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BMEBT MS Thesis Defense by Leland Orion Barrett

When: Friday, January 14, 2022
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Where: Online
Description: BMEBT Master of Science Thesis Defense by
Leland Orion Barrett

Date: Friday, January 14, 2022

Time: 2:00 PM

Topic: The Effects of Alcohol Consumption and Vitamin D Deficiency on Murine Bone

For Zoom meeting access please contact Anne-Marie Bedard at abedard1@umassd.edu.

Abstract:

Alcohol abuse and vitamin D deficiency are extremely common worldwide. Alcohol consumption has been identified to reduce blood vitamin D levels, which may lead to a negative impact on bone health. Furthermore, Vitamin D deficiency itself is known to restrict calcium absorption, which is commonly associated with a loss of bone's mechanical ability. Specifically, both these factors contribute to bone fragility through a decrease in bone mineralization but less is known about how they alter bone protein. This study will investigate the effects of excessive alcohol and vitamin D-limited diets on mouse bone mineral and protein composition and their consequent impact on bone's mechanical behavior. To accomplish this, mechanical properties of mouse bone samples will be assessed through cyclic reference point indentation and fracture testing. Additionally, bone structure and mineral density will be assessed through microcomputed tomography imaging while its protein makeup will be assessed by measurement of collagen crosslinks known as advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). We hypothesize vitamin D deficient and excessive alcohol diets will negatively affect bone AGEs and mineralization leading to deteriorated bone mechanical properties in murine bone.

ADVISOR(S): Dr. Lamya Karim, Department of Bioengineering
(lkarim@umassd.edu, 508.999.8560)

COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Dr. Tracie Ferreira, Department of Bioengineering
Dr. Steven Zanganeh, Department of Bioengineering

NOTE: All BMEBT Graduate Students are ENCOURAGED to attend.
Contact: > See Description for contact information
Topical Areas: Faculty, Students, Students, Graduate, Students, Undergraduate, Bioengineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Computer and Information Science, Co-op Program, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, STEM