human volunteers to compare the effects of acetazolamide and a placebo in controlled conditions that mimic the high temperatures and reduced oxygen exposure military members may experience. The team will facilitate two phases of the study: one solely looking at the environmental effects and one looking at how the environmental effects interact with intense exercise. Ultimately, the team hopes to uncover new insights into ways to maintain cognition in extreme environments and enhance military medical practices.

Military members are often exposed to loud noises that can pose risks for hearing loss. However, testing otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), or sounds generated by healthy inner ears that are indicators of ear health, is often limited in high-risk and noisy environments like those of military training. To help overcome this obstacle, Joshua Alexander, associate professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Noori Kim, assistant professor in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute’s School of Engineering Technology, are using the pilot funds to develop a mobile, easy-to-use method for monitoring OAEs using a smartphone and commercially available earphones.

The project will be divided into phases, which include application development, testing and data analyses. By optimizing earphone properties and smartphone integrations, the team hypothesizes they will be able to effectively measure transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions — or sounds produced by a brief stimulus. This will help individuals regularly monitor their ear health and implement preventative health measures and timely interventions by detecting cochlear damage or dysfunction early. The pilot data will provide a proof of concept, a working prototype and a plan for scaling the technology to human trials.

A significant number of veterans report difficulties with eating and swallowing — an issue that can result in psychosocial consequences as well as life-threatening complications, including respiratory infections, if not addressed in a timely manner. However, dysphagia is diagnosed and often treated using expensive equipment that is primarily available in large, urban medical facilities, such as hospitals, which can result in health disparities for veterans and civilians who live in rural areas or have limitations with their mobility or finances.

While telehealth has helped to reduce barriers, Georgia Malandraki, professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, alongside Guang Lin, professor of mathematics and mechanical engineering in the College of Science, and Jaime Bauer Malandraki, associate clinical professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, plans to develop a novel remote, wearable swallowing safety and efficiency monitoring device by combining imaging and electrophysiology methods with advanced machine learning. The team will use human volunteers to validate the wearable surface electromyography biofeedback technology that Malandraki’s team has developed in being able to remotely monitor swallowing safety and efficiency and to examine patients’ comfort with the device. The pilot data will provide a working machine learning algorithm that can be applied to a larger dataset in the future and has the potential to significantly accelerate and improve screening, diagnosis, and treatment of this debilitating condition.