THE EXPLORER Journal of USC Student Research

VOLUME 11, APRIL 2019 Volume 12, April 2020

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC IN THIS ISSUE

05 38 From the Dean Research Day Abstracts Avishai Sadan, DMD, MBA Dentistry Divsion Faculty Dean Advanced Specialty Program Residents Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC Dental Hygiene Students CBY/PIBBS Graduate Students 07 Dentistry/CCMB Post-Doctoral Fellows Introduction to Undergraduate & DDS Students - Basic Sciences Research Day Undergraduate & DDS Students - Clinical Sciences Yang Chai, DDS, PhD Other Affiliated Dentistry/CCMB Researchers Associate Dean of Research Biokinesology & Physical Therapy Faculty Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC Biokinesology & Physical Therapy PhD Candidates Biokinesology & Physical Therapy PhD Students 34 Other Biokinesology & Physical Therapy Researchers Research Day Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy Faculty Schedule of Events Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy Doctoral Students 35 Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy Post-Doctoral Research Day Fellows Keynote Speakers Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy Professional Steve Kay Students Mariela Padilla James Finley 76 36 From The Editors Poster Category Awards Yeonghee Jung DDS 2020 Teresa Nguyen DDS 2021

78 Research Day Planning Committee Division Articles

08 20 Disassembling the Mystery of Microcephaly Overcoming Obstacles in the Dental Journey Yoojin Kim & Sumi Chung Sepehr Hakakian

10 22 A Bio-Inspired Interface From Lifeguard to for Osseointergration General Practice Residency Professor Mirza Baig & Joseph Leem Abraham Zilberstein

12 24 The Future of Night Guards Looking Deeper into Obstructive Sleep Apnea Ava Pournejad & Sarah To Ana Zapata Caceres & Alex Daneshgar

14 26 The Future of Biomaterials A Case on Oral Pathology: How Viperin Proteins and Digital Dentistry Induce KSHV Helicase Expression Through Catherine Frusetta & Atysha Mohindroo Methionin-401 Oxidation George Simonyan & Sarina Taylor 16 Education Community Health Outreach 28 Started with a Smile Keeping Teeth Plaque Free Since ’73 Brian Jing Brian Song

18 30 Putting Tons of Smiles on Children’s Faces Transformative Care: Craniofacial Orthodontics Jamie Huh & Meredith Messerle Scott Barlow & Shveta Duggal Avishai Sadan, DMD, MBA Dean G. Donald and Marian James Montgomery Professor of Dentistry Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC 5 FROM THE DEAN

Dear Ostrow Students and Colleagues:

Like nearly every other large in-person event this year, Ostrow’s annual Research Day — typically one of my favorite days of the year — was necessarily canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

But our intellectual curiosity and the imperative to continue scientific investigation can never be stymied, global pandemic or not. Research is the fuel for our professions, launching us into ever-exciting and sometimes unexpected directions. In fact, to be successful in your careers — whether that be in the dental, biokinesiology/physical therapy or occupational science/occupational therapy professions — you will need an almost insatiable thirst for new knowledge. You must constantly consume new research, learn new technologies and be willing to evolve the way you practice.

As part of a research-intensive university, we have always taken research very seriously. We are one of the only schools across the university to have an entire day devoted exclusively to research. In terms of funding, Ostrow has consistently been one of the nation’s top-funded private dental schools by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, a remarkable distinction that showcases the trust this agency has in our outstanding research community. Our colleagues at USC Chan currently have more than $22 million in federal research funding, and the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy has secured nearly $7 million in federal research dollars.

Even without our in-person Research Day, it was important that we showcased all of the hard work that went into this year’s research posters. I want to congratulate all of our faculty and student researchers for the hard work, long hours and dedication it took to complete these research endeavors. I hope that you will take the time to really peruse this issue of The Explorer — not only to see what your colleagues are studying in your field but also what our colleagues at the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy are doing to continue strengthening the science undergirding their professions.

And while it may be disappointing not to be able to have spirited discussions in person about these discoveries at the Galen Center this year, I am hopeful that we will be back at it very soon. I am also reminded that, if anything, the COVID-19 situation has underscored more than ever before the need to continue learning all we can about the world around us, so that we can prevent (or, at the very least, treat) needless human suffering through the discoveries we make in our labs.

Fight On!

Avishai Sadan, DMD, MBA Dean G. Donald and Marian James Montgomery Professor of Dentistry

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH DAY

Dear Ostrow Students and Colleagues, Under normal circumstances, we would be welcoming you to the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry’s annual Research Day at the iconic Galen Center. Research Day is our annual celebration of the tremendous endeavors of our students, staff, and faculty in Dentistry, Occupational Science, Occupational Therapy, Biokinesiology, and Physical Therapy. This is my favorite event of the year because your inspiring work gives us a preview of USC’s impact on addressing societal and health care needs. Although our event was canceled due to the ongoing pandemic, we are proud to present to you all the outstanding projects showcased in this year’s Explorer. It is our privilege as faculty to foster an environment for cutting edge research. Seeing students in our labs and clinics pursue novel research, perform new studies, and help each other are the favorite parts of my job. This year, more than ever, we have witnessed the dedication and resilience of our researchers despite the challenging circumstances during our city’s stay-at-home orders and shutdown. As a major research university, we are grateful to have been able to safely continue research at USC during this pandemic. Your work ethic and perseverance to complete your studies during this unprecedented time inspire all of us. Our supportive culture, which has been especially evident in these past months, makes USC a rich environment for interdisciplinary collaborations. We are committed to providing the best possible opportunities for you. The research experience and clinical training you receive at USC promote critical thinking skills for advancing scientific knowledge. Introducing students to the joys and challenges of research is crucial for innovation and discovery at USC and will ultimately benefit our society. Please enjoy this issue of The Explorer. In these pages you will find very exciting and innovative research abstracts as well as articles highlighting some of our remarkable faculty members at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC. To all the researchers represented here: you are the future of our profession, and your outstanding discoveries make it clear that the future is bright. I look forward to celebrating your research accomplishments together in person in the future.

Fight on!

Yang Chai, DDS, PhD University Professor George and MaryLou Boone Chair in Craniofacial Molecular Biology Associate Dean of Research Director, Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of the University of Southern California

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Disassembling the Mystery of Microcephaly Yoojin Kim & Sumi Chung

at China Agricultural Univer- In particular, Dr. Zhang studies sity, his research focus was on mutations in the gene WDR62, porcine induced pluripotent which represents the second stem cells (iPSCs). He stud- most common cause of human ied the porcine iPSCs’ long microcephaly. He generated a non-coding ribonucleic acid Wdr62 knockout mouse model molecules (RNAs) and their and WDR62-deficient human significance in transcription- cell line to study the mecha- al regulation, which offered a nism of the gene’s effects. Dr. new perspective on the mech- Zhang was able to discover anisms that control iPSC re- that microcephaly is caused programming. Furthermore, by neural progenitor cell dis- he investigated the important ruption due to a WDR62 mu- role of lipid metabolism in mutation and he was able to find rine iPSCs to understand the similarities between mice and mechanisms that underlie em- humans in how these effects bryonic stem cell derivation. manifest. Furthermore, since WDR62 plays a role in centro- Dr. Wei Zhang is a postdoc- To further pursue his dedica- somes and cilia, two important toral research associate in Dr. tion to research, Dr. Zhang parts of a cell’s machinery that Jian-fu Chen’s laboratory at the decided to travel across conti- are involved in cell division Center for Craniofacial Molec- nents to join the Chen lab al- and the regulation of the cell ular Biology (CCMB) on USC’s most three years ago. At USC, cycle, Dr. Zhang focused on Health Sciences Campus. Dr. his work focuses on under- the effects of WDR62 mutations Zhang’s interest in research standing the molecular mech- on cilia assembly. He discov- started in China, where he re- anism behind human neural ered that WDR62 mutations not ceived national scholarships for developmental disorders such only cause spindle assembly his exceptional passion in ac- as microcephaly. He uses a defects, but also cause cilia ademia. He received his Bach- wide variety of techniques in assembly defects. As a result, elor of Science in applied bio- the laboratory, integrating in- longer cilia are produced, logical science and technology sights gleaned from human which hinder neural progen- at Anhui Agricultural University brain organoid and mouse itor cells from re-entering the in Hefei, China and a PhD in models to shed light on hu- cell cycle. This then results in biochemistry and molecular bi- man disease. more cell death and premature ology at China Agricultural Uni- neural differentiation, which in versity in Beijing, China. During turn leads to microcephaly. his time

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In this work, Dr. Zhang utilized a Dr. Zhang would like to focus on investi- mouse model and human brain organ- gating the neural activities of neural pro- oids, which are created by carefully cul- genitor cells, as many human mental dis- turing human induced pluripotent stem eases are related to neural activities. cells, because there is a considerable difference between mouse cerebral cor- He will continue to utilize mouse and tex and human cerebral cortex. human brain organoid models simultaneously in order to study defects in neuron The human brain is more complex and function; however, culturing human brain has a special stem cell population called organoids can take from six months to a the outer radial glia (oRG) population, full year, which has been a big challenge which is very limited in mouse cerebral for past studies of neural progenitor cells. cortex. Thus, disrupting oRG by mutat- Despite this obstacle, this is a direction ing WDR62 in the human cerebral cortex Dr. Zhang would like to go. Eventually, resulted in a more significant reduction Dr. Zhang hopes to further his scope of in human organoids than in mouse. By research by incorporating his current re- using both models, Dr. Zhang was able search with porcine models, which show to capture this crucial difference. a greater resemblance to human models than mice do. Bright field Brain organoid (6 weeks old) (Image/Wei Zhang) Immunofluorescence of brain organoid section Cilia (red) was observed in the ventricular zone (violet) of human cerebral organoid. Researchers study a role for cilia in microcephaly and its involvement during human brain development. (Image/Wei Zhang)

Bright field image of brain organoid (6 weeks of growth)(Image/ Wei Zhang) 1 mm Immunofluorescence of brain organoid section Dr. Zhang is currently focusing on studying other gene mutations that cause microcephaly. He hopes to understand the Cilia (red) was observed in the ventricular mechanism of gene mutations beyond zone (violet) of human cerebral organoid. Researchers study a role for cilia in micro- WDR62 that cause microcephaly with cephaly and its involvement during human mouse and human-derived models and brain development. (Image/Wei Zhang) ultimately devise therapeutic strategies for this devastating developmental disorder. Dr. Zhang sincerely expresses his grati- tude and excitement to be part of CCMB In October 2019, Dr. Zhang spoke at the at USC. When asked what key factor moti- Society for Neuroscience conference in vates him during his research, he was con- Chicago on his paper published in Na- fident in naming his principal investiga- ture Communications. He was also se- tor, Dr. Chen, and his team as his driving lected to present his work for the prin- force. With the triad of Dr. Chen’s direction, cipal deputy director of the National leadership and supportive environment, Institutes of Health, Dr. Lawrence Tabak, Dr. Zhang won the CCMB poster award who visited USC in May. in 2019. It is clear that he will continue to thrive in his field of research.

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A Bio-Inspired Interface for Osseointegration Mirza Baig and Joseph Leem

Dr. Yan Zhou is a researcher and Associate Professor at the Herman Ostrow School of Den- tistry. He was born in China where he studied genetic engineering and upon graduating served as a research assistant at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His drive and inquisitive nature drove him to come to the United States for graduate school at Indiana University where he began his graduate studies in cellular and developmental biology. After two years at the university, he transferred and took his talents to USC where he studied transcriptional regulation of the gene amelogenin, which encodes a protein responsible for enamel formation during development. Following the completion of his doctoral work, he began a post-doctorate in the field of bioinformatics before joining USC as a faculty member. One lineof Dr. Zhou’s work focuses on the odontoblastic potential of a splicing variant of amelogenin.

Despite ameloblasts and odontoblasts having different developmental ori- gins, the second most abundant protein, which is 59 amino acids in length, produced by amelogenin splicing can also be expressed by odontoblasts. The genetic sequence that encodes this protein was synthetically produced and injected into mice, resulting in a mineralization effect similar to the effects of BMP, promoting bone formation. Shortly after joining USC, Dr. Zhou continued his pursuit of furthering the understanding of how this amelogenin splicing variant is capable of producing odontoblastic gain-of-function results such as increasing certain the expression of certain genetic markers, enhancing mineral deposition, and ultimately, increasing osteogenic differentiation in host systems leading to a 30-40% increase in bone mass in long bones. The results were surprising and cutting edge. Dr. Zhou confirmed his findings by producing loss-of-function models by deleting the amelogenin locus in mouse embryonic stem cells. When the gene was removed from the cell line, osteogenic differentiation potential was impaired. Transgenic mouse models were thenpro- duced to confirm the potential of this gene. Bone mass density and bone marrow content from these mice were then compared to wild type controls. Significant results were found with the transgenic mice having much stronger osteogenic potential in terms of differentiation and mass. In the future, this molecule holds enormous potential for clinical application, where it is highly desirable to be able to promote and control osteogenesis. Dr. Zhou hopes that dental implants may be used as a model system to improve osseointegration of implants throughout the body, as in orthopedic applications. The current most common complication with dental implants is their inability to properly integrate with the surrounding alveolar bone, leading to peri-implant disease and bone loss around the implants. Working with a researcher from the University of Kansas who discovered a 12 amino acid peptide which has a strong specificity and affinity for titanium, Dr. Zhou saw a promising future for implant patients. His team fused the 12 ami-

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no acid peptide with the 59 amino acid peptide which was created by the splicing variant of amelogenin and coated the titanium surface of the implant with this dual-function protein. The protein showed a strong affinity for binding to the titanium surface and had an osteogenic effect on the surrounding tissue. This was a breakthrough in Dr. Zhou’s research because it showed how this protein could significantly improve the osseointegration of implants. Additionally, he hopes in the future, this protein will be a part of normal maintenance for patients with implants who, along with their scheduled cleanings, will also have their implants coated with this material by their provider to maintain and encourage bone regeneration around the implants. He also mentioned the possibility of introducing other molecules on to the surface of the implant, which would provide anti-microbial properties and improve the overall oral health of the patient. With the increased use of devices such as implants, Dr. Zhou’s research is at the forefront to ensure the proper integration of these devices with the body.

Molecular recognition based self-assembly is coupled with biochemical signaling to reprogram stem cells to osteogenic lineages at the implant interface. A bio-inspired interface utilizes a chimeric peptide composed of bi-directional domains: one domain self-as- sembles onto implant materials and another transiently activates the canonical Wnt signaling pathway to stimulate osteogenic differentiation. During a period critical to host stem cell growth and determination, bioactive interface signals serve to activate mouse or human stem cells to differentiate along osteogenic lineages. This engineered approach mimics nature’s ability to design dynamic interfaces promoting bone regeneration.

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The Future of Night Guards Ava Pournejad and Sarah To

Dr. Glenn Clark, Director of the Advanced Program more aware of it , thereby increasing the probability of Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine and the As- of breaking grinding habits. sistant Dean of Distance Education at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, is one of the university’s premier faculty. He is a distinguished author, having published four books, 23 book chapters, 162 abstracts and 205 peer-reviewed The original idea for such a tool was an electrical lip journal articles. His prolific output represents his stimulation device. However, while walking the Aki- distinguished work in research. Dr. Clark is cur- habara district of Tokyo in Japan, Dr. Clark and his rently busy with several research projects, each colleague, Dr. Kazuyoshi Baba, professor of prostho- carrying significant clinical potential. dontics at Showa University, serendipitously found a box of old cell phone buzzers at a storefront. This initiated the innovation to create a vibrating splint. One of his research interests is the common Since that day, Dr. Baba, his team at Showa Uni- problem of sleep-related bruxism, the involuntary versity and Dr. Clark have collaborated to produce clenching or gnashing of the teeth at night. If hab- several generations of devices, working continually its of bruxism remain unresolved, severe damage to improve the technology. The current generation to the teeth, nerves, temporomandibular joints and of the vibration splint is custom-made and designed muscles of the mouth may result. The current stan- specifically for each patient. These guards are con- dard for treating bruxism is prescription of a night structed using CAD-CAM technology and 3D print- guard. Night guards help mitigate damage, but ing. Within the appliance is a piezoelectric film used the success rate for such appliances is quite low to detect occurrences of clenching/grinding and if the goal is to stop bruxism. As Dr. Clark empha- activate the vibrating device. A recording system is sizes, “a simple piece of plastic will not resolve the included to assess the duration of each clenching/ problem” of years of hard-wired habits of severe grinding episode. Furthermore, a unique thermal grinding. Instead, he proposes the use of a “vibra- system is implemented to monitor use. Patients can tion splint” that provides stimulatory feedback in use the appliance as easily as a conventional night response to clenching. The vibrations are intended guard. They just wear it at night and upon waking, to directly stimulate the mechanoreceptors of the place it on a cradle that automatically downloads trigeminal nerve in an effort to alter motor events the data and recharges the battery. The hope is that without causing significant sleep disturbances. this device will effectively treat sleep-related bruxism Such an appliance would suppress the behavior by resolving the root of the issue rather than simply as well as encourage the individual to become masking the symptoms.

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In addition to the vibrational splint project, Dr. When the patient completes the questionnaire, Clark is currently developing an electronic a set of probable diagnoses are then available “smart questionnaire” designed to help clini- for the clinician to consider and confirm or deny cians more accurately treat orofacial pain dis- as they then interview and examine the patient. orders by directing assessment along a course The group sees this questionnaire as an adjunct of refined differentials driven by the chief com- diagnostic aid that might someday even evolve plaint. The inspiration behind this project is a into an app that clinicians could download to a motivation to address the frequent frustration of mobile device. The construction of such a ques- misdiagnosed orofacial pain. The project is cur- tionnaire would undoubtedly provide doctors rently in progress with collaborators including with invaluable guidance towards providing bet- Dr. Yuka Abe, a visiting research scholar from ter pain management and care to patients. Japan, and Dr. Luciano Nocera from USC’s Vit- erbi School of Engineering; it is also the thesis project for one of Dr. Clark’s current residents, Dr. Anette Vistoso. Dr. Clark is recognized as an invaluable asset to the Ostrow School. A brilliant researcher, teacher, mentor and winner of the 2018 USC Provost’s Mentoring award, he continuously in- The sensitivity and validity of the questionnaire novates new methods to improve the quality of rests upon a large foundation of clinical data care for patients. He is an esteemed individual that has been meticulously mined, analyzed whom we ought to recognize and applaud! from narrative notes and transformed into structured data. This data mining will allow Dr. Clark’s research group to develop a narrow AI smart questionnaire that uses built in algorithms and data analytics to detect one or more of the 25- 30 conditions patients frequently present with.

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC 14 The Future of

Biomaterials and Catherine Frusetta & Digital Dentistry Atysha Mohindroo

Progress is always made through fresh ideas, and fresh ideas come hand-in-hand with new researchers. The Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC has recently begun a new program: the Master of Science in Biomaterials and Digital Dentistry (BMDD) program. Four candidates have spoken to The Explorer about their backgrounds, experience in research and how they will use their knowledge in the future: Dr. Rie Hayashi, Dr. Mohammed Alshanbari, Dr. Mostafa Ibrahim, and Dr. Judy (Yun-Chu) Chen. They are all fulfilling a residency while pursuing their master’s in BMDD at USC. To earn an MS in BMDD, students must complete an original research project and a master’s thesis while being overseen by an advisory committee. At this point in their degrees, these four candidates are in the beginning stages of forming a proposal for their research.

Dr. Rie Hayashi is a resident in the program in advanced operative and adhesive dentistry. She grew up in Japan and initially became interested in dentistry through her parents and brothers, who are also dentists. In 2012, she earned her doctorate of dental surgery at Aichi Gakuin University in Japan and completed a 2-year combined endodontics and periodontics program in Osaka, Japan. She then worked as a dentist in private practice before entering the USC Advanced Standing Program for International Dentists in 2016.

Dr. Mohammed Alshanbari is also a resident in the program in advanced operative and adhesive dentistry. As a child, he was surrounded by family in Saudi Arabia who were in the medical field, which inspired him to pursue dentistry. In 2011, Dr. Alshanbari earned his bachelor’s degree in dental medicine and surgery at Ibn Sina National College for Medical Sciences in Saudi Arabia. He worked in various hospital clinics as a general dentist in Saudi Arabia and as a faculty member teaching public health at Umm AlQura University in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Alshanbari is no stranger to research because at Umm AlQura University he worked on research pertaining to the expression of antimicrobial peptides, beta defensins 1, 2 and 3 in gingival tissues of patients with type 2 diabetes. His research continued in California as he earned a master’s degree in public health in 2018 at Loma Linda University, where he studied perceptions of breastfeeding and infant feeding habits and how they vary by location.

Dr. Mostafa Ibrahim is a resident in the advanced program in prosthodontics. He first became interested in dentistry because his sister and brother are both dentists. He graduated in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in dental surgery from the Baghdad University College of Dentistry in Iraq. He then went on to become a resident in advanced education in general dentistry, and afterwards a resident in oral and maxillofacial surgery in Baghdad, Iraq. Additionally, he was a clinical instructor for new graduate dentists in the oral surgery unit. After working in private practice in Iraq, he came to Ohio State University in 2016, where he worked as a visiting scholar in the restorative science and prosthodontics division. There he participated in research on dental materials, examining the bond strength at the interface between the teeth and base of dentures under conventional processing and under additional secondary heat above the glass transition temperature, specifically analyzing the strength of bonding between polymethyl methacrylate denture base and acrylic denture teeth.

Dr. Judy (Yun-Chu) Chen is also a resident in the advanced program in prosthodontics. She initially became interested in dentistry because she was attracted to the way that the field combines art and science. In 2014, she graduated as a doctor of dental surgery from the Taipei Medical University School of Dentistry in Taiwan. She practiced as a general dentist for two years while simultaneously studying as an endodontics resident at the National Cheng-Kung University Hospital in Taiwan. She moved to California in 2018 to begin her prosthodontics residency and subsequent master’s at USC.

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All of these young dentists hail from excitement at getting their feet wet. Dr. subjects which every dentist would diverse backgrounds, yet they find Chen wants to look into comparing the benefit to know more about, as they themselves working alongside each accuracy and performance of 3D printed affect every specialization of dentistry. other to study biomaterials and digital dentures with conventional dentures, dentistry as they begin their proposals while Dr. Hayashi spoke about possibly Looking ahead, digital dentistry has for their research projects. exploring the minimal thicknesses limitless possibilities in the future of of crowns allowable in CAD/CAM clinical practice and research, especially The BMDD program provides dentists technology and the minimum prep when considering 3D printing and CAD/ with specific knowledge in dental that would be required for bonding CAM. All of the dentists interviewed material properties and biological such crowns. Dr. Alshanbari and Dr. have very different plans for the future, interactions of various adhesive Ibrahim are both interested in looking but they are all benefiting from gaining systems, composite resins, ceramics, into the accuracy and precision of 3D expertise in biomaterials and digital implants, 3D printing, digital scanning printing. Dr. Alshanbari expressed his dentistry. They are choosing to take this and computer-aided design/computer- intention to look into measurements in degree and the results of their research aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM). It temporary digitally printed crowns to to launch their careers in different develops skills in cutting-edge digital test the accuracy of the printers. directions. It will be interesting to follow technologies which will be more what discoveries can be made in the prevalent in the future. The ideal result of research is hands of these promising doctors. implementation, and although it may According to Dr. Alshanbari, the take decades for new research to be students are currently being introduced successfully implemented in clinics, to different printing materials with 3D students can take the knowledge printers and their applications, which earned during their research and move has sparked all of the students’ interests on into their futures. in the limitations of CAD/CAM. Dr. Hayashi wants to stay in California The CAD/CAM laboratory opened after graduating and start practicing at USC in 2014 and uses data from a as a private operative dentist. She patient’s digital dental image to cut a enjoys talking to patients and refining customized restoration piece from a esthetics, and fully intends to use the block of ceramic material. This machine knowledge she has learned about uses an infrared scanner to capture dental materials and technology in a tooth preparation and translate it the clinic. Additionally, her goal is to into a digital restoration which can be enhance dentistry in both Japan and perfected manually by the user. The America by being a bridge between the Dr. Rie Hayashi restoration is created with ceramic technologies of the two countries. materials in twenty minutes. At this (resident Advanced point, the dentist can then place the Dr. Alshanbari began this program Operative & Adhesive restoration on the patient’s tooth. With because he wanted to learn a little CAD/CAM, a patient can have a crown “something from everything” through Dentistry) and MS BMDD prepped and placed within a single combining public health with dental Candidate appointment. This could help reduce expertise. He wants to go back to his dental costs for both the doctor and home country, Saudi Arabia, and work the patient. However more research Dr. Mohammed is being conducted on the limitations clinically while teaching dentists about Alshanbari of CAD/CAM and our residents are the new advanced dental materials and interested in exploring this. techniques that he learned at USC. (resident Advanced Operative & Adhesive This academic path is very valuable Dr. Ibrahim’s current plan for the Dentistry) and MS BMDD to dentists everywhere. Dr. Chen future is to apply for a fellowship in reports seeking her MS in BMDD so maxillofacial and prosthetic dentistry. Candidate she can have a more comprehensive He wants to use his degree in digital understanding of dental materials. Dr. dentistry to learn more about the Alshanbari adds that knowledge of fabrication of prosthetic ears, noses, Dr. Mostafa Ibrahim specific biomaterials is crucial to fully and eyes. He is also interested in (resident Advanced understanding different products and pursuing future research in the Prosthodontics) and MS their effects, longevity and esthetics. digital workflow for rehabilitation of Additionally, understanding digital maxillofacial prosthetic patients while BMDD Candidate dentistry, particularly CAD/CAM, is simultaneously working clinically. invaluable to moving into the future Dr. Judy (Yun-Chu) of dentistry and raising efficiency in a Dr. Chen is considering continuing in clinical setting. academia, focusing on digital dentistry Chen in the future. She wants to gain some (resident Advanced While all the candidates are interested experience practicing in the United in investigating digital dentistry, their States and is also interested in teaching Prosthodontics) and MS interests lie in different areas. Both in either the United States or in Taiwan, BMDD Candidate Dr. Chen and Dr. Hayashi came into her home country. the program with no prior research experience and have voiced their Biomaterials and digital dentistry are

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Education Community “I always wanted to go into dentistry since I was young with braces,” Parungao recalls, “getting that great smile, not being Health Outreach self-conscious and having good teeth always motivated me to be in this field.” Started with a Smile Now, as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Dentistry at the Her- Brian Jing man Ostrow School of Dentistry, Director of Field Operations for many of Ostrow’s public health projects, and candidate for a Masters degree through USC’s Community Oral Health Mulligan, Associate Dean of Community Health Programs and (COH) program, Parungao is following through with her pas- Hospital Affairs Chair at USC, “Not only does Kristine demon- sion for public health dentistry. strate her dedication to public health on a daily basis, but she also demonstrates such great organizational skills in keeping Parungao cited some of her experiences as a volunteer with the the multiple teams busy and productive, often serving as the pre-dental society at the University of California, San Diego spokesperson for our field work whether it is to parents and (UCSD) that pushed her into getting her RDH degree at USC. collaborative team members or colleagues at national meet- With her RDH degree, she felt the need to continue her educa- ings. She has been a real boon to our outreach efforts!” tion by getting her RDHAP at UOP. As a former dental hygiene student at Ostrow, Parungao received further exposure to pub- The results of Parungao and the CHAMP team’s lic health services, and even coordinated health fairs for her reached over 63,000 children and over 33,000 chil- class. It was at USC where Parungao gained greater awareness dren were able to find a dental home where case of the need for dentistry and dental education in the communi- management was provided to over 70% of them. A ty – she wanted to spread this knowledge, get people to dental network of 342 Family Outreach community sites homes, and provide dental education that a lot of communities was also established to continue the identification of needed. “USC has great programs and provided a lot of expo- underprivileged children and connect them to den- sure that allowed me to understand what public health dentistry tal homes as well as provide dental services and oral is about,” says Parungao, “the courses and community health hygiene education. CHAMP also recognized that non- programs showed me my passion to want to continue and give health care professionals were being underutilized in back with public health.” the dental field and could greatly improve accessibility to dental care. USC social work interns helped address Leading the Way and eliminate common psychosocial barriers between these families and dental care. An astonishing 93% of Since graduating from Ostrow in 2013, Parungao has contin- families that were connected to social work interns resulted ued her commitment to public health dentistry as a leader in in successful case closure. the field. She currently serves as director of field operations for the Educational Community Health Outreach (ECHO) project “What I’ve learned most is to give time back to the com- and prior to that, she also served as a director for Children’s munity, “Parungao adds, “I’m passionate about this and the Health and Maintenance Program (CHAMP), which conclud- education of oral health since there’s a deficiency of it.” ed in 2017. Technology and ECHO CHAMP is a First 5 LA funded project that started in 2012. CHAMP’s mission was to connect underprivileged children While CHAMP has since ended, Parungao has moved on as ages 0-5 living in specific Service Planning Areas (SPA) of Los Director of Field Operations for ECHO, funded by the Cal- Angeles to long term dental providers (dental homes) in the ad- ifornia Department of Health Care Services. In many ways, jacent areas. During her time with the grant, Parungao was or- ECHO is an extension of CHAMP but with a broader target ganizing and sending 3-4 teams every day to preschools, health population. Similar to CHAMP, ECHO’s main goals are to ed- fairs, and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) centers located ucate, screen and connect disadvantaged socioeconomic com- in the designated SPAs. It was at these community outreach munities in certain SPAs of Los Angeles with dental homes. activities that the CHAMP team was able to not only identify However, this project serves a larger population of the Los underprivileged children and connect them to “dental homes,” Angeles county – not only is ECHO catering to community but also provide dental education and preventative screening. members from ages between 0 and 20, but the project is also reaching out to disadvantaged minority groups such as the Na- But Parungao wasn’t just assisting with organizing these visits, tive American population. she is directly in the community as well providing services. She even sacrificed her weekends to increase the community’s Still, Parungao is placing emphasis on yet another factor: Tech- oral health literacy and further spur community development. nology.

Faculty quickly applauded Parungao’s passion and determina- Parungao notes that we can “think outside of the box” in how tion with public health dentistry. health care professionals can reach underrepresented populations. With communities rapidly becoming more tech-savvy, “Public health field work is not easy,” observes Dr. Roseanne Parungao believes that merging the digital world with health

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services could be impactful. “Technology is not the same as ECHO project, Parungao is collaborating with other staff projects can target even more populations leading to greater before – people are now using smartphones and they down- members to develop a mobile app tailored to connecting overall oral health in the United States. “Reaching out to or- load a lot of different apps that are related to their health that ECHO’s target populations with dental homes. At first, Parun- ganizations to push our oral health message forward and con- they want to improve,” comments Parungao, “One gao and her colleagues were concerned that these communities necting with communities is something we need to work on,” thing that the public health community can may not have smart phones. However, it was quickly proven Parungao urges. concentrate on is creating technology to them that most do have access to smartphones. Plus, if lack- Parungao’s experience out in the field ties in all too well with that targets different populations ing one, government run agencies would even provide these her continuing education and vice-versa. “I use my experi- and age groups to help them in- devices to members of these socioeconomic backgrounds for ences from CHAMP and ECHO and apply it to the COH re- crease in their oral health and free or at a reduced cost. search,” Parungao says. help facilitate their questions The app has numerous features, from educational components so they get continued care Her Outlook on Public Health more regularly and establish a to being a conduit for communication between these specific underprivileged patients and dental providers. Via the app, dental home.” Overall, Parungao is happy to see where the state of public users can type out and send questions about their oral health health dentistry is going as there is an increase in awareness condition to their dentist and receive responses back from their of oral health. However, Parungao feels that there is room for provider. “It’s like tele-health,” Parungao notes. improvement. Health professionals not only still need to be As a member of the USC more engaged with public health dentistry, but need to be more Steering team for the Furthermore, the app allows the ECHO team to gather infor- educated in oral health as well. “There is a big need for public mation about the patient visits. “It allows us to capture in- health services and in order to eliminate a lot of the public formation such as if they’re visiting their dentists and how health disparities that we’re seeing, it will require a bigger well their visit went.,” Parungao explains. The app also effort from our community of professionals to really provide contains educational materials: common questions such to the communities that need it the most,” remarks Parungao. as “when can my child use fluoride toothpaste” are answered According to Parungao, there is a gap between health profes- in the technology. Parungao hopes the app can be piloted by sionals and dentistry that needs to be addressed. The mouth is this summer of 2020. part of the body, not separate, which means that more attention A Devotion to Learning needs to be paid to oral health to have greater understanding of the overall health of a person. Parungao suggests that physi- With her busy life, Parungao also manages to further enhance cians, nurses, and even students need to realize the connection her knowledge and skills in the public health field as she is between the mouth and body. “We have to pay attention to oral currently actively pursuing her Masters degree in COH health, learn what oral health can do to the body, and really at Ostrow. This community oral health online graduate fill in that gap of knowledge between the mouth and body,” program helps students prepare for a leadership role in Parungao says, “if other professionals could increase their community health. Parungao is developing a greater knowledge of oral health and recognize that there are barriers understanding of the social determinants of health, to oral health like the lack of resources to find transportation health equity, epidemiology, research method- to see their dentist or dearth of knowledge on dental insurance, ology, program planning and evaluation, as well we can then begin to merge those gaps.” as health promotion. Perhaps most importantly, Parungao is figuring out new methods to efficiently Ultimately, Parungao feels that public health dentistry is of- handle the complex nature of managing community ten under looked and that there is an abundance of rewards outreach programs via her research that she conducts in a career with public health. It also reminds professionals of in conjunction with her education. “In public health, you why they got into a health service oriented career in the first can participate in providing services but how does every- place. “When you go through school for just dentistry, you’re thing work? How do organizations get their grants and how missing a big aspect of public health. Providing to the commu- do you implement a project from beginning to end? There are nity after you graduate is really important – at one point, we theories and different ways to implement different projects that all want to give back,” Parungao says, “I’m really passionate have shown to work and continue to work in public health,” about the people I work with and care for. If I can make a small says Parungao. She finds it critical to apply these theories, in- difference in someone’s oral health, then there is something crease knowledge in how to educate and reach communities, everyone can do.” and discover efficient ways in gathering and interpreting data Parungao leaves a lasting message, inviting all to get active to better target communities in need. Parungao finds that the with public health and promote positive changes. “We’re all program is exposing her to a lot of different technological tools leaders and it’s important to take that extra step to make a dif- which can then be implemented in stronger methods of out- ference. Heart is what makes a leader – you should have heart reach. to give back and it’s the reason I continue down this path. Any Parungao has also found that the most efficient way in way anyone can help, or anyone just willing to help is appreci- strengthening public health dentistry today starts with part- ated and will make a difference.” nering up with organizations that can reach out to all types of communities. By working with organizations, public health

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC 18 Putting Tons of Smiles on Children’s Faces Jamie Huh & Meredith Messerle

Dr. Thanh Tam N. Ton is the Chief of Pediat- ric Dentistry at LAC+USC. Given her USC and Harvard training, it comes as no surprise that Dr. Ton is committed to a career in academia. Since completing her residency in pediatric dentistry in 2006 at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Dr. Ton has worked in some capacity as a professor of clinical dentistry. Reflecting on her tenure as both a clinician and an instructor, Dr. Ton said, “when I graduated from my residency, I immediately worked part-time as a clinical professor. I continued to work in private practice for several years before transition- ing to academia full-time. I enjoy teaching.”

LAC+USC Medical Center’s Pedi- atric Clinic was born out of a part- nership with the Violence Inter- vention Program (VIP), a local advocacy group. It has since been subsidized by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and continues to provide comprehensive health care treatment to the community’s most vulnerable children, including foster children and those with developmental disabilities. The clinic also serves as a training ground for the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC’s advanced pediatric dental residents.

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The pediatric clinic at LAC+USC allows Dr. Ton Angeles Dental Society, the Society of Public to teach and conduct research. She is current- Health and the California Society of Pediatric ly conducting a survey for caregivers that will Dentistry. She is an active member of the Pe- investigate the oral health knowledge of foster diatric Directors Committee, Chiefs and Chairs parents versus biological parents. Her hope is Committee, Pediatrics Committee, Medical to improve outcomes for oral home care for chil- Executive Committee, and the OMFS Dental dren while addressing any discrepancies that Workgroup at LAC +USC. might exist between foster and biological families. In her free time she volunteers as a pediatric dentist at service events like the Telemundo Dr. Ton was the first in her family to become Health Fair, VIP Fetal Alcohol Awareness Health a dentist. A family friend who attended dental Fair and other VIP events, CDA Cares and Los school at USC inspired her to follow a similar Angeles Times Festival of Books. “My favorite career path. “I didn’t have a lot of dental experi- service activity has been my work with the Vio- ence prior to dental school, but I thought it would lence Intervention Program where I conduct oral be a great profession to get into,” she said. She health screenings. I enjoy meeting and talking applied to USC for her undergraduate education to people and interacting with the children and where she was accepted into the Accelerated their caregivers to provide checkups and oral Dental Acceptance Track (ADAPT) program. hygiene instruction,” she said. She went on to receive her doctor of dental surgery degree at the Ostrow School in 1999. Dr. Ton also serves as a mentor for dental students and high school students interested in a Prior to graduating from dental school, Dr. Ton career in pediatric dentistry. She mentors stu- faced a familiar dilemma: pursue general den- dents through dental externships, the dental as- tistry or specialize? She opted to complete a sisting internship at the Pediatric Dental Clinic one-year Advanced Education in General Den- and the USC Concurrent Enrollment Dental As- tistry (AEGD) residency program, earning a cer- sistant Program. Her advice for current dental tificate from the Harvard School of Dental Medi- students and prospective pediatric residents is cine in 2000. “I didn’t have a clear path for what “go and seek externships to get an idea of what to do post-graduation,” said Ton. “I thought the residencies are like and if it is something you residency would give me more clarity.” During can see yourself doing in the future.” this time, she realized how much she enjoyed working with children, and thus decided to spe- It seems like Dr. Ton can do it all. She enthusi- cialize in pediatric dentistry. “The most reward- astically proclaims, “I believe being passionate ing part of dentistry is seeing the children smile about what you do and enjoying what you do is and see them gradually become happy to go to a fundamental skill for every healthcare profes- the dentist,” she related. sional!” Nevertheless, she insists that she faces challenges when practicing dentistry. “Manag- Aside from teaching, directing the pediatric clin- ing the behavior of children can be difficult at ic and conducting research, Dr. Ton spends her times,” she notes. “Not all children like getting time participating in the admissions process work done, and it is very testing to change their at Ostrow. She has been an active member of perception about the dentist.” However, the the faculty, including serving as the vice presi- most rewarding part of dentistry for Dr. Ton is dent of the Dental Faculty Assembly. She has when she finally gains the trust of her patients also served on the legislative committee for Los and puts smiles on their faces.

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC 20 Overcoming Obstacles in the Dental Journey Sepehr Hakakian

Dr. Yaara Berdan’s path to den- ing scope of material there was After moving back to Los An- tistry is one that many dental to learn. “Knowing everything geles, Dr. Berdan practiced as students can relate to. She start- would be impossible, so I knew an endodontist for several years. ed out with a passion for the that I wanted to specialize after Working in a multi-specialty of- sciences and an interest in the the first few weeks,” she says. fice, she enjoyed collaborating healthcare field. After a discus- The first specialty she looked with a team of specialists to de- sion about her future career, she into was periodontics. This was liver truly comprehensive care to decided that dentistry would be not only because perio is the first patients and learning new things the ideal choice. In addition to specialty dental students are ex- about other specialties on a dai- satisfying her passions for the posed to. As Dr. Berdan explains, ly basis. Unfortunately, a sud- biological and physical scienc- “I considered perio because it’s den neck issue flared up and she es and the biomedical field, the the foundation of everything. had to stop practicing. Admira- stable lifestyle that dentistry of- Without perio, everything would bly, Dr. Berdan decided that the fered was attractive to the young collapse very quickly.” next step in her career would be Dr. Berdan. She laughingly notes to volunteer in order to use her that she ended up specializing in After finishing her DDS degree at knowledge and expertise to help endodontics and pedodontics, UCSF, Dr. Berdan did a pediatric train the next generation of oral two fields with the least stability dentistry residency at the Boston health professionals. She started due to the high number of unex- Children’s Hospital. There, she volunteering at the Herman Os- pected emergencies that come realized that while she enjoyed trow School of Dentistry of USC with each. working with children, her true once a week, supervising stu- passion was treating traumatic dents performing real and simu- Dr. Berdan attended UCLA as an cases that often involved end- lated endodontic procedures. Dr. undergraduate student, majoring odontic treatment. This realiza- Berdan found this experience to in kinesiology. She dabbled in tion led her to pursue a second be truly fulfilling and enjoyable, work as a personal trainer and specialty, endodontics, at the and once a week quickly expand- thought about a career in physi- University of Illinois, Chicago. ed to multiple days a week. cal therapy before starting dental Just like countless other dental school and the University of Cal- students, Dr. Berdan had to go Eventually Dr. Berdan began ifornia, San Francisco (UCSF). through multiple specialties in teaching as a part-time faculty She immediately fell in love with order to find a career path that member in the endodontics de- dentistry. One of the first things she felt satisfied in and wanted to partment. She became the end- she noticed was the overwhelm- pursue. odontic course director and a

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beloved presence on all floors of the dental school. is in the process of obtaining IRB and HIPAA ap- In addition to using her skills and experience to ed- provals for one such project. ucate and guide her students, Dr. Berdan’s path to her current position sets an example of the impor- Utilizing her expertise and connections in the fields tance of overcoming adversity and not giving up of pedodontics and endodontics, Dr. Berdan is cur- when facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles. rently leading a retrospective study comparing the Even when an unexpected and undoubtedly frus- efficacy of vital pulp therapy versus extraction and trating ailment threatened her career and future, Dr. orthodontic treatment. Specifically, the study will Berdan found a way to turn a curse into a blessing look at the permanent first molars of children with and channel her skills and talent into shaping the pulpal involvement. The goal is to analyze the lon- next generation of dentists. gevity of such teeth when treated with a pulpotomy or pulpectomy. Then, first molars that received al- Dr. Berdan is no stranger to the importance of re- ternative treatment will be studied. One such alter- search. As a participant in multiple residencies, native treatment is the extraction of the first molar she has been part of research projects encompass- and the use of orthodontic therapy to pull the second ing several areas of dentistry. During her time in molar mesially, effectively replacing the first molar pedodontic and endodontic residencies, Dr. Berdan with the second. The study will look at the longev- realized the necessity of doing research for several ity of each treatment, from time of treatment to 18 reasons. “It’s not just the content of the project it- years old, in order to determine which method has self,” says Dr. Berdan, “it’s the realization of how the highest rate of success. While the study will ini- much there is to know, and the sheer amount of de- tially focus on USC patients, Dr. Berdan’s goal is tail-orientation and involvement necessary in any for a multi-center study as this will give more com- clinical project.” While understanding the impor- prehensive results. tance of lab projects, Dr. Berdan has always had an affinity for clinical research projects, feeling that There’s no denying that Dr. Berdan has a hectic their results have more immediate and impactful schedule. From her commitments in the endo and effects on patient care. She has been involved with pedo clinics at USC, to her role as endo course di- several such clinical ventures over her career, and rector and the time she spends on the clinic floor, has a great understanding of the benefits and short- sim lab and lecture hall in that capacity, to her cur- comings of these undertakings. rent pursuit of an MBA, Dr. Berdan’s daily work- load puts any student’s schedule to shame. So how One of the biggest challenges in clinical trials in does she manage? According to Dr. Berdan, the dentistry is their reliance on patient compliance and key is to always be in the present. “When I’m at follow-through with recall appointments. Since the lunch with friends,” she says with a chuckle, “I’m accuracy of this kind of research strongly depends never thinking about the patient I have to see this on patient follow-ups, supplemental methods of afternoon or the lecture I have to give tomorrow.” data collection must sometimes be used to ensure She also stresses the importance of focusing on one the project reaches a conclusive and accurate result. thing at a time and switching to a different topic One such method is a retrospective study design. once you notice your focus is slipping. Finally, Dr. Since the research subjects in this methodology Berdan has some advice for finding your calling in have already finished treatment, the patient com- dentistry. “Shadow as much as you can and expose pliance variable is taken out of the equation. The yourself to as many fields as possible,” she says, biggest obstacle to this type of project is obtaining adding that the endo clinic is always available for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability those who want to shadow. She also recommends Act (HIPAA) permission to use patient charts and reading research journals to find out what piques explaining to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) your interest. “This way, you can find the problem how the benefits of the project outweigh privacy in dentistry that you want to be a part of solving.” concerns of using patient information. Dr. Berdan

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC 22 From Lifeguard to General Practice Residency having a positive effect on others is how one leaves a mark on this world. Dr. Mehrali’s passion stems from his yearning to con- Professor stantly learn, initially from his mentors, and now from his residents as well, thus synergistically impacting the future genera- Abraham Zilberstein tions of dentists. Dr. Mehrali firmly believes that being a dentist requires continual learning through one’s career. Dr. Mehrali related a story about a memorable patient Dr. Mark Mehrali has been an educator and an Assistant Clini- whom he treated at the LAC-USC Medical Center for treatment. cal Professor of Dentistry at the Los Angeles County-USC Med- This patient, Mel, was a survivor of throat and lung cancer. How- ical Center for the past twenty-four years. He has also been ever, in his battle with cancer, he was edentulated. Fortunately, employed by the Los Angeles County Fire Department as a he was able to have two implants placed in the anterior man- recurrent ocean lifeguard for the past thirty-nine years. He is dible and had upper and lower prostheses with which he could currently working at Zuma, Malibu, and Point Dume beaches function. Prior to Dr. Mehrali running the New York Marathon when he serves the county in this capacity. Dr. Mehrali usu- one year, Mel mentioned that the LA Marathon runners run by ally works three to four weeks a year as a lifeguard. He is ex- his living space every year and he always wanted to do one. Dr. cited about an upcoming anniversary: he will have served the Mehrali bought shoes for Mel and they started training. This public of Los Angeles County for a total of sixty-five years in was incredibly inspiring as Mel was not only a cancer survivor, 2021, when he will have been a lifeguard for forty years and he also was diabetic and had to breathe through a tracheosteal a doctor at the LAC-USC Medical Center for twenty-five years. tube. Dr. Mehrali and Mel not only finished their first LA Mara- Dr. Mehrali grew up in Glendale as the oldest of three thon together, they went on to run it three years in a row. Every siblings with his two younger sisters. He is a first-generation hour they had to stop to check Mel’s blood sugar. Dr. Mehrali’s American, as his parents immigrated from Iran and England friendship with Mel was a victory for both, as Mel would come and met at USC as students. After high school, Dr. Mehrali to the dental clinic at the LAC-USC Medical Center, put his finger attended Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC), where he partic- on his tracheosteal tube, and murmur the words “If I can do it, ipated in both the water polo and swim teams with success. you can do it.” The hardest part of the marathons for Dr. Mehrali His coach, Bill Krauss, was his first “professional mentor” as was buying Mel a pair of running shoes, as his feet were size 13 Mr. Krauss was also the head of the Biology Department at EE! Mel’s feet were long and like skis. He needed a great pair of LAVC. Mr. Krauss gave the future Dr. Mehrali the opportunity shoes to minimize his exposure to blisters. Mel completed three to be a tutor in the LAVC Biology Lab while he was moving LA marathons at 82, 83, and 84 years old. He passed away a few forward through college. Mr. Krauss also was a legendary years ago quietly on his couch. lifeguard and encouraged Dr. Mehrali to try out for the position. As such, Dr. Mehrali credits Mr. Krauss for everything he loves to do, especially being an ocean lifeguard at the beautiful beaches of L.A. County, and credits Mr. Krauss’s encouragement of his goal of becoming a dentist. After -at tending LAVC, Dr. Mehrali transferred to the University of California, Santa Barbara and earned bachelor’s degrees in both chemistry and economics. Dr. Mehrali continued his education in dentistry at the University of California, San Francisco, and upon graduation, he completed a general practice residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Upon moving back to California and being an associate for a couple of years, he purchased a practice in Camarillo where he has been practicing for the past twenty-four years. Dr. Mehrali mentioned his family upbringing, which instilled in him the notion that mentoring people and

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Dr. Mehrali has engaged in different research projects with the GPR residents at the LAC-USC Medical Center. One of the more notable projects is studying the dental implant success rate on patients who have undergone jaw re- sections due to ameloblastoma. Although this research is in its preliminary stages, he has seen many patients dentally rehabilitated so that they can chew and smile again after their ameloblastoma was resected and subsequently reconstructed with bone grafts, dental implants, and then a dental prosthesis to restore function. The success rates of this treatment appears to be similar to traditional dental implant treatment modalities. As such, the data will be compiled and a statistical analysis completed to verify the outcomes that have been seen clinically at the LAC-USC Medical Center. Dr. Mehrali recommends that dental students should utilize their time in dental school learning from the great educators and mentors who are available to them. It is important to be exposed to as many cases as possible so that one can graduate from dental school feeling confident in the skills necessary to provide dental treatments to our patients. Dr. Mehrali was elected into the Fellow of the American College of Dentists in 2014. He was humbled by the gesture bestowed upon him and vows to continue to treat patients with complex dental problems. Furthermore, as a mentor, teacher, and optimist, Dr. Mehrali feels that by teaching the residents in the GPR program at the LAC-USC Medical Cen- ter, our profession, our students, and our underserved patients will continue to be served in a positive way. Dr. Mehrali lives in Camarillo with his family and enjoys the Ventura County lifestyle in his spare time.

In closing, speaking with Dr. Mehrali, I could sense the reason why he was nominated for the Residency Spot- light. Dr. Mehrali has an organic personality with his ability to impact patients both within their personal lives as well as in a dental environment. It was truly an honor for me to speak with someone who has a sincere passion for their field and desires not only to help people with their smiles, but also for their well-being.

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC 24

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Looking Deeper into Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Ana Zapata Caceres and Alex Daneshgar

Dr. Allen Huang is currently a 5th year Oral and he was involved in multiple research projects that Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) Resident at the ranged from educational reform to management University of Southern California. He was born of odontogenic keratocysts. Now as a resident, in Taiwan and grew up in Southern California, his primary research focus involves craniofacial attending UC San Diego as an undergraduate anomalies and treatment of obstructive sleep ap- majoring in general biology before attending UC nea in infants. His current project evaluates the San Francisco for his dental education. It was efficacy of mandibular distraction osteogenesis in in dental school where he discovered his pas- treating obstructive sleep apnea in infants born sion for surgery and the way he could change with micrognathia and determining the length of lives, which prompted him to apply for residency distraction needed in order to prevent skeletal re- in OMFS. Dr. Huang was then accepted to the lapse as growth continues. 72-month MD/certificate course that is offered in conjunction with the Keck School of Medicine Outside the hospital walls, Dr. Huang also re- of USC. In addition to the oral and maxillofacial mains active in giving back to his community. surgery training, the program leads to a medical Philanthropy has always played a significant role degree, which Dr. Huang obtained in 2018. in keeping him grounded amidst his busy schedule. As an undergraduate, he began volunteering As a dental student, Dr. Huang realized the im- at homeless clinics, servicing the underserved portance of mentorship and networking early on. populations as an x-ray technician and chair-side With the help of his classmate (Brian Lee, DDS, assistant. Years later, he continues to give back MD) and mentor (Stanley Liu, DDS, MD), he cre- with his own mobile clinic that he started with ated a platform known as Passing The Scalpel, pre-dental students from the University of Cali- an educational and networking initiative to bring fornia - Irvine. Their collective efforts were recog- together students, residents, and faculty in order nized by Ellen DeGeneres, for which the famous to grow and develop the field of oral and maxillo- TV host donated $35,000. facial surgery. Through live cadaveric operations, plating workshops, implant demonstrations, and Dr. Huang’s research and clinical training have bringing in world-renowned speakers, the goal sparked his interest in restoring form and func- was to inspire the next generation of oral sur- tion in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. He geons. Now in its 10th year, Dr. Huang is proud is currently applying to a sleep surgery fellowship to see that the initiative has grown and expanded with the hopes of extending his surgical practice to numerous dental schools and hopes that it will to the full scope of airway reconstruction, which continue to do so from a national and internation- includes operating on the nasal passages, ton- al standpoint. sils and palate, to maxillomandibular surgery. His plans are to stay in academia and continue to Beyond clinical duties and mentorship to dental mentor future oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Dr. students, Dr. Huang remains active in research Huang is a hardworking and generous provider as well. His research experience began as an whoembraces all the trojan values. We wish him undergraduate student when he studied heart re- the very best in his future endeavors. Fight on! generative cardiomyocytes. As a dental student,

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC 26

A case on Oral Pathology: How Viperin Proteins induce KSHV Helicase expression through Methionine-401 Oxidation

George Simonyan and Sarina Taylor

Dr. Youliang Rao is a Post- Doc- toral Research Associate in the Department of Periodon- tology at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC. He has been deeply invested in research for many years, since his involvement during his undergraduate career where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Agronomy at the College of An- imal Science and Technology at and diseases present in our first sign of AIDS. Some of Northwestern A&F University. oral cavity. The wide array of these oral lesions include fun- Dr. Rao continued his educa- findings and lesions that can gal and viral infections such tion at Hubei, China, where he be present in the oral cavi- as candidiasis, deep fungal in- earned his PhD in Agronomy at ty is often overlooked, and fections, herpes simplex virus Huazhong Agricultural Univer- a thorough examination can infections, cytomegalovirus, sity. His research focus at that detect early findings that can hairy leukoplakia, and others. time revolved around insights promote better prognoses. One particular virus, herpes- into antiviral immunity against Within the population of vul- virus 8 (HHV-8), also known grass carp reovirus (GCRV) nerable patients, especially as Kaposi’s sarcoma-asso- in grass carp fish species. In those with uncontrolled med- ciated herpesvirus (KSHV), 2019, Dr. Rao moved to the ical problems and those who is usually found in the latter United States to pursue further are immunocompromised, the years of HIV progression and education at USC and to work oral cavity is usually the first is considered an AIDS-defin- alongside Dr. Casey Chen, who location where symptoms and ing condition. AIDS-defining is the Section Chair of Peri- lesions can manifest. conditions and lesions are odontology at the Herman Os- opportunistic infections and trow School of Dentistry. HIV-positive patients present cancers that confirm the di- with compromised systemic agnosis of AIDS and can often As dental clinicians, we are immune conditions; this pop- be life-threatening in a person often the first health care pro- ulation is especially suscepti- with HIV. It is important to un- fessionals in line to examine ble to secondary diseases that derstand how some diseases and analyze a patient’s oral can be influenced by immune manifest and the biological anatomy and soft tissue health. dysfunction. Oral lesions are processes underlying their Extra-oral and intra-oral ex- common in HIV-infected indi- proliferation. As dental clini- aminations can be vital for viduals and may even be the cians, this information is in- detecting possible symptoms

The Explorer Journal 2020 27

valuable, and building upon KSHV helicase containing in promotes rather than inhib- this knowledge will not only methionine-401 decreased. its HCMV infection and KSHV expand our competency, but However, Viperin deletion had genomic DNA replication. also promote excellent health little effect on the expression care for our patients. Under- of those helicase mutants With his immense knowledge standing new research break- containing different single in the fields of virology and in- throughs, such as Dr. Rao’s point mutants. These results nate immunity, Dr. Rao plans work and others, will help us demonstrated that methi- on expanding his research keep up to date with disease onine-401 site has the most ef- to focus on interactions be- processes and how they re- fect on KSHV helicase stabili- tween oral pathology and late to our clinical work. ty through action of Viperin. innate immunity to further in- In addition, they investigated vestigate oral diseases. In ad- Much of Dr. Rao’s current whether this effect translates dition, Dr. Rao is also studying work concerns the interac- into the replication of KSHV how infection with herpes vi- tion between helicase expres- genomic DNA. By detecting ruses plays a role in other oral sion and function, and the extracellular and intracellular infections and tumorigenesis. host innate immune respons- viral genome copy numbers Ultimately, he hopes that by es during infection and patho- upon KSHV lytic induction, utilizing our understanding of genesis. One component of they found that the viral ge- how the host immune system Dr. Rao’s research focuses nome copy number declined responds to oral infections on Kaposi’s sarcoma-asso- in KSHV with helicase con- and the evasion strategies ciated herpesvirus (KSHV). taining methionine-401 muta- from the pathogens, thera- In Dr. Rao’s research, he has tion compared with that which peutic interventions can be revealed that KSHV helicase kept the Methionine-401po- discovered and engineered to is closely related to human sition stable. These results treat and prevent oral diseas- helicase MCM7. Helicases collectively showed that me- es. mediate a wide range of cel- thionine oxidation by Viperin lular processes involving nu- protein promotes helicase cleic acids such as replica- stability and replication of tion, repair, recombination, viral genomic DNA during transcription and translation. KSHV lytic replication. Dr. Rao and his team used immunoprecipitation coupled In recent years, it has become with mass spectrometry to evident that Post-Translation- analyze proteins that interact al Modifications (PTMs) have with these helicases. They a profound effect on the local- found 58 proteins that inter- ization, function and stability act with with KSHV helicase of helicases. However, re- and human helicase MCM7, search on PTMs of helicases and ranking first amongst the thus far has been largely limit- 58 was Viperin protein. ed to focusing on three types of PTMs, including phosphor- In order to explore the im- ylation, ubiquitination and portance of Viperin protein SUMOylation. This research in modulating KSHV heli- study by Dr. Rao confirmed a case stability, they examined previously unexplored PTM, KSHV helicase expression methionine oxidation, which in KSHV-infected cell lines increases the stability and after Viperin depletion. The protein expression of helicas- research team engineered es to promote their functions. 11 mutants of KSHV helicase Mechanically, Viperin cata- through single point muta- lyzes methionine oxidation of tions and left one mutant still DNA and RNA helicases of containing methionine-401. human and virus origin, which When Viperin expression was is crucial for DNA replication depleted, the expression of and immune activation. Viper-

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC 28 Keeping Teeth Plaque Free Since 73 Brian Song hygiene on other family members, propelled her to pursue dental hygiene. This was only reinforced after Professor Diane Melrose is the Chair of the Den- she shadowed a dental hygienist and saw the amazing tal Hygiene program at USC and has mentored work that could be done. One of Professor Melrose’s students here since 1976. Since receiving her early memories as a child was examining her sister’s dental hygiene degree from the University of mouth checking for oral hygiene, a true sign of her fu- Iowa in 1973 Professor Melrose has dedicated ture successful career. her life to improving oral health. She has worked extensively with special needs patients at the While at USC Professor Melrose has not only been a John F. Kennedy Institute and provided oral hy- keystone member of the hygiene program, she has giene care to patients at Ranchos Los Miragas been an innovator for her field. Her current research is hospital. Since coming to USC, she has been an a project called “Evaluating the Development of Mus- integral part of the hygiene program, teaching culoskeletal Injuries in Dental Hygienists” which aims generations of students to be leaders in provid- to find a novel method for early detection of median ing oral health to the community. nerve pathology. Her study involves following dental hygiene students over a two-year period and evalu- As Chair of the Dental Hygiene department, she ating their tissue morphology utilizing sonographic has pushed for integration between dental hy- imaging, evaluating neurophysiologic changes using gienists and dental students, helping to expose nerve conduction testing and monitoring subjective both sides of the school to each other’s unique reports of symptoms. Her goal is to find dangerous perspectives. According to Professor Melrose, habits of hygienists that lead to career-harming inju- this “[emphasizes] our dental hygiene program’s ries, and then to provide solid strategies for mitigating level of expertise and the advantage we have these injuries. with it being housed within the dental school.” This integration would involve dental hygiene For inspiring dental hygienists, Professor Melrose ad- students working side by side with dental stu- vises “to believe in yourself and believe you can do dents, taking courses and seminars together. Re- whatever you put your mind to” and to make sure cently Professor Melrose also led the change to “you truly care about others and have a clear passion smaller hygiene classes to “[offer a] more per- in wanting to improve their quality of life.” To current sonalized education and more one-on-one time hygienists and all health care professionals, her advice between students and faculty.” is to have good communication with your patients and always have a positive attitude. Professor Melrose epit- Professor Melrose was the first hygienist in her omizes this philosophy with her dedicated, passionate family, and she recalls her inspiration for hygiene work in dental hygiene and strong commitment to the coming from her father, who received dentures Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC. at 28 years old. Seeing him come home and having to deal with the extreme discomfort from From her work with special needs patients at the Uni- his dentures inspired her to help others avoid versity of Iowa and the John F. Kennedy Institute,to her experiencing her father’s pain. This experience, breakthrough research on preventing musculoskeletal coupled with her seeing the effects of poor oral injuries in dental hygienists, Professor Melrose has shown her incredible passion for dental hygiene.

The Explorer Journal 2020 29

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC 30

Transformative Care: Craniofacial Orthodontics Scott Barlow & Shveta Duggal

Dr. Vincent (Xuanyu) Lu realized school motivated his interest in dentistry at him to pursue a an early age and was a very career in the United curious child. To him, the most States. Subsequently, important thing has always been he completed his to find answers. When asked why PhD in oral sciences research is so important to him, he followed by an said, “it is the idea that drove me to orthodontic residency question facts, and research was the at the University of key to answering those ideas.” Dr. Lu Illinois, Chicago. To was born and raised in China, where advance his orthodontic he completed his undergraduate and skills, he went on to pursue graduate dental degrees. His interest a one-year craniofacial in research and mentors at his dental fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). He is a board-

The Explorer Journal 2020 31

certified orthodontist and a part-time associate professor it inhibits maxillary growth. So, most specialists opt for in the Division of Orthodontics at the Herman Ostrow secondary bone grafting.” Dr. Lu emphasizes that it is School of Dentistry of USC. He also practices at CHLA as a important for any dentist to be aware of which stage a craniofacial orthodontist. cleft lip and palate patient is in, because the age of the patient and the timing of procedures will influence the Dr. Lu’s research has been focused on bone regeneration bone regeneration outcomes. since his PhD days. While he studied the function of amelogenin in enamel, periodontium and long bone he When asked what challenges he faces as a craniofacial wondered how he could apply this research clinically to orthodontist, Dr. Lu smiled and said, “that to execute help patients. With this mindset, he went on to pursue any treatment successfully, good team support and his orthodontic residency at the University of Illinois, communication are important. Rather than focusing on Chicago. There, he conducted a bone regeneration one problem, as a team, we should be more focused project in which he applied tissue engineering methods on the long-term planning of that existing problem.” to enhance bone regeneration in anorganic bone grafts. He emphasized that it is the clinician’s responsibility to This research project, titled “Characterization of a provide emotional support to patients with craniofacial Biomimetically enhanced Bio-Oss for Bone Regeneration anomalies. He says that most of the patients and Applications,” received the 2017 Research Aid Award parents are frustrated and have psychological issues (RAA) from the American Association of Orthodontists during treatment. The reason for this, Dr. Lu believes, Foundation (AAOF). is because of the knowledge barriers that exist. Dentists treating these types of cases have knowledge that they During his fellowship training at CHLA, Dr. Lu worked should share with patients and their families, but must closely with plastic surgeons, oral surgeons and pediatric also recognize the need to refer such patients to a dentists on an interdisciplinary craniofacial team. He specialist to achieve the best possible outcomes when received extensive training in treating craniofacial it is outside their scope of practice. anomalies in children. Treating children with cleft lip and palate, hemifacial microsomia, craniosynostosis Dr. Lu has published many peer-review articles and and other rare diseases and birth defects allowed him presented papers at many scientific meetings. His passion to master various techniques. At CHLA he studied and for leadership and research has won him a Research Aid applied bone regeneration in cleft lip and palate patients. Award from the AAOF and an Academic Leadership for This experience allowed him to understand various Residents Fellowship award. He considers himself lucky factors affecting bone regeneration in these cases. Some to have had the amazing support of mentors who guided of the most important factors affecting success are the him all throughout his life. He feels fortunate to be a position of the teeth and in particular the canines, the part of the distinguished orthodontic faculty at USC and size of the cleft and the type of bone graft used. All these would like to contribute in similar ways to the field of factors directly or indirectly influence bone regeneration orthodontics. Dr. Lu is not only an excellent clinician and outcomes. Dr. Lu used a new bone inorganic material called researcher, but he is a marathon runner as well. He has Bio-Oss® in human cleft lip and palate patients after pre- completed eleven marathons and is looking forward to clinical studies showed promise in rats. He notes, “in most the next one in Los Angeles. cleft lip and palate patients there is a bone defect and the bone grafting is done in two stages: primary bone grafting On a concluding note, when asked what is the as early as 6 years old, and secondary bone grafting when best compliment he has received as a craniofacial the child is up to 9 years old. The primary bone graft is orthodontist, he said that he was proud to be able to the initial lip repair during the neonatal/natal stage and treat children from his own country, China, at CHLA. the secondary bone graft is before the canine eruption. Parents not only thank him for his expertise but also Most craniofacial teams avoid primary bone grafting as make future referrals for which he is also thankful.

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC 32 Schedule of Events

2020 Annual Research Day April 8, 2020 USC Galen Center

08:00 am – Registration (Presenters and Judges) 09:00 am – 12:00 pm Poster Presentations Judging 11:30 am – 12:00 pm General Registration 11:30 am – 12:30 pm Lunch

12:30 pm – 12:45 pm Opening Remarks Maja Mataric, Interim Vice President of Research Avishai Sadan, Dean Yang Chai, Associate Dean of Research

12:45 pm – 01:25 pm Keynote Speaker Steve A. Kay Provost Professor of Neurology, Biomedical Engineering and Biological Sciences Director of Convergent Bioscience Director, MESH Academy University of Southern California

01:30 pm – 02:10 pm Keynote Speaker Mariela Padilla Associate Professor of Clinical Dentistry Assistant Director of Distance Education Programs Division of Periodontology, Dental Hygiene and Diagnostic Sciences. University of Southern California

02:15 pm – 02:55 pm Keynote Speaker James Finley Assistant Professor of Biokinesiology and Biomedical Engineering Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy University of Southern California

03:00 pm – 04:30 pm Poster Viewing 04:30 pm – 05:00 pm Award Presentations 05:00 pm – 06:00 pm Reception 03:30 pm – 06:00 pm Career Fair (Hall of Fame, South)

The Explorer Journal 2020 33 Keynote Speakers

Steve Kay

Dr. Kay currently serves as the Director of the University of Southern California (USC) MESH (Medicine, Engineering, Sciences, and Humanities) Academy, the Director of the USC Mi- chelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, and is a Provost Professor of Neurology, Biomed- ical Engineering and Biological Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. He held the position as the 21st dean of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences from 2012 to 2015.

Dr. Kay is one of the world’s top experts on the genetics and genomics of circadian rhythms. Having published more than 200 papers, he was named by Thomson Reuters as one of “The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds” consecutively from 2014 to 2019 and has been cited in Science magazine’s “Breakthroughs of the Year” three times since 1997. In 2008, Dr. Kay was elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. In 2009, he was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and in 2011 he was awarded the American Society of Plant Biologists’ 2011 Martin Gibbs Medal for his pioneering research on biological clocks in both plants and animals. In 2019, Dr. Kay was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in recognition of his contributions to science. In 2020, Dr. Kay was appointed as University Professor at the University of Southern Cali- fornia in recognition of his outstanding scholarship in the field of genetics and genomics of circadian rhythms.

Mariela Padilla

Dr. Padilla is the Assistant Director of Online Distance Education Programs and Associate Professor of Clinical Dentistry in the Division Periodontology, Diagnostic Sciences and Dental Hygiene at Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC. She is also the Director of the online Certificate in Orofacial Pain. In addition to her DDS (from University of Costa Rica), she completed an Advanced Residency Program in Orofacial Pain at UCLA, a Master in Education and Curriculum Design in Latin University, and is a Fellow from the Center for Excellence in Teaching of USC. She has combined her clinical practice with academics since 1990, as clinical provider, faculty, pedagogical adviser, and educational administrator. Her current work focuses in Educational Experiences Design related with Diagnostic Sciences in Dentistry, and is dedicated to create online academic programs and learning resources.

James Finley

Dr. James Finley is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California. Dr. Finley received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Florida A&M University and his doctoral degree in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University. Following his doctoral training, Dr. Finley completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Finley and his research team in the Locomotor Control Lab develop models and experiments based on principles of neuroscience, biomechanics, and exercise physiology to identify the factors that guide locomotor learning and rehabilitation. Dr. Finley is also one of the founding directors of the USC SensoriMotor Assess- ment and Rehabilitation Training Center (SMART-VR Center). The Center’s mission is to harness innovative advances in virtual reality to improve motor and cognitive function across multiple clinical populations such as stroke, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease. 34

POSTER

CATEGORY

AWARDS 35

Advanced Dentistry Special Program Residents

CBY/PIBBS Graduate Students

Post-Doctoral Fellows

Undergraduate and DDS Students – Basic Sciences

Undergraduate and DDS Students – Clinical Sciences

Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy PhD Candidates

Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy MS and PhD Students

Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy Post-Docs and Residents

Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy Doctoral Students

Dean’s Research Award

USC STEVENS CENTER FOR INNOVATION AWARDS “Most Disruptive” (Innovative) and “Best Commercial Potential” Awarded to the posters with the highest likelihood of transferring into practical use. The USC Stevens Center for Innovation is a university-wide resource for USC innovators in the Office of the Provost. Designed to harness and advance the creative thinking and breakthrough research at USC for societal impact beyond traditional academic means, they focus on the licensing of technologies, expanding industry collaborations and supporting start-ups. Their mission is to maximize the translation of USC research into products to public benefit through licenses, collaborations and the promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation.

DENTSPLY SIRONA SCADA AWARD - Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research and its Application Dentsply Sirona and the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) have joined forces to co-sponsor the Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research and its Application (SCADA), formerly known as the Student Clinicians of the American Dental Association. The SCADA program advances our collective commitment to empower the next generation of dental leaders. By showcasing students’ research, and recognizing their passion for discovery and innovation, we will fuel the future of dental care.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SECTION OF THE AADR DENTAL STUDENT RESEARCH AWARD The AADR Student Research Day Award is awarded to the best presentation at the university research day competition. The award shall be determined by the university judging committee.

DR. ANSEL WATROUS FACULTY RESEARCH AWARD Presented to the mentors of the DDS students Basis Sciences and Clinical Sciences first place awardees. 36 RESEARCH DAY POSTER ABSTRACTS

healing. At both healing times, coming web-based in 2003. 106 applicants for admission DENTISTRY no significant differences were An algorithm was created to from January – April 2019 for observed in the LDH or ALP ac- provide alternatives for deci- the DDS Class of 2023. Using DIVISION tivity measured from the wound sion making, accordingly with a scale of 1 (“Unsuitable”) to 4 fluid between groups. All gene data collected by selecting (“Outstanding”), 424 pairs of FACULTY markers for bone formation questions. In 2006, based on observations were generated. showed increased mRNA lev- a USC Provost’s grant a more Correlation coefficients were Poster #1 els after 6 weeks of healing in sophisticated environment was derived via an Excel spread- peptide-treated compared to developed, including an ava- sheet. Results: The correla- Title: Dental implant osseous control implants, although no tar for the student trainee and tion coefficient indicating the integration guided by bifunc- significant differences were a simulated operatory. The degree of concordance by two tional peptide-film, in vivo found for bone-resorption gene fourth generation (2010) was interviewers was r=0.74, which markers compared to controls. hosted in Unity 3D with a data- is an acceptable degree of Authors: Malcolm L. Snead, Conclusion: Using a widely base for game data. In 2019 a positive association. For 26% Marta Monjom, Joana M. Ra- recognized animal model for more flexible and dynamic ver- of applicants, at least one in- mis, Candan Tamerler, Yan implant surface activity, we sion was launched, with extend terviewer indicated the candi- Zhou, Hans Jacob Rønold, identified increased osseointe- case types and domains, and date should not be admitted. Fernando Munoz-Guzon and gration guided by the bifunc- support for mobile devices. In 12% of applicants, both in- S. Petter Lyngstadaas tional peptide-film TiBP-M59 Conclusion: Our VP creation terviewers agreed that that ad- on titanium implants with no journey has involved more and mission should not be offered. Background: Implant oste- adverse impact on healing. more sophisticated diagnostic In the remainder of applicants ointegration is dependent on simulation models where stu- (14%), there was substantive surface bioactivity of titanium dents learn to make correct de- disagreement such that one to induce Wnt-integrin sig- Poster #2 cisions. Our system has contin- interviewer indicated the appli- nals, but implant bioactivity ually evolved to respond to the cant was “Unsuitable” or “Less is significantly reduced by 6 Title: Journey of a Virtual Pa- training requirements, learning Suitable” while the other inter- months post-manufacturing. tient System: A continuously tendencies, and new technolo- viewer indicated “Suitable” or Purpose: A bifunctional pep- evolving learning resource gy developments of our time. “Outstanding”. Conclusion: tide (TiBP-M59) consisting of a Calibration sessions help reli- Mariela Padilla, Lu- titanium binding peptide (TiBP) Authors: ably assess candidates’ per- ciano Nocera and Glenn T. optimally linked by a spacer to formance on the MMI. Addi- Clark a 59 amino acid amelogenin Poster #3 tional calibration may further splicing variant (M59) to acti- increase concordance among Background: Challenging stu- Learner-centered Dental vate the Wnt osteogenic path- Title: interviewers. way was used to coat coin- dents with virtual patient sce- Admissions: 2. The Role of Cal- narios have increasingly been shaped titanium implants via ibration Sessions in the Multi- surface recognition in a ran- used within health professional ple Mini-Interview domized controlled experiment education to help them pre- Poster #4 assessing osseointegration pare for working with real pa- Authors: Anita Tourah, Robin in the proximal tibia of twelve tients. Especially considering Fox and Mahvash Navazesh Title: You’ve Come A Long healthy adult female New Zea- that the student’s education Way, Baby cannot entirely dependent on Background: The Multiple land White rabbits. Methods: the type of patients that walk Mini-interview (MMI) was ad- Authors: Joyce Galligan, Mar- After 6 and 8-weeks of healing opted as part of Ostrow dental the implant was recovered and in the door. Purpose: To dis- lene Talley, Lisa Popkoff and cuss the journey of the Virtual school admissions to increase Narine Daneilian assessed by: biomechanical reliability and fairness in the testing using an implant pull- Patient System from 1989 to date, to provide diagnostic admissions process. Having 2 Background: The catchy slo- out test; gene expression of se- evaluators for each interviewee gan created by an ad agen- lected markers for bone forma- skills in Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine for undergrad and is expected to decrease the cy in 1968 exemplified the tion (Runx2, osteocalcin, IGF-I) possibility of bias; however Women’s Lib movement in the and resorption (TRAP, calci- postgrad students at Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry. it is of interest to assess con- country. Does the slogan ap- tonin receptor) of the peri-im- cordance among interviewers ply to enrollment of women in plant tissue; and by wound Methods: This is a descriptive report of five versions of the to further refine the MMI tool. US dental schools from 1968 fluid markers (LDH, ALP activ- Purpose: To assess the degree to present day? How far have ity and total protein). : virtual patient system, compar- Results ing data on design, configura- of concordance among the women actually come in terms Biomechanical evaluation of pairs of interviewers of each of enrolling in dental schools? the implants showed a higher tion, technical requirements, applicant. Methods: Follow- Purpose: To compare the en- pull-out force for TIBP-M59- and student’s performance. Results: The first version ing interviewer calibration ses- rollment increase of women at treated implants compared to sions, 4 pairs of 2 faculty/staff the Herman Ostrow School of control at both 6- and 8- weeks was produced in 1989 as a computer-based system, be- interviewers each evaluated Dentistry of USC (HOSD) with

The Explorer Journal 2020 37 the increase in the national action of Wnt ligands with the bled since 2000. Purpose: Sa- of protected health information average of women in dental Frizzled receptor and Lrp5/6 liva has become increasingly for education and instruction schools nationwide. Meth- co-receptor. Phosphorylation area of focus for, detection, purposes. Medical history ods: Review and compare of Lrp5/6 leads to cytosolic ac- recognition and diagnosis of and clinical examination was enrollment information from cumulation and nuclear trans- drugs of abuse. This is due to performed by a trained prac- the ADA and HOSD. Results: location of beta-catenin to ac- multiple factors such as sim- titioner in Orofacial Pain from The percentage of female stu- tivate target gene expression. plicity, rapidity of collection, the Herman Ostrow School of dents enrolled in a DDS/DMD Lrp6 phosphorylation occurs non-invasiveness and low bio- Dentistry. Findings are sug- degreed program in the Unit- in raft membrane domains with hazard considerations. Quite gestive of non-odontogenic ed States has indeed come subsequent internalization into recently this matrix has been pain. Results: A 40-year-old a long way. In 1968, 1.1% of signaling-competent vesicles introduced in place of blood or female presented with a histo- dental students were female (caveolae) that are essential urine testing. The purpose of ry of blunt trauma involving the and at HOSD, the percentage for Wnt pathway activation. the study is to review the valid- anterior maxilla, which result- of females enrolled was 0.98%. Purpose: The requirement of ity of using saliva or oral fluid ed in vertical fracture of tooth In 2018-2019, for the first time caveolae was characterized in comparison to urine. Meth- # 8 and unremitting pain. The in history, female students in PA-mediated potentiation of ods: “PubMed” database was tooth # 8 was extracted and made up for more than half of canonical Wnt signaling. PA searched using the key words; a dental implant was placed. enrolled students for all four lipophilicity was tuned to opti- “saliva” AND “drugs of abuse” Teeth # 7 and # 9 were diag- years in U.S. dental schools. mize their membrane-partition- AND “urine”. 136 publications nosed with irreversible pulpitis According to the ADA Health ing phenomenon for maximal between 2000-2020 were re- and received endodontic ther- Policy Institute, the statistics enhancement of Wnt signaling viewed after initial search. 72 apy. The pain did not subside, for gender were reported as on bone marrow mesenchy- papers were included in the and did not respond to anal- 50.5% female, 49.2% male and mal stem cell differentiation. study and findings were sum- gesic therapy. A diagnosis of 0.2% unknown. The HOSD is The ability to modulate Wnt marized in the table. Results: painful post-traumatic trigem- aligned with the current nation- activated osteogenesis has Although most available stud- inal neuropathy (PTTN) was al average. Statistics show that significant potential for thera- ies confirm the validity of saliva considered and the patient for the most recent four years peutic application. Methods: to detect the majority of drugs was prescribed an anticon- (2016-2019), enrolled students The caveolin-mediated endo- of abuse; however, there are vulsant (Gabapentin 300mg are 51.6% female and 48.4% cytosis was inhibited to block only few publications available up to 900mg/day). Symptoms male. Conclusion: Females the formation of caveolae with in the literature that support improved and dental therapy are enrolling in U.S. dental two different approaches: 1) a the priority of using oral fluid to was concluded. Conclusion: schools in larger numbers metabolic inhibitor or; 2) siRNA urine. Conclusion: According Persistent pain after an oral than ever before and HOSD specific for caveolin-1. Four to the available studies in the trauma may indicate the devel- enrollment matches this trend. PAs with different lipophilic literature with low to moderate opment of a neuropathic disor- Women are becoming more tails were synthesized and their level of evidence, saliva or oral der. In cases with persistent integrated in the profession potential to enhance Wnt sig- fluid can be used in detection pain, in absence of clear den- of dentistry. The profession naling was characterized. Re- of drugs of abuse. Addition- tal pathology, a PTTN should should be equally open to ev- sults: PA-mediated potentia- al research with high level of be considered. eryone. We have come along tion of canonical Wnt signaling evidence needs to be done in way, baby! was abolished by the inhibition the future to determine the re- of caveolae formation. The four liability of saliva in detection of PAs with different lipophilic drugs of abuse. Poster #8 tails have distinctive effects Poster #5 on caveolae formation. Title: Local anesthetic injec- Con- tions for head and neck myo- clusion: Caveolae formation is Title: Lipophilicity of Peptide required for the potentiation of Poster #7 fascial pain Amphiphile Nanofibers Opti- canonical Wnt signaling by PA Authors: Ehab Nouged, Jaw- mizes Caveolae-mediated Wnt nanofibers. Lipophilicity deter- Title: Persistent Pain after Den- signaling tal Trauma: A Case Report dat Dajani, Bon Ku, Kamal mines the effect of PA-mediat- Al-Eryani, Mariela Padilla and ed signaling potentiation. Authors: Yan Zhou, Erin Hsu, Authors: Kenneth Leopold, Reyes Enciso Samuel I. Stupp and Malcolm Melvin A. Greenspan and Meir L. Snead Keller Background: Myofascial Pain Poster #6 Syndrome (MFP) is a persistent Peptide amphi- Painful trau- musculoskeletal pain disor- Background: Title: Role of saliva in detect- Background: phile (PA) nanofiber designed ing the drugs of abuse matic trigeminal neuropathy der. The presence of trigger to include bioactive domains (PTTN) may result from a wide points with referral pattern is that are instructional to cells variety of trigeminal nerve in- characteristic of the condition. Authors: Azadeh Ahmadieh A undergo self-assembly in juries, ranging from mild to The use of local anesthetic in-

and Mahvash Navazesh b aqueous fluids into nanoscale severe (Benoniel et al, 2016). jections to decrease pain and filaments to mimic natural ex- The drug over- Approximately 3% of patients regain function has been de- s Background: t tracellular matrices. These dose epidemic resulted in ap- with trigeminal nerve injuries scribed as one of the first-line r PA molecules create supra- proximately 630,000 deaths develop PTTN (Baad-Hansen, treatments for MFP. Purpose: a molecular nanofibers with a from 1999 to 2016 according 2017). Purpose: To discuss To evaluate the effectiveness c core-shell morphology built by the development of oral neu- t to the Center for Disease Con- of local anesthetic trigger point s collapsed hydrophobic seg- trol and Prevention (CDC). Na- ropathic pain and its treat- injections in adults with head ments and beta-sheets. Mem- tional Institute of Drug Abuse ment in a 40 y/o female after and neck MFP, compared to brane-partitioning PA potenti- (NIDA) confirmed this data a dental trauma. Methods: dry needling, placebo, and ates canonical Wnt signaling, by reporting that drug-related Patient signed the authoriza- other interventions. Methods: which is initiated by the inter- deaths have more than dou- tion form that permits the use 15 Randomized controlled

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC 38

trials using local anesthetic Methods: The study used a of different types of cancers quire in their Problem Based injections in 884 adults di- convenience sample of grad- were reviewed and their po- Learning (PBL) courses. Pur- agnosed with MFP were in- uate students in the Communi- tential role in cancer diagnos- pose: Educational literature cluded. The primary outcome ty Oral Health Program. They tics were examined. Methods: suggests that assessments was pain (measured by VAS). participated in daily workshop Pubmed review of clinical re- with images result in improved Secondary outcomes included sessions focusing on six in- search published between student performance, in this pain threshold, range of cervi- terprofessional core skills: years of 2000 and 2018 on study we wanted to compare cal motion, depression scale, Communication, Collaboration, salivary biomarkers of can- the performance of our DDS and pressure pain intensity Roles and Responsibilities, cer in humans in english lan- students on both tests, using (PPI) score. The risk of bias Collaborative Patient/Fami- guage was conducted and is the same topics, and evalu- was analyzed based on Co- ly-Centered Approach, Conflict reported here. Results: Our ate the reliability of these as- chrane’s handbook. Results: Management and Team Func- review presents outcomes of sessments to test students’ Meta-analysis showed a sig- tioning. These activities were 104 clinical studies . The most application of knowledge. nificant improvement in VAS followed up with observations frequent studied salivary bio- Methods: We used our as- pain scale of 1.585 units at 1 and interactive discussions at markers are head and neck sessment database to com- to 4 weeks in the local anes- seven community sites. The (34%), breast (19%), pancre- pare test scores for MCQ and thetic group compared to the Interprofessional Collaborative atic (10%) and lung cancer COMBOT in trimester IV for the dry needling group. Howev- Competencies Attainment Sur- (6%) biomarkers. Information classes of 2019-2022. Statis- er, when including only dou- vey (ICCAS) was administered on ovarian (4%), prostate (3%), tical analysis was conducted ble-blinded studies, the effect as a pre- and post-test instru- brain (3%), hematological (3%) using t-test: two sample equal was not statistically significant ment. Data from the ICCAS, , as well as hepatocellular (2%) variances. Reliability KR-20 (p=.020). There was also a an exit satisfaction survey and cancer is limited but evolving (Kuder-Richardson Formula) significant improvement in pain a final project were analyzed. Salivary biomarker panels: value across MCQ and COM- of 0.867 units with local anes- The USC Institutional Review transcriptomic (mRNA, miR- BOT tests were compared. thetic at 2 to 8 weeks com- Board approved the study as NA, lncRNA ) , metabolomic Results: The two sample t-test pared with placebo (p=.007). exempt. The investigation ( nucleic acids, thiols, amino statistical analysis showed No statistically significant dif- was funded by an ADEA COS acids, endogenous metabo- p-value<0.05 when compared ferences were found in other Grant and the USC Community lites), genomic / epigenomic MCQ to COMBOT. An aver- secondary outcomes. Con- Oral Health Distance Learning (cfDNA, ctDNA, aberrant DNA age Reliability KR-20 across clusion: Although local anes- Program. Results: The quan- methylation) and microbiomic 4 years (MCQ: KR-20>0.85; thetics injections provided sig- titative data revealed slight (bacteria, viruses) are more COMBOT: KR-20>0.81). Con- nificant improvement in pain, improvement in 3 of the 6 in- frequently studied for their po- clusion: Statistical analysis evidence on its effectiveness terprofessional core skills. The tential value in cancer diagnos- revealed that indeed, student for the short-term treatment of qualitative data results from tics. Conclusion: Our review performance increased signifi- head and neck MFP is of low the exit survey and the presen- reveals abundance of infor- cantly (p<0.05) when images quality, and sensitivity analy- tation indicated that positive mation on salivary biomarkers accompanied the question ses provided no statistically skills development had taken and their use in monitoring the (COMBOT). The high reliability significant difference. place. Conclusion: This proj- onset, progression and man- measure, KR-20>0.8 indicates ect demonstrated a Communi- agement of various cancers, an internal constancy of the ty-based Boot Camp model for reinforcing the potential value test scores and the reliability training interprofessional col- of salivary biomarker panels as of the MCQ and COMBOT as- Poster #9 laboration. The results showed future non-invasive diagnostic sessments. We interpret these test scores to reflect the effi- Community-based Oral this methodology can enhance and screening tools. Title: cacy of both MCQ and COM- Health Boot Camps for Inter- personal and professional de- BOT assessments to measure professional Education velopment through interprofessional education. student’s ability to recall, ana- Poster #11 Authors: Joyce Y. Sumi, Mari- lyze and apply acquired knowledge. ela Padilla, Anette Vistoso and Title: Comparison of Student Mina Habibian Poster #10 Performance in MCQ vs. COM- BOT Assessments Background: Healthy People Title: Role of salivary biomark- Poster #12 2020 identifies oral health as ers in cancer diagnostics Authors: Nasrin Bahari Chopi- a leading health indicator yet uk, Sibel Dincer, Naren Ravin- Title: KSHV hijacks CAD-me- most medical teams have not Authors: Sibel Dincer and dranath, Denise J. Tefft and diated RelA deamidation to fully integrated dentistry into Mahvash Navazesh Margarita Zeichner-David Promote Glycolysis and Cell their disciplines. Academic Proliferation program goals are challenged Background: Cancer is the Background: A summative to meet interprofessional com- second leading cause of death multiple choice question as- Authors: Jun Zhao, Mao Tian, petencies and address health globally. Discovery of cancer sessment with images (com- Ruoyun Gao, Alireza Delfarah, disparities. Limited research specific biomarkers is critical puter based Test, COMBOT), Nicholas A. Graham and Ping- has investigated the impact for early diagnosis and mon- or without images (multiple hui Feng of Boot Camp to improve in- itoring of cancer prognosis. choice question, MCQ), are terdisciplinary collaborative Utilization of salivary biomark- regularly developed and im- Kaposi’s sarcoma-associat- skills. Purpose: The purpose ers in cancer diagnostics has plemented at Herman Ostrow ed herpesvirus (KSHV) is the of this investigation was to pilot received increasing attention School of Dentistry (HOSD). etiologic agent that causes study the impact of a Commu- in recent years due to non-in- These assessments are de- Kaposi’s Sarcoma (KS) and nity-Based Boot Camp model vasiveness and cost effective- signed to measure retention, several lymphomas. Aerobic to improve interprofessional ness. Purpose: Clinical studies recollection and application of glycolysis, better known as collaborative competencies. on human salivary biomarkers the knowledge students ac- “Warburg effect”, preferen-

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 39 Raffie Garabedian, Design and in vivo Poster #16 Title: testing of novel bisphosphonate-fluoroquinolonegates chemisorbed to bone conju- graft material Authors: Esmat Sodagar, Junia Wadia, Shuting Sun, Philip Cherian, Jeffrey Neighbors, R. Graham G. Russell, Charles E. Nee- Ebetino, H. Frank enna, McK- P. Parish and Bakhshalian ma Sedghizadeh Faculty advisor: Parish P. Sedghizadeh designed study, we this In BP-ciprofloxacinand BP-moxi- floxacin conjugates as a nov- and formulation graft bone el tested them as a combination product in an animal model to assess initial safety and bone grafting efficacy in vivo.study was designed as a ca- Our Rafael Roges Rafael advisor: Faculty male presents A 51-year-old complaint of “pain on with chief when biting”. Patient front tooth history of trauma. denied any patient claims that However, of surgery done he had history recovery 5 years ago, and after that during he was informed the extubation endotracheal was dam- patient’s front tooth clinical ex- aged. Based on of amination and radiographs is pul- tooth # 9 the diagnosis pal necrosis with symptomatic Initially, apical periodontitis. done was treatment canal root on September 2018. up, patient the 1 year follow During my ago month “one reported gum became swollen”. Clini- cal examination revealed that there is a sinus tract, which was traced using Gutta Percha and it lead to tooth # 9. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) was obtained to evaluate the size of the lesion. The lesion’s diameter was more than 9mm with buccal and slight palatal through and through cortical perforation. Ultimately, plate performed was apicoectomy on the tooth on October 2019, and biopsy was submitted to the lab. The result of the biopsy is pending at this time. Only mirtazap- Only Randomized pla- - To establish the ef Treatment Management Poster #15 Title: Associated Lesion Periapical Anterior on Trauma Silent with Teeth Tarro- Mohammad Authors: sh, Pouya Parsa, Rafael Roges and Steven Zwieg explored as a treatment option treatment as a explored serotonin’s in that inhibiting - or reuptake pro break-down excitatory input vides a tonic motor neurons to hypoglossal the genioglossus innervating - upper airway di and other a Therefore, lating muscles. for such mechanism may exist treat OSA. pharmaceuticals to Purpose: ficacy of oral antidepressants in im- compared to placebo on measured as OSA proving study. a polysomnography Methods: were cebo-controlled studies analyzed. Antidepressants antidepres- tricyclic included anti- sants (TCA), tetracyclic selective depressants (TeCA), reuptake inhibitors serotonin (SSRI), and serotonin receptor modulators (SRM). Results: The initial search yielded 254 re- references, unduplicated duced to 8 relevant including studies, 198 Patients with an average base- participants. line AHI of mirtazapine 15-45mg taking 26.7 events/hour had a statistically reduction in AHI compared significant to placebo by -10.5 events/ hour (p<0.001), apnea index by -3.6 events/hour (p=0.001) and hypopnea index by -5.9 events/hour (p=0.037). In one study, patients taking 100mg improved night 1 for trazodone significantly in AHI compared to placebo group (p<0.001). Arousal index, sleepiness, and sleep efficiency were not significantly reduced with any an- com- medication tidepressant pared to Conclusions: placebo (p>0.05). ine and trazadone showed a statistically significant reduction in AHI; sleepiness scale efficiency sleep in increase and were not significant. Based on this at available evidence the time, we cannot recommend stud- antidepressants the ied in the treatment of OSA. Sar- A 29-year- Conclusion: Currently, the Marsupialization Marsupialization Magda R. Abdel- Rayan Alrehili, Alrehili, Rayan After 1 year follow up, Methods: Efficacy of Antidepres- Authors: Authors: ah Barzanji, Ana Meneses and Ana Meneses and ah Barzanji, Henry Kwon Rafael Roges Faculty advisor: Introduction: is defined as a technique of a large volving the creation in- wall, con- window of the cyst so pouch a into cyst the verting ex- the cyst is decompressed, to the oral posing the cyst lining is environment. This technique in Endodontics, in used rarely a case of this report we show to teeth a cystic lesion related #9,10. to old male patient reported the Department of southern tics, University of Endodon- California, Los Angeles, with chief complaint of swelling in the upper front region of jaw. Patient gave history of trauma in upper anterior teeth, which had occurred more than 20 years back. A decompression were and marsupialization Hank’s with irrigated and done balanced solution. Preparation was done and a 13 mm tube placed. Patient was in- of a with Saline to irrigate structed every day for a month. Fol- lowed by apicoectomies #9,10. Result: there is a significantof healing and the patient was amount asymptomatic. This case report presents that marsupialization is a technique sensitive but suitable as con- servative treatment for large cystic lesions. However, it requires a cooperation between insure to dentist and patient success. Poster #14 Title: sants in the Treatment of Ob- structive Sleep Apnea Authors: Fattah, Song W. Jung, Melvin A. Greenspan, Mariela Padilla and Reyes Enciso advisor: Mariela Pa- Faculty dilla and Reyes Enciso Background: Ob- treat to standard gold structive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is CPAP, with Oral Appliance therapy as an alternative treatment. Medications have been Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman Decompression and Mar- PROGRAM ADVANCED ADVANCED SPECIALTY SPECIALTY RESIDENTS Poster #13 Title: supialization in Endodontics: A Case Report tially converts glucose into lac- glucose converts tially tate even with sufficient oxygen of is a hallmark supply, which - and normal prolifer cancer cells previously was KSHV cells. ating - to reprogram glycoly reported not mechanisms are sis, yet the We previously well understood. screen performed a focused and identified- Carbamoyl-Phos 2, Aspartate phate Synthetase Dihydro- and Transcarbamylase, orotase (CAD), as a bona NF-kappaB deamidase of the fide RelA. Bio- transcription factor showed that chemical assays CAD deamidated RelA in RelA and in cells. Remarkably, vitro deamidation abolished potently activation, whereas NF-κB of key promoted the expression glycolytic enzymes, thus fueling aerobic glycolysis and cell prolif- A deamidation-resistant eration. RelA mutant failed to promote glycolysis and impeded cell proliferation. In infected human oral keratino- KSHV-latently cytes (HOK) and umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), RelA deamidation was induced in a CAD-dependent manner, resulting in the upregulated glycolysis. Our ongoing work is to delineate the detailed mechanism by which KSHV latent infection induces CAD-mediated deamidation. Altogether, this RelA work defines the first bona fide novel a metazoan, in deamidase function of CAD and RelA in metabolism and an unprecedented mode of transcription regulation via deamidation-mediated pro- moter selectivity, expanding the functional repertoire of protein deamidation. Meanwhile, ings garnered from our study will find- define a new viralunderpinning mechanism KSHV esis and provide potential new oncogen- means to treat KSHV-associated malignancies and diseases alike. 40

nine (beagle dogs, n=3 based dibular Disorders. In refrac- lenging to diagnose and treat. Faculty advisor: Andre Weiss- on power analysis) split-mouth tory patients, intra-articular The ADEA Competencies for a heimer and Glenn Sameshima surgical extraction and anor- steroid injections may serve General Dentist, includes the ganic bovine bone-grafting as an option. Purpose: To diagnosis and management Background: Digital workflow model to test our conjugates determine the effectiveness of of OFP as a core competen- in orthodontic treatment plan- against negative (collagen steroid injections in TMJ nu- cy. Purpose: Our study used ning relies on the accuracy of sham) and positive (bone graft merical rate pain verbal scale a customized diagnostic sys- scanners to generate 3D mod- without conjugate) controls. (NRS) reduction in patients at tem that is highly structured els from patients’ malocclu- Quantitative 3D volumetric CT the USC Orofacial and Oral and therefore amendable to sion. At the end of treatment, and histologic morphomet- Medicine Center. Methods: A advanced data analysis (i.e. undiagnosed diastemas lead ric analyses were performed retrospective study was con- machine learning). Methods: to unhygienic and unaesthetic to examine the volume of de ducted to identify patients with Creating a Structured Data spaces. Purpose: The pur- novo bone present in surgical various TMD painful disorders, Set: Finding a set of diagno- pose of this clinical study was defects as compared to resid- who received an intra-articular sis-specific high-frequency to evaluate whether the pres- ual graft material and fibrous steroid injection, from February variables (HFVs) involved text ence of saliva affects the accu- tissue. No adverse events 2015 through August 2019. mining of 450 first-visit nar- racy of interproximal spaces of were identified in any study The descriptive data was an- rative orofacial pain patient digital models made from intra- animals throughout the study alyzed with Excel. IBM SPSS notes. Our text-mining discov- oral scans. Methods: The sam- period, and all sites when ex- Statistics version 25 was used ered 137 logical clinical history ple consisted of 15 individuals amined histologically revealed for normality test (Shapiro-Wilk) and examination variables and with 29 spaces. Subjects had no evidence of necrosis, in- pre- and post-treatment NRS, 25 diagnoses, as assigned at least one space in a dental fection, osteolysis or foreign and Wilcoxon matched-pair by our clinical experts. Mining arch. The spaces were mea- body reaction. Bone volume signed rank (2 samples). IRB# the Structured Data Set: Data sured intraorally. The arches or regeneration in the surgical UP-07-00416. Results: A to- mining then identified a set of were scanned with and without defects was greatest in the tal of 41 charts were included diagnosis-specific HFVs de- saliva using the 3Shape TRI- conjugate bone graft group (83% female and 34% over 60 fined as being present >/=67% OS3®. The 3D models were as compared to the bone graft years of age), representing 47 of the time. Of these original uploaded to Meshmixer™. substitute without a conjugate injections. In 57% of the cas- 137 variables, only 53 were Three measurers were asked group (p<0.001, ANOVA) and es arthralgia was first diagno- found as HFVs associated to measure spaces on each also to the negative controls sis, and osteoarthritis second with our diagnoses. Predictive model. Wilcoxon Signed Rank (p<0.001, ANOVA). Our re- (20%). The left TMJ was in- Algorithms: Next, 25 diagnos- and Mann Whitney U tests were sults indicate that BP-fluoro- jected more often (59% of the tic predictive algorithms were performed to determine wheth- quinolone infused bone grafts cases). Pre- and post-treat- created to score individual pa- er saliva affected the spaces did not adversely impact graft ment NRS was obtained in 37 tient data for each diagnosis. on the digital models. Results: survival and de novo mineral- cases. Both variables failed A ROC curve analysis yielded Measurements of spaces on ization was superior to that of the normality test (p>0.05). cutpoints with the highest sen- models with and without saliva bone graft substitute alone, The median improvement in sitivity and highest specificity. were not significantly different indicating that the antimi- NRS was 4 units (mean=3.91, Results: Accuracy of the al- (P > 0.05) from intraoral mea- crobial and/or antiresorptive SD=3.17) with an average of gorithms was examined using surements of the same spaces. properties of conjugates im- 12.8 weeks before the follow a new test data set of 50 addi- Spaces less than 0.3 mm were prove bone remodelling and up. The improvement was not tional first-visit narrative notes not accurately represented. healing outcomes. BPs have significantly better with time from Orofacial Pain patients. Model measurements 0.4 mm previously been shown to in- (correlation score = -0.069; Only the five highest scores and above were significant- crease the density of impacted p=0.686). 9 patients did not re- that were above our minimum ly different than the intraoral graft bone, so our dual-action turn for follow up. Conclusion: cutpoints were used and com- measurements. The absence conjugates employing BPs Intra-articular steroid injection pared to the actual diagnoses. of saliva did not lead to more bound to releasable antibiotics is a suitable procedure to re- An acceptable accuracy score accurate measurements. Con- chemisorbed to bone graft ma- duce pain in the TMJ, with only (percent of time our predicted clusion: Regardless the pres- terial is a promising tool for ap- transient side effects reported diagnoses and our actual diag- ence of saliva, small spaces (< plications to orthopaedic and in the studied population. noses agreed). Conclusion: 0.3 mm) were not diagnosed dental bone grafting. The predictive diagnostic al- on the scans while spaces 0.4 gorithms used in this study mm and above were recog- demonstrated an acceptable nized but not accurately mea- Poster #17 Poster #18 initial accuracy hit ratio. sured. For small spaces, diagnosis remains a challenge in Title: Intra-articular Steroids Title: Achieving Accuracy in the orthodontic digital workflow for TMJ Pain: A Single Center Orofacial Pain Diagnosis with when intra-oral scans obtained Retrospective Study a Customized Diagnostic-Sys- Poster #19 with the 3Shape TRIOS3® tem Intraoral Scanner are used. Authors: Chitra Priya Empe- Title: The Accuracy of Intraoral rumal, Mariela Padilla, Glenn Authors: Anette Vistoso, Lu- Scans of Interproximal Spaces Clark and Reyes Enciso ciano Nocera and Glenn Clark with and without Saliva: A Pro- Poster #20 spective Clinical Study Faculty advisor: Mariela Pa- Faculty advisor: Glenn Clark Title: Effects of Respiratory dilla Authors: Katie Schwartz Na- Muscle Therapy on OSA: Sys- Estimates sug- Background: soff, Glenn Sameshima, Andre tematic Review Background:Avoidance, gest that 12% of the popula- Weissheimer, Kevin Yin, Cory physical and pharmacolog- tion is affected by orofacial Nasoff, Hany Youssef and Kim- Authors: Brien Hsu, Chitra Pri- ic therapy are the first line of pain. These conditions are berlin Low ya Emperumal, Mariela Padilla treatment for Temporoman- varied and are therefore chal- and Reyes Enciso

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 41 Pur- Results: Patients who Myofascial pain Retrospective study Erick Gomez, Yuka Erick Gomez, Yuka The purpose of this Trigger points for Myo- Trigger points received the trigger point in- point trigger the received for computer-aided design and design for computer-aided retainers. of manufacturing Poster #23 Title: A Retrospective fascial Pain: Study Authors: and Glenn Abe, Mariela Padilla Clark - advisor: Mariela Pa Faculty dilla Background: in (MFP) has been reported 85% of patients with temporo- The mandibular disorders. is often a masseter muscle pain. referred of source pose: study was to determine the most common location of a and the ef- facial trigger point ficacy of anesthetic injection. Methods: conducted at the Orofacial Center Medicine Oral and Pain of USC. Data collected June from 2018 to October A single researcher reviewed 2019. the cases assigned to a single provider, to identify those with MFP, and created a de-identified database. Demograph- ics, chief complaint, diagno- pain rating and numerical sis, after and before (NRS) scale a trigger point were collected. The descriptive data was analyzed with Excel. IBM SPSS Statistics version 25 was used for normality test (Shapiro-Wilk) pre- and post-treatment NRS, matched-pair and Wilcoxon signed rank (2 samples). IRB# UP-07-00416 Fifty-one patients were included in the analysis. All patients were given the USC myofascial protocol, and 11 (22%) of those received a trigger point injection, mostly in the masseter muscle. There was a signif- median the in decrease icant NRS after treatment (pre-treatment 7 units vs. post-treatment 5 units; Wilcoxon matched-pair signed rank test p<0.001). The median improvement in NRS was 3 units with of an 7.8 weeks for average the follow up. sig- decreased Improvement nificantly withtime tion score = -0.298; p=0.034). (correla- Conclusion: The pur- Computer-aid- VBR using the Kaitlin Marsh, Andre Purpose: The accuracy of VBR 3D Assessment of Virtual Virtual of Assessment 3D Poster #22 Poster Title: for Modern Bracket Removal Retainers Orthodontic Authors: and Kevin Yin Weissheimer advisor: Glenn Faculty Sameshima Background: ed design and manufacturing from of orthodontic retainers models can digitally debonded same-day be used to facilitate delivery. clin- pose of this prospective the ical study was to evaluate re- bracket virtual of accuracy using moval (VBR) techniques an in-house VBR protocol and orthodontic laboratories two evidence-based provide to support of clinical use of different VBR systems. Methods: in- of consisted sample The tra-oral scans of 20 patients. Four groups were compared. The scans without brackets were used as a control group. VBR was performed by three groups: In-house VBR software Meshmixer™, ODL Laborato- ries, and NeoLab. The virtually debonded models were superimposed onto the control models, and 3D Euclidean distances between surface points of superimposed models were for comparative calculated analysis of surface changes chang- Surface VBR. to due es were expressed via color mapping using VAM software. Results: using the MeshmixerTM protocol did not differ significantly from VBR protocols done by the two labs. However, there was a statistically difference (p<0.05) between significant the two labs, with ODL showing the least accuracy. There was also a statistically significant difference between the three tooth segments (incisors, canines/premolars, and molars), with first VBR of the molars and second premolars first showing the least accuracy. Conclusions: in-house MeshmixerTM protocol is comparable to VBR using Neolab or ODL Laboratories. VBR accuracy increases from posterior teeth to anterior teeth. VBR using any of the three protocols is clinically acceptable

Bracket The sam- It is important INBRACE had a Methods: Appliance (INBRACE): In-Vivo In-Vivo (INBRACE): Appliance Study - An Authors: Zoey Gutierrez, drew Weissheimer and Kevin Yin Glenn advisor: Faculty Sameshima Background: the in- to know how accurate is direct bonding procedure appliance for any orthodontic : The used clinically.Purpose was to purpose of this study of an in- assess the accuracy for direct bonding technique a comput- INBRACE system, customized ed-aid designed appliance. ple comprised of 12 individu- 12 of comprised ple als from the USC Orthodontics clinic who were undergoing orthodontic treatment with IN- BRACE appliance. Initial scans from each patient were used to virtually place brackets and fabricate custom lingual appliances through IN- CAD/CAM BRACE. The brackets were indirectly bonded to the patient following the protocol provided by INBRACE. Post-bonding scans (PBM) were obtained clinically and superimposed with The initial scans containing the virtual bracket models (VBM). Results: positions between the VBM and the PBM showed a statistically significant difference in bonding positions when comparing all the teeth in the sample (P < 0.001) with a Root Mean Square (RMS) mean error in bonding One-way ANOVA analysis of 0.332mm. showed statistically cant differences in the brack- - signifi et positioning between the segmented Indirect bonding 6 (IDB) trays (P<0.0001); lower posterior segments showing most bonding errors. Within each segment, the bonding errors did not cantly between teeth (P>0.05). differ signifi- Conclusion: good bonding accuracy (average error is clinically accurate and ac- 0.33mm) which lin- customized a for ceptable gual appliance. The bonding accuracy was better for the anterior segments compared to the posterior segments. There was no difference in the bonding accuracy for individual teeth within each IDB tray. Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman Alternative Alternative This systematic Randomized con- Bonding Accuracy of Accuracy Bonding a Novel Lingual Customized Poster #21 Title: Reyes Enci- Reyes advisor: Faculty so Background: methods of management for of management for methods sleep apnea (OSA) obstructive been sought by have long beyond the CPAP clinicians device, surgical interventions advance- and/or mandibular ment appliances. Purpose: To conduct a meta-analysis respi- of effects the evaluating oro- (i.e. therapy muscle ratory speech exercises, pharyngeal exercises, therapy, breathing instruments) musical wind therapy compared to control improving or no treatment in [AHI], Index Apnea-Hypopnea poly- sleepiness and other somnographic outcomes for patients diagnosed with OSA. Methods: trolled trials searched using Cochrane EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science up to November 2018 were included and assessment of risk of bias was completed using the Cochrane handbook. Results: Nine studies with 394 and children diagnosed with adults mild to severe OSA were included, all assessed at high risk of bias. Eight out of the nine studies measured AHI aver- weighted a showed and age overall AHI improvement of 39.5% vs baselines after respiratory muscle therapy. Based on our meta-analyses in adult studies, respiratory muscle therapy yielded an improvement in AHI of -7.6 (p=0.001), apnea index of -4.2 events/hr events/hr (p=0.016), Epworth Sleepiness Scale of -2.5 out of 24 (p=0.066), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index of -1.3 out of 21 (p=0.026), snoring cy (p=0.044) in intervention frequen- groups compared to controls. Conclusion: highlights respiratory review muscle therapy as an adjunct management for OSA but further studies are needed, due to limitations including the nature and small number of studies, of interventions heterogeneity and high risk of bias with low quality of evidence. 42

jection as part of the therapy of the grafted segment, with on a complete denture and re- minimal morbidity, and dental showed improvement in NRS. five teeth segments achieving duce graft failure or resorption. implants can be placed with the greatest gain whereas two high success. Smaller mandib- teeth segments were minimal. ular defects may be restored with less invasive methods al- Poster #26 Poster #24 lowing for the preservation of Poster #25 VBGs for future reconstruction. Alveolar Segmental Title: Controversies in Pediat- Title: Based on our experience, the “Sandwich” Osteotomy with ric Mandibular Tumor Recon- Title: Mineralized Allograft with traditional 6 cm limit on utiliz- Interpositional Allogaft for Ver- struction Tenting Screws for Augmenta- ing non-VBG should only be a tical Defects tion of Edentulous Maxilla Authors: Christopher Chan, guideline and may be expand- Jordan R. Wlodarczyk, Erik ed for different indications. Authors: Christopher Chan, Authors: Christopher Chan Ara Mirzaians and Bach Le and Bach Le M. Wolfswinkel, Pedram Goel, Lauren T. Odono, Ravi Garg, Poster #27 Faculty advisor: Bach Le Faculty advisor: Bach Le Mark M. Urata, Lori Howell, Ibrahim Z. Khansa and Jeffrey Simultaneous LeFort III Purpose: To report the out- Bone augmenta- A. Hammoudeh Title: Background: and LeFort I Osteotomies in comes of interpositional oste- tion in patients with the severe- Craniometaphyseal Dysplasia otomy with particulate allograft ly atrophic edentulous maxilla Faculty advisor: Jeffrey Ham- in the treatment of vertical de- moudeh is challenging due to difficulty Christopher Chan, fects in the anterior maxilla and Authors: with temporization during the Ravi Garg, Jordan Wlodarczyk, mandible in preparation for Background: Although the post-surgical healing period. Stephen Yen and Mark Urata implant placement. Methods: Direct loading of grafted sites reconstructive paradigm of the adult mandible has been Vertical defects in the anteri- by complete denture wear can Faculty advisor: Mark Urata or maxilla and mandible (10 cause graft failure and/or sig- well documented, guidelines for pediatric mandibular re- maxillary and 2 mandibular) nificant resorption. Purpose: Background: Craniometaphy- in twelve consecutive patients To evaluate the effectiveness construction (PMR) are more seal dysplasia (CMD) is a rare were augmented. An interpo- of a mineralized allograft with controversial. Free fibula and genetic disease affecting bone sitional osteotomy was per- tenting screws to resist the load iliac crest reconstruction have metabolism. Sclerotic hyper- formed to position the segment of denture wear after augmen- been utilized with great suc- dense facial bones cause mal- 5 mm coronally and fixated tation of the atrophic maxilla. cess in adults, but limitations occlusion, inhibit orthodontic exist in the pediatric popula- with titanium mini-plates and Methods: This study evaluated movement, and reduce maxilla screws. The intergap space 12 consecutive edentulous pation as they are still growing, projection. Orthognathic sur- was filled with particulate al- tients with atrophic edentulous possess mixed dentition, and gery in this population is rarely lograft and covered with a re- maxilla who underwent alveo- traditionally cannot have dental reported due to possible com- sorbable collagen membrane. lar ridge augmentation using implants. Purpose: Propose plications arising from abnor- an algorithm for PMR based on The amount of vertical bone a mineralized allograft with mal bone density. Purpose: augmentation was analyzed by tenting screws. All patients literature review and our expe- Describe simultaneous LeFort cone beam computed tomog- functioned on a complete den- rience. Methods: A systematic III and LeFort I osteotomies in raphy and stratified based on ture immediately after the pro- review of the current literature a CMD patient for treating fa- the number of missing teeth cedure. Visualization software surrounding PMR was com- cial deformity, malocclusion, in each segment. Results: was utilized to compare the pleted according to PRISMA and obstructive sleep apnea guidelines. Retrospective chart The mean vertical bone gain bone change after grafting at (OSA). Methods: We present for interpositional osteotomy 8 sites on the ridge. One inde- review of patients who under- the case of a 19-year-old male with particulate allograft was pendent examiner, who was went PMR at Children’s Hospi- presenting to Children’s Hos- 3.7 mm (±1.6) in the area of not involved in the surgery, tal Los Angeles between 2005- pital Los Angeles with com- the greatest vertical defect. performed all analyses. 2019 was also performed. plaints of malocclusion, mid- Re- Thirteen patients The length of the interposition- sults: The average age of the Results: face hypoplasia, and severe al segment ranged from two, patient was 61 years old, and underwent PMR for various pe- OSA with apnea-hypopnea in- three, four, or five teeth edentu- the average period between diatric mandibular tumors. Dif- dex = 89. Computed tomogra- lous sites. Mean vertical bone pre and post-reconstruction ferent reconstructive methods phy showed calcified maxillary gain at the area of the greatest CBCT was 14.9 months. The included both vascularized sinuses and a dense craniofa- bone grafts (VBG) and non- vertical defect for these seg- mean bone volume gained was cial skeleton. Results: Multiple ments were 1.7 mm (±0.5), 3.8 39.1%. At the 4 edentulous VBG such as cadaveric tissue, challenges were encountered mm (±1.0), 4.6 mm (±0.9), and sites, the mean width gained corticocancellous iliac crest, during the surgery. The bicor- 6.7 mm (±0.0), respectfully. 2 mm below the crest and at rib, custom fabricated endo- onal approach to the LeFort III Of the 20 implants placed, 2 the midcrest was 2.25 mm and prothesis, and custom crib. osteotomies required greater failed (90% success rate) and 4.12 mm, respectfully. A total The mean mandibular defect subperiosteal dissection due were successfully replaced. of 67 implants were placed size for VBG (n=10) and non- to unusually adherent perioste- There were no complications with 6 failed implants that were VBG (n=3) was 7.8 ± 2.9 cm um to the calvarium. When per- associated with graft failure, in- successfully replaced. Conclu- and 12.5 ± 6.2 cm, respect- forming oseotomies, surgical fection, or wound dehiscence. sion: The use of mineralized fully. Mean mandibular defect cutting saw tips had to be re- Conclusion: The interposition- allograft and tenting screws is size for both groups was 8.9 placed frequently due to dull- al osteotomy with particulate effective in increasing alveolar ± 4.1 cm. 54% of patients ex- ing from sclerotic bone. Tradi- allograft is a predictable meth- width for implant placement in perienced complications, and tional auditory feedback from od for vertical augmentation in patients with the severely atro- 46.2% of patients underwent osteotomes to indicate con- the anterior maxilla and mandi- phic maxilla. Tenting screws successful dental implant tact with the cranial base was ble. Vertical height gain is di- help resist loading of the graft- placement. Conclusions: also not reliable. In addition, rectly proportional to the span ed sites to allow early function PMR can be performed with the ossified maxillary sinuses

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 43 The Many of the In both JOP and In both JOP Conclusion: Dental norms and char- tive statistics were used to an- used were tive statistics the to addition in data the alyze - the quality of report trends in Results: ing. - reviews pub JCP, systematic lished in 2013 and 2018 show to of adherence a wide range check- difference items in both lists ranging from 37.5-100% in AMSTAR and 25-100% Glenny’s. in of SR in quality of reporting to AM- JoP and JCP according Glenny’s STAR statement and in checklist can be improved the areas identified within this study. Poster #31 : Photoacoustic imaging Title for measuring periodontal phenotype Pham, Authors: Christopher Jes- Moore, Colman Law, Jane se Jokerest and Casey Chen Faculty advisor: Casey Chen Comprehensive periodontal examination requires clinical evaluation utilizing a periodontal probe. However, the periodontal probe suffers from amongst reproducibility poor operators due to angulation, magnitude of force, tooth anatomy, and inflammation. In addition, periodontal measure- to six ments are often limited points around a tooth circum- ferentially. Photoacoustic-ul- nonin- a is imaging trasound vasive technique that spatially resolves the periodontal anatomy, allowing for visualization of the free gingival margin, gingival thickness, and the gingival sulcus. Poster #32 Title: acteristics in a Vietnamese population Author: Cameron Freelove advisor: Glenn Faculty Sameshima Background: ortho- in used norms dental dontic treatment planning are based on Caucasian peoples. There is limited research on

Systematic re- Jassem Alsharah, Evaluation of the Quality Poster #30 Title: Re- Systemic in Reporting of views In Periodontal Journals – A Cross Sectional Survey Authors: Shira Scholten, Kian Kar and Satish Kumar Faculty advisor: Kian Kar Background: meta without or with views analyses have been integral in decision making. Stringent research criteria must be followed to publish a high quality Systematic Reviews in order to attain clinically relevant answers. Validated instruments have been developed to assess the quality of SR such Multiple of Assessment the as Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) and a checklist by Glenny and Purpose: To as- colleagues. sess the quality of reporting or with Reviews Systematic of without meta-analyses in two read periodontology widely journals; Journal of Periodon- tology (JoP) and Journal of Periodontology (JCP) Clinical published in the years and 2018. Methods: Electron- 2013 using search manual and ic Medline database of JoP and JCP was done independently by two reviewers. AMSTAR statement and Glenny’s checklist were used to evaluate the select- the of quality reporting ed Systematic Reviews from both journals. The percentage of the number of articles fulfilling each item in each checklist for the years of 2013 and 2018 were calculated and descrip- ologic associations, and statis - and associations, ologic tically significant risk factors, with lichen planus for patients - to controls. Con as compared This study evaluated clusions: ethnically diverse a robust and - of patients at a ma population in Los An- jor university clinic geles, and identified important associated parameters clinical Since oral with lichen planus. relatively lichen planus is a encoun- common condition data practice, dental in tered are rele- and studies like this inform the vant to clinicians to and natural history of disease risk factors. Im- Parish Methods: Background: Tarun Mundluru, To conduct a retro- Sedghizadeh Purpose: spective case-control study of oral lichen planus patients at a major university clinic in order to characterize and analyze the natural history of the disease, risk factors and co- therapeutic and morbidities, responses. Poster #29 institution- A 10-year Title: case-control retrospective al planus study of oral lichen Authors: Amirali Karimi, Hassan Pour, Kaveh Masoumeh Gomez, Conor Perrin, Erick Ghods, Empe- Anette Vistoso, Chitra rumal, Mohammad and An- Parish Sedghizadeh Khalifeh, drew Sanapaya advisor: Faculty mune mediated diseases like lichen planus have complex etiopathogenesis. Oral involvement is common, treatment responses vary, and previous data implicates lichen planus may be associated with other chronic illnesses. This study constitutes a 10- year retrospective case-control study of oral lichen planus patients compared to age and sex-matched controls at the University of Southern Califor- nia (USC). Institutional review board approval was obtained for this study. The Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC electronic health record Henry ExanSoftware, (AxiUm, Schein Co., BC) was queried for patients of record from a 10-year period (2010-2020), and data was collected via Oracle database management software by an information technology data analyst. De- mographic, clinicopathologic, parameters therapeutic and (independent variables) were assessed first by descriptive analyses with lichen planus as in- To variable. dependent the vestigate differences between the lichen planus versus control group, Chi-square and independent samples t-tests need for preventive and re- and for preventive need - therapy need storative dental of Skid row. ed for residents Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman A To de- With prop- The rates of mor- Purpose: Kamelia Ebrahimian Our study demon- Services delivered to retrospective chart review was performed on patients who were seen at URM and JWCH dental clinics in Skid Row, Los Angeles. Data from electronic dental records were drawn from 2010 through 2017 in- procedures, dental cluding, and ethnicity race, groups, age year of visit. Results: our findings show evidence of certain procedures such as dental fill- higher are extractions and ings procedures. Con- other than clusion: strates a high were performed with p<0.05 indicating statistical significance. Results: Find- ings from this study will reveal demographic and clinicopath- scribe most common dental services received by underserved adults in Ostrow dental clinics (URM & JWCH) located in Skid Row area. Methods: bidity and mortality in homeless in mortality and bidity population are high compared with the general population due to poor living conditions. Moreover, there is no solid data on the oral health status of homeless population in the United States. Only few studies have described dental needs and use of dental services by homeless. Payvand, Mehdi Mohammadi, Reyes Enciso and Roseann Mulligan Mo- Faculty advisor: Mehdi hammadi Background: created uneven down fracture down fracture uneven created separation. I LeFort the during - was ultimately ad The maxilla vanced a total of 8 mm; 7 mm at the LeFort III and and 1 mm level, respectfully. LeFort I no postoperative There were the patient complications, and improved his with satisfied was and occlu- midface projection sion. Conclusion: er planning and consideration for dense bone morphology, III and Le- simultaneous LeFort can safely Fort I osteotomies patients. CMD in performed be Poster #28 Title: underserved adults visited Os- Row Skid in Clinics Dental trow Authors: 44

dental norms for Vietnamese trition would be an important Background: Older adults are Faculty advisor: Neema peoples, which hinders the or- step toward the provision of at higher risk of loneliness and Bakhshalian thodontist’s ability to properly necessary health care for old- depression, which are associ- treatment plan for Vietnamese er people whose oral health ated with a decrease in quality Various surgical techniques patients. Purpose: The pur- is compromised. Purpose: of life and health. Studies have and biomaterials have been pose of this study is to help To evaluate whether poor oral shown a relationship between introduced for the treatment of create a reference that outlines health is associated with a loneliness and a decrease in gingival recession over the last an overview of the dental char- higher risk of malnutrition in cognitive function, increase in decades. These procedures acteristics of the Vietnamese older adults. Methods: Cohort depression, increase in mor- are aimed to improve esthet- people. Methods: Initial re- and cross-sectional studies bidity, mortality and cardio- ics, augment root coverage to cords (plaster study models) with adults 65 years and old- vascular disease. Purpose: prevent dental hypersensitivity of 159 patients (49 male, 110 er, reporting oral health and Investigate the association of and root caries, and increase female) of Vietnamese descent nutritional outcomes based loneliness with oral health in soft tissue thickness to prevent were collected from a private on either MNA (Mini Nutrition- older adults. Methods: Data progression of recession. The orthodontic practice in South- al Assessment) or MNA-SF was collected from adults ≥65 aim of this study was to eval- ern California. All the models (short form). Four databas- years at different locations in uate the efficacy of a novel were analyzed and recorded es were searched (PubMed, Los Angeles, using the 3-item technique, Fibrin Assisted Soft by two investigators for the fol- Web of Science, Cochrane UCLA Loneliness Scale; the Tissue Promotion, for treatment lowing measurements: Angle Library and EMBASE) through Center for Epidemiologic of recession defects in multiple classification, overbite, overjet, 2/2019. Risk of bias was as- Studies Depression Scale; adjacent teeth. Patients (n=13) presence of tooth shaped inci- sessed with the checklist by the Oral Health Impact Profile with ambulatory medical histo- sors, presence of anterior and the Agency for Healthcare Re- (OHIP-14) and the oral health ries were enrolled in the study. posterior crossbite, arch form, search and Quality scale. Re- screening of the Association of Each patient was treated with crowding, and Bolton discrep- sults: A total of 923 abstracts State and Territorial Dental Di- a soft tissue graft via vestibular ancy. Results and Conclu- were reviewed. Meta-analyses rectors (ASTDD). Results: We tunneling and Platelet Rich Fi- sions: The subjects showed showed that the lack of dai- enrolled 43 participants ≥65 brin (APRF) membranes. Base- Angle molar classification in ly oral hygiene (teeth/denture years with an average age of line and post-op (6-18 months) decreasing frequency from cleaning), chewing problems 73.0 ± 6.1 (SD) (21 males and intraoral scans of each treat- class 1, 2, and 3. The mean and being partially/fully eden- 22 females). There was no as- ed tooth were superimposed overjet and overbite values tulous put elders at higher sociation between loneliness via Geomagic software. 2-D were greater than established risk of malnutrition (p<0.05). or depression with any of the and 3-D measurements were ideal norms. Shovel shaped After adjustment for socio-de- clinical oral findings or OHIP- analyzed. Thirteen patients incisors were present in 57.2% mographic variables, the in- 14. Lonely people (a score of (n=13 for 2-D analysis, n=10 of the subjects, which is concluded studies in the system- >6) had a significantly higher for 3-D analysis) were includ- sistent with Mongoloid dental atic-review reported lack of average depression score than ed in the measurements. All features. Posterior crossbite of autonomy for oral care, poor/ those not lonely (13.1±6.7 ver- patients healed uneventfully. at least one tooth was present moderate oral health, no ac- sus 3.7±3.3; p<001). Patients The mean root coverage, per- in 23% of the subjects, anterior cess to the dentist and being with higher negative impact centage of complete root cov- crossbite of at least one tooth edentulous with either no den- of oral health (measured with erage, and the gained volume was present in 32% of the tures or one denture were risk OHIP-14) had lower numbers were quantified. The data will subjects. Ovoid was the most factors significantly associated of upper (p=0.04) and lower be presented at The Annual common arch form, followed with a higher risk of malnutri- teeth present (p=0.005), more USC Research Day. Fibrin-As- by square, and then tapered. tion (p<0.05). Conclusions: gingival inflammation (p=0.01), sisted Soft-Tissue (FAST) Pro- On average, subjects exhibit- Findings may imply that once higher tooth mobility (p=0.029), motion is an effective tech- ed mild to moderate crowding. elders become dependent on more need for periodontal care nique for treatment of multiple Bolton’s tooth sized ratios can others for assistance with oral (p=0.015) and lacked function- adjacent recession defects. be used appropriately for Viet- care, have decreased access al posterior occlusal contacts namese peoples. to oral healthcare, and lack ef- (p=0.006). Conclusion: A ficient chewing capacity, there significant positive associa- Poster #36 is increased risk of malnourish- tion was found between lone- Does waxing impression ment. Limitations of the study liness and depression. While Title: technique distort the final im- Poster #33 include heterogeneity of oral similar rates of oral pathology pression? health variables and the obser- Association of oral health were found when compared Title: vational nature of the studies. and nutritional status in older to the California Report, there Author: Kuan-Ming Chiu Further studies are needed. adults: A systematic review has yet to be an association with meta-analyses found between oral health Faculty advisor: Winston and loneliness or depression. Chee Poster #34 Authors: Sahar Hussein, Rifat Background: Recording tooth Falak Kantawalla, Stephenie Title: Loneliness, Depression Dickie, Piedad Suarez-Durall, Poster #35 structure beyond the margin and their Relationship to Oral plays a key role in fabricating Roseann Mulligan and Reyes Health Findings of Older Adults Title: Efficacy of FAST Promo- Enciso full coverage restorations. The tion in Treatment of Gingival impression material extruded Authors: Stephanie Ritchey, Recession Defect Faculty advisor: Reyes Enciso Piedad Suarez-Durall, Reyes into the gingival sulcus forms a thin skirt of material around the Enciso and Roseann Mulligan Navid Nobaharestan, Poor general Authors: finishing line, which indicates Background: Shahriar Agahi, Alexandre Aa- and oral health are interrelated, successfully capturing the Faculty advisor: Piedad Su- lam, Alina Krivitsky and Neema especially among elders. Thus, margin of tooth preparation. arez-Durall Bakhshalian the early detection of malnu- Waxing impression technique,

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 45 Toothache might Toothache Amelogenin-derived CBY/ PIBBS STUDENTS GRADUATE GRADUATE unknown; while symptomatic while symptomatic unknown; - an to secondary occurs TN process such other disease - vascular mal as a tumors, or a demyelinating formation - as multiple scle disease such of peak incidence rosis. The between idiopathic TN occurs the ages of 50-70 with 90% of age 40 TN cases occurs after of Idio- but the peak incidence ages of pathic TN is between more like- 50-70. Women are in men than affected be to ly TN both types. Symptomatic in younger is more common TN patients while idiopathic older pa- is more common in tients. Purpose: The purpose den- of this paper is to educate tal professionals that toothache may not be caused by actual tooth problem. Dentists should think out of the box when diagnosis dental pain, they should perform treatment only after being sure about their diagnosis. This case report of atypical trigeminal neuralgia presented as a toothache that could took months or years before finding thecorrect diagnosis. This will be devastating to the patient and might subject the patient to unnecessary costly dental procedures. Method: A logical approach was used to reach the correct diagnosis in this case. It will be very likely to misdiagnose this case by focusing only on the clinical of the picture radiological and aching tooth. Results: Patient was treated successfully using anticon- an Carbamazepine, vulsant medication commonly used for management of TN. Conclusion: be a symptom of a problem that is not caused by the painful tooth. Poster #40 Title: peptide P26 promotes gen mineralization and dentin colla- remineralization The The Trigeminal neu- A Steiner, Tweed, A Chitra Priya Empe- Priya Chitra Atypical trigeminal neu- - the differ directly evaluating established norms. ences to Methods: - cephalometric anal and Wits completed on 104 ysis was radio- cephalometric lateral - Vietnamese individ graphs for Imaging Dolphin the using uals param- Twenty-eight program. eters were recorded. - Descrip done using tive statistics were Microsoft Excel. Results: to be mean ANB was found 2.3 ± 2.8 degrees. Mean Wits mm. 4.3 ± -1.8 be to found was found to The U1-NA mean was be 32.8 ± 7.3 degrees with the L1-NB mean found to be 31.7 ± 6.9 degrees. The mean SN- was found GoGn of the sample to be 29.3 ± 6.0 degrees. Soft tissue measurements were found to be 1.1 ± 2.6 mm and 3.4 ± 2.7 E-plane for the upper and the mm in relation lower lip. Conclusion: to Vietnamese individuals tended to have increased U1-NA and measurements leading L1-NB char- dental protrusive more to acteristics. This is consistent with previous literature showing a more protrusive soft tissue profile when compared to Rickett’s E-plane as well as the U1-SN parameter. Poster #39 Title: lower a as presented ralgia incisor toothache in a 73 years old female patient Authors: rumal and Nour Dean Khalifeh advisor: Mohammad Faculty Khalifeh Background: ralgia (TN) is a relatively un- an- an with disease common United the in incidence nual States of 4:100,000 per year. TN mostly affects patients over the age of 50 but can occur at any age. Based on the clinical symptoms, TN have been classified into idiopathic or classical and symptomatic or secondary. Symptoms are similar in both groups but the etiologies are different. About 90% of patients with into the idiopathic category. TN fall The term, idiopathic is used when the underlying cause is Lateral Cepha- James Spencer Bis- Children sedated with Cephalometric norms for - either: I: Meperi sedated with - and Midaz dine, Hydroxyzine, II: Meperidine, or (MHM) olam Hydroxyzine, and (DHM). Diazepam Data collected - includ - behavior, will ed: pre-sedation take radiographs ingness to of and sedatives, effectiveness occurrence the sedation, and adverse of any intraoperative analyzed events. The data was lo- with descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon gistic regression, the Chi Square Rank Sum test and 15.0. Results: Stata via test se- The proportion of effective group was dations in the MHM 66.2% (47 out of 71) vs. 79.7% (303 out of 380) in Intra-oper- group respectively. the DMH ative adverse events occurred more frequently in the MHM the to compared (11.4%) group DMH group (4.2%) [P=0.037]. After adjusting for fearfulness, whether a pre-operative radio- graph was taken, and pre-op- children cooperation, erative sedated with DHM were 88% more likely to have an effective sedation (OR=1.88, 95% 1.02, 3.48, Conclu - p=0.043). CI: sion: DHM were more likely to have an effective sedation with less events. adverse intraoperative A child who is willing to take pre-operative radiographs, and who has higher pre-oper- likely more is cooperation ative to have an effective sedation. Poster #38 Title: the Vietnamese: a clinical appraisal Authors: bas and Glenn Sameshima advisor: Glenn Faculty Sameshima Background: lometric radiographs are used in many orthodontic offices to help diagnose the patients. associ- analyses the of Many ated with these are based off of norms that were established from a Caucasian population. There is limited information for the Vietnamese population. Purpose: To help establish cephalometric measurements that are more representative of the Vietnamese people while Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman The The electronic The Jonathan Chay, To investigate ab- 1) Determine the ef- Comparison of Two Oral Methods: fectiveness of two oral meperidine drug regimens in sedating children for dental treatment. 2) Assess whether pre-sedation behavior, willingness to take radiographs and willingness to take the sedatives are correlated with sedation success. Poster #37 Title: Meperidine Drug Regimens: A Retrospective Study Authors: Thomas Tanbonliong and M. Wilson advisor: Thomas Tan- Faculty bonliong Purpose: waxing impression technique impression waxing accuracy the affect not does of the PVS final impression. which was first described by Mojmir Vacek in modification of 1965, the impression is a the cast. The prior to pouring uses an adhesive procedure - the skirt of im wax to thicken to material in order pression more clearly define the preparation finish line. This step also material protects impression separat- from being torn after However, ing the stone cast. molten the wax shrinkage from present a to solid phase may distortion. risk of impression Purpose: of distor- sence or presence after the impression of tion impression using the waxing A met- technique Methods: al cylinder with 1 mm margin preparation and sleeve forming a 0.2 mm apace between were prepared as an standard model. 20 prosthodontics residents in USC were selected to execute PVS impression taking and impression modification. 10 of the 20 did impression taking only as a control group. 3D scanning of the impression with and without waxing impression technique were com- Results: There is no pared. significant difference between with- and with impression PVS out waxing impression technique use. Conclusion: dental records of 451 children of records dental who were sedated with one of two oral meperidine regimens were evaluated. Children were 46

Authors: Gayathri Visakan, Poster #41 Poster #42 to ameloblast cell membrane Kaushik Mukherjee, Jin-Ho at the secretory face of amelo- Phark and Janet Moradian-Ol- Title: Protein Arginine Meth- Title: Amelogenin-Amelo- blasts. We propose that Ambn dak yltransferase 4 is Essential in blastin Protein Interaction and acts as an adhesion molecule Posterior Frontal Suture Fusion Function in Dental Enamel For- between ameloblasts and Faculty advisor: Janet Mora- mation Amel rich enamel extracellular dian-Oldak Authors: Nicha Ungvijanpu- matrix. nya, Yongchao Gou, Stephen Authors: Rucha Arun Bapat, Background: Non-carious Yen and Jian Xu Jingtan Su and Janet Moradi- cervical lesions result from mean-Oldak chanical and chemical trauma Faculty advisor: Jian Xu Poster #43 to the enamel leading to dentin Faculty advisor: Janet Mora- exposure. Treatment of demin- Background: Protein Arginine dian-Oldak Title: Pull-off Bond-strength eralized dentin is challenging Methyltransferase 4 (PRMT4) of Polymer-based Crowns to owing to an enzyme rich col- is an enzyme required for ar- Background: Enamel matrix CAD/CAM Prepared Human lagen matrix. Here, we used a ginine methylation which plays proteins amelogenin (Amel) Teeth rationally designed amelogen- important roles in several pro- and ameloblastin (Ambn) coin peptide (P26) as an effective cesses including bone devel- localize in the secretory stage Authors: Reham Alsamman, biomimetic strategy for the re- opment. Previous study has of amelogenesis and their frag- Neimar Sartori, Sillas Duarte pair of superficial dentin. Pur- shown that mice with Prmt4 ments continue to colocalize in and Jin-Ho Phark pose: To investigate the role of deletion died shortly after the maturation stage. However, Jin-Ho Phark P26 in regulating the mineral- birth. During embryonic stage, evidence of direct binding and Faculty advisor: these mice exhibited delay in co-assembly between Amel ization of collagen fibers in vi- Purpose: Evaluate the adhe- tro, and in promoting functional endochondral bone formation and Ambn remains scarce. and chondrocyte proliferation. Purpose: To provide evidence sive performance of crowns remineralization of demineral- made of two CAD/CAM mate- ized dentin in situ. Methods: However, PRMT4 role in os- of direct binding between teogenic proliferation, forma- Amel-Ambn and to propose rials bonded to natural teeth For the in vitro mineralization using six resin cements. Meth- experiments, collagen fibers tion, and differentiation has a function of the interaction. not been fully understood. The Methods: Specific interaction ods: A standard preparation that were first assembled on (3 mm height, 6º axial con- TEM grids (PBS, pH 7.0) and study from our lab has shown between recombinant and na- that PRMT4 methylates RUNX2 tive porcine Amel-Ambn was vergence, 0.5 mm chamfer incubated in a metastable finish line) was designed and Ca-P solution, with and with- which is a master regulator for identified with co-immunopre- bone formation. Therefore, we cipitation (co-IP). The fragment prepared into 144 human mo- out P26 were examined under lars using a CAD/CAM milling TEM. Mid-coronal dentin sec- deleted Prmt4 in the neural of Ambn essential for binding crest-derived tissue using a to Amel was identified using machine (CEREC inLab MC tions obtained from extracted XL). Crowns were designed human third molars were di- conditional knock out model to Ambn mutants and synthetic study the role of PRMT4 in cra- peptides. Dynamic Light Scat- and milled out of two poly- vided into Normal, Demineral- mer-based CAD/CAM mate- ized (pH 4.6), P26 treated and nial bone development, specif- tering (DLS) and Transmission ically neural crest-derived cra- Electron Microscopy (TEM) rials (LuxaCam, DMG; Lava Control groups. After 10 days Ultimate, 3M). After sandblast- nial bones. Purpose: We aim were used to study the co-as- of remineralization in artificial ing the internal surface of each saliva (pH 7.0), crystal mor- to investigate the role of PRMT4 sembly of Ambn with Amel in neural crest-derived cranial nanospheres. In vivo Amel- crown (50 μm Al2O3, 13 s) and phology, orientation, and min- cleaning (ethanol in ultrasonic eral density were analyzed us- bone development. Methods: Ambn and Ambn-ameloblast Control (Prmt4fl/fl) and neu- cell membrane colocaliza- bath, 5 min), the crowns were ing SEM, XRD, and Micro-CT. cemented with one of six ce- Hour glass shaped dentin ral crest-specific Prmt4 deletion was studied in 8-day-old tion mice (Wnt1-cre;Prmt4fl/fl) mouse incisors and ameloblast ments (1.experimental cement, specimens were prepared and 2.RelyX Ultimate, 3.DuoCem, tested under tension until frac- were generated and collected lineage cells (ALC). Results: at several timepoints (E16.5, Recombinant and native Amel- 4.Multilink Automix, 5.RelyX ture. Results: In vitro collagen Unicem2, 6.Ketac Cem Plus), mineralization in the presence E18.5, P0, P4, P7, 5-week, and Ambn bind in vitro through the 6-week old) MicroCT scanning N-terminal fragment of exon 5 according to the manufactur- of P26 resulted in the formation ers’ instructions. All crowns of amorphous calcium phos- and skeletal preparation were encoded region of Ambn. The performed. The analysis was peptide representing exon 5 were seated onto the prepara- phate and small HAP crystals tion using a seating device and attached to the fibril surface. done for cranial bone param- encoded region of Ambn and eter comparison between con- full length Ambn co-assemble light cured for 20 s/ surface Following in situ dentin remin- using LED curing unit. Spec- eralization with P26, a dense trol and mutant group. Cellular with Amel nanospheres in vitro, and molecular mechanisms significantly decreasing their imens were subjected to arti- coating of HAP crystals on the ficial aging by thermo-cycling collagen fibers occluding den- were studied. Results: We size. Full length Amel-Ambn found that mice with neural colocalize within ameloblasts (20K cycles at 5°C-55°C, im- tinal tubules, a 10.74% gain mersion time 30 s, transfer time in mineral density (n=10), and crest–specific Prmt4 deletion and at the Tomes’ processes show open posterior frontal whereas the N-terminal frag- 10 s), 6 months of water stor- a 2.2-fold increase in tensile age at 37°C, and cyclic fatigu- strength (n=10) was observed. suture at 6-week old. MicroCT ments of Ambn colocalize with data also shows wider space Amel throughout the thickness ing (1.2M cycles at 1.6 Hz, 49 Conclusion: Amelogenin-de- N load). Pull-off bond strength rived peptide P26 promotes between frontal bones in Prmt4 of the forming enamel. Ambn deletion mice than control mice colocalizes with cell mem- was measured using a univer- collagen mineralization in vitro, sal testing machine by loading and functional remineralization at P0 stage. Conclusion: Our brane of ALC and ameloblasts data show that PRMT4 is im- in developing incisor. Conclu- specimens until failure. Failure of partially demineralized den- mode was reported. Statistical tin in situ. portant for fusion of the posteri- sions: We have demonstrated or frontal suture. that Amel and Ambn bind to analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney U tests at each other and Ambn binds α=0.001. Results: There was

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 47 Lauren Bobzin and Lauren Bobzin and Role of Fgfr2 in the De- Poster #47 Title: Suture velopment of the Frontal Authors: Amy Merrill Faculty advisor: Amy Merrill The anterior fontanelle (AF) is front the in spot soft fibrous the of an infant’s head, which forms at the intersection of the frontal (metopic), coronal, and sagittal sutures. During postnatal de- clo- the calvaria, of velopment sure of the AF correlates with formation of the posterior frontal suture (PFS). However, per- sistence or premature fusion of the AF in congenital disorders, such as cleidocranial dyspla- dysplasia, sia, campomelic and frontal suture craniosynostosis can distort calvarial growth and alter intracranial Growth Fibroblast pressure. a is (FGFR2) Receptor-2 Factor key regulator of calvarial development. This is underscored by human diseases caused by FGFR2 mutations, which often su- and fontanelle both feature goal overall The defects. ture of this proposal, therefore, is to use mouse genetics to identify the dual roles of Fgfr2 in the eventual and establishment lineage commitment of skeletal contributing cells progenitor to the formation of the AF and PFS. My preliminary studies condition- that demonstrate al knockout of Fgfr2 in neural crest cell (NCC)-derived mesenchyme using the Wnt1-Cre driver delays AF closure and blocks formation of the PFS suture cartilage. This proposal will test the hypothesis that regulates development Fgfr2 of the AF and PFS by dually regulating specificationdifferentiation of SOM-derived and EMM-de- and Scx+/Runx2+ rived Scx+/Sox9+ skeletal - de during observed was ues and the reverse mineralization after seen was ∆F) in (Increase . Conclusion: remineralization that QLF can be We conclude to study as well as employed changes in enamel quantify under- better for dentin and of remineralization standing process. To Cross-sec- QLF has been has QLF Garima Sandhu and Garima Sandhu and Methods: Determination of Min- Co-IP results suggest Co-IP results ing partner Conclu- . profiling sion: is of Runx2 that methylation for its interaction with important Sin3A and C/EBPβ. uncover will study this from Findings mechanism for new regulatory identify Runx2 and potentially approaches therapeutic new for skeletal disease. Poster #46 Title: eral Density of Remineralized Enamel and Dentin: study A QLF Authors: Janet Moradian-Oldak advisor: Janet Mora- Faculty dian-Oldak Background: routinely employed to study defects, especially enamel white spot lesions on teeth. Utilization of sodium cein dye and QLF to moni- fluores- tor de- and re-mineralization of root dentin has also been recently reported (I.A. Pret- ty et al., Purpose: 2003). employ QLF to quantify the changes in the dentin coronal and enamel of fluorescence when subjected to deminer- alization and remineralization in the presence of amelogenin derived peptide (P26). P26 has been shown to be effective in growing enamel like apa- enam- etched on crystals tite al., et (Mukherjee surface el 2017). tions (1.5mm thickness) of extracted mandibular third mo- windows used. Two were lars measuring 1 mm х 1mm were created on every section using exam- were and varnish clear ined under QLF for generat- ing baseline values. Enamel were demineralized samples dentin hours whereas 72 for were demineralized samples were Samples hours. 120 for every at QLF under analyzed step of the process. Enamel samples were compared be- den- whereas groups 4 tween tin samples between 2 groups with primary focus on remineralization in the presence of in Results: Gradual loss P26. fluorescence (decrease in∆F) with respect to baseline val- Co-IP Runx2 is the is Runx2 Results: Prerna Sehgal, My project is centered Role of Runx2 arginine Role of Runx2 results showed that Sin3a and C/EBPβ binds more to methylated Runx2. In-vitro strongly differentiation study will further shed light on the importance of methyl-Runx2 and its interaction with co-factors in driving osteogenesis. Furthermore, APEX studies will help in bind- Poster #45 Title: inter- methylation in functional action with its transcriptional co-factors Authors: Shinde, Yongchao Gou, Abhijit Jian Xu Baruch Frenkel and Faculty advisor: Jian Xu Background: factor for master transcription Runx2 of Loss formation. bone causes embryonic lethality by impaired mineralization of the skeleton. Because of its importance, Runx2 is tightly regulated by signaling pathways such as BMP and post-translational modifications to control its activity and expression. Our lab methylation novel revealed of Runx2 by protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs). Our Preliminary data shows that PRMT3 and 4 are expressed in the osteoblast highly lineages and catalyze Runx2 methylation at arginine (R) residues, which four specific lie within the transactivation/ repression (TD) domain. Pur- pose: around understanding the role of Runx2 arginine methylation Methods: in osteogenesis. to assays co-IP conducted I assess interactions between methyl-Runx2 and multiple co-fac- transcriptional known tors including Sin3A, C/EBPβ, HDAC6 and p-300. I am also using the in-vitro osteogenic differentiation model in ST2 cells to assess Runx2 methylation during osteogenic differentiation and Runx2 interaction with these co-factors. Using the APEX technique, I will further profile the major binding between changes partner and methylation-de- wildtype ficient Runx2. - response on im the host tissue planted biomaterials. Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman Con- Josephine Y. Fang, The adhesive perfor- The adhesive Interferon-independent Interferon-independent no significant strength among LUX the bond difference in except groups LAV nor groups 2 RelyX Unicem LAV/ Poster #44 Title: Title: Switch of macrophage fusion competency by 3D matrices Authors: Zhi Yang and Bo Han Faculty advisor: Bo Han Foreign body reaction reflects the integration between biomaterials and host cells. At the im- plantation microenvironment, macrophages usually fuse into multinuclear cells, also known as foreign body giant cells, to respond the biomaterial im- bio- the understand To plants. material-induced macrophage fusion, we examined whether biomaterial alone can initiate and control the fusion rate cytokines exogenous without and chemicals. We introduced a collagen-based 3D matrix to embed Raw264.7 cell line and primary rat bone marrow derived macrophages. We found interact- the biomaterial-stimuli ed regional macrophages and altered the overall fusogenic proteins expressions to regulate the macrophage fusion rate. The fusion rate could be altered by modulating the cell-matrix and cell-cell adhe- sions. The fused macrophage morphologies, the nuclei number in the fused macrophage, and the fusion rate were matrix dependent. The same phe- the in observed also nomena in vivo models. These results suggest that the biomaterial-derived stimuli exert similar functions as cytokines to alter the competency of macrophage fusion as well as their drug sensitivity in the biomaterial implanted tissue environment. Furthermore, this in vitro 3D-matrix model is potential to serve as a toolbox to predict clusion: both polymer-based mance of crown materials to CAD/CAM teeth was prepared human the However, comparable. de- performance was cement pendent. 48

progenitors. Completion of pressing Fgfr2M391R non-au- T1 to T2. The Surgery partici- and patterned deamidation in this study will reveal a mech- tonomously disrupts suture pants showed a statistically key glycolytic enzymes. While anism that controls develop- maintenance. By using lineage significant increase (p<0.05) in the glycolytic fluxes are be- ment of the anterior fontanelle tracing, we investigated po- feeling that that their physical ing investigated with isotope and posterior frontal suture, tential disruptions in the me- health or emotional problems labeling and tracing by mass as well as advance our un- soderm-NCC boundary which did not interfere with their so- spectrometry, protein deami- derstanding of cell fate choice may be causative of craniosyn- cial activities. Conclusion: dation is further delineated by during calvarial patterning. ostosis. Research in this ongo- The SF-12 and yQOL-FD re- biochemical assays and con- ing study will contribute to the sults demonstrate unexpected firmed by mass spectrometry. model of disease progression stability in QoL from pretreat- Ongoing work is directed to Poster #48 within BBDS human patients. ment to maximal correction of delineate the protein deamidation events by identifying key Title: Investigating Craniosyn- Cl III malocclusion suggesting ostosis in Mice with Bent Bone an adolescent’s self-esteem deamidases that deamidate Dysplasia Syndrome Poster #49 and evaluation of health may these glycolytic enzymes. We be dependent on factors other will then determine the role of Quality of life of adoles- Audrey Nickle and Title: than treatment interventions. selected protein deamidation Authors: cents with cleft lip and palate Amy Merrill in metabolic reprogramming undergoing orthodontic treat- and KSHV lytic replication. Our ment Faculty advisor: Amy Merrill work will uncover key roles of Poster #50 protein deamidation in regu- Janice Lee and Ste- Craniosynostosis, which is the Authors: lating metabolic enzymes in phen Yen Protein Deamidation Me- premature fusion of one or Title: particular and metabolic repro- diated Metabolic Reprogram- more suture joints in the skull, gramming in general, expand- Faculty advisor: Stephen Yen ming During KSHV Lytic Rep- is the second most common ing the functional repertoire of lication congenital craniofacial birth Purpose: Cleft lip and palate protein deamidation. Our find- defect. There are a number of (CLP) is the most common Mao Tian, Shu ings will expose cellular mol- documented skeletal dyspla- Authors: craniofacial birth defect in hu- Zhang, Youliang Rao, Jun ecules that are vulnerable to sias which results in cranio- mans. Adolescents with facial Zhao, Alireza Delfarah, Nich- antiviral or antitumor therapy. synostosis, many of which are differences are at higher risk olas A. Graham and Pinghui caused by mutations to the pro- for psychosocial difficulties Feng tein FGFR2. The Merrill lab has that can affect their quality OTHER identified a unique FGFR2 mu- of life (QoL). Little is known Faculty advisor: Pinghui Feng tation that causes Bent Bone about the QoL of patient with AFFILIATED Dysplasia Syndrome (BBDS), CLP or whether a patient’s Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated DENTISTRY / a lethal skeletal disorder fea- self-perception changes at herpesvirus (KSHV) is an on- turing craniosynostosis as a stages of treatment. We hy- cogenic virus that causes Ka- CCMB key phenotype. BBDS-caus- pothesize improved QoL at posi’s Sarcoma (KS) and B cell ing mutations, which are within maximal correction of maloc- lymphoma in immune-compro- RESEARCHERS the transmembrane domain of clusion relative to pretreat- mised individuals. Previous FGFR2, promote nuclear local- ment. Methods: Patients with studies have shown that KSHV ization of the receptor where it CLP undergoing either late reprograms host metabolism to Poster #51 affects gene expression. Our maxillary protraction(n=50) or funnel metabolic activity to fa- Treatment Management published studies have shown orthognathic surgery(n=50) for vor viral lytic replication. How- Title: of High Coronal Root Fracture that these FGFR2 mutations in Cl III malocclusion were giv- ever, how KSHV reprograms of Anterior teeth in Adolescent BBDS enhance proliferation en QoL questionnaires at two metabolism remains unknown Patients and delay differentiation of times points: pretreatment (T1) Cellular glutamine amido- osteoprogenitor cells, but the transferases (GATs) catalyze and in the middle of treatment Nermine Batniji, connection between these cel- the synthesis of nucleotides, Authors: at maximal correction (T2) of Ankit Keshav and Edmond On- lular changes and craniosyn- amino acids and enzyme co- malocclusion. Validated Facial wukwe ostosis remains poorly under- Differences Module of Youth factor that are building blocks stood. The goal of my research Quality of Life (yQOL-FD) and of cells. We have previously Faculty advisor: Rafael Roges is to outline this connection by 12-item Short-Form Health Sur- shown that a cellular GAT can using our newly developed veys (SF-12) were distributed deamidate proteins to regulate Traumatic injury of permanent Cre-inducible mouse model for to late maxillary protraction innate immune response, sug- anterior teeth is commonly BBDS. Here I demonstrate that patients (11-14 years old) and gesting that cellular GATs may seen in adolescents. Trau- this mouse, which express- potentially couple fundamental M391R orthognathic surgery patients ma may result in loss of tooth es the Fgfr2 mutation (16-21 years old) to assess biological processes to cellular structure, diminished pulp vi- causative for BBDS, develops QoL before treatment as a metabolic status via deami- tality and severe discomfort. progressive pan-suture fu- baseline(T1) and in the mid- dation. We employed KSHV This case report investigates sion postnatally when activat- dle of treatment(T2). Results: lytic replication in human oral treatment management of ado- ed using the neural crest cell There were few differences in keratinocytes to test this hy- lescent individuals that are still (NCC)-specific Wnt1-Cre in- answers between the two age pothesis. First, we performed undergoing growth and devel- ducer. Since craniosynostosis groups and timepoints. The proteomics and metabolomics opment. Five cases amongst in these mice is observed in SF-12 results showed statis- analyses to profile the potential 4 patients with ages ranging not only NCC-derived sutures, tically significant decrease link between protein deamida- from 9-18 years old presented but also mesoderm-derived (p<0.05) in Protraction partici- tion and metabolic reprogram- to the Emergency Department. sutures where only the under- pants in feeling that they have ming, which characterized a These teeth underwent sensi- lying dura is NCC-derived, a lot of energy all the time from robust parallel activation in bility testing, and all required this suggests that dura ex- central carbon metabolism

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 49 Respons- Case-based Students were Students were The major goal of major goal The Results: Thach-Vu Ho, Rob- FaceBase3: Craniofacial Methods: Methods: required to review information review information required to medically about a hypothetical practice complex patient and professions scope of 9 health (HPs): Dentistry, Dental Physician giene, Medicine, Hy- Occupa- Assistant, Pharmacy, Ther- tional Therapy, Physical Work. apy, Nursing and Social During an togeth- students then planned in-class Session, with er to manage the patient, the 9 HPs. help of faculty from post-Ses- Anonymous pre- and given, in- sion surveys were cluding same multiple-choice questions, plus 2 open-ended questions on the post-Session survey. An IRB waiver was obtained. es from the classes of 2019, 2020 and 2021 went 2018, from pre-Session “moderately agree” to post-Session “strongly agree” in constructively expressing ideas 32% (40%, and 38%) 42%, and to an IP team listening (24%, 33%, 32% and 26%). All agreed the Ses- sion improved their knowledge of different HPs (95%, 100%, 100% and 94%). Post-Session survey reported different HPs’ roles and observing collaborative practice in action as the most rewarding information. Upon graduation, classes of 2018 and 2019 reported that IPE had an impact on their career plans (65% and 50%). Conclusion: sented 9 to 17 countries. Pur- countries. 9 to 17 sented - effective the access To pose: and whether IPE ness of CFPP, on international impact an had - career plan dental students’ ning. flipped classroom IPE is effective for international dentists, career their broaden may and planning perspectives. ert Schuler, Cristina Williams, Bridget Samuels, Yuan Yuan, and Chai Yang Hacia, Joseph Carl Kesselman Faculty advisor: Yang Chai Background: Poster #55 Title: Development and phology Dysmor- Data and Integration Hub Management Authors: We panel Autolo- We have IPE sessions us- Methods: In this study we In this study Anna Chen, Robin Flipped Classroom Inter- Poster #54 Title: professional Education (IPE) for International Dentists Authors: Fox and Mahvash Navazesh Faculty advisor: Mahvash Navazesh and Robin Fox Background: ing a case-based faculty presentation (CFPP) was provided to international dentists enrolled in USC’s Advanced Standing Program in Dentistry (ASPID). The Classes of 2018 (n=33), 2019 (n=34) and 2021 (n=32) repre- (n=31), 2020 avoided if possible. There is a There if possible. avoided significant need for improved treatment of calvarial Purpose: CSDs. compared efficacy of- crest mesenchy pulp neural dental mal stem cells (DPNCCs) and (BMA) bone marrow aspirate bone for regenerating calvarial in a CSD. gous DPNCCs obtained from expand- the swine incisor were was BMA weeks. 2 over ed tibial swine the from collected crest. A 3cm defect was made cells were in the calvaria. The combined with a - osteoconductive hydroxyapa 3D-printed phosphate tite and tricalcium the into placed and scaffold Results: defect site. defined a CSD modelswine calvaria as 3cm in the diameter over a 12-week timepoint. DPNCCs or BMA with combined our 3D-printed successfully regenerated scaffold complex cortical bone that in- in bone native with tegrated this model. Density, compres- sion, and trabecular analyses indicated the regenerated bone was of good quality and sound structure compared to native bone. Conclusion: have successfully regenerated cortical bone in the swine calvaria using two cell sources (DPNCCs and BMA) combined with an osteoconductive 3D-printed scaffold. This represents a unique opportunity to utilize cell-mediated tissue regeneration in improving care for human patients with calvarial CSDs. Head trauma, Zoe Johnson, Xiang- MSCs and 3D-print- Poster #53 Title: ed scaffold regenerate critical-sized calvarial defects in swine Authors: jia Li, Yuan Yuan, Tea Jashash- vili, Yong Chen and Yang Chai Faculty advisor: Yang Chai Background: disease, defects, congenital leave can resection tumor and patients with large, full-thickness calvarial defects that are incapable of healing on their own. These critical-sized defects (CSDs) are currently repaired using inferior metal or plastic implants. Bone grafting causes additional trauma to the body which should be of osteogenic differentiation differentiation osteogenic of tooth development. and early the function of Runx2 However, - re formation root tooth during In this study, mains unknown. is that Runx2 we discovered specifically expressed progen- subpopulation of root a in of Runx2 itor cells and loss cells and in these progenitor root in results progeny their Our defects. developmental results provide the first in vivo plays a evidence that Runx2 root de- crucial role in tooth and determining velopment pro- root of differentiation the genitor cells. Furthermore, we identified that Gli1, Pcp4, down- are Notum and Sfrp2, Runx2 by stream targets of using an integration analysis of bulk RNA sequencing and single-cell RNA sequencing. Spe- cifically, ablation of Runx2 re- Wnt of downregulation in sults inhibitor Notum and upregula- tion of canonical Wnt signaling in the odontoblastic site, which normal odontoblastic disturbs differentiation. partial- Notum exogenous Significantly, ly rescues the impaired root development in Runx2 mutant molars. Collectively, our study elucidates how Runx2 achieves functional specificity in regulating the development yields and organs diverse of regulatory the into insights new network of tooth root development. Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman Quan Wen, Junjun Wen, Quan Poster #52 Runx2 regulates tooth Title: root development via activation of Notum Authors: Jing, Xia Han, Jifan Feng, Yuan Yuan, Yuanyuan Ma, Shuo Ho Thach-Vu He, Jinzhi Chen, and Yang Chai Faculty advisor: Yang Chai Progenitor cells are crucial in controlling organ morphogenesis. Tooth development is a well-established model to investigate the molecular and cellular regulatory mechanisms in regulating organogenesis. Despite in our understanding of the advances regulatory mechanism of tooth crown formation, we have limited understanding about tooth root development. Runx2 is a factor transcription well-known endodontic therapy. As a result a As therapy. endodontic the teeth were of the trauma, - into a coronal seg separated a root segment due ment and - or oblique frac to horizontal level of the CEJ. tures at the - palatal and buc After the RCT, cal flaps were released to iso- traumatized the bond and late root. the to segment coronal teeth In adult patients these non-restor- would be deemed to the age able, however due treatment of these patients, a presented. alternative was to ado- Cases involving trauma teeth lescents with permanent improp- are time sensitive, and result in er management could to loss loss of dentition leading of of alveolar bone. Retention these teeth are critical for the long term treatment of either space maintenance for an implant, or intentional extrusion to gain a coronal component. The purpose of this case series is to present treatment management options for adolescent to alleviate order in patients discomfort, and maintain their natural dentition during this critical growth time. These cases will illustrate diagnosis and treatment management coro- oblique or horizontal of nal fracture at the level of the CEJ in developing patients outcomes. follow-up with 50

the FaceBase Consortium is to Authors: Chen Liang, Qiang gy-lysosomal function and ex- Poster #58 advance research by creating Shao, Wei Zhang, Mei Yang, acerbates axonal degeneration a comprehensive repository of Qing Chang and Jian-Fu Chen in C9ALS/FTD mouse models. Title: Denture adhesives in datasets on craniofacial devel- complete edentulous denture opment and dysmorphologies, Faculty advisor: Jian-Fu Chen wearers. A systematic review and disseminating these data- Poster #57 sets to the research communi- Background: G4C2 repeat Authors: Neveen Elabbasy, ty. Purpose: The FaceBase 3 expansions in an intron of Title: The Role of Fgfr2 Within Philip Morton and Tae Jun Ahn Data Management and Inte- C9ORF72 cause the most Scx-expressing Cells of Hair Reyes En- gration Hub builds on the ex- common familial amyotrophic Follicles Faculty advisor: ciso, Roseann Mulligan and isting and successful scientific lateral sclerosis and frontotem- Yi Sui, Ryan Roberts Phuu Han and technical team that has led poral dementia. Haploinsuf- Authors: and Amy Merrill the development, deployment, ficiency of C9ORF72 protein is a key proposed disease Background: Denture wear- operation and community en- Faculty advisor: Amy Merrill ers are often confronted with gagement of the FaceBase 2 mechanism which may act in parallel with gain-of-function a varying degree of loss of data hub. Looking forward to Background: Fgfr2 and its retention and the resulting re- the future impact of the Face- mechanisms, including toxic main ligands FGF7, 10 play RNAs from repeat transcription duction in masticatory function. Base Consortium, we face ma- an important role in hair follicle The use of denture adhesive jor challenges that include (1) and dipeptide repeat proteins development and regenera- from repeat-associated non- has long been considered an how to annotate large datasets tion. However, currently, the useful adjunct treatment for the to empower the biomedical re- AUG translation. Purpose: In- functional role of FGFR2 in hair vestigation of in vivo function of improvement of denture reten- search community; (2) how to follicle stem cells and postnatal tion, stability and overall func- improve data integration and C9orf72 and Smcr8. Methods: hair cycling is not well under- tion. Purpose: The purpose of facilitate data search and re- Mouse genetics, immunostain- stood. During our analysis of ing, behavioral experiments, this research was to evaluate trieval from the hub; (3) how to Fgfr2flx/flx;Scx-Cre mice, we the efficacy of denture ad- use the data from FaceBase to and live imaging. Results: We noted that the mice had ab- +/- mice with hesives (DAs) in completely design studies and otherwise crossed C9orf72 normally matted and unkempt C9-BAC mice and examined edentulous denture wearers inform our future research; appearance with thinner hair the consequences of C9orf72 compared to those same pa- and (4) how to translate our shaft, unstructured hair medul- protein dose reduction in the tients not using DAs. Methods: knowledge from animal mod- la, and progressive hair loss. background of C9-BAC. We Four databases were searched el studies to improve human Understand the role found that C9orf72 loss and Purpose: (PubMed, Web of Science, Co- craniofacial health. Methods: of Fgfr2 within the Scx+ cells haploinsufficiency exacer- chrane Library and EMBASE) FaceBase provides innovative of the hair follicle bate motor behavior deficits Methods: through 2/2020. Only RCTs in- tools for the identification, re- Genetic lineage tracing; IF; in a dose-dependent manner. volving patients with complete trieval, display, curation, and RNA scope; H&E staining C9orf72 and Smcr8 form a Re- dentures in both arches where analysis of data on human and Scx+ cells mark stem protein complex. Expression of sults: the use of DAs was com- animal models of craniofacial cells that give rise to multiple Smcr8, like C9orf72, is reduced pared to no use of DAs were development and disease. cell subpopulations in hair folli- in C9ALS/FTD mouse mod- included. Outcomes includ- Results: FaceBase current- cles, as well as other important els and patient tissues. Since ed improvement in retention, ly includes over 850 datasets appendageal structures. Scx Smcr8 is highly conserved be- stability, chewing ability and from human, zebrafish, mouse, and Fgfr2 co-localize in hair tween human and mouse, we masticatory performance. The and chimpanzee. Alongside matrix cells, which are the tran- evaluated the effects of Smcr8 Cochrane Collaboration’s tool these models, chick and xen- sient amplifying cells derived downregulation in mice. Smcr8 assessing the risk of bias was opus data represent priori- from stem cells. Depletion of knockout mice exhibited motor used. Results: A total of 497 ties. We are also expanding Fgfr2 in the matrix cells alter behavior deficits, which resem- abstracts were reviewed, re- our data repository to include their ability to respond to the ble those of C9ALS/FTD mouse sulting in inclusion of 10 RCTs morphological and functional pro-proliferative FGF7 and 10 models, and displayed axonal with 503 patients. All ten stud- data on tooth development. signals, which is critical for the swellings in their spinal cords ies were assessed at high risk Conclusion: FaceBase seeks hair renter anagen phase and and neuromuscular junctions. of bias. A meta-analysis could to provide a comprehensive, form normal hair medulla struc- These deficits are caused by not be performed due to the trustworthy data repository and ture. Eventually this disruption impaired autophagy-lysosomal heterogeneity of the outcomes educational resource on cra- in Fgfr2 signaling leads to ab- functions due to disrupted ax- reported by the authors. In- niofacial development, through normal hair phenotype and onal transport in mutant motor dividual included studies ensuring that contributed data- progressive hair loss. neurons. Consistent with its Conclu- showed favorable results for sets are findable, accessible, Fgfr2 is important for hair interaction with C9orf72 and sion: DAs compared to no DA for re- interoperable, and reusable. follicle stem cell activation and their downregulation in patient tention/chewing. Conclusion: FaceBase promotes multidis- controls the hair shaft medulla tissues, Smcr8 deficiency ex- Due to the heterogeneity of the ciplinary collaboration and re- structure formation. The co-ex- acerbated autophagy-lyso- outcomes and high risk of bias, search in craniofacial develop- pression of Scx in the bulge, somal impairment in the quality of the evidence was ment, molecular genetics and C9orf72 APM and DP raises the pos- KO mice. The disease rele- low. Individual studies showed genomics. sibility of common signaling vance of Smcr8 downregula- favorable results for DAs which in all these structures and ex- tion was reflected by exacer- might increase the edentulous tends our understanding of the bated axonal swellings arising patient’s comfort and satisfac- pathogenesis of the hair phe- from Smcr8 haploinsufficiency tion. More research is needed Poster #56 notypes in the FGFR2-related in a mouse model of C9ALS/ in this area to study the impact disorder. Title: Smcr8 deficiency dis- FTD. Conclusion: Smcr8 of long-term use of DA and the rupts axonal transport-depen- deficiency impairs axonal effect on denture retention and dent lysosomal function transport dependent autopha- stability.

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 51 Coronoid hy- Medical history Medical The purpose of this Mary Ellen S. Chalm- Ellen S. Mary Coronoid Hyperplasia: Coronoid The radiological charac- Methods: Poster #62 Title: and Literature A Case Report Review Authors: ers, Chitra Priya Emperumal, Kamal Al-Eryan and Padilla Mariela advisor: Kamal Faculty Al-Eryani Background: as perplasia (CH), manifested opening, a limitation of mouth the volume is an increase in coronoid of the mandibular of is diagnosis Early process. to restore critical importance proper mandibular function. Purpose: re- literature and report case view is to illuminate the diagnosis criteria and management and patients CH for options this of awareness the increase condition among general dentists. and clinical examination were performed by trained practitioners in Orofacial Pain from the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry. Differential diagnosis includes Myofascial Pain, Arthralgia, Disc and Coronoid Hyperplasia. Re- Dislocation sults: teristics suggest coronoid hyperplasia where the coronoid elongated appears process superiorly. This case also has clinical findingsmyofascial pain and mild ar- of bilateral thralgia. The treatment plan included CBCT imaging to verify coronoid hyperplasia diagnosis and develop a treatment plan. Patient education was provided with myofascial pain protocol to decrease overall of perception and inflammation oral pain, including self-care, jaw posture, soft diet, and thermal therapy. Conclusions: hyperplasia process Coronoid is a rare condition with the potential to cause severe limitation of mandibular opening by creating an anatomic mechanical obstacle to opening in the posterior portion of the maxilla or zygomatic arch. The literature review for CH determined a summary of management options, including the borderline be can cases where criteria and conservatively, managed Our ob- - Student evalu - To develop and imple In 2001, the School im- Background: Background: teaching (SET) have ations of been utilized for historically however evaluation; faculty there is no significant correla- SET ratings and tion between is 2017). There learning (Uttl research also a paucity of PRT Therefore, in dental literature. well-es- we aim to expand our tablished and criteria-based to in- performance evaluation with the clude PRT, aligned in university-wide Excellence Pur- Teaching (EIT) initiative. pose: Teaching ment Peer-review of Ostrow (PRT) at the Herman opin- our In Dentistry. of School self- and ion, to reduce bias, peer-assessment, supported by faculty development programs, should be transparent, and accessible, metric-based, developed with faculty. Meth- ods: plemented an annual faculty self- and chair-evaluation process. Since then 2,878 uations eval- (484 unique uti- and performed been have faculty) lized for faculty-development and promotion. A supplemental PRT initiative, facilitated by the Executive Associate Dean, was launched in 2018. Faculty participation in process development includes 2 workshops (December 2019), 6 division meetings (Decem- ber 2019-March 2020), 3 DFA meetings (June 2018-Septem- ber 2019), and an RTPC-PRT taskforce. All relevant materials were posted on the School’s intranet with opinions solicit- faculties. Results: all from ed Faculty developed the School’s EIT Definition, vation (POB) checklist, and a peer-obser- an evolving PRT process and (June plan implementation 2018-July 2020). There is both PRT interest and apprehension faculty. Challenges among identified include time commitment, training and consisten- cy, ensuring faculty ownership, out- individual of confidentiality comes, review frequency, and across instruction- application al sites. Conclusion: servations are similar to what is recorded by Cunningham (2017), O’Keefe (2009), Wingrove (2018). The School’s and on are practices PRT evolving track to evaluate effectiveness and reduce systemic bias. Tgf-β and and fl/fl fl/fl mice dis- can already condition- fl/fl fl/fl fl/fl RNAscope, immu- Jennifer Jordan and Supporting Teaching Gli-CreER;Smo Gli-CreER;Tgfbr2 Poster #61 Title: with Implementa- Excellence tion of Faculty-Developed and Transparent Peer-Review Authors: Mahvash Navazesh Faculty advisor: Mahvash Navazesh Gli-CreER;Tgfbr2 Gli-CreER;Smo be observed two weeks after tamoxifen induction. Of par- impaired the is interest ticular expression of Axin2, Dspp and individual Pax9 representing cellular identities in the mice Conclusion: incisors. crucial play Shh signalling and roles in stem cell niche regulation, homeostasis of the mouse consequently and incisor func- Further odontogenesis. tional experiments are necessary to reveal the exact role of these signalling pathways in the regulation of MSC fate and the incisor stem cell niche. al knockout mice and Gli1- LacZ reporter mice. Results: Both play impaired odontogenesis impaired play 2 months after tamoxifen injection; their dentinogenesis and increased. are amelogenesis The proliferation activity in the area of cervical loop where TACs are located is impaired, and mesenchyme the in both epithelium, resulting in premature differentiation of odonto- in that ameloblasts and blasts Gli-CreER;Smo - re in important are MSCs and adult tissue generation of The progeny homeostasis. - transient amplify MSCs are of (TACs). The rate ing cells TAC transition and MSC to - rates of TAC pro subsequent liferation and differentiation and dental into odontoblasts incisor ho- pulp cells maintain processes These meostasis. by the are crucially regulated the called microenvironment, MSCs stem cell niche, where Purpose: To explore reside. signaling the largely unknown the fate of network that guides their niche. MSCs as well as Methods: nofluorescence, and histology of Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman Mesenchymal The enthesis is enthesis The Josephine Ekholm, Siyan Wang, Ryan Wang, Siyan Regulation of the mes- The role of Runx2 in ten- The role of Poster #60 Title: in niche cell stem enchymal mouse incisor Authors: Aileen Ghobadi, Arman Oha- nyan, Eva Yang Chai Janečková and Faculty advisor: Yang Chai Background: stem cells (MSCs) located in the proximal end of mouse incisors enable continual growth the throughout teeth these of entire lifespan of the animal. Roberts and Amy Merrill Faculty advisor: Amy Merrill Background: tissue the graded connective dis- tendon, and bone between contract- from force the sipates This tissue ing muscle to bone. but current is prone to injury, ideal, and treatments are not embryonic its formation during thoroughly development is not have studied. Previous studies shown that the tendon-bone attachment unit is formed mod- ularly by a pool of Scx+/Sox9+ progenitor cells that forms the tendon’s terminus and the it which into eminence bone inserts. Purpose: Studying The role of Runx2 in the development of the tendon-bone attachment unit at deltoid tu- Methods: berosity in the limb. Skeletal preparations; HBQ staining; Immunofluorescence; RNA scope Results: Runx2 is co-expressed in Scx+/Sox9+ progenitor cells. Haploinsuffin- ciency of Runx2 affects the development of deltoid tuberosity histologically by increasing the thickness of the perichondrium and delaying chondrocyte hypertrophy and ossification. In addition, the tendon insertion disrupted. Conclusion: is also Runx2 is expressed by Scx+/ Sox9+ progenitor cells forming and is necessary for their differentiation into bone eminence. Poster #59 Title: - attachment unit de don-bone velopment Authors: 52

when they should be referred 0.01). Expression of FAM120A of PRMT4 in cardiomyocytes vessel density was significant- for surgery. Early diagnosis, was significantly down-regulat- causes heart dysfunction. ly improved in isoproterenol leading to treatment is import- ed in the FAM120A-mutation subjected mice where myofi- ant to minimize skeletal defor- subpopulation compared to broblasts were ablated. Con- mity, restore mandibular move- non-mutated (p = 0.01). Inge- Poster #65 clusion: Myofibroblasts are ment and prevent compromise nuity pathway analysis (IPA) in- responsible for downregulat- in function. dicated their possible interac- Title: Role of Cardiac Fibro- ing the angiogenesis process tions that may have an additive blasts in Modulating Angiogen- during cardiac injury. effect through TRIM25, MYC esis during Cardiac Injury Poster #63 and VIRMA. Taken together, Aesha Upadhyay, Ji- variations in FAM120A and Authors: ang Qian and Jian Xu Title: FAM120A-PTPN3 varia- PTPN3 interact in neuroblasto- DENTISTRY/ tions in neuroblastoma: Impli- ma resulting in poor prognosis Faculty advisor: Jian Xu cations for poor prognosis and and cancer relapse. CCMB relapse Background: Cardiovascular Disease is the leading global POSTDOCTORAL Authors: Andres Stucky, Lingli Poster #64 Tu, Xuelian Chen and Jiang F. cause of death where 1 out of FELLOWS Zhong Title: Effect of PRMT4 deletion every 3 individuals die of heart in cardiomyocytes failure. In response to cardiac Faculty advisor: Jiang F injury or stress, the cardiac Zhong Authors: Siqi Tao and Jian Xu muscle cells undergo hypertro- Poster #66 phy, and this pathological cell An evolutionarily con- Neuroblastoma (NB), the most Faculty advisor: Jian Xu growth is not always backed Title: served helix mediates amelo- common tumor in infants, pres- up by the proportional increase blastin-cell interaction ents unpredictability of relapse Background: Protein argi- in angiogenesis. The lack of nine methyltransferase 4 (PR- which remains the greatest vascularization exacerbates Authors: Jingtan Su, Rucha clinical challenge. Up to date, wrMT4) is type I PRMTs, which pathological remodeling and can catalyze the formation of Arun Bapat, Gayathri Visakan molecular risk factors are less contractile dysfunction and and Janet Moradian-Oldak known. In this study, six NB both monomethylarginine and accelerates the progression asymmetrical dimethylargi- patients who had both prima- to heart failure. Cardiac fibro- Janet Mora- nine. PRMT4 participates in Faculty advisor: ry tumors and relapse sam- blasts are responsible for pro- dian-Oldak ples were enrolled. A cohort a wide variety of cellular providing support and maintaining analysis of genetic profiles cesses. The recent publica- the structure of the heart tissue While it is known that enamel revealed 40 potential mutation demonstrates that PRMT4 by secreting extracellular ma- has a distinct set of ECM pro- tions of relapse, including FA- overexpression is related to trix proteins. These resident teins, enamel cell-matrix ad- M120A and PTPN3. Mutation cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Car- fibroblasts become activated hesion has thus far remained distribution and expression diomyocytes constitute the ma- and convert into myofibro- enigmatic. Here, we examined profiling in a larger population jority of the heart by mass and blasts during the wound repair the hypothesis that ameloblas- with 127 NB patients showed have been shown to be major process. Purpose: This proj- tin (Ambn) mediates cell-ma- FAM120A mutation rate was contributors to contractile dys- ect focuses on understanding trix adhesion by binding to 32.3% and PTPN3 was 52.8%. function. However, the effect the role of resident and acti- ameloblast cell membranes Both had significant impact of PRMT4 deletion in cardiac vated fibroblasts in modulating through an amphipathic he- on Overall survival (OS) by function remains undefined. angiogenesis during cardiac lix-forming (AH) motif. We ap- Kaplan-Meier analysis. The Purpose: We aimed to investi- injury. I will be using in vivo plied high-resolution confocal median OS (mOS) with or with- gate the effect of PRMT4 dele- and in vitro models to investi- microscopy to LS8, ALC and out FAM120A mutation was tion in cardiomyocytes. Meth- gate this question. Methods: NIH3T3 cells to demonstrate 1527±214 days and 2300±139 ods: In the present study, we Isoproterenol osmotic-pump Ambn adhesion to cell surfac- days, respectively (p = 0.000). knocked out PRMT4 with Cre/ implants are used to induce es. We also showed co-local- mOS with or without PTPN3 loxP system in cardiomyocyte, left ventricular hypertrophy in ization between Ambn and am- mutation was 1822±163 days which confirmed by western transgenic mice. In this dis- eloblast membrane surfaces in and 2285±179 days, respec- blot. Echocardiogram was ap- ease model, Diphtheria Tox- mouse mandibular tissues. Us- tively (p = 0.037). Addition- plied to detect cardiac func- in A is expressed in periostin ing a series of Ambn-derived ally, mOS in group lacking tion. To explore the structural expressing myofibroblasts peptides and Ambn variants, both mutations (42/127) was changes of heart, the hearts using the tamoxifen induc- we showed that Ambn binds to 2555±196 days, much higher were weighted and sections ible Cre system. The cardiac cell membranes through a mo- than 1857±153 days, in those were stained with H&E, lec- tissue is harvested 14 days tif within the sequence encod- who had only one (62/127), or tin and picro-sirius red stains. post-surgery, sectioned and ed by exon 5. Using peptides 1391±266 days, in those who The cardiomyocyte cross-sec- stained for fibrosis, hypertro- derived from the N- or C-ter- had both (23/127). Further- tional area and fibrosis area phy and vessel density. Fibrin minus of this sequence, and more, the most prevalent mu- were quantified. RNAseq will gel bead assay is used as a Ambn variants that lacked, or tation site on FAM120A was at be performed to investigate 3D co-culture system to com- had a disrupted AH motif, we Chr.9:93543407 (61.0%) and the change of the regulatory pare the efficiency of angio- revealed that the AH motif lo- PTPN3 at Chr.9:109457194 pathways. Results: Inflam- genesis by endothelial cells cated at the N-terminus of the (61.2%). Variants at matory cell infiltration and the (HUVEC) in presence of fibro- sequence is involved in cell- Chr.9:93543407 had more rupture of myocardial cells blasts and myofibroblasts in Ambn adhesion. Sequence significant impact on OS com- that have lost their normal or- vitro. Fibroblasts are activated analysis revealed that this pared to other FAM120A-mu- dered structure can be iden- to myofibroblasts using 10 ng/ highly conserved AH motif is tation sites subpopulation (p = tified in the PRMT4 deletion ml TGFB. Results: Cardiac absent from other enamel ma- groups. Conclusion: Deletion

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 53 Mo- mice. fl/fl We aim to Specific acti- Understanding Methods: Junjun Jing, Yuan Jing, Junjun Purpose: palate, particularly a reduction a reduction palate, particularly which clusters cell Tbx15+ of express FGf18. expression RNAscope Tbx15+Fgf18+ confirmed CNC-derived in close contact with cells are that cells in vivo, and myogenic is reduced that this population in the absence of Tgf-β signaling in Osr2-Cre;Alk5 Poster #70 Mapping mouse molar Title: development at single-cell resolution Authors: Yuan, Jifan Feng and Yang Chai Faculty advisor: Yang Chai Background: the heterogeneity of cell populations in a particular organ can provide information about the mechanisms regulating the physiological function of the organ. The heterogeneity of odontogenic cell populations during molar development is unknown. identify heterogeneity among heterogeneity identify odontogenic cell populations during molar development and elucidate their differentiation trajectories. lars of wildtype mice at E16.5, PN3.5 and PN14.5 were sected and homogenized into dis- Sin- suspension. single-cell gle-cell RNA sequencing was performed with a Nextseq500 system and the reads were aligned with Cell Ranger. We used Seurat package implemented in R to identify major cell types and differentiation trajectories. Immunostaining, RNAscope and lineage tracing analyses were performed to validate the gene expression profiles. Results: We have revealed several new cell types in the mesenchyme and epithelium of mouse molars. Our are there that showed results distinct cellular domains within devel- during molar mouse the opment. We found that IGF sig- Conclusions: vation of the TGF-β signaling cells pathway in CNC-derived myogenic in close proximity to the fate of cells may determine cells and these CNC-derived key instruct them to produce to regulate signaling molecules soft palate muscle formation. fl/ fl/ mouse soft mouse mice were the soft palate Osr2-Cre;Alk5 fl/fl fl/fl TGF-β signaling Jifan Feng, Xia Han, Jifan Feng, Xia Han, Mesenchymal Mesenchymal Lhx6 is TGF-β signaling regu- mice leads to defective soft and control soft palates. palate formation including palate disrupted soft palatal myogenesis. Single-cell analysis further identified significantly altered cell type composition in CNC-derived cells in the E14.5 Osr2-Cre;Alk5 fl Results: is specificallyCNC-derived cells surrounding activatedmyogenic cells in the develop- in ing soft palate. Loss of TGF-β signaling in the these CNC-derived cells in Osr2-Cre;Alk5 fl - signaling. Con beta catenin clusion: - for root furca a key regulator and root number tion formation - Our study high determination. importance of dental lights the regulation in root mesenchyme development, and patterning implica- and it has important tions for tooth root regeneration. Poster #69 Title: lates soft palate development interac- via mediating cell-cell tion Authors: Jing Cho, Courtney Yuan, Yuan Bi, Eva Janečková and Yang Chai Faculty advisor: Yang Chai Background:Coordinated movements of and pharyngeal muscles are crucial for speech, swallowing, breathing, and hearing. Since cranial neural crest (CNC)-derived cells are in close contact in multiple cells myogenic with sites, myogenic craniofacial we hypothesized that CNC-derived cells regulate soft palate myogenesis through tissue-tissue interaction. Purpose: The under- to is study this of aim mechanisms molecular stand controlling soft palate muscle formation for better repair of soft palate defects. Methods: Osr2-Cre;Alk5 generated to specifically target specifically to generated the TGF-β signaling pathway the in cells CNC-derived in soft palate. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis was performed to compare cell-type specific gene expression profiles in E14.5 Jinzhi He, Jifan Lhx6, an in vivo mak- Poster #68 Title: Lhx6 mouse root patterning is required for Authors: Yuan Yuan Feng, Tingwei Guo, and Yang Chai Faculty advisor: Yang Chai Background:Mammalian tooth development has long served as a model for studying basic questions of developmental biology. Crown development has been intensively explored. However, the regulation of root development, especially root number determination, is largely unknown. Purpose: To investigate the potential roles of Lhx6 in of the furcation, a structure the development that controls the root number. Methods: Mouse lines used in the present study included Lhx6-CreER, 26loxP-STOP-loxP-tdTomato, ROSA- and Gli1-CreER. Gli1-LacZ, MicroCT, HE staining, immunofluorescence,and bulk-RNAseq were used. RNAscope Results: er for a subpopulation of Gli1+ progenitor cells, is consistently and exclusively expressed in the apical dental mesenchyme. Lineage tracing showed that Lhx6+ cells mainly contributed to odontoblasts, alveolar periodontal and osteoblasts, ligament cells closely associated with root furcation development. Loss of Lhx6 resulted in a lack of furcation formation as well as root number de- the left but molars the in fects Moreover, unaffected. crown Lhx6 mutation via proliferation mesenchymal compromised increasing cell cycle inhibitor Cdkn1c, as well as disrupting odontogenic differentiation of dental mesenchyme by via increasing Wnt antagonist Sfrp2, Wnt/ downregulating thereby mutations. mutations. Therefore, RAB39b mutation promotes PI3K-AKT- - and alters cor mTOR activity to leading tical neurogenesis, autistic-like and macrocephaly Our studies provide behaviors. - into neurodevel new insights and opmental dysregulation associat- common pathways ed with ASD across species. Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman Wei Zhang, Li Ma, Wei Zhang, Li A RAB39b-PI3K-mTOR Mei Yang, Qiang Shao, Jian Mei Yang, Qiang Zhao, Zhen Lu, Zhipeng Xu, Rong Chen, Yang Chai and Ji- an-Fu Chen Faculty advisor: Jian-Fu Chen Dysregulation of early - neuro development is implicated in macrocephaly/autism disorders. However, the mechanism underlying this dysregulation, particularly in human cells, understood. poorly remains Mutations in the small GTPase gene RAB39b are associated macrocepha- X-linked with ly, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and intellectual - disabili ty. The in vivo roles of RAB39b unknown. remain brain the in We generated Rab39b knockout (KO) mice and found that they exhibited cortical neurogenesis impairment, macrocephaly, and behaviors, which resembled hallmark ASD patient phenotypes. We also produced mutant human cerebral organoids that were substantially enlarged due to the over-proliferation and impaired differentiation of neural progenitor cells (NPCs), which resemble neurodevelopmental deficits in KO mice. Mechanis- tic studies reveal that RAB39b interacts with nents and its deletion pro- PI3K compo- motes PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling in NPCs of mouse cortex and cerebral organoids. The mTOR activity is robustly enhanced in mutant outer radial glia cells (oRGs), a subtype of NPCs barely detectable in ro- dents but abundant in human signal- AKT of Inhibition brains. ing rescued enlarged organoid sizes and NPC over-proliferation caused by RAB39b Poster #67 Title: dysregu- pathway dependent lation of cortical development - leading to macrocephaly/au tism phenotypes Authors: - including amelo trix proteins and amelotin. genin, enamelin, - these data sug Collectively, Ambn binds to cell gest that via a helix surface membrane - and further im forming motif - of enam prove understanding el-cell matrix adhesion. 54

naling is one of the most highly phosphonates (BPs) against single-cell RNA-seq were used dyle growth and homeostasis. enriched signaling pathways in bacterial biofilm. Methods: By to reveal molecular mecha- Recent studies have shown molar development, which has using impedance measure- nisms of Kdm6b involved in that Gli1+ cells produce os- previously been unappreciat- ments in microtitre plates with palatogenesis. Results: RNA- teoblasts in femur, skull, and ed. Interestingly, we found that gold electrodes we have as- scope showed that Kdm6b vertebrae. However, it is not loss of Igf signaling leads to sessed the antibiotic effects of is broadly expressed in the clear where are the osteogen- shorter root with compromised new synthesized BP-antibiotic craniofacial region. Loss of ic progenitors for supporting periodontal tissue formation. conjugates on bacterial biofilm Kdm6b from CNC-derived mandibular condyle growth Surprisingly, our data suggest- growth in real time. Results: cells caused complete cleft and homeostasis in adult. Pur- ed that Ki67+ fast-cycling cells Results show that real-time palate in Wnt1-Cre;Kdm6bfl/ pose: To investigate the role at PN3.5 may serve as stem biofilm analysis can be a prom- fl mice. Reduction of Cyclin of Gli1+ cells in mandibular cells contributing to root com- ising tool to evaluate antibiotic D1, a critical protein for cell condyle growth and homeosta- plex formation. Conclusions: susceptibility and efficacy in cycle regulation, results in sis. Methods: We generated Our study provides compre- biofilm-mediated infections decreased cell proliferation Gli1-CreERT2;Tdtomato mice hensive information about the clinically and also the novel in Wnt1-Cre;Kdm6bfl/fl mice. for cell lineage tracing, in which heterogeneity and differentia- conjugates designed and test- Cell death was not affected. Gli1+ cells and their progenies tion of dental cell populations ed in this study has great anti- Kdm6b knockout also enriched can be labeled by TdTomato in mouse molars and may lead biotic efficacy in comparison to H3K27me3 in the palatal mes- fluorescence following induc- to new strategies for tooth re- the non-conjugated antibiotics enchyme. Through analyz- tion. We also generated Gli1- generation in the future. in osteomyelitis preventative ing gene expression profiles, CreERT2;DTA-GFP mice for and eradication experiments in we found that expression of genetic ablation of Gli1+ cells vitro. Conclusions: This class Bmp4 and Bmpr1a were de- to assess their contribution Poster #71 of conjugates using BP drugs creased in Wnt1-Cre;Kdm6bfl/ to bone mass. The mice were as biochemical vectors for the fl mice, resulting in the reduc- euthanized at different stag- Title: Real-time monitoring of delivery of antibiotic agents to tion of pSmad1/5/9-positive es after induction at neonatal osteomyelitis pathogen treated bone could represent an ad- cells. Expression of Runx2, and juvenile stages, respec- with novel bisphosphonate-flu- vantageous approach to the a downstream target of BMP tively. MicroCT, HE staining, oroquinolone antimicrobials treatment of osteomyelitis be- signaling, was also decreased and immunofluorescence cause it improves bone phar- in Wnt1-Cre;Kdm6bfl/fl mice. staining were conducted for Parish P. Sedghiza- Authors: macokinetics while minimizing Knocking out one allele of analysis. Results: Gli1-lineage deh, Esmat Sodagar, Natalia systemic exposure. methyl transferase Ezh2 in mu- cells within the subchondral Tjokro, Shutting Sun, Adam F. tant mice successfully rescued bone progressively expressed Junka, Philip Cherian, Jeffrey the cleft palate phenotype of Runx2 and Osx, identifying Neighbors, R. Graham G. Rus- Wnt1-Cre;Kdm6bfl/fl. them as osteogenic progen- sell, Charles E. McKenna and Conclu- Poster #72 Our study highlights itors. Three-dimensional re- Frank H. Ebetino sion: the importance of epigenetic construction of MicroCT imag- Title: Antagonistic interaction es revealed the condyle was Faculty advisor: Parish regulation in palate develop- between Kdm6b and Ezh2 ment. Mesenchymal Kdm6b notably decreased in size in Sedghizadeh regulates H3K27me3 during and Ezh2 play a critical role in the DTA mice. Conclusions: palatogenesis Background: Staphylococcus regulating H3K27me3 during Gli1+ cells are osteogenic palatogenesis. progenitors contributing to the aureus is a predominant cause Authors: Tingwei Guo, Jifan of biofilm-associated infections Feng, Xia Han, Jinzhi He, Jun- subchondral bone formation of such as osteomyelitis which is a jun Jing and Yang Chai the mandibular condyle during limb- and life-threatening ortho- growth and homeostasis. Fur- Poster #73 pedic infection, and extremely Faculty advisor: Yang Chai ther studies are warranted to investigate the important role challenging to treat clinically. Title: Gli1 marks osteogenic We have been designing and Background: Cleft palate is a of Gli1+ cells in TMJ diseases progenitors for condylar bone such as osteoarthritis. testing novel bone-targeting common birth defect caused formation in mandible antibiotic drugs utilizing con- by failure of palatal shelf fu- jugation chemistry with bis- sion. Defects in the palate Authors: Jie Lei, Shuo Chen, phosphonates (BPs). BPs bind adversely affect speech, swal- Junjun Jing, Thach-Vu Ho, Poster #74 to hydroxyapatite (HA) matrix, lowing, breathing, and hear- Zachary Ceniceros and Yang ing. Many genetic mutations the main component in bone, Chai Title: Runx2 maintains the via strong dentate bonds. Be- associated with cleft palate mouse incisor mesenchymal cause of this pharmacological have been identified, but lit- Faculty advisor: Yang Chai stem cell niche property, BPs are extensively tle is known about the role of utilized to treat bone diseas- epigenetic regulation during Background: The mandibular Authors: Shuo Chen, Junjun es. We designed, synthesized, palatal development. In this condyle of the temporoman- Jing and Yang Chai and tested novel BP-fluoro- study, we used a transgen- dibular joint (TMJ) plays an quinolone conjugates for ac- ic mouse model to investi- important role in our daily life Faculty advisor: Yang Chai tivity against Staphylococcus gate the function of Kdm6b, and its development initiates aureus biofilms. Purpose: The an H3K27me3 demethylase, during later stage of embryon- Background: The mouse in- aim of this work was to use the during palatogenesis. Meth- ic development and continues cisor is an excellent model for rapid, reproducible and ac- ods:Wnt1-Cre;Kdm6bfl/fl mice into adulthood. The condyle studying mesenchymal stem curate technology “real-time were generated to knock out also serves as a growth cen- cells (MSCs). Previously, we cell analyzer” for screening Kdm6b from cranial neural ter for our face and undergoes found that quiescent Gli1+ and comparing the anti-bio- crest (CNC)-derived cells. Im- constant remodeling. Osteo- cells near the neurovascular film ability of our new designed munohistochemistry, in situ blastogenesis occurs through- bundle are typical MSCs. Re- pharmacologically inert bis- hybridization (RNAscope), and out life during mandibular con- cently, we identified Runx2

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 55 fl/ Our To in- The soft palate The soft mice. We also We demonstrated fl/fl mice to delete Runx2 mice to delete Runx2 fl/fl Methods: We performed rescues multiple soft palate Yang Chai Yang Yang Chai Faculty advisor: Background: - physio essential for crucial is - Cranial neu logical functions. cells give rise ral crest (CNC) to soft palate mesenchyme muscle and guide craniofacial Purpose: development. mech- vestigate the regulatory develop- anisms of soft palate ment. analysis of single-cell RNA-seq soft palate at E13.5-E15.5. Im- munofluorescent staining and were per- in situ hybridization expres- the analyze to formed genes. specific of patterns sion Osr2-KIcre; We generated Runx2 fl Poster #78 defects associated with loss of Runx2. Conclusion: results suggest that Runx2 may regulate the differentiation and fate decisions of distinct CNC-derived cell populations that play diverse roles during soft palate development. Thus, Runx2 may fine-tune soft palate morphogenesis via orches- trating CNC-derived mesenchymal cell fate, particularly of the perimysial and palatal stromal cells, in a spatiotemporally specific manner through tissue-tissue interactions. in a subset of CNC-derived cells. We performed microCT, histology, and single-cell RNA- seq analysis to identify regulating mechanisms of Runx2 in soft palate development. Results: heterogeneity in the soft palate with associated mesenchyme distinct cell fates: perimysial, stromal and osteogenic lineag- associated closely is Runx2 es. with multiple subpopulations of CNC-derived mesenchyme, and loss of Runx2 in CNC-de- bone, in results cells rived palate and muscle defects in the soft palate of Cre;Runx2 - Osr2-KI revealed that loss of Runx2 of expression ectopic to leads Twist1 in perimysial CNC-derived cells and reduced expression of myogenic-associated genes in CNC-derived cells. Haploinsufficiencyin Osr2-KICre;Runx2 Twist1 of In ;Myh6-cre. fl/fl To confirm whether PRMT1 We observed that the Runx2 Regulates Soft Based on our results, our on Based Results: depletion of PRMT1 decreased PARP1 protein levels and asymmetric arginine dimethyl- ation of PARP1. In our in vivo cardiac injury model, nuclear PARP1 expression was found in the cardiomyocytes, indicating injury-elicited induction of PARP1. PRMT1-specific deletion in cardiomyocytes results ex- protein PARP1 reduced in pression, as well as decreased PARylation levels. Conclu- sion: we anticipate that PRMT1 and PARP1 depletion can improve the preservation of cardiac function in a cardiomyocyte injury mouse model. Poster #77 Title: Palate Development Patterning Neural Crest-de- through rived Cells Authors: Summer Xia Han, Ji- fan Feng, Tingwei Guo, Yuan Yuan, Thach-Vu Ho, Jing Bi, Brian Song, Jingyuan Li, Jun- jun Jing, Eva Janečková and our study, we aim to determine our study, we aim to PRMT1 the interplay between assess the and PARP1 and mechanism by which PRMT1 regulates PARP1 turnover. Methods: PARP1 and PRMT1 interact, we employ a combination of in vitro binding assays and recombinant proteins and cell- based analysis. To investigate the interplay between PRMT1 and PARP1 in cardiomyo- we injury, after cardiac cytes used an inducible cardiomyocyte-specific Prmt1model deletion cellular cellular NAD+ and ATP pools failure and leads to energetic - Earlier reports pre cell death. sented that pharmacological inhibition or genetic deficiency - ef protective exerts PARP1 of mouse models fects in multiple injury. Our previous of cardiac results identified PRMT1 as an of PARP1 upstream regulator that car- and further showed diomyocyte-specific deletion - of protein arginine methyltrans improves ferase 1 (PRMT1) a mouse heart functions in howev- model cardiac injury; mechanism er, the underlying remains unclear. Purpose: MDO is The activation of Balazs Murnyak, Jian Poster #76 Mechanistic study of the Title: PRMT1 and PARP1 pathways in cardiac injury mouse model Authors: Wu and Jian Xu Faculty advisor: Jian Xu Background: poly ADP-ribose polymerase ox- of hallmark a is (PARP1) 1 idative stress-induced cellular injury. The depletion of the cy of MDO on treating infants - as well as post-op with OSA after ini- balance facial erative Methods: tial over-distraction. of OSA infants with Records underwent who micrognathia MDO from 1995 to 2019 were - Pre and post-op reviewed. require- erative AHI, oxygen photographs, clinical ments, co-morbidities and existing 82 were analyzed. Results: criteria. patients met inclusion distraction at age mean The was 63.32 ± 71.40 days. Aver- age distraction rate was 1.73 distance of mm/day to a mean PSG 27.51 mm. Preoperative of AHI mean a demonstrated 34.06 ± 33.48 with lowest ox- and mean ygen desaturation oxygen requirement of and 0.63L, respectively. Com- 80% findings, preoperative to pared the firstdecreased a demonstrated postoperativeoxygen PSG (p<0.0001), 5.76 to AHI desaturation of 85.81%, mean O2 requirement of and 0.26L (p= 0.027). A PSG at the last follow-up showed a decrease in AHI to 2.40 (p=0.016), ygen ox- desaturation to 86.06%, and O2 requirement of 0.05L (p=0.045). Immediate post-operative photos showed 84% of patients who were distracted to skeletal class III were no longer prognathic during their follow up visits. Conclusion: treat to technique predictable a OSA in infants. MDO decreases AHI, the amount of oxygen desaturation, and amount of Overd- oxygen. supplemental istraction to skeletal class III can result in more balanced skeletal profiles and minimize the extent of maxillomandibular movements should orthognathic surgery be required. Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman Loss of Runx2 Allen Huang, Alice Huang, Allen - Gli1-CreERT2;Runx Mandibular Distraction mice, in which Runx2 is mice, in which Runx2 fl/fl expression in Gli1+ cells us- Gli1+ cells in expression RNA-sequence ing single-cell the function analysis. However, in regulating the fate of Runx2 - in adult mouse inci of MSCs unknown. Purpose: sors is still the role of Runx2 To investigate - tissue homeo in maintaining the inci- stasis and regulating We sor MSC niche. Methods: generated 2 Poster #75 Title: Osteogenesis: Treatment of Treatment Osteogenesis: OSA and Facial Balance Authors: Liu, Jordan Wlodarczyk, Mark Urata and Jeffrey Hammoudeh Faculty advisor: Jeffrey Ham- moudeh distrac- Mandibular Purpose: tion osteogenesis highly effective in treating up- (MDO) is per airway obstruction secondary to micrognathia in infants. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the long-term effica- lost in the Gli1+ lineage. The lost in the Gli1+ lineage. 1, 2, or mice were euthanized The induction. after weeks 4 and mandibles were collected fixed. MicroCT,ing, and H&E immunofluorescence stain- out for staining were carried The num- analysis. Results: cells ber of transit-amplifying (TACs) decreased significantly while there were no apparent changes in apoptosis detect- ed by TUNEL assay 1 week after induction in the mutant mice. The expression of dentin sialophosphoprotein was shifted to an earlier stage. (Dspp) Gli1+ stem cells decreased significantly induction, which may result 2 weeksfrom a lack of feedback from after TACs. RNA-seq data showed that Igfbp3 was downregulated in the mutant mice, which was confirmed by RNA-scope. Further, immunofluorescence showed that p-Igf1r was downregulated in the mutant mice, suggesting the IGF signaling was downregulated. pathway Conclusion: in Gli1+ cells affects the IGF signaling pathway, which reg- well as proliferation TAC ulates as differentiation. 56

Title: Ameloblastin revers- Poster #79 Poster #80 tooth regeneration in the future. ibly and competitively binds amelogenin and phospholipid Title: Reversing behavior ab- Title: Arid1a Regulates Mouse membranes normalities in mice expose to Molar Root Development Poster #81 maternal ZIKV infection Authors: Natalie C. Kegulian, Authors: Jiahui Du, Junjun Title: Ror2-mediated non-ca- Jingtan Su and Janet Moradi- Authors: Li Ma and Jianfu Jing and Yang Chai nonical Wnt signaling regu- an-Oldak Chen lates tooth root development Faculty advisor: Yang Chai Faculty advisor: Janet Mora- Faculty advisor: Jianfu Chen Authors: Yuanyuan Ma, Jun- dian-Oldak Background: The formation jun Jing, Quan Wen, Jingyuan Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) of a functional molar root in- Li and Yang Chai Background: To form tooth infection during pregnancy volves reciprocal interactions enamel, epithelial cells called is correlated with increased between dental epithelium and Faculty advisor: Yang Chai ameloblasts secrete enamel frequency of neurodevelop- mesenchyme and offers an matrix proteins (EMPs), pre- mental disorders, which may attractive model for investigat- Background: Mammalian dominantly amelogenin (Amel) cause several behavioural ab- ing organogenesis. Arid1a is a tooth root development be- and ameloblastin (Ambn), normalities in the offspring. The subunit of SWI/SNF complex, gins after the completion of with calcium phosphate into related mechanism at the cel- which can regulate chromatin crown formation. Canonical the enamel matrix space. Pre- lular and circuit level remains accessibility at loci critical for Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays viously, we found Ambn to largely unknown. Purpose: specific organogenesis and important roles in tooth root interact with both Amel and We aimed to define the mech- modulate commitment and formation. Wnt5a ligand, one phospholipid membranes via anism on how social memory differentiation of stem/progen- component of the non-canon- a region encoded by its fifth deficit developed in mice pre- itor cells. How Arid1a regu- ical Wnt signaling pathway, is exon. These in vitro interac- natal exposed to ZIKV-induced lates tooth root development associated with tooth development. However, its function tions are relevant in vivo, as maternal immune activation remains unknown. Purpose: Amel-Ambn double knock- (MIA). Method: Mouse mod- To identify the role of Arid1a and that of Ror2 during root for- out mice have more than the el was generated by intrave- in the development of mouse mation remain unknown. Pur- To investigate the roles sum of the enamel defects in nously injecting ZIKV to preg- molar roots. Methods: We expose: single knock-outs, underscor- nant dams at E12.5 and the amined the expression pattern of mesenchyme- and epitheli- ing the importance of Ambn- behaviour phenotypes were of Arid1a in mouse molars by um-derived non-canonical Wnt Amel interactions; also, Ambn characterized at 6-8 weeks immunostaining. We generat- signaling in tooth root develop- has signaling and adhesion old offspring. Neural activities ed Gli1-CreER;Arid1afl/fl mu- ment. Methods: We generated functions, which require mem- were measured using whole- tant mice and performed CT epithelial- and/or mesenchy- brane interactions. Purpose: cell patch electrophysiology imaging and H&E staining to mal-specific loss-of-function To define binding dynamics system, calcium live imaging investigate the function of Ari- of non-canonical Wnt signaling and neural activity marker using K14-rtTA;Teto-cre;Ror2fl/ between Ambn and Amel and d1a in the tooth root progeni- fl fl/fl between Ambn and phospho- c-fos immunostaining, and tor cells during development. and Osr2-cre;Ror2 mice. lipid membranes and probe which could be orchestrated RNAscope and immunostain- Doxycycline rodent diet was by using chemogenetic and administered to K14-rtTA;Te- the structure of the binding re- ing were performed to exam- fl/fl gion of Ambn during these in- optogenetic system aiming ine odontoblast differentiation, to-cre;Ror2 every day from teractions. Methods: We used to reverse the social memory periodontal ligament forma- E14.5. Results: Epithelial-spe- AB2, a peptide representing deficit. Results: We found that tion, and cell cycle-associated cific deletion of Ror2 at E14.5 Ambn exon 5, several cysteine ZIKV infection during preg- markers. ATAC-Seq and RNA- had no effects on root forma- mutants thereof wherein the nancy, in a dose-dependent Seq were performed to investi- tion. However, loss of Ror2 in mutated site is tagged with a manner, resulted in autistic-like gate the changes in chromatin dental mesenchyme led to re- paramagnetic spin label, and behaviours, including impaired accessibility and gene expres- tarded root elongation at PN9.5 and severely shortened roots full-length Ambn. We applied social memory in the offspring. sion. Results: Arid1a is strong- multiple biophysical methods ZIKV affected progeny mice ly expressed in the dental at 3 weeks after kidney cap- exhibited an abnormal increase sule transplantation of tooth including fluorescence, circu- epithelium and mesenchyme fl/fl lar dichroism (CD), and elec- in excitability of pyramidal neu- during tooth root formation. germ from Osr2-cre;Ror2 tron paramagnetic resonance rons in the medial prefrontal Loss of Arid1a in tooth root pro- mice at PN5.5. At PN3.5 and (EPR) to measure their interac- cortex (mPFC), which may be genitor cells leads to a short- PN5.5, cell proliferation in the tions with liposomes and with caused by the combined effect ened root and delayed tooth apical region was significantly of reduced inhibitory neuron decreased in Osr2-cre;Ror2fl/ full-length Amel. Results: We eruption, abnormal root dentin fl found that liposomes and Amel activities and elevated excit- and periodontal tissue. This in- mice. However, there was compete for binding to Ambn. atory control from ventral hip- dicates a critical role for Arid1a no change in cell apoptosis. Tryptophan fluorescence shifts pocampus neurons. Inhibiting in the proliferation and differ- At PN3.5, the expression of neuron activity from the ventral Nfatc4 and Cdk2 was de- show liposomes taking up AB2 entiation of tooth root progen- fl/fl and preventing its interaction hippocampus (vHIP) to mPFC itor cells. Mechanistically, our creased in Osr2-cre;Ror2 with Amel, and vice versa. EPR was sufficient to rescue the so- data show that the functions mice. At PN5.5, Axin2 expres- showed α-helix formation in cial memory deficits of ZIKV-af- of Arid1a are mainly mediated sion was also decreased in the apical region. AB2 upon interaction. Conclu- fected offspring. Conclusion: by modulating chromatin ac- Conclusion: Loss of Ror2 in dental mesen- sion: Our in vitro data suggest Our results identified neuronal cessibility at the mitotic genes that Ambn exon 5 toggles be- ensemble and long-range im- for tooth root development. chyme decreases cell proliferation via Nfatc4 in the apical tween binding membranes and pairment driving social mem- Conclusions: Our findings binding Amel in vivo, with im- ory deficits in mouse offspring highlight the importance of region and inhibits postnatal plications toward its complex following maternal ZIKV infec- Arid1a in tooth root develop- root development. The inhibi- role in enamel formation. tion. ment and will have important tion of canonical Wnt signaling implications for strategies for pathway may also contribute.

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 57 Andres Stucky, Lan Andres Stucky, Lan YAP1/CDH6/OCT4 YAP1/CDH6/OCT4 inter- Sun, Li Gao, Shengwen Calvin Sun, Li Gao, Shengwen Luo, Tif- Li, Xuelian Chen, Jun Xi Zhang fany H. Park, Jin Cai, and Jiang F. Zhong Faculty advisor: JIang Zhong Despite the promising clinical benefits, some detrimental effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been re- includ- cases some in ported, ing tumorigenicity. The reason for this remains unclear. YAP1 1) protein (Yes-associated and its associated pathway play a key role in organ development, but their potential involvement in MSC tumorigenicity remains inconclusive. Therefore, we conducted this study to investigate YAP1-related signaling networks in both MSCs and solid tumors. Using single cell isolation and RNAseq, here we investigated a set of differentiation resistant (RD) mesenchymal stem cells that could be partly responsible for their pro-tumorigenic properties. We genes found were 1780 significantlyferentially expressed in both dif- PO and DO compared to the DR MSCs. Importantly, CDH6, OCT4 and YAP1 expression were significantly up-regulated within the DR MSCs parison in to PO or DO. A com- survey of 57 clinical cohorts revealed a high correlation among the expression of and OCT4. Additionally, YAP1 CDH6, YAP1 was expressed in only a frac- tion of cancer cells as well as DR MSCs. YAP1 inhibition down-regulated solid tumor cell lines viability and gradually inhibited YAP1 nuclear localization with doses of 2, 5 and 10μM verteporfin,reducing the transcriptions of while CDH6 and OCT4 as well. We conclude that OCT4 interactions mediating CDH6/YAP1/ DR MSCs participation in the be a promising therapeutic tar- therapeutic promising be a heart failure. treating get in Poster #85 Title: - differentia actions mediating mesenchy- tion resistance of in mal stem cells participate solid tumor development Authors: flox/ con- ) and Prmt- We observed Cardiac fibro- YFP/YFP We performed TAC Jiang Qian, Aesha YFP/YFP :R26R - Cardiac Fibroblast-Spe Results: :R26R flox/flox flox potential downstream targets targets downstream potential in signaling Wnt of canonical - and their func the soft palate system need to be tions in this Conclusion: further tested. - highlight the impor Our results signaling during tance of Wnt development and soft palate suggest the the the interaction between significance of CNC-derived mesenchyme Our re- and myogenic cells. the role of sults also highlight muscle for- cilia in soft palate further mation, which deserves attention. analysis and more Poster #84 Title: cific Deletion of PRMT1tects against Pro- Ventricular Dys- function Authors: Upadhyay, Prerna Sehgal and Jian Xu Faculty advisor: Jian Xu Background: blast and its programmed activation into myofibroblasts are critical regulators in myocardial extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis. Our lab recently identified protein arginine methyltransferase 1 reg- vitro in new a as (PRMT1) ulatory mechanism for cardiac fibroblasts differentiatemyofibroblasts. Purpose: To to investigate the in vivo roles of PRMT1 in cardiac the pathophysiologi- during fibrosis cal process of heart failure. Methods: or sham surgery on fibroblas- tic-specific Prmt1mice (PnMCM/+:Prmt1 knockout 1 trols. that deletion of PRMT1 in cardiac fibroblasts prevented the myofibroblasts differentiation, decreased cardiac increased the vessel density fibrosis, and preserved the ventricular ad- In TAC. of 8w after function dition, PRMT1 inhibitor MS023 chron- prevented successfully ic heart dysfunction in wild type TAC-mice. Interestingly, we found that PRMT1 regulated cardiac fibroblasts fate methylation through probably remodel- in cardiac histones of Prmt1 would ing. Conclusion: +/- con- fl/fl Wnt signal- Conclusions: Conclusions: Major physio- Histologic analyses The objective of our The objective Eva Janečková, Xia mice. Results: control mice, and LacZ +/- Canonical Wnt signaling Canonical Wnt signaling fl/fl Osr2-Cre;β-catenin generated improvement in neu- improvement generated these in behavior rocognitive Twist1 ModifiedGelMa loaded- is an ideal bioma Gli1+ cells with - functional su terial to support in Twist1 ture regeneration mice, and this study lays the this study lays the mice, and novel re- groundwork for a for pa- generative treatment with craniosynostosis. tients Poster #83 Title: mus- is essential for soft palate cle development Authors: Yang Chai Han, Jifan Feng and Faculty advisor: Yang Chai Background: logical functions such as swallowing, breathing, hearing, and speech are governed by the soft palate, and these are disrupted when cleft palate occurs. The surgical correction of cleft soft palate is very challenging as it involves extensive repair of musculature. Purpose: investigation is to analyze canonical Wnt signaling during embryonic soft palate development, and its role in regulation the interactions between cranial neural crest (CNC) and mesoderm-derived cells during reg- the as well as process this ulation of cilia development. Methods: of reporter mice; RNA- RNAscope; rescence; immunofluo- sequencing; and Partek Flow analysis. ing is abundantly active in the soft palatal region in embryonic stages, and conditional deletion of β-catenin specifically in the CNC-derived mesenchyme using the Osr2-Cre model pro- the in changes severe duced mesoderm-derived soft palatal muscles. RNAseq analysis performed on control and re- shelves palatal soft mutant vealed differentially expressed genes associated with muscle Myf5, (Myod1, development Myh7), cell junction, cytoskel- eton (Chd15, Des, Acta1) and cilia (Dnah9, Drc1). These genes Dnaic1, represent Ak7, ditional knockout mice, β-catenin Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman +/- +/- Our results mice. In par- Craniosynosto- +/- The present study present The Mengfei Yu, Li Ma, Mengfei Yu, In this study, we took mice. Finally, regen- for employing bioma- Results: mice, we delivered +/- +/- Cranial Suture Regener- Cranial Suture eration of the coronal suture allel, we found for the first time that craniosynostosis of the coronal suture is associated with neurocognitive defects in Twist1 mice. Significantly, we showed that Gli1+ MSCs combined able were GelMa modified with to support coronal suture regeneration. The newly regenerated suture partially alleviated the calvarial deformity typically seen in Twist1 mouse model, which shows pres- intracranial increased sure and dysmorphology of the complex skeletal craniofacial as the result of cranial suture fusion. Following the removal of the fused coronal suture in Twist1 Gli1+ cells mixed with a Gel- Ma-based biomaterial into the resulting gap between the cal- evaluat- then We bones. varial ed the regenerated suture and neurocognitive function after 6 months. showed that there is a specific correlation between the diminished number of Gli1+ cells in a fusion premature its and suture in both humans and Twist1 Poster #82 Poster Title: - Cognitive Improve ation and a Craniosynostosis ment in Model Authors: Jianfu Chen and Yuan Yuan, Yang Chai Faculty advisor: Yang Chai Background: prema- by characterized is sis which ture cranial suture fusion, outcomes can cause severe growth of including abnormal intracranial the skull, increased brain de- pressure, retarded neu- velopment and impaired Surgery is rocognitive function. the only treatment option currently. After surgery, calvarial require and re-fuse may bones repeated operations to relieve the constriction on the brain. Purpose: was designed to establish the establish to designed was rationale terials together with stem cells for cranial suture regeneration to provide a novel treatment for patients with craniosynostosis. Methods: advantage of the Twist1 58

development of solid tumors. on the molecular detail of poly- and selected core genes may plays an important role in root microbial interaction in oral help Aa cope with the stress of development. cavity and provide an innova- nutrients limitation and to ac- Poster #86 tive strategy to treat diseases quire nutrients via eliciting host associated with polymicrobial inflammatory response, prob- Title: Oral bacteria promote infections. ably a novel strategy of Aa to Poster #89 KSHV lytic replication survive in its host. Title: Fgfr2 and Notch2 work Authors: Shu Zhang, Zhiqiang Poster #87 synergistically to regulate the Qin, Jiang F. Zhong, Casey development of the craniofa- Chen and Pinghui Feng Title: Aggregatibacter actino- Poster #88 cial complex mycetemcomitans Core and Faculty advisor: Pinghui Feng Accessory Genes: What Do Title: Alk5-mediated signaling Authors: Ryan R. Roberts, They Do? is critical for mouse tooth root Lauren Bobzin and Amy E. The human oral cavity con- development Merrill tains highly diverse microbial Authors: Natalia O. Tjokro, communities including bacte- Weerayuth Kittichotirat, Roger Authors: Jing Bi, Jifan Feng Faculty advisor: Amy Merrill ria, fungi and viruses. Human E. Bumgarner and Casey Chen and Yang Chai herpesviruses are ubiquitous Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) pathogens and the oral cavity Faculty advisor: Casey Chen Faculty advisor: Yang Chai signaling plays a critical role is conducive for the replication, in skeletal development, as dissemination and pathogene- Background: Gram negative Background: The TGF-β su- mutations in Fibroblast Growth sis of human herpesviruses. periodontal pathogen Aggre- perfamily plays a crucial role Factor Receptor 2 (FGFR2) In AIDS patients, the compro- gatibacter actinomycetem- in regulating the fate of cra- manifest with at least 10 dis- mised immune system allows comitans (Aa) exhibits a high nial neural crest cells during tinct skeletal birth defects. Our dysregulated growth of micro- degree of genetic variation craniofacial development, in- recent study has shown that bial pathogens, resulting in the among strains. Each Aa ge- cluding embryonic tooth devel- Fgfr2 patterns cell fate at the severe development of oral nome consists of core genes opment. However, it remains tendon-bone attachment site inflammation and diseases. found in all strains, and acces- unclear whether TGF-β signal- of the jaw. The attachment site For example, Kaposi’s Sarco- sory genes (14-23% of the ge- ing pathway is also involved in is morphologically graded from ma-Associated Herpesvirus nome) found in some but not all tooth development in the post- tendinous to osseous and aris- (KSHV), the etiological agent strains. Accessory genes are natal stages during which the es from bipotent progenitors of Kaposi’s sarcoma, causes further grouped into genomic tooth root forms. Purpose: The that co-express Scleraxis (Scx) oral KS in AIDS patients, indic- islands and non-island acces- aim of this project is to inves- and Sox9 (Scx+ /Sox9+). Fgfr2 ative of severe immune com- sory genes. The functions of tigate whether and how TGF-β upstream of Notch signaling promising by HIV infection. accessory genes remain to be signaling pathway regulates was shown to maintain the Mounting evidence indicated a elucidated. We hypothesized mouse tooth root development. Scx+/Sox9+ progenitor cells. high KSHV viral load correlated that accessory genes confer Methods: pSmad2 antibody The neural crest specific loss with ongoing bacterial infection critical functions in vivo that al- staining was used to detect of Fgfr2 (Wnt1-Cre;Fgfr2f/f), in the oral cavity, suggesting low Aa to survive during unfa- TGF-β activity in postnatal root reduced Notch signaling, and a mutual stimulation between vorable conditions. Purpose: development. Gli1Cre-ER;Alk- increased Sox9+ cells at the bacteria and KSHV. However, To investigate the expression 5f/f and Gli1Cre-ER;Tgfbr2f/f expense of the Scx+/Sox9+ the mechanism by which oral patterns of Aa accessory and mice were generated to test progenitors. To further inves- bacteria may promote KSHV core genes in distinct growth the functional requirement for tigate the Fgfr2 and Notch sig- lytic replication is poorly un- conditions. Methods: Aa strain TGF-β type I and type II re- naling mechanism, neural crest derstood. In this study, we per- D7S-1 was grown in 4 different ceptors in root development. conditional double knockout f/f formed 16S RNA sequencing conditions: as planktonic cells Results: TGF-β signaling ac- mice (Wnt1-Cre;Fgfr2 ;Notch- on saliva samples of AIDS-KS or biofilms in an enriched medi- tivity, indicated by pSmad2 2f/f) were generated. The dou- patients. A correlation analysis um, and as biofilms in two nutri- expression, is detectable in ble mutants exhibit patency of identified a panel of oral resi- ent-poor media RPMI and Ke- the dental mesenchyme at all the frontal suture and fusion dential bacteria and uncom- ratinocyte medium. The levels stages of postnatal root de- of the coronal suture that is mon ones that paralleled with of transcripts were determined velopment. Loss of Alk5 in the more severe than either single f/f KSHV viral load. Using KSHV by RNA sequencing. Results: molar mesenchyme before root mutant (Wnt1-Cre;Fgfr2 or lytic replication in HOK after The expression patterns of the formation leads to shortened Wnt1-Cre;Notch2f/f). The con- de novo infection, we found island and non-island acces- roots in Gli1-CreER;Alk5fl/fl dyle and angular processes Neisseria gonorrhoeae and sory genes were similar, with mice, with thinner root dentin of the jaw also exhibit a more Aggregatibacter Actinomyce- median expression values ~2 and defective root odontoblast severe phenotype than the temcomitans significantly in- fold lower than core genes. differentiation. In contrast, ab- single mutants, having shorter creased KSHV lytic replication Both island and non-island ac- lating Tgfbr2 in the molar mes- processes with large, ecto- in HOK cells. Increased KSHV cessory genes were activated enchyme at the same stage pic bony spicules. This data lytic replication was evidenced to a greater extent than core has no significant effect on suggests that both Fgfr2 and by elevated levels of mRNA genes in nutrient-poor media. Gli1Cre-ER;Tgfbr2fl/fl mouse Notch2 work synergistically to and proteins of viral lytic genes. Notably, several virulence root development, suggesting regulate the development of Ongoing work is geared to dis- genes of Aa were activated that TGF-β type I and type II sutures and jaw processes. sect the molecular mechanism in nutrient-limited conditions. receptors may play different by which Neisseria and Ag- Aa accessory roles during tooth root devel- Conclusion: Poster #90 gregatibacter stimulate KSHV and core gene pools exhibit opment. Conclusion: Our re- lytic replication, focusing on distinct expression profiles. sults demonstrate that a sig- Title: Runx2 maintains the the host machinery. Findings Activation of genomic islands, naling pathway mediated by mouse incisor mesenchymal from our study will shed light non-island accessory genes Alk5, the TGF-β type I receptor, stem cell niche

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 59 The

includes Methods: Results: Osteochondri- Temporomandibular Temporomandibular To present two cas- - Melika Haghighi, Ta AND DDS AND DDS CLINICAL SCIENCES UNDERGRADUATE tis Dissecans is an idiopathic bone a where anomaly, bone fragment is detached and remodeling is present beneath the surface of the lesion. One of the radiological characteris- presence the is TMJ the in tics of loose bodies on the condylar heads, and the patient might report pain, joint sounds, and limitation of oral movements. Purpose: es of Osteochondritis cans, Disse- identified by panoramic imaging. The first case66-year-old is a female, and condition was an incidental the finding. The second case is a 55-year-old female; with jaw clicking and mild pain. Both patients signed the authori- zation to use protected health information for education and instruction form. Medical history and clinical examination were performed by calibrated practitioners in Oro- facial Pain from the Herman Ostrow School Differential of diagnosis Dentistry. Osteochon- and Osteophytes dritis Dissecans. Poster #93 Title: of Two Joint “Mice”: Report Cases of Osteochondritis Dis- secans Authors: Farrokhi run Mundluru, Fariba and Mariela Padilla advisor: Mariela Pa- Faculty dilla Background: radiological characteristics are Osteochondri- with consistent tis Dissecans, stage 4, where the fragments are not attached to the bone surface. Both cases have findingslocalized myalgia, and the suggesting second exhibits mild capsulitis. No functional limitations were identified. The treatment plan included CBCT imaging and monitor evolution. Phys- The Gram Purpose: Cells from four Christie Shen, Yuting Christie Shen, Yuting Our preliminary data opment, which will eventually will eventually which opment, clinical treatment lead to novel - for soft palate regen strategies eration. Poster #92 actino- Aggregatibacter Title: mycetemcomitans Phenotypes in a Polymicrobial Biofilm- Mod el Authors: Tjokro Tiffany Chang, Natalia and Casey Chen Faculty advisor: Casey Chen Background: negative Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) and pathogen periodontal a is polymicrobial of the member a biofilmsPast studies of Aa were (dentaloften done in pure cultures. plaque). However, the behaviors of single-species biofilmsfrom different dramatically are those of multi-species biofilms. The phenotypes of Aa in a remain setting polymicrobial understood. poorly To develop a polymicrobial biofilm model to examinebehaviors and interactions with Aa other oral bacterial species. Methods: species of interest (Aa 1, Streptococcus gordonii, D7S- Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Filifactor alocis) were evaluated for their growth in RPMI or SHI, BHI, TSBYE, media. Single or multi-species biofilms ofspecies, quantifiedcrystal violet staining and total Aa through and other CFU counts, will then be used to evaluate the synergistic or antagonistic relationship between the study species. Results: showed that BHI medium to the sustaining in optimal be survival of the four oral strains, while poor bacterial survival was observed when RPMI, medium, a nutrient-limited was used. Conclusion: phenotypes of Aa in pure cultures and polymicrobial biofilm are expectedinteractions The different. to be between the many organisms in a polymicrobial biofilm may affect the phenotypes of Aa in dental plaque. Illustrations Orofacial cleft- Summer Han, Avri- Summer Purpose: These vi- Conclusion: Poster #91 Poster of Tempo- Illustration Title: ral-Spatial Specific Expressed Soft Palate Genes in the Authors: Asuncion and ta Brar, Patricia Yang Chai Faculty advisor: Yang Chai Background: common ing is one of the most abnor- craniofacial congenital Previous- malities in humans. ly we have identified multiple specific transcription regulating that are involved in factors soft palate development. - Dis leads ruption of these genes along to soft palate clefting with palatal muscle defects, resulting in oropharyngeal deficiency. of the spatiotemporally specific gene expression patterns during soft palate development allow for improved understanding of soft palate development and the regulating genetic network. This helps in the development of new treatments and preventive strategies for cleft palate. Methods: Gene expression patterns were analyzed by using immunofluo- RNAscope staining, rescence in situ hybridization and imaging. The expression pattern of each gene was analyzed in all soft palate muscles from E13.5 - E15.5, to understand the activation of specific genes associated with the development of the soft palate. Templates were created to represent the soft palate structure at different developmental stages, and the spatial specific gene expression patterns were illustrated on these templates. Results: We observed the dynamic expression and change of Runx2, Twist1, Hic1, Foxf2 and the of development during Sp7 soft palate. Combined with our previous single-cell RNA-seq expres- the mapped we data, sion of those lineage-specific transcription factors to specific anatomical locations in the soft palate. sual representations illustrate spatiotemporally specific expression patterns during soft palate development. They enable further investigation of mechanisms the underlying that regulate soft palate devel- Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman We

The mouse in- The mouse Loss of Runx2 Gli1-CreERT2;Runx- BASIC AND DDS SCIENCES mice, in which Runx2 is fl/fl UNDERGRADUATE lost in the Gli1+ lineage. The mice were euthanized 1, 2, or The induction. after weeks 4 mandibles were collected and fixed. MicroCT, ing, and H&E immunofluorescence stain- staining were carried out for analysis. Results: The number of transit-amplifying cells (TACs) decreased significantly while there were no apparent changes in apoptosis detect- ed by TUNEL assay 1 week after induction in the mutant mice. The expression of dentin sialophosphoprotein was shifted to an earlier stage. (Dspp) Gli1+ stem cells decreased significantly induction, which may result 2 weeksfrom a lack of feedback from after TACs. RNA-seq data showed that Igfbp3 was downregulated in the mutant mice, which was confirmed by RNA-scope. Further, immunofluorescence showed that p-Igf1r was downregulated in the mutant mice, suggesting the IGF signaling was downregulated. pathway Conclusion: in Gli1+ cells affects the IGF signaling pathway, which reg- well as proliferation TAC ulates as differentiation. cisor is an excellent model for excellent model for cisor is an stem mesenchymal studying we cells (MSCs). Previously, Gli1+ found that quiescent cells near the neurovascular Re- MSCs. typical are bundle cently, we cells us- expression in Gli1+ identified Runx2 ing single-cell RNA-sequence the function analysis. However, the fate of Runx2 in regulating inci- of MSCs in adult mouse Purpose: sors is still unknown. of Runx2 To investigate the role homeo- in maintaining tissue stasis and regulating the incisor MSC niche. Methods: generated 2 Shuo Chen, Junjun Chen, Shuo Authors: Chai Jing and Yang Yang Chai Faculty advisor: Background: 60

ical therapy was included for ary category. These categories prevalence of opioids in older Authors: Henry Connor the muscle pain and anti-in- can be used for future studies adults at Ostrow increased sig- Yim, Ariella Glodowski, Par- flammatories for the capsulitis. regarding root shape and ARR. nificantly in 2017 as compared ish Sedghizadeh, Neema Conclusion: Selecting a con- to 2012. The data suggests a Bakhshalian and Raffie Gar- servative approach is a logical need for diligence in training abedian alternative when the patient Poster #95 students/dentists in selecting does not have functional limita- non-opioid analgesics for pain. Faculty advisor: Parish tion or pain, and close monitor- Title: Opioid usage preva- Sedghizadeh ing allows identifying the need lence in older adults in a dental to pursue further treatment. population Poster #96 Background: Despite medical The use of panoramic imag- advancements, bone infec- Maile Osborne, ing as a preliminary diagnostic Authors: Title: Does Procalcitonin have tions continue to be difficult to Reyes Enciso, Roseann Mulli- approach is useful to identify a role in determining odonto- treat, often requiring surgical gan and Piedad Suarez-Durall the presence of “joint mice”. genic infection severity debridement and long-term antibiotic therapy. High con- Faculty advisor: Piedad Su- Authors: Khal Liam Mancini, centrations of these antibiotics arez-Durall Felix Kyle Yip and Kyle Joseph Poster #94 are required at the site of the Shiffler bone infection; however, due Dentists are Creation of Intuitive Cat- Background: to pharmacokinetic parame- Title: among the leading prescrib- egories for Root Shapes Using Faculty advisor: Felix Kyle Yip ters and the manner in which ers of opioids behind phy- Card Sort antibiotics are metabolized, sicians. Over 40% of older Background: In order to gauge bone absorption is difficult to adults have chronic pain that the severity of an odontogenic Authors: Daniel Chee and achieve. Purpose: This study Glenn Sameshima is usually treated with opioids, infection, many clinician rely is a continuation of ongoing risking drug dependence. The on a combination of physical research which investigates Faculty advisor: Dr. Glenn American Dental Association exam findings, vital signs, and a novel approach for the tar- Sameshima released a policy encourag- laboratory results. No stan- geted delivery of antibiotics ing dentists to be cognizant of dardized protocol is widely to treat jawbone infections. Apical root re- opioids harmful effects and po- accepted in how to interpret Background: Methods: Our approach uses sorption (ARR) in orthodontics tential abuse. Purpose: This these findings, nor how to de- a biologically inert bisphos- is caused by high pressure on study examined opioid prev- finitively treat. Most clinical de- phonate conjugated to a po- roots during treatment. Tooth alence in patients >65 years cisions are based off of previ- tent fluoroquinolone antibiotic morphology has a significant within a dental school clinic ous experience and physician chemisorbed to bone graft effect on the amount of ARR, and the type of opioid profile/ preference. Procalitonin, an substitute for treatment of as irregular shapes can cause strength. These results were inflammatory marker, is wide- peri-implant infection. Six ca- pressure points. Morphologic compared to prescription opi- ly used in the management of nines (beagles/female) were categories of 2-D represen- oid usage reported in the Na- pneumonia and sepsis, and used in a split mouth design. tations of teeth already exist, tional Health and Nutrition Ex- many clinician have interest in Mandibular premolars (# 2, 3 but despite the increasing amination Survey (NHANES). determining its utility in moni- and 4) bilaterally were atrau- usage of CBCT imaging, 3-D Methods: Self-reported opioid toring other types of infections. matically extracted and the categories have yet to be cre- use was extracted from re- Purpose: The purpose of this sites were allowed to heal for 3 ated. Purpose: The goal of cords of patients >65 years study is to identify predictive months. Then dental implants this study is to create intuitive visiting the dental school gen- factor for infection severity and were placed at each extraction categories of 3-D root shapes eral clinic (GDC) in 2012 and investigate the possible utility site. Peri-implantitis will be in- that can be consistently used 2017. This data was compared of Procalcitonin in odontogen- duced in the next phase of the by orthodontists to study ARR. to NHANES (2011-2012). (IRB ic infections. Methods: An IRB study using Aggregatibacter Methods: A two-stage card #UP-12-00232). Results: approved retrospective study actinomycetemcomitans and sort method was used to create There was a significant in- (#HS-18-00715) evaluated 53 Porphyromonas gingivalis du- intuitive categories of 3-D root crease in opioid usage preva- patients admitted to a county al-species biofilms inoculated shapes and subsequently test lence at the GDC in 2017 (6.6%) hospital for an odontogenic on implant healing caps. Once whether those groups could as compared to 2012 (4.5%; infection. Data involving med- peri-implantitis is established, be consistently sorted into. p<0.01) with an increase in ical comorbidities, presenting treatment with our antimicro- Results: Following stage one females (p<.05) and adults 75- signs and symptoms, labora- bial bone graft conjugate will of the card sort, the two cate- 84yr (p<.05). Of those adults tory findings including Procal- be performed (and compared gories that participants sorted taking at least one opioid, the citonin, radiographic imaging, to controls treated with bone into the most were “straight proportion of patients reporting antibiotic use, treatment in graft alone or antibiotic alone) vs. curved” and “tapered vs. hydrocodone decreased from training students/dentists in following local debridement. non-tapered”. In stage two of 2012 to 2017 (63.0% to 43.8%; selecting non-opioid analge- Results: Results are pending. the card sort process, partic- p<.01) while those reporting sics for pain. At study endpoint, we will an- ipants showed most agree- tramadol increased (23.5% alyze radiographic bone levels ment on whether roots were to 38.0%; p<.05). The major- before and after treatment and “straight” or “curved”, but less ity of patients who used one Poster #97 also CFU counts to quantify mi- agreement on if roots were opioid reported taking a mor- crobial load and reduction in “tapered” or “non tapered”. phine-equivalent opioid with Design and in vivo testing the various groups (treatments The card sort a higher proportion in 2012 Title: Conclusion: of a novel bisphosphonate-flu- versus controls). technique has shown that the GDC (61.7%) as compared Conclusion: oroquinolone antibiotic con- Treatment of biofilm-mediated most intuitive categories for to NHANES (39.4%; p<.01) . jugate chemisorbed to bone infectious bone diseases such root shapes are “curved” and Despite public Conclusion: graft material for treatment of as peri-implantitis remain chal- “straight”, with “tapered” and health strategies advocating peri-implantitis lenging with no known cure, “non-tapered” being a second- against overprescribing, the and often due to inadequate

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 61 Purpose: After training Dental trauma Chieh Tsai, Madison Chieh Tsai, Madison Result: - Emergency Manage The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge and ability of school nurses and Pasade- the in clerks health na and Long trau- manage to District School Beach Unified matic dental injuries specifically tooth (TDIs), avulsion, in immediately school children, after, 4-10 months after, and 1 year after a lecture in managing lecture TDIs. Methods: A on the management of the participants to given was TDIs by a pediatric dentist. A post training questionnaire was ad- and immediately, ministered 4-10 months after training session. A refresher lecture was given 1 year following the initial questionnaire, and a post-training questionnaire was administered immediately after the The questionnaire lecture. contains objective questions to measure the changes in participants’ knowledge in the management of TDIs after the training. Poster #101 Title: ment of Traumatic Dental Inju- Nurses ries Among School Authors: and Tran, Parisa Moussavian Stephanie Showing Faculty advisor: Julie Jenks Background: which is an important problem can affect children and adolescents. Falls, fights, and sport injuries are among the common causes of dental trauma in pre- from results The schools. viously administered questionnaires to Pasadena and Long Beach school districts suggest that there is a need for routine follow-up training in the management of TDIs. in TDIs, results from the 1-year follow-up demonstrated im- TDI of knowledge in provement health among management clerks and school nurses compared to the 4-10-months follow-up results. School nurses responded more accurately to questions on management of The SCAP/SREBP2 signaling signaling SCAP/SREBP2 The - crucial for cranio pathway is and loss facial development, leads to severe of the pathway malformations. craniofacial

fl/ fl/fl fl/fl mice The aim fl/fl Lipid metabo- Purpose: Wnt-1Cre;Srebf2 Wnt-1Cre;Srebf2 Courtney Cho, Jifan Courtney Wnt-1Cre;Srebf2 mice, including a shorter palatal shelf, smaller teeth, bone mandibular impaired formation, and disorganized tongue muscles. Conclusion: - develop in craniofacial olism ment Authors: Yang Chai Feng and Yang Chai Faculty advisor: Background: bi- lism is crucial for various and has ological processes to be recently been found associated with craniofacial development. a deficiency Specifically, in re- 7-dehydrocholesterol the enzyme ductase (DHCR7) results syndrome, Smith-Lemli-Opitz in abnormal characterized by which cholesterol metabolism, de- craniofacial to lead can fects such as microcephaly and cleft palate, among other traits. The SREBP-2 transcription factor and its cleav- age-activating protein SCAP are required for lipid synthesis and regulate DHCR7. Previ- ous studies have shown that SREBP-2 and SCAP play an important role in chondrogen- esis and embryo limb bud development in mice. Thus, we hypothesized that the SCAP/ pathway signaling SREBP-2 de- craniofacial for required is velopment. of this study is to understand the mechanism of lipid metabolism in regulating craniofacial development. Methods: used was analysis scope RNA to detect expression levels of Srebf2, the encoding gene em- and Scap in for Srepb2, bryonic mouse craniofacial tissues. led to craniofacial defects Histologi- E12.5. as early as cal analysis revealed various craniofacial defects in E13.5 and E16.5 fl mice were generated to target the SCAP/SREBP-2 pathway in cranial-neural-crest-derived cells during craniofacial development. The resulting craniofacial defects were analyzed at E12.5, E13.5, Results: Srebf2 and E16.5. and Scap expression was exten- tis- craniofacial the in sive sues of E14.5 mice. Loss of the SCAP/SREBP-2 pathway in Not Methods: Two Traditionally, in Traditionally, Results: Currently James Tom, Eumi James Tom, The role of lipid metab- Poster #100 Title: yet completed. anesthesia instruction anesthesia Authors: Kristeen Chu Choi and James Tom Faculty advisor: Background: the estab- dental education, lo- lished method of teaching anesthesia administration cal students to pre-doctoral dental - student-to-stu has involved ad- dent injections. However, involves anesthesia ministering for tissue risks and potential such Complications damage. and as hematoma, trismus, caused paresthesia can be tech- injection any intraoral by common nique. The once injec- practice of peer-to-peer now being challenged is tions Administering of ethics. light in intraoral injections for no therapeutic purpose and without a process of informed consent notions the violates specifically of autonomy and cence. The need for a process nonmalefi- of informed consent and a for injections receive to choice students currently enrolled in a dental program is the focus of dental of curriculum revised a education. anesthesia local Purpose: The purpose of this study is to collect preliminary data for a longitudinal, retrospective study. The long-term goal is to evaluate the need for any paradigm shifts in the dental community to implement a consistent process of informed consent starting in the pre-doctoral level and to emphasize and stimulate a thorough discussion of risks versus benefit. surveys were developed: one for faculty and one for students. Surveys consisted of a series of ordinal questions and rate to asked were participants on a scale of one to five ranging from whether they strongly disagreed or strongly agreed These belief. certain a with surveys were distributed to the clinical faculty dentists and Class of 2020 dental students at the Herman Ostrow School Dentistry. of in process. Conclusion: Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman Method: In cases of max- Comparing BTBE Murilo Neves and Murilo Neves and At the end of treat- An investigation of edu- Dental expansion using a using expansion Dental Poster #99 Title: cation models of local dental Poster #98 Title: By-pass Beta-Titanium buccal Expander (BTBE) Authors: Nirav Patel Faculty advisor: Julio Gurgel Background: made is expander wire The with .032’’, extending the upper arch contour buc- across cal, from molar to molar on the opposite side, providing distri- the throughout force of bution entire dental arch extension. Results: ideal established it was ment, occlusion with normal function esthetic, demonstrating and the effectiveness to maxillary atresia correction using BTBE. Conclusion: expan- slow traditional the with ex- dental devices, palatal sion pansion was achieved similarly. However, BTBE presented less discomfort for the patient, which may encourage the long term use of this device. - of antibiot release or delivery osseous sites. ics at infected of this novel The development the reduce to aims conjugate associated with jaw morbidity a by providing bone infections therapeutic. bone-targeted illary atresia in adult patients, the use of protocols such as Hass and Hyrax fixed expand- ers, perform slow expansions with long maintenance of the the of retainers as appliance, results. The long-term use of these devices installed on the patient greater to leads palate discomfort in speaking, swallowing and hygiene. Purpose: With the purpose to reduce this discomfort, we propose the making of Beta-Titanium By-pass Expander (BTBE), bypassing buccal archwire, pa- the occupying not thereby tient´s palate. Therefore, the aim of this study is to describe a clinical case of dental ex- BTBE. with pansion 62

traumatic dental injuries com- generation EGFR tyrosine ki- lower thorax angular excur- performed the periodized pro- pared to health clerks. Conclu- nase inhibitor. This case doc- sions than controls. They also gram 3 days per week in the sion: A routine follow-up train- uments MRONJ occurrence in had more pelvis-only and less Clinical Exercise Research ing in the management of TDIs a patient following use of this thorax-only patterns, as well Center, supervised by an ex- is necessary at school districts medication. Conclusion: Giv- as less bilateral longissimus ercise specialist. Results: for better management of TDIs en the growing use of targeted co-contraction. When in active After the control period, there in school children. therapies for cancer treatment, pain, individuals with recurrent were no significant changes dentists should be familiar with LBP reduced trunk angular in any of the tests. Reliability the potential for MRONJ in sus- excursions, and increased in- was moderate to good for fluid ceptible patients with concom- phase and reduced anti-phase measures (ICC = 0.57 – 0.81), Poster #102 itant risk factors such as tooth patterns to a similar level as and good to excellent for crys- extraction. the controls. When in remis- tallized measures (ICC = 0.89 Title: The first definitive case report of MRONJ associated sion, individuals with recurrent – 0.93). Fluid cognition com- with osimertinib LBP had smaller changes in posite scores significantly in- peak longissimus activation creased from pre- to post-inter- Authors: Saeed A. Bigdeli, BIOKINESIOLOGY in response to different step vention (8.2 ± 6.1 %, p < 0.01, Dennis L. Gorospe, Audrey Bo- & PHYSICAL widths than controls. Con- d = 1.27), but crystallized cog- ros and Parish P. Sedghizadeh clusion: Alterations in trunk nition composite scores did THERAPY control existed regardless of not (d = -0.34). Performance Faculty advisor: Parish pain status in individuals with on all of the individual fluid Sedghizadeh PHD CANDIDATES recurrent LBP. Active pain in- instruments, except episodic duced a more similar, but not memory, signifcantly improved Background: Medication-re- identical, trunk control pattern after training, including exec- lated osteonecrosis of the jaw as the back-healthy controls. utive function, attention, work- (MRONJ) is a serious adverse Poster #103 ing memory, and processing effect of mainly anti-resorp- speed. Conclusion: 12-weeks tive drugs used to treat oste- Title: The Footprint of Pain: Poster #104 of periodized resistance train- oporosis and skeletal cancer, Motor Adaptations in Recurrent ing improves fluid cognition in such as the bisphosphonates Back Pain Title: Periodized Resistance older adults. and denosumab. Recently, Training Improves Fluid Cogni- one potential case of MRONJ Authors: Hai-Jung Steffi Shih tion in Older Adults associated with an epider- and Kornelia Kulig mal-growth-factor-receptor Authors: Timothy R. Macau- Poster #105 Faculty advisor: Kornelia lay, Judy Pa, Jason J. Kutch, (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibi- Kulig tor (osimertinib) was reported; Christianne J. Lane, Domi- Title: Conflict in monitoring, not this case lacked histologic nique Duncan, Lirong Yan and planning, spatially asymmetric Background: Low back pain E. Todd Schroeder discrete bilateral reaches confirmation of MRONJ and (LBP) has become the lead- ruling out metastatic disease ing cause of global disabil- Faculty advisor: E. Todd Authors: Rini Varghese, and also did not meet the ity largely due to its chronic Schroeder James E. Gordon, Robert L. American Academy of Oral and recurrent nature. Current Sainburg and Carolee Winstein and Maxillofacial Surgery defi- knowledge of the underlying Background:Resistance train- nition of MRONJ. Purpose: biopsychosocial mechanisms ing (RT) is a promising strategy Faculty advisor: Carolee Win- The purpose of this paper is to is yet inadequate to explain to slow or reverse fluid cog- stein report the first definitive case or predict symptoms. Motor nitive decline during aging. of MRONJ associated with adaptations to pain may play While cognitive improvements Sensorimotor interference in osimertinib. Methods: This is a role in recurrence, but it is have been demonstrated after planning, executing and cor- a case report of a 65-year-old unclear whether this adapta- 6-12 months of traditional RT, recting bilateral movements male with stage IV non-small tion persists beyond symptom the use of advanced strength especially arise when the cell lung cancer who devel- duration. Purpose: To investi- and conditioning principles hands are required to accom- oped MRONJ a few months gate trunk coordination in and may expedite these benefits. plish two independent or dis- after extraction of a partially out of an episode of recurrent Purpose: The purpose of this parate goals. We investigat- erupted left mandibular third LBP. Methods: Twenty partic- study was to determine wheth- ed sensorimotor interference molar. A few months after the ipants with recurrent low back er 12-weeks of periodized during performance of a planar extraction, the patient returned pain (tested in and out of pain) RT improves fluid cognition reaching task, in which the complaining of pain and swell- and twenty matched back- in healthy older adults 60-80 two hands moved to two visu- ing in the left posterior man- healthy controls participated years of age. Methods: Twen- ally cued targets at separate dible. Clinical examination in this study. Testing consisted ty participants (14 female) distances (spatially asymmet- revealed ulcerated alveolar of motion capture and electro- completed this study. There ric, B-A). Control conditions mucosa at the site with infec- myography while participants were 3 testing sessions (T1, consisted of same-size move- tion and an exophytic necrotic walked on a treadmill with 5 T2, T3) during which standard ments performed unimanual- mass. CBCT imaging revealed prescribed step widths. Thorax measures were administered ly with each limb (U) and bi- a large lytic lesion of the left and pelvis angular excursions, for fluid and crystallized cogni- manually to symmetric targets posterior mandible and ramus kinematic coordination, and tion. During the 12-week con- (B-S). Online visual feedback with central sequestrum-like muscle activity of the longissi- trol period (T1-T2), participants was withheld. Task instructions formation. Surgical biopsy was mus were calculated. Results: were encouraged to continue emphasized speed and accu- performed, and histologic ex- Only reporting frontal plane their normal activities of daily racy but not interlimb synchro- amination confirmed a diag- data for brevity. Regardless living, but were not monitored. ny. Velocity profiles were bell nosis of osteonecrosis and no of their pain status, individ- During the 12-week RT inter- shaped with a single clearly evidence of metastatic cancer. uals with recurrent LBP had vention (T2-T3), participants defined peak. Contrary to our Results: Osimertinib is a third hypothesis, movement times

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 63 There- Communication Aram Kim, Jonas Associations between Associations between recruited motor units at a given units at a motor recruited - pre and level input synaptic of discharges vented sporadic motor units that near-threshold - been recruited ran would have This noise. synaptic by domly a reduction in force leads to properties Intrinsic variability. a key role of motoneurons play of sus- that enables generation output. tained, smooth force This finding is critical to understand the neurophysiological pos- mechanisms for impaired and other tural control in aging clinical conditions. Poster #109 Title: brain connectivity and locomotor learning in Parkinson’s disease Authors: Kaplan, Sook-Lei Liew, Giselle Petzinger and James M. Finley Faculty advisor: James M. Finley Background: fore, we hypothesized that the degree of rsFC between the putamen and DLPFC would be negatively correlated with skill acquisition rate. Methods: We obtained resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging from 16 people with PD. We used a seed-to-seed analysis to estimate rsFC between the bilateral anterior putamen and DLPFC. participants practiced a skill Subsequently, between the basal ganglia and cortex is an important mediator of motor skill learning. The rate at which people acquire a motor skill is negatively correlated with the level of resting-state (rsFC) connectivity functional between the putamen and cortex, indicating that decreased connectivity may benefit motor skill acquisition. Early Parkin- son’s disease (PD) impairs dopaminergic projections to the putamen, and this impairment is partially alleviated by do- therapy. replacement pamine replace- dopamine However, ment can cause excessive dopamine in the putamen, potentially contributing to increased connectivity with the dorso- lateral prefrontal cortex (DLP- FC) and deficits in motor skill acquisition. Purpose: Conclu- Akira Nagamori and Intrinsic properties of Surgical limb KextMmt magnitude of mean difference difference of mean magnitude - Pearson cor between speeds. relation coefficient determined relationships between KextM- rocker variables. mt with heel Results: KextMmt increased at SS+25% (ES-SX:0.29, NSX:0.62), ES- and SS+50% (ES- SX:0.86, ES-NSX:1.79). Knee decreased loading symmetry at SS+25% SS+50% (ES:0.48), (ES:2.08). sion: and were ac- increases with speed between companied by worse no chang- limb symmetry and rocker es in underlying heel those mechanics suggesting not tolerate in early rehab may increased loading demands. Poster #108 Title: genera- facilitate motoneurons tion of stable force output Authors: Francisco J. Valero-Cuevas Faculty advisor: Francisco Valero-Cuevas The ability to sustain smooth force output for a long period a maintain to is critical time of stable posture. Such an ability depends on stable recruitment of motor units where they maintain their activity with low discharge variability. The activity of motor units during voluntary contraction in human displays hysteresis in their recruitment (lower synaptic current required to de-recruit than recruit hysteresis This unit). motor a is likely due to intrinsic properties of motoneurons, which promote their self-sustained discharges. Therefore, we hypothesized that this hysteresis would prevent sporadic motor unit discharges and enhance smooth force output (i.e., smaller force variability). The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of hysteresis in motor unit discharges on developed force variability.We a computational model of a population of 120 motor units. We simulated the hysteresis in motor unit discharges as an additional synaptic current into motor units upon their recruitment. Addition of hysteresis in- recruitment unit motor in creased the discharge rate of Quantifying ex- Quantifying Sara Almansouri, Determine effect of How does increasing exploration volume, and ex- and volume, exploration density around and ploration threshold height that above the the mobile. Results: activated who learned the The infants - their task-spe task increased cificexploration (vertical vari- - positions, explo ance of foot exploration ration volume, and Howev- density) across days. explo- non-task-specific the er, of ration (horizontal variance change. foot positions) did not Conclusion: criti- ploration may provide learning cal insights into how and, emerges in early infancy to in turn, enable researchers describe, more systematically learning. interpret, and support for This study has implications inter- describing, researchers preting, and supporting infant exploratory learning. Poster #107 Title: loading demands effect knee mechanics after ACLr? Authors: Anushree Dighe, William Bar- clay and Susan Sigward advisor: Susan Sig- Faculty ward ante- Background: Following rior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLr) individuals exhibit decrease knee extensor altering by (KextMmt) moments heel rocker mechanics. Altered mechanics persists long term suggesting current gait training protocols are ineffective. Purpose: increasing gait speed on knee mechanics during early recovery of ACLr. Methods: Individ- uals following ACLr (16.9±2.4 weeks; age: :4F; 23.0±2.4, n=6) sex- walked mill at self-selected speed on tread- (SS), SS+25%, and SS+50% (3minutes/speed). and heel rocker mechanics KextMmt variables: flexion(Flex), shank angular veloci- excursion ty (AngVel), posterior (pGRF) re- ground (vGRF) vertical and action forces were calculated during loading response of last 30 seconds. Symmetry indices were calculated as peak knee extensor moment SX/peak knee extensor moment NSX. Effect sizes (ES) estimated Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman Data were - an Exploration is The purpose of this Jeongah “Jane” Kim, “Jane” Jeongah Quantifying Infant Ex- ploratory Learning Authors: Sungwoo Park, Linda Fetters and Barbara Sargent Faculty advisor: Barbara Sar- gent Background: considered essential to in- studies few but learning, fant have quantified infant exploratory learning during a task. Purpose: study was to quantify how infants explored space with their activate to learning while feet an infant kick-activated mobile. Methods: 4-month-old fifteen from alyzed infants who participated in a 10-min scaffolded mobile task on 2-3 consecutive days. infants had learned that their All vertical leg movements above increased systematically a threshold height activated the mobile. Three variables were analyzed: variance of vertical and horizontal foot positions, Poster #106 Title: were were not significantly- correlat the limbs and did ed between between U and B-A not differ but were faster for conditions ~50ms). (by condition B-S the - of MT re A closer examination the absolute and vealed that - ve time-after-peak relative end (i.e., locity to movement was the deceleration phase) significantly prolonged for the target farther the reaching limb compared in the B-A condition of B-S conditions U and the to time- the same size. Absolute did to-peak velocity, however, the condi- not differ between errors were tions. Final position left hand slightly smaller for the conditions, for both bimanual accuracy but this improved was neither associated with directional errors at peak velocity (i.e., straighter paths) nor to the prolonged deceleration feedback-based (i.e., phase The prolonged adjustments). deceleration observed for the far target in the B-A condition might suggest a monitoring two spatially asym- conflict in metric movements rather than in planning or executing such movements. 64

learning task while walking on peripheral electrical stimula- positions that varied in terms information to better examine a treadmill, where they were in- tion and transcranial magnetic of hip and knee flexion. Sur- contingency learning in young structed to step over obstacles stimulation. Co-contraction in- face electromyography (EMG) infants. To explore this, we within a range defined by the dex was measured via electro- was used to assess activation measured the timing of gazes experimenter. We estimated myography placed on the So- of gluteus maximus and ham- directed at a robot to identify the skill acquisition rate using leus and Tibialis Anterior of the strings during the maximum evidence of anticipatory be- a state-space model. Results: dominant limb. Participants’ isometric contractions. Nor- havior in a contingency learn- Participants reduced their foot adopted focus of attention fol- malized EMG data were used ing study. Methods: Twelve clearance error at a rate of lowing each instruction was as an input to determine indi- infants (6-9 months) participat- 0.06 ± 0.07 m per obstacle. quantified via electroencepha- vidual muscle torques using ed in a contingency learning We also observed a trend to- lography coherence. Results: SIMM modeling software. The task where movement of their ward a negative association In our participants, there was gluteus maximus/hamstring right leg resulted in a robot between skill acquisition rate an association between IFA torque ratio was compared kicking a ball. Head mounted and rsFC between the anterior and greater co-contraction. across the 4 positions using a eye-tracking was used to esti- putamen and DLPFC (r=-0.47, The association between CRI one-way repeated-measures mate the position of the infant’s p=0.06). Conclusion: These and co-contraction differed ANOVA. Results: The high- gaze during the task. Trained preliminary results suggest based on standing condition est gluteus maximus torque personnel, performing a frame- that a bias toward the reliance with reduced CRI being asso- occurred in positions where by-frame analysis, identified of explicit cognitive processes ciated with reduced co-con- the hip was flexed to 45° while the onset of a predictive gaze may interfere with error signal traction during narrow base the highest hamstring torque each time the infant activated processing during motor skill stance and increased co-con- occurred in positions in which the robot. Predictive gaze was acquisition. traction during single-limb- the knee was fully extended. defined as a visual fixation on stance. Conclusion: Our pre- The gluteus maximus/ham- the robot 0-400ms prior to its liminary findings suggest that string torque ratio was highest activation. Results: Five of 12 adoption of an IFA may be a at 0° of hip extension and 90° infants had usable eye tracking Poster #110 source of co-contraction while of knee flexion. Conclusion: data. Four infants were catego- the influence of cortical recip- Testing isometric hip extension rized as learners based on leg Title: Exploring neuropsycho- strength at 0° of hip extension movement rate. Three of the 4 logical mechanisms of fear of rocal inhibition may depend on standing task difficulty. and 90° of knee flexion should learners were able to visually falling be considered in order to bias anticipate the majority of the torque production of the glu- robot’s kicks in a minute peri- Authors: Alexander J. Garbin, Maxfield Munk, Marisol Dakan teus maximus relative to the od. The remaining infants (1 and Beth E. Fisher Poster #111 hamstrings. learner, 1 non-learner) did not demonstrate predictive gaze. Which Hip Extensor Beth E. Fish- Title: Conclusion: Overall, this Faculty advisor: Strength Testing Position er BIOKINESIOLOGY study shows that the analysis Enhances Gluteus-Maxi- of visual behavior can provide Background: Older adults mus-to-Hamstrings Torque & insight into infant learning. We Ratio? with fear of falling experience PHYSICAL will continue collecting data a greater likelihood of future and determine best practices Jia Liu, Hsiang- falls in part due to the employ- Authors: THERAPY for including predictive gaze in Ling Teng, David M. Selkow- ment of a stiffening strategy. the assessment of infant learn- itz, Skulpan Asavasopon and MS & PHD STUDENTS While this biomechanical con- ing. Christopher M. Powers sequence is known, the underlying mechanisms are poorly Faculty advisor: Christopher understood. We propose two M Powers Poster #112 possible sources: adoption of Poster #113 an internal focus of attention Title: Visual behavior during Study Design: Controlled Lab- Title: Determinants of Hip In- (IFA) and concomitant reduc- an infant contingency learning oratory Study; Cross-sectional study ternal Rotation in Persons with tion in cortical reciprocal inhibi- Background: Diminished glu- Femoroacetabular Impinge- tion (CRI). Together these may teus maximus muscle strength Authors: Marcelo R. Rosales, ment increase muscle co-contrac- has been proposed to be con- Isabel Reed, Jose Carlo Pu- tion, thus resulting in the stiff- tributory to various lower ex- lido, Nina S. Bradley, Maja J. Authors: Jordan Cannon, Al- ening strategy and increased tremity injuries. As such, it is of Matarić and Beth A. Smith exander E. Weber and Christo- fall risk. Purpose: To first clinical importance to perform pher M. Powers characterize the relationships hip extensor strength testing Faculty advisor: Beth Smith between co-contraction and in a position that biases torque Faculty advisor: Christopher the proposed neuropsycho- contribution of the gluteus Background: Infant contin- Powers logical mechanisms (IFA and maximus relative to the other gency learning in the mobile reduced CRI) in older adults hip extensors (i.e. hamstrings). paradigm is defined as an in- Background: Symptomatic with and without a fear of fall- Purpose: To determine the crease in the amount of move- impingement in persons with ing during standing. Methods: relative torque contributions ment. However, an increase femoroacetabular impinge- 2 older adult participants stood of the gluteus maximus and in movement could be driven ment syndrome (FAIS) results with a narrow-base-stance or hamstring muscles in various by multiple variables; hence, from premature abutment be- single-limb-stance while being hip extension strength testing current methods may misclas- tween the proximal femur and instructed to stand quietly with positions. Methods: Young, sify non-learners as learners. acetabular rim during activi- no focus instruction, an IFA, healthy participants (7 females, Additional measures, such as ties that require significant hip or external focus of attention. 6 males) performed maximum anticipatory gazes directed flexion (i.e. squatting).Studies While standing, CRI was quan- isometric hip extension on a toward the reinforcement (i.e. evaluating FAIS have reported tified via the combined use of dynamometer in 4 different predictive gaze), may provide peak shear stress and contact

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 65 DH Repet- Shoulder Lori Michen- Conclusions: Daniel Awokuse, Methods: er Background/Purpose: Poster #116 Poster Title: Repetitive Increase the Risk gienist Tasks Dental Hy- Pain of Shoulder Authors: - Pozzi, Catarina Sou Federico Brittany sa, Hillary Plummer, Andrade, Naoko Kono, Wendy Lori Mi- Mack, Shawn Roll and chener advisor: Faculty extremi- itive job-related upper to be a risk ty tasks are thought muscu- factor for developing loskeletal shoulder pain. Den- tal hygienists have repetitive job-related tasks and report a high incidence of shoulder pain. This study assessed the association of the incidence of shoulder pain and supraspinatus tendon morphology in dental hygienist (DH, at-risk group) and occupational therapist (OT, non-at-risk group) students. pain was measured with a vi- Ultra- (VAS). scale analog sual sound images of supraspina- thickness (cross-sectional tus and transverse views) and oc- cupation ratio were collected at baseline and 12-months later. The minimal detectable change for the VAS was used to identify participants that developed shoulder pain at the evaluation. Results: 12-month Over 12 months, a greater proportion of DH shoulder pain compared to OT developed positive 0.03); p= 6%, vs. (22% likelihood ratio= 1.8 1.2, 2.7). At 12 months, great- (95%CI: er supraspinatus thickness was related to greater VAS for shoulder pain (r= 0.29; p< 0.01). The DH-developed pain of increase greater had group supraspinatus cross-sectional thickness (1.0mm; 95%CI: 0.3, 1.6; p< 0.01) and pation ratio (8.4%; 95%CI: 1.7, occu- 15.1; p< 0.01) compared to OT. the students are at higher risk of developing shoulder pain after 12 months of academic training. Moreover, the development of shoulder pain is associated with an 18% thickening of the supraspinatus tendon. The supraspinatus presence is space subacromial the in also more prominent in the DH Contin- Kornelia The pur- Consequences Consequences Purpose: The results indicated C. Yamaguchi Kulig and Kornelia advisor: Faculty Kulig Background: physical activity of prolonged and consciously-driven include motor con- subcortically-based trol modification. Experimental a repeated protocols featuring primary task complemented may by secondary movements in motor elucidate changes ac- control that would typically company athletic occupations. to ground Muscle activity prior pre- contact involves neural and allows diction of demands exertion-induced into insight changes in the motor system’s ability to prepare for ground contact. pose of this study was to test phase flight that hypothesis the muscle recruitment patterns would be altered in dancers performing numerous rate-controlled sauté jumps. Methods: Surface EMG was collected on preferred the of muscles seven were signals The limb. stance band-pass filtered andfied recti- for analysis of pre-activation onset (lag between EMG onset and onset of measurable ground reaction force). The signals were then normalized by maximum voluntary isometric contraction for assessment of pre-activation amplitude. Changes over time were assessed via linear regression. Results: a significant decrease in gas- trocnemius and soleus EMG while 0.05) < (p amplitude semitendinosus amplitude increased significantly0.001). Gluteus maximus and (p < vastus lateralis pre-activation onset occurred earlier, indicating earlier onset significantly relative to ground contact (p < 0.05). Conclusion: uous dance-specificaffected feedforward signals activity that are typical of preparation for ground contact. Impaired ability for neural recruitment of muscles included reduced pre-activation amplitude in the primary ankle plantar flexors. Earlier pre-activation onset of the gluteus maximus and vastus lateralis indicates possible substitution of the proximal as the the ankle extensors for primary controllers. Christopher Laine, The results indicated Dance exertion alters Poster #115 Title: for mechanisms feedforward lower extremity muscle recruitment Authors: Hai-Jung Steffi Shih, Amanda - objec Our movements. their of - whether in tive is to determine - (L) and non-lean fant learners different quantity ers (NL) show - of leg move and/or variability learning contingent a in ment - Methods: Nine in paradigm. - with typ fants (7-9-month-old) development participated ical movements Their study. the in accelerom- were monitored by baseline, eters for a 2-minute 8-minute contingency, period. In- 2-minute extinction and fants received reinforcement their right from the robot when were leg peak accelerations the during m/s2 9-20 between Infants contingency period. frequen- whose leg movement band cy within the acceleration during the contingency period was 1.5 times greater than baseline were learners. Quantity (1. general identifiedas movement quantity; 2. proportion of movements within compared band acceleration to general movement quantity (Prop)) and variability of acceleration (1. nonlinear variability: sample entropy (SampEn); 2. linear variability: interquartile range (IQR)) of their leg movements during the contingency session were normalized to baseline. Peak performance was compared between learners and non-learners using Mann-Whitney tests. Results: Six out of nine infants were identified as learners.pared to non-learners, learners Com- demonstrated a higher quantity of general movement (median: L:2.2, NL:0.6, p=0.04), higher Prop (median: L:3.3, p=0.02), higher non-linear NL:0.6, median: (SampEn variability L:4.2, NL:1.1, p=0.048) linear variability (IQR median: and L:2.5, NL:1.0, p=0.03) during the contingency period. Con- clusion: both quantity and variability of movement may influence the learning process of adjusting leg acceleration control during infancy. Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman Movement ac- Results obtained Weiyang Deng, Purpose: To evalu- Purpose: Quantity and Variability Methods: Four persons pressures on the acetabular the acetabular on pressures when the hip rim are greatest is flexed (≥90o) and internally rotated. Poster #114 Title: ate the influence of bonymor- and neuromuscular phology hip internal rotation control on and with persons in excursion squat a during FAIS without task. indi- 3 and FAIS confirmed with have par- viduals without FAIS clinal this ongoing in ticipated obtained study. Using data from CT imaging, for models were reconstructed 3D pelvis Acetabular each participant. as anteversion was measured between the transverse angle and plane rim acetabular the Lower the anterior pelvic plane. extremity kinematics and sur- (EMG) electromyography face were collected while participants performed 5 constrained width and pelvis parallel (feet apart) maximal depth body- weight squats. EMG data from the adductor longus and gluteus maximus were integrated over the descent phase of the squat and a relative activation ratio was calculated (Add:G- Max) Multiple regression was used to evaluate the influence of acetabular anteversion and rota- internal hip on Add:GMax tion excursion. Results: Great- er acetabular anteversion and higher Add:GMax ratios were found to be associated with greater hip internal rotation excursion (multiple R2 = 0.40). Conclusion: thus far suggest that hip internal rotation excursion during squatting likely is the result of an interaction between bony structure and neuromuscular control. During Movement Leg Infant of Contingent Learning Authors: Marcelo Rosales, Barbara Sar- gent, José Carlos Pulido, Maja J. Matarić and Beth A. Smith Faculty advisor: Beth Smith Background: celeration is a critical parameter in motor control. However, it is still unknown how infants learn to control the acceleration 66

group that developed shoul- mersive overground mobility generally high, further appli- Poster #118 der pain. These morphological training system is feasible cation development is need- changes in the supraspinatus Title: Effects of Blood Flow Re- and acceptable by people ed to enhance the therapist’s are compatible with signs of striction with Eccentric Training with PD and their therapists. user experience. Overall, we supraspinatus tendinopathy. on Muscle Fatigue, Strength, present evidence that our and Hypertrophy immersive overground mobility training system is feasible Malcolm Jones and Poster #119 and acceptable by people Poster #117 Authors: Todd Schroeder Title: Evaluation of a Ful- with PD and their therapists. Improved Fitness Follow- ly-Immersive Mobility Train- Title: Todd Schro- ing a 10-Week Golf Program Faculty advisor: ing System for Parkinson’s for Older Adults eder Disease Poster #120 Gotsis, Vangelis Lympouridis Jared Moore, K. Kan- Shreya Jain, Aram Authors: and James M. Finley Authors: Title: Compensation for in- war, H. Lee, R. Hawkes and Kim, Beth Fisher, Marientina teraction torques during sin- George Salem James Finley gle-joint movement in stroke Faculty advisor: James Fin- Faculty advisor: survivors Faculty advisor: George Sa- People with Parkinson’s dis- ley lem ease (PD) experience deficits Yannick Darmon, People with Parkinson’s dis- Authors: in gait and balance that dra- Victor Barradas and Nicolas Aging is associ- ease (PD) experience defi- Background: matically reduce their quality Schweighofer ated with decreases in phys- cits in gait and balance that of life. Many of these deficits ical function. It is therefore dramatically reduce their are not ameliorated by dopa- Faculty advisor: Nicolas necessary to find exercise pro- quality of life. Many of these minergic medication, which Schweighofer grams that are feasible and ad- deficits are not ameliorat- is the most common clinical herent for older adults. Golf is ed by dopaminergic med- intervention used to improve Background: Flexion and a unique, multimodal exercise ication, which is the most motor symptoms in PD. How- extension of the elbow gen- that encompasses aerobic, common clinical intervention ever, emerging evidence sug- erate torques at the shoulder power, agility, and balance used to improve motor symp- gests that physical activity can and other proximal and distal training. The pur- toms in PD. However, emerg- Purpose: improve motor function in indi- joints. These forces gener- pose of this study was to inves- ing evidence suggests that viduals with PD through expe- ated are called interaction tigate the effect of a 10-week physical activity can improve rience-dependent changes in torques and arise from the golf program on measures of motor function in individu- brain structure and function. acceleration and velocity of physical function in healthy, als with PD through experi- Here, we describe the creation the limb about its joint. To older adults. 15 ence-dependent changes Methods: and evaluation of a virtual re- maintain accuracy, the cen- healthy, older adults were enin brain structure and func- ality (VR) application, called tral nervous system learns rolled in a 10-week golf pro- tion. Here, we describe the ‘Wordplay VR’, designed to to compensate for these gram with fitness testing before creation and evaluation of a improve mobility in people with torques by activating com- and after the intervention. Par- virtual reality (VR) applica- PD. The objective of the appli- pensatory muscles before the ticipants completed 283/300 tion, called ‘Wordplay VR’, cation was for users to com- prime movers of the move- sessions (94%) and there were designed to improve mobility plete a puzzle that consisted of ment. This pre-programmed no adverse events or drop-outs in people with PD. The ob- a word with missing letters, by muscle activity involves feed- related to the golf program. jective of the application was collecting the necessary letters forward controllers that are One participant dropped out of for users to complete a puz- as they floated in a three-di- thought to be updated by the study due to a work-related zle that consisted of a word mensional virtual space and the cerebellum. However, in injury. Paired t tests were used with missing letters, by col- placing them in their appropri- stroke survivors, the death of to determine significance. Re- lecting the necessary letters ate location. Nine people with neurons occurring in motor sults are shown as mean ± SD as they floated in a three-di- PD completed three test ses- cortical areas may indirectly with Cohen’s d effect sizes. mensional virtual space and Re- sions, and each session was provoke the death of cells in There were statistically placing them in their appro- sults: directed by one of eight phys- the cerebellum by a phenom- significant changes in timed priate location. Nine people ical therapists (PTs) who set enon call diaschisis. Damage up & go (p<0.001), 30-second with PD completed three test features of the gameplay that in the cerebro-cerebellum chair stand (p=0.006), aver- sessions, and each session influenced the level of chal- pathways may, therefore, age grip strength (p=0.017), was directed by one of eight lenge. Our primary outcome precludes stroke survivors maximum hip abductor physical therapists (PTs) who measures assessed adverse from updating their feedfor- strength (p=0.005), and heel set features of the gameplay effects of VR exposure, sense ward controllers. Purpose: raise (p=0.014). There were that influenced the level of of presence, levels of motiva- In this experiment, we inves- no changes in average quad- challenge. Our primary out- tion and system usability. All tigate if stroke survivors pres- riceps strength (p=0.805) come measures assessed participants successfully com- ent abnormal muscle activa- or six-minute walk distance adverse effects of VR ex- pleted the sessions, with no tion and aberrant scaling for (p=0.097). Golf posure, sense of presence, Conclusion: adverse events. Both people interaction torque compen- is a unique, multimodal activity levels of motivation and sys- with PD and PTs were intrinsi- sation. Methods: We recruit that has a beneficial impact on tem usability. All participants cally motivated to perform well stroke survivors and healthy fitness in healthy, older adults. successfully completed the at their respective tasks. While age-matched control. During The high adherence rate shows sessions, with no adverse the usability of the game was both single-joint elbow flexion that the participants found the events. Both people with PD generally high, further appli- and extension, we explore program to be enjoyable and and PTs were intrinsically cation development is need- the relationships between the feasible. Golf should be en- motivated to perform well at ed to enhance the therapist’s generated interaction torques couraged as a physical activity their respective tasks. While user experience. Overall, we and the electromyographic program for older adults. the usability of the game was present evidence that our im- (EMG) activity of the shoulder

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 67 34 The purpose of Samantha Atty, Trev- Effect of NuStep on Gait Purpose: - of preoper the role describe in care ative interdisciplinary management successful the - overall satisfac of SUI and - undergo tion in individuals A cystectomy. Methods: ing - study was con retrospective patients to survey via ducted who attended the preoperative class between the years 2016- those 2020. Inclusion criteria: orthotopic who underwent the neobladder surgery and > The months post-procedure. 3 questions survey consists of overall regarding the patients to con- satisfaction in regards post-op- tinence, quality of life, and if they erative expectations and felt they had the support to cope knowledge needed with the post-operative changes. Results: Pending our IRB approval, we have not attained our results of this survey. Con- serves study Our clusions: to fill a missing piecebladder continence research. in neo- will our results anticipate We demonstrate positive trends in patient confidence,tion and QoL post-operatively. satisfac- The study will also serve as a stepping-stone for further research and development of best practice medicine for this population in regards to pelvic health. Poster #124 Title: after Chronic Stroke Authors: or McCready, Nicholas Siekirk, Q. Lai, Victoria Pardo and Su- jay Galen Faculty advisor: Nicholas Siekirk recumbent A Background: cross trainer (RCT) relies on similar neural networks as gait. participants were divided into two groups: stroke (CVA) (10 ± 5 years post-CVA) and age/ Partic- controls. sex-matched ipants completed two 5-minute exercise bouts on both the RCT and TM at a RPE based this investigation was to compare effects of the RCT and Treadmill (TM) on intra-exercise electromyography and post-exercise spatial-temporal gait parameters. Methods: Purpose: Preoperative & We conclude that Peter Muhn, Lisa THERAPY PHYSICAL PHYSICAL A preoperative interdisci- OTHER BIO- KINESIOLOGY RESEARCHERS The purpose of this study is to est the salience network. We network. salience est the - these incon further examined - con the plotting by sistencies connectivity tinuous functional a network. On to the salience flattened map of sensorimotor - also observed het cortex, we with relatively high erogeneity to the functional connectivity and trunk for network salience function- face regions, and low extremities al connectivity for feet. and hands the including Conclusion: cannot be sensorimotor cortex homoge- spatially considered with oth- neous in its interaction networks. er large-scale brain Different sensorimotor regions may be on the body surface for pain prioritized differently and threat assessment by the salience network. Poster #123 Title: plinary model for those undergoing orthotopic neobladder surgery Authors: Tan, Kelsie Kaiser, Brian Ster- Len- Kimberly Spina, April ling, ington, Sylvia Rodriguez, Ju- dea Sy, Seyedeh Sanam Ladi Seyedian and mand Sia Danesh- Background: patient education is correlated with long-term patient satisfaction (Kretschmer 2017); however, this concept is less common in the area of pelvic health. Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a common problem that occurs after a cystectomy (Ahmadi, 2013), which directly impacts patients’ functioning and quality of life (QoL). Pelvic floor muscle training has been demonstrated to improve SUI preoperatively (Tienforti 2012, Patel 2013, Hirscchorn 2014, Chang 2016) and postopera- 2018). (Sayilan tively Using This Conclusion: Amy K. Hegarty, Mo- We found significant of which 64 were included for and synthesis. data extraction We identified 17 mHealth tech- for upper nology evaluations and 47 for limb measurement - measurement. Va lower limb and reliability lidity, accuracy, were reported in 36, 34 32 and publications, respectively. only re- Responsiveness was and ported in 7 publications in- there is a lack of intensity formation. electromyography and task- and electromyography based functional magnetic res- first we (fMRI), imaging onance distinct regions-of-in- localized sensorimotor across terest cortex in medial (gluteal), inter- mediate (shoulder), and lateral used then We areas. (hand) resting-state fMRI of healthy individuals from two public repositories to map salience network functional connectivity across sensorimotor cortex using the 3 Results: anchor regions. heterogeneity in functional between strength connectivity sensorimotor regions-of-inter- scoping review serves as a as serves review scoping knowledge starting point for technology development and of well-designed efficacy als of emerging technologies tri- for inducing health-promoting movement levels of functional survivors. behaviors in stroke Poster #122 Title: Do fundamental higher explain connections brain specific in pain chronic of rates body regions? Authors: heb S. Yani, Alaa M. Albishi, Lori A. Michener and Jason J. Kutch Faculty advisor: Jason Kutch and Lori Michener Background:The salience network is important for pain processing. Functional connectivity of the salience network to the sensorimotor cortex is altered in chronic pain. However, little is understood about their fundamental communication in the absence of pain. Purpose: The purpose of this study was func- network salience map to tional connectivity across the sensorimotor cortex in healthy individuals. Methods: Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman Pend- mHealth Tech- mHealth & - Camila Torriani-Pa Results: The search RESIDENTS mHealth technology in mHealth technology POST-DOCS & POST-DOCS Methods: We searched BIOKINESIOLOGY PHYSICAL THERAPY PHYSICAL strategy yielded 1380 citations Poster #121 Title: nologies are being used to measure functional movement behavior outside clinical settings. the measurement prop- about Detailed erties of these technologies is information needed to best guide clinicians and researchers to choose and technol- the appropriate apply ogy in practice. Purpose: The aim of this scoping review is to provide a critical analysis of measurement properties of mHealth technology (wearable sensors and smartphone applications) currently used to capture two classes of purposeful movement behaviors (walking steps and arm and hand use) and to evaluate the intensity of to these behaviors (moderate high levels of physical activity, vs low levels including seden- tary behavior) in stroke survivors. 4 databases to identify studies investigating the psychometric of mHealth technol- properties ogies used to capture functional movement behaviors in stroke survivors. The team extracted measurement proper- respon- ties (reliability, validity, siveness, and interpretability) of characteristics sample and all eligible publications. The review is registered in the Open Science Framework (osf.io/ fqs3d). Results: Results: elbow muscles. and Pending. Conclusions: scoping re- stroke survivors: a view protocol Authors: Cunha Polese, Janaine sin, Marika Demers, Lauri Bishop, Hempel Wade, Susanne Eric and Carolee Winstein Faculty advisor: Carolee Win- stein Background:

ing. 68

self-selected cadence. The children with disabilities were version of the app, MU-A, for Wireless Gait Assessment Tool perceived as “defective” and seniors with mild cognitive im- (WiGAT) evaluated gait param- kept hidden in the home. Due pairment (MCI)/mild dementia OCCUPATIONAL eters immediately following to the lasting shame and fear of (MD). Methods: A rapid liter- SCIENCE each exercise bout (3 x 10m stigmatization, developmental ature review and beta-test of walk). Results: Stroke (n = 15) disorders and disability are rel- MU in cognitively healthy older & and healthy (n = 19) did not atively new issues in Armenia. adults informed MU-A devel- differ in age (Mdn: 66 years vs. Low birth weight, young age of opment. Literature review in- OCCUPATIONAL 57 years, respectively) or BMI mothers, living in a rural area, cluded a manual search for ar- (Stroke: M = 27.02, SD = 4.57 and the presence of other sick ticles relevant to digital health THERAPY vs. Healthy: M = 26.46, SD = children in the family have technology and MCI/MD. Three DOCTORAL 4.63), p > .05. Healthy partici- been identified as risk factors focus groups (n=4–5/grp) were pants were stronger at all joints, for developmental delay in the held after a 2-week beta-test STUDENTS p < .025. Healthy controls pre- Tavush region of Armenia. Pur- to gather cognitively healthy ferred faster TM speed, de- pose: To better understand users’ experiences with MU. spite no statistical difference the development of infants and We synthesized results, iden- Poster #127 tified features aligned with in RPE, p < .05. RCT average children living in the south- Title: Dental fear/anxiety, sen- steps/min did not differ be- ern regions of rural Armenia best practices for MCI/MD, sory over-responsivity, and oral tween conditions, p >.05. RPE utilizing an adapted version deliberated necessary adapta- health: A conceptual model did not differ between groups of the CDC’s Developmental tions, and integrated changes or across exercise modes. Milestone Checklist. Methods: into MU-A. Results: Results: Authors: Mollianne Grager WiGAT determined RCT de- The CDC Milestone Checklist Many elements of MU (e.g., and Leah Stein Duker creased stance percentage was translated into Armenian high-contrast colors, simplis- (%) and increased swing % and back-translated to assure tic menus) already aligned Faculty advisor: Leah Stein on the non-affected leg, p < validity, reliability, and cultural with techniques to maximize Duker .05. Neither exercise mode relevance. Participants (n=98) usability in seniors with MCI/ modulated the affected-side were recruited from the rural MD. We produced a second Background: Dental fear/ stance %, affected-side swing villages of Sisian and Kapan, MU version by incorporating anxiety (DFA) is an excessive %, double support time, or Armenia. Once consented, beta-test feedback and find- negative emotional state or bilateral (affected vs. non-af- caregivers were asked to com- Studies examining the relation- reaction to dental treatment. fected) stride length, p>.05. plete the translated checklist ship between DFA, SOR, and Prevalence estimates range Conclusion: Five minute RCT and provided feedback from OHBO in individuals across from 5-42% for children and intervention improved non-af- an occupational therapist re- the lifespan were included 11-27% for adults, with DFA fected side gait parameters in garding their child’s develop- (n=60). Articles examining a linked to multiple negative oral a chronic CVA population. ment. Results: Participants disability population or rela- health behaviors and outcomes presented with general delays tionships with constructs such (OHBO). Sensory over-respon- in cognitive and language and as socioeconomic status or sivity (SOR) has likewise been communication areas. Out of race/ethnicity were excluded. linked to these OHBO, but OCCUPATIONAL the 98 participants, 3 children In an iterative process, con- minimal research has exam- SCIENCE displayed significant delays structs were organized into a ined the relationship between (<50% of milestones passed). conceptual model. Results: DFA and SOR. Purpose: To & Conclusion: Overall, infants Relationships exist between present a conceptual model of and children in rural Arme- DFA and general anxiety, SOR, DFA, SOR, and OHBO. Meth- OCCUPATIONAL nia displayed developmental pain catastrophizing, dental ods: The PubMed database trends similar to those of their behavior management prob- was searched; terms included THERAPY U.S. peers. lems (DBMP), oral health, den- dental fear/anxiety, oral health, tal attendance, and the need sensory processing, etc. Stud- FACULTY for pharmacological methods ies examining the relation- to complete care. Likewise, ship between DFA, SOR, and Poster #126 SOR has been linked to gen- OHBO in individuals across the eral anxiety, pain catastroph- lifespan were included (n=60). Poster #125 Title: Tailoring an App for Se- izing, DFA, DBMPs, and need Articles examining a disability niors with MCI and Mild De- population or relationships with Investigating Develop- for pharmacological methods. Title: mentia constructs such as socioeco- mental Norms of Infants and Additional relationships exist nomic status or race/ethnicity Children in Rural Armenia Stacey L. Schepens between DBMPs and need Authors: were excluded. In an iterative Niemiec, Jeanine Blanchard for pharmacological methods; process, constructs were orga- Authors: Allison Phillips and and Sarah Barber poor oral health was also asso- Grace Baranek ciated with dental attendance nized into a conceptual model. Technology may and need for pharmacological Background: Results: Relationships exist Background: The health of in- improve health management methods. Conclusion: DFA is between DFA and general fants and children in Armenia of older people with cognitive a complex and multi-faceted anxiety, SOR, pain catastro- has been affected by a variety deficits, yet these individu- issue with serious health impli- phizing, dental behavior man- of socioeconomic, environmen- als may have unique needs cations. By understanding the agement problems (DBMP), tal, educational, and behavior- impacting its utility. We de- interplay of the factors associ- oral health, dental attendance, al factors, displaying trends veloped a smartphone app, ated with DFA, such as SOR, and the need for pharmaco- typical for both developed Moving Up (MU), to improve we can develop novel interven- logical methods to complete and developing countries. Pri- physical activity in older peo- tion techniques to target these care. Likewise, SOR has been or to Armenia’s independence ple. This study describes initial related constructs in order to linked to general anxiety, pain from the Soviet Union in 1991, development of an adapted improve oral health outcomes and behaviors.

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 69 Con- Previous re- Twenty Methods: w was - significant Miranda Rennie and These preliminary re- VR-based motor recov- behavior. Stroke typically oc- typically Stroke behavior. adults and can curs in older cause significant neurological - in function damage resulting al deficits, but how stroke im- balance is unknown. pacts this wheth- We examine Purpose: further impairs the er stroke beyond dual-system balance the effect healthy aging, and relationship of stroke on the between WM and dual-system balance. 4 OA, 4 participants (12 YA, stroke) completed WM6 A mea- decision-making tasks. and weight- sure of the dual-system from the ings (w) was derived and task decision-making groups compared between using a The effect of group on the re- Kruskal-Wallis test. lationship between w and WM, with OA as referent, was examined with an interaction model. Results: ly different between groups (χ2=6.84, p=0.03), being most goal-directed, fol- with YA lowed by OA, and stroke being most habitual. Significant differences were found only between YA and stroke (Z=-2.42, p-adj=0.04). For the interaction model, we found a main effect of w (βw=25.41, p<0.01). Both stroke and YA had significant effects on the relationship between WM and w compared to OA (βstroke:w=39.56, p=0.04; βYA:w=9.87, p=0.02). clusion: sults suggest that stroke may alter the dual-system balance in decision-making beyond normal age-related effects, and may alter the relationship balance dual-system between and WM. More data is needed to draw more conclusive results. Poster #131 Title: ery for chronic stroke survivors: A pilot study Authors: Sook-Lei Liew Liew advisor:Sook-Lei Faculty Background: search indicates that action observation (AO; Celnik et al., 2008) and (VR; Bermúdez i Badia et al., virtual reality Kaori L. Ito, Laura Imbalanced Dual Sys- their child’s developmental out- child’s developmental their comes, including the SEQ, De- - Concerns Ques velopmental tionnaire (DCQ), and Scale (SRS). Responsiveness Social The DCQ and SRS were used - di child’s the determining for agnostic status, resulting in 3 groups: 71 with ASD, 131 with other diagnoses, and Wald without any diagnosis. 1,996 used to chi-square tests were differ- detect diagnostic group of par- ences in the proportion of levels various with ticipants The main sensory challenges. group on effects of diagnostic were the SEQ subscale scores with assessed using ANCOVA As a result, sex as a covariate. of the estimated prevalence sensory deficits wascantly signifi- higher with in ASD. 2.7% of the children 3-year-olds with non-ASD conditions show severe sensory symp- did toms, indicating the possibility of sensory processing disorder in the preschool-aged general population. The results also revealed that ASD can be distinguished from based on parent-report sen- non-ASD sory symptoms. largest group differences were Specifically, in hyperresponsiveness found and hyporesponsiveness. The group differences observed in both social and non-social contexts might indicate more general deficits insensory re- of regardless sponsiveness social factors in children with ASD. Poster #130 Title: tems of Decision Stroke Making in Authors: Cao, Renee Reinberg, Nicolas Schweighofer and Sook-Lei Liew Liew advisor:Sook-Lei Faculty Background: In the healthy brain, decision-making is driven by a balance between and goal-directed habitual systems. This dual-system bal- ha- greater towards shifts ance bitual actions in healthy aging, while younger adults who have greater working memory (WM) show greater goal-directed

Best SPA and Prevalence and Differ- Poster #129 Title: entiating Patterns of Sensory Symptoms among 3-year-olds Authors: Yun-Ju Chen, John Sideris, Linda Watson and Grace Baranek Ba- Faculty advisor: Grace ranek the used study current The Sensory Experiences Ques- tionnaire (SEQ v2.1), a well-validated parent-report measure of children’s responses to sensory stimuli in daily activities, to examine the prevalence of sensory symptoms across a community sample of 3-year- olds. We also aimed to clarify whether differentiating patterns of sensory symptoms were present among those with and without autism spectrum disorders (ASD). 2,198 parents with a child aged 3 years complet- about surveys online of set a ed practice for assessing sensory processing should consider multiple informants and explore caregiver factors that may be contributing to outcomes. er-report), and the Caregiver the Caregiver and er-report), (CGSQ). Strain Questionnaire were correlations Pearson across measures computed for N=269 2-12 year-old children with ASD, - developmen tal disorders (DD), or for development, controlling typical and IQ. chronological age (CA) models A series of regression run with of SEQ scores were their inter- SPA, CGSQ, and action entered hierarchically with for the subset of children ASD and DD, CA and IQ. Results: covarying for correla- SEQ construct score tions were .24-.28 (all p<.001). CGSQ subjective externalized with strain was not correlated subjective scores, SPA/SEQ internalized strain was correlated with SEQ construct scores (r=.27-.28, p<.02), and objec- with was correlated strain tive SEQ hyporesponsiveness and hyperresponsiveness (r=.31- .39, p<.007). Increased CGSQ subjective externalized strain predicted a stronger correlation between SPA and SEQ seeking scores (F(1,55)=6.00, p<.02). Conclusion: Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman To test the Many individu- Emily Campi, John Purpose: Correlations between Measures included the Sideris, Cristin Holland, Emi- ly Sopkin, Yun-Ju Chen, Elix- abeth Choi, Susan Agostine, Stephanie Bristol, Aaron Dall- man, AManda Wiles, Linda Watson, Elizabeth Crais and Grace Baranek Ba- Faculty advisor: Grace ranek Background: dis- spectrum autism with als order (ASD) demonstrate - atyp ical sensory processing, which impacts participation and is known to be associated with caregiver stress. Sensory pro- care- via assessed is cessing or observational giver-report measures of hyporesponsiv- and hyperresponsivity, ity, however, constructs; seeking the correlation between these types of measures and mod- erators of this association have not been systematically investigated. Poster #128 Title: Observed and Caregiver-Re- ported Sensory Responsive- ness Authors: catastrophizing, catastrophizing, DFA, DBMPs, for pharmacological and need relation- Additional methods. ships exist between - for pharmacologi and need DBMPs poor oral health cal methods; - associated with den was also and need for tal attendance methods. pharmacological Conclusion: DFA is a complex issue with and multi-faceted By serious health implications. interplay understanding the with factors associated the of de- can we SOR, as such DFA, tech- velop novel intervention related niques to target these to improve constructs in order and be- oral health outcomes haviors. correlation between caregiver-report and clinical observa- pro- sensory of measures tion cessing with caregiver stress as a moderator of the strength of correlation observed. Meth- ods: Assess- Processing Sensory ment (SPA, observational measure), the Sensory Experiences caregiv- (SEQ, Questionnaire 70

used in many studies (Hart- Background: Children with Title: Autism Spectrum Disor- 2016) can improve severe gerink et al., 2015), questions autism spectrum disorder der assessment in Latino Chil- motor impairment in people remain about the induced ex- (ASD) and other developmen- dren in the USA with chronic stroke. Purpose: periences. Purpose: (1) To de- tal delays have demonstrated The current study evaluates termine whether a virtual reality increased behavioral prob- Author: Valentina Vera Carras- the effectiveness and feasi- (VR) version of Cyberball elicits lems, and sensory features quero bility of REINVENT, a platform heightened immersion com- have been linked with be- Grace Ba- that incorporates principles of pared to the original, and (2) to Faculty advisor: havioral problems behaviors ranek AO and VR. EMG signals indi- investigate behavioral respons- in both typical and clinical cating attempted wrist move- es to perceived intentional os- populations of children. How- Background: Latino fami- ments in the hemiparetic arm tracism through non-player ever, there is limited research drive an avatar’s wrist move- lies in the United States often gaze manipulation. Methods: examining possible causal have decreased access to ment in VR, creating a biofeed- 14 participants ages 18-27 (11 and bidirectional associations back loop with the purpose of healthcare, less culturally rel- female) played cartoon and VR between sensory features and evant information of ASD, and avoiding coactivation of ago- Cyberball (2 conditions - with- behavioral problems in chil- nist and antagonist muscles. therefore, lower levels of ASD out and with intentional gaze dren with neurodevelopmen- awareness. Consequently, Methods: We are conducting cues) in counterbalanced or- tal disorders, such as ASD. a pilot study of the REINVENT they are an underserved pop- ders. The Immersive Tenden- Purpose: To assess if senso- ulation with regards to ASD EMG training program, with cies Questionnaire (Witmer & ry features predict behavioral pre and post-intervention test- assessment. Awareness of Singer, 1998) and the Sense problems behaviors in children current situation is necessary ing on days 1 and 10, respec- of Presence Inventory (SOPI; with neurodevelopmental dis- tively. Outcome measures in- to address systemic barriers Lessiter et al., 2001) were orders Methods: Measures of and provide inclusive care. clude the Action Research Arm completed on arrival. Williams’ sensory features (Sensory Ex- Purpose: To examine current Test, dynamometry for grip Needs Threat Scale (Williams periences Questionnaire) and strength, the upper extremity barriers to ASD assessment in et al., 2000) was collected behavioral problems (Child Latino children and highlight Fugl-Meyer, and the Montreal post-hoc. Results: All SOPI Behavior Checklist [CBCL]) Cognitive Assessment. Paired best practices to ensure cultur- scores were higher for the VR at two time points (T1 age ally appropriate and sensitive t-tests were used to compare version (p<0.01). Females M=78.65 months, SD=34.03 pre and post intervention data assessment. Method: A liter- reported significantly higher months; T2 age M=108.34, ature search was conducted across four participants and between-version differences 31.18) were extracted from descriptive data was analyzed in PubMed, COCHRANE and of spatial presence (p=0.019) a longitudinal data set with a CINAHL. The search terms for each case. Results: Pre- and ecological validity (EV) sample of N=31 children with liminary results at the group were (Latino AND (children (p=0.012) sub-scales. Regres- ASD or developmental delays. OR family) AND (autism OR level indicate no significant dif- sion modelling revealed age Hierarchical linear models ferences and at the case level autism spectrum disorder)). (p=0.007), gender (p=0.017), were used to test the associ- Articles focusing solely on chil- indicate clinically important dif- tendency to become passively ation of hyperresponsiveness, ferences for two participants. dren with ASD were included. involved (p=0.031), and be- hyporesponsiveness, and sen- Both qualitative and quantita- Conclusion: REINVENT has tween-version differences in sory interests with CBCL Total the potential to be an effective tive research were included. feelings of control (p=0.021) Problems and several sub- Articles were appraised using intervention for motor recovery together predicted EV score scales, and whether those as- for chronic stroke survivors, appropriate appraisal criteria differences. Gender aside, EV sociations were moderated by depending on the research though additional research is had negative relationships with age and diagnosis. Results: required to optimize the plat- methodology. GATE, RAM- the predictors. Between VR Results indicated positive as- BOMAN and Tracy’s 8 Big Tent form. A discussion of the feasi- conditions, age predicted dif- sociations with Total problems bility of REINVENT and oppor- Criteria. Results: The search ferences in self-esteem while and both hyperresponsiveness yielded 99 articles, 18 of which tunities for further research and tendency to become focused (std B = .48, p<.001) and hy- development will be included. pertained to ASD assessment. and VR EV predicted differenc- poresponsiveness (std B = .26, The predominant barriers to es in feelings of control. Con- p=.004), but no moderation by ASD assessment were lack of clusion: VR Cyberball is more age or diagnosis. These results Poster #132 accessible healthcare and the immersive, and its gaze manip- were largely replicated in the language barrier encountered ulation is detectable. Future en- Title: VR Cyberball: Modula- subscales, with possibly even between health care provid- tion of social ostracism in an deavors will apply this modality greater distinction between ers and Spanish speaking cli- immersive environment to identify neural responses to hypo and hyper for internaliz- ents. Best practices to address the intentionality of ostracism. ing and externalizing scales. these needs are carefully Authors: Aditya Jayashankar, Conclusion: Results suggest reviewing background infor- Samantha Noor, Jonas Kaplan, sensory features may influence mation, selecting appropriate Lisa Aziz-Zadeh and Laura Poster #133 later behavioral problems in assessments, building rapport, Harrison children with neurodevelop- and open communication be- Title: Relationships between mental disorders, and certain Sensory Features and Behav- tween multidisciplinary teams. Faculty advisor: Lisa Aziz-Za- features, such as hyperrespon- Conclusions: Latino fami- deh ioral Problems in Neurodevel- siveness, may have greater im- opmental Disorders lies living in the United States pact on behavioral problems face barriers when accessing Background: Social exclusion than others. Additional anal- healthcare, which affects the is highly aversive to mental Authors: Cristin M. Holland, John Sideris, Elizabeth Choi, yses (SEM) will be run to ex- development of their children health (MacDonald & Leary, amine predictive relationships and family outcomes. If the 2005). Cyberball (Williams Allison Q. Phillips and Grace T. Baranek patterns across subscales. identified best practices were & Jarvis, 2006) - a cartoon incorporated by healthcare ball-tossing game - was de- Faculty advisor: Grace Ba- professionals, it would benefit signed to study the neuropsy- ranek Poster #134 this population by increasing chology of ostracism. Though

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 71 We On av- Autism screen- Models were invari- Elizabeth Choi, John Conclusion: Screening for Autism in erage, moderate to high RULA erage, moderate to regard- scores raise concern Certain ing potential injury risk. expose clock-positions may risk of de- students to higher - explora Further MSD. veloping between tion of the relationship pain at dif- RULA scores and needed. ferent time points is ing tools used with preterm used with tools ing infants must demonstrate that they capture risk for diagnosis and are not biased based on prematurity. Purpose: used confirmatory factor analysis to test whether social communication (SC) and sensory regulatory (SR) domains on the First Years Inventory version 3.1 (FYI) performed a from groups across lently equiva- community sample. Methods: We analyzed 27 core items across preterm (n=400) and full-term months (8-10 “9-month” across infants adjusted; preterm n=219) and (n=4,568) “12-month” (11-13 adjusted; months groups. preterm We tested configural, metric, scalar, and residual n=181) models and evaluated fit using chi-square estimates, comparative fit index, and root mean square error of approximation. Results: with groups 9-month for ant significantly higherSC mean scores. There was preterm Sideris, Claire Chen, Emily Campi, Amanda Wiles, Valen- tina Vera Carrasquero, Cristin Holland, Helen Lee, Linda R. Watson, Elizabeth Crais and Grace T. Baranek Ba- Faculty advisor: Grace ranek Background: Poster #138 Title: Com- a from Infants Preterm munity Sample Authors: erate to high injury risk. The injury risk. to high erate associated clock-position RULA scores with the highest (mean=5.47, 9 o’clock at was SD=1.09). The students musculoskeletal pre-existing with - were not sig pain at baseline nificantly differentdents from without stu- pain β=0.33). (p=0.08, Use Up to 70% of Jody C. Liu, Kryzto- Characterizing Working Characterizing Working We used the Rapid Up- - and observation of behavioral provide important al data will developing robust support in health. improve to models AI - can be augment This system feedback methods ed with learn- and training in real-time ing of individual preferences worksta- to develop a full AI health. tion to promote worker Conclusions: Conclusions: AI system. Poster #137 Title: Posture and Injury Risk in Den- tal Hygiene Students Authors: pher D. Tung, Nancy A. Baker, Jane L. Forrest and Shawn C. Roll advisor: Shawn C. Faculty Roll Background: dental hygienists experience musculoskeletal disorders pain experience many (MSDs); and discomfort beginning in their educational program. De- of prevalence high the spite population, this amongst MSDs limited research exists on the between working association posture during hand scaling, clock position, and self-report- Purpose: ed pain outcomes. To quantify the relationships posture, working between clock position, and self-re- inform to levels pain ported preventative measures. Meth- ods: per Limb Assessment (RULA), an ergonomic assessment tool, to evaluate postural risk through video recordings of 16 dental hygiene students in the program. their of year second Three treatment sessions were analyzed per participant at 3 time points (1 per semester). Each session was scored at 10 different time points using the RULA (480 with sample selection weight- total scores) ed by time spent in different scores These clock-positions. were analyzed to characterize common/extreme postures, and overall risk. Self-reported pain was collected each semester and correlated with postural risk data. Results: The average across all RULA scores was mod- indicating [2.00-7.00]) 5.04 (SD=1.21, To - Partici Twenty Purpose: Workplace be- Yoko E. Fukumura, E. Yoko Conclusion: Conclusion: Understanding Office Work Behavior to Inform an Ar- Work Behavior to Inform Workstation tificial Intelligence Authors: Gale Burcin Becerik-Gerber, C. Roll M. Lucas and Shawn advisor: Shawn C. Faculty Roll Background: haviors are often ingrained in individual’s habits, roles, and patterns, Behavioral routines. such as poor posture, are difficult to change even when they worker’s a to detrimental are health. Artificial(AI) can provide individual intelligence monitoring and real-time feedback to improve health behaviors; however, little is known about individual variability in behavior, particularly worker in office settings. patterns different understand office an in behaviors worker of setting as a foundation for developing AI sensing/feedback technology. Methods: healthy adults were observed for two hours while working in different setups of workstation. Two cameras re- an office corded the session, and self-reported discomfort data were obtained. Noldus Observer XT software was used to analyze and code worker behaviors including durations of static and dynamic movements, ways of engaging with work tasks, and participant postures. Results: Different iter- an through evaluated were coding ative development and review schemes process to identify a protocol most useful for interpretation and informing AI development. The final coding scheme pro- recording for means a vided variability in individual working habits. Specifically,ing static postural thresholds identify- and exploring key behavioral work- across differ that inputs ers, both useful in training an Poster #136 Title: identified. identified. pation in certain extracurricular extracurricular pation in certain - has a potential ben activities efit to college students’ over- is research Further health. all to identify methods needed to or promote allow, encourage, students. more participation by Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman Data were Adjusting to a to Adjusting Methods: Effects of extracurricular Effects of extracurricular Poster #135 Title: on college activity participation students’ health Authors: Buwen Yao, Sandy C. Roll C. Takata and Shawn advisor: Shawn C. Faculty Roll Background: is a chal- new environment and lenge for college students, in extracurricular involvement activities can support the transition to college-life. However, the relationship of participation in specific extracurricular activities to student health is largely unknown. Purpose: To characterize extracurricular activity participation in college students and explore how participation relates to overall physical and mental health. collected from 159 college students through self-reported surveys at the beginning of their academic program and at the conclusion of each of the two successive academic was checklist activity An years. used to record the total hours of participation in a variety of activities within eight occupa- pre- the over categories tional vious six months. The was used to measure physical SF-36 and mental health [i.e., physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS)]. Mixed linear models were developed to examine the associations between participation in different occupational categories and PCS and MCS. Results: Average time spent in sports, fitness, social, and work occupations decreased across time, while the average time spent in creative care- and care, animal arts, giving remained similar. While the majority of the participants’ PCS and MCS scores were at or above the average general population level, the MCS score decreased at 1-year follow-up. Multiple associations cate- occupational between gory and PCS and MCS were awareness awareness of ASD delivery of culturally hance the and en- health services. appropriate 72

partial invariance for 12-month tional programming.in dental were included. Two indepen- tablish a sonographic image groups and significantly more school and continuing educa- dent researchers appraised acquisition and analysis pro- preterm SC variance. Conclu- tion. One of the most prominent methodological quality and tocol that evaluates the heal- sions: Given good configur- approaches includes interpro- level of evidence. Results: ing process of flexor tendons al and metric fit for the factor fessional collaborations (e.g., One hundred and thirty-three post-surgical repair. Methods: structures and loadings, par- physicians, pharmacists). articles were screened. Elev- An extensive literature review ents from both groups in our However, minimal research en quantitative, six qualitative, was conducted to 1) develop sample interpreted the FYI’s has discussed possible impli- and two mixed-methodology a sonography protocol to stan- SC and SR questions similarly, cations for dentistry-OT col- articles met inclusion criteria. dardize image collection and providing preliminary evidence laborations to improve care. Most quantitative studies were analysis and 2) identify candi- for using the FYI in the preterm Conclusions: Understanding non-randomized (n=17), fo- date sonographic biomarkers population. However, partial the heterogeneity and symp- cused on children (n=11), and/ associated with tendon injury, invariance in the 12-month tomology of ASD is important or took place in schools (n=9). healing, and recovery. Based preterm group on SC and SR for all healthcare providers Outcomes examined includ- on literature findings, the pro- domains reflects differences working with this population. ed engagement, disruptive tocol was pilot tested in healthy in average levels of parent re- Collaborating with OTs with behaviors, and anxiety. Most subjects and one participant sponses (on a scale of “nev- expertise related to this popu- studies reported mixed results recovering from a primary flex- er” to “always”) as a function lation has the potential to en- (70%) with improvement on at or tendon repair. Iterative re- of prematurity, suggesting hance dental practitioners’ un- least one outcome (e.g., coop- view of image acquisition and potential bias and a need to derstanding of ASD and help eration, engagement, distress). analytic techniques occurred adjust scoring for preterm in- identify novel dental-related None of the studies reported among the study team to refine fants 11-13 months adjusted. strategies. These dentistry-OT significant negative results and the protocol. Results: Six sono- collaborations may occur at few examined carryover ef- graphic biomarkers were iden- different levels of education fects. The majority of studies tified: echogenicity, edema, Poster #139 and professional practice. (n=17) exhibited two or more hypervascularization; tendon methodological issues; despite Enhancing Care for Indi- excursion, thinning, and gap- Title: this, 11 studies met a moder- viduals with Autism: Potential ping. A detailed image acqui- ate to high level of evidence. for Interdisciplinary Collabora- Poster #140 sition protocol was developed Use of MSEs may tions Conclusion: and analysis of each biomark- Title: Multisensory Environ- be a promising intervention in er was pilot-tested. This pro- ments for Individuals with Au- individuals with ASD, but there tocol will be further validated Authors: Dominique H. Como, tism: A Systematic Review Leah I. Stein Duker and Sharon is a need for more rigorous re- by evaluating intra-rater and search into their efficacy and inter-rater reliability and using A. Cermak Elizabeth Isralowitz, Authors: effectiveness. mixed effects linear models. Molliane Grager, Sharon Cer- By establishing Faculty advisor: Sharon A. mak and Leah Stein Duker Conclusion: Cermak a reliable and sensitive sonographic protocol to evaluate Faculty advisor: Leah Stein Poster #141 Background: Oral health is a Duker post-surgical tendon healing major public health concern, Using Sonography to with precision and across and children with autism spec- Title: Background: The sensory en- Evaluate Healing of Surgically time, we can improve clinical trum disorder (ASD) are at vironments of education and Repaired Flexor Tendons decision-making to individu- greater risk for experiencing healthcare settings have the alize care, thereby optimizing oral health disparities than the potential to impact individu- Authors: Sandy C. Takata and outcomes for this population. general population. As the cur- al, caregiver, and provider Shawn C. Roll rent prevalence of ASD is 1 in outcomes. The Multisensory 59 children, an increasing num- Environment (MSE) manipu- Faculty advisor: Shawn C. Poster #142 ber of dental practitioners will lates sensory features of the Roll Title: Sensory, Alexithymia, encounter children with ASD environment (e.g., visual, au- in their practice. Purpose: Background: Each year, over and Emotion Processing in ditory, tactile), and is reported ASD: an fMRI Study Examine changes in ASD to improve relaxation, engage- 100,000 people experience prevalence; Discuss challeng- a traumatic hand tendon inju- ment, and reduce aggression Christiana Butera, es treating children with ASD ry. To successfully heal, a re- Authors: in users, including individuals Emily Kilroy, Laura Harrison, poses for dental practitioners; paired tendon requires coap- with autism spectrum disorder Aditya Jayashankar, Anusha and Describe unique collabo- tation, unimpeded gliding, and (ASD). Despite their common Hossain, Alexis Nalbach and rations between occupational adequate tensile strength—a use, criticism exists regard- Lisa Aziz-Zadeh therapists (OTs) and dentists ing the quantity and quality of process that takes 10-12 to enhance care. Methods: existing research supporting weeks. Currently, we lack Faculty advisor: Lisa Aziz-Za- Literature review exploring oral MSEs. Purpose: To systemat- precise measures or meth- deh care challenges for children ically review and examine liter- ods to evaluate and individu- with ASD and their treating ature regarding the impact of alize rehabilitation protocols Background: Alexithymia is dentists, strategies to improve MSEs on individuals with ASD. for tendon repairs, leading to associated with atypical re- care for this population, and Methods: Eight databases suboptimal outcomes. Mus- sponses to sensory input. the benefits of interdisciplin- were searched using key- culoskeletal sonography is Individual differences in alex- ary collaboration. Results: words “Snoezelen/Multisen- the ideal modality to evaluate ithymia may be associated Research suggests that many sory Environment,” “sensory tendon healing with precision, with sensory sensitivities, and dentists do not feel qualified to room,” “autis*” “ASD.” Studies ensuring a successful, efficient empathy in ASD. There is little work with children with ASD. To utilizing an MSE for individuals recovery. Purpose: Develop a understanding of the neural address this, the dental field with ASD and published in En- longitudinal study design that mechanisms involved in these has worked to improve educa- glish between 1990 and 2019 we are implementing to es- relationships, outside of ex-

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 73 ------69 Patient health In this study, we Yiyang Fang, Julian SCIENCE STUDENTS Quality of Online Patient Online of Quality THERAPY & THERAPY PROFESSIONAL PROFESSIONAL OCCUPATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL tient education handouts were identified through search using Google and Bing an internet and a manual search of notable professional organization web sites. Handouts that met our in clusion criteria were evaluated and under content of terms in standability. Content analysis was conducted using a revised version of the Information Score in form related to scoring (IS) formation on symptoms, diag nosis and treatment options. Appropriate evidence-based interventions were based on a review of 7 clinical identified practice guidelines. The Pa tient Material Assessment Tool (PEMAT) and 5 widely used readability formulas were used to evaluate understandabili ty. Descriptive analyses were and using Excel performed SPSS software. Results: handouts were included in the analysis. The average score of the IS form was 68.12 and the average score of PEMAT was most of level reading The 70.96. handouts is higher than the rec Poster #145 Title: for Carpal Education Handouts Tunnel Syndrome Authors: na Dole, Nancy A. Baker Shawn C. Roll and Faculty advisor: Shawn C. Roll Background: education is an important com ommended 6th-grade reading ed significant deficienciescomprehending their diagno in sis, which has contributed to poor healthcare outcomes. Purpose: aimed to systematically eval uate the quality of carpal tun nel syndrome (CTS) patient education handouts available on the internet. Methods: Pa ponent of healthcare manage ment. Patients with orthopaedic conditions have demonstrat ------Our Results: The goal The Revised Conclusion:

Purpose: Evaluating Hand Strain Evaluating findings suggest that this meth namic work task. lation of an overall composite RSI score. Methods: Dental hygiene (DH) faculty were con sulted to classify hand scaling patterns based on perceived physical effort and frequency of exertion using video footage of DH students performing scal ing tasks. DH students (n=14) were observed in person while they performed hand scaling during patient clinic visits and every 15 minutes, scaling ac tivity was classified into one of patterns. Participants the three rated their level of exertion on a scale of 1-10 at each time point and their hand/wrist pos ture was quantified. Three distinct exertion classifi cations were identified during hand scaling (A=light, B=me dium, and C=heavy). A signifi cant correlation was found be tween exertion ratings and the three classifications (R2=0.46, p<0.01). The average exertion values for scaling patterns were found to be A=2.75, B=4.24, and C=5.69. od of classifying RSI inputs calculate easily to be used can composite RSI scores for a dy Title: Title: During the Dynamic Dental Scaling Task of Authors: Kryztopher D. Tung, Jane L. Forrest Joan Beleno, and Shawn C. Roll Faculty advisor: Shawn Roll Background: is an ergo Strain Index (RSI) tool for as nomic assessment to physical sessing exposure (e.g., in strain during tasks that tensity, duration, posture) in the can lead to risk of injury Apply distal upper extremity. work is a ing RSI to dynamic task pa challenge when the rameters frequently shift; there fore, a simplifiedgrouping RSI input variables is method for desirable. of this study was to develop a methodology for grouping RSI input variables based on a pattern of physical exertion to enable automated calcu Poster #144 Poster SCIENCE FELLOWS THERAPY & THERAPY OCCUPATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL POST-DOCTORAL POST-DOCTORAL a wide range of audiences audiences of range wide a from various fields. The- analysis is to sur pose of this pur- current composition vey the of OS literature and find which it have resonated aspects of readers. A unique most with approach was purpose. designed for this specifically A sample of 827 by coded articles published individually the Journal of Occupational Science between 1993-2019 a slice was used to represent article’s of OS literature. Each and AltMet- Scopus, CrossRef, and ric scores were collected linked to the corresponding and num- article’s keywords Article views. of online ber to sys- keywords were used research categorize temically topics of the included sample. Audiences were divided into 3 (Scopus academic categories: and CrossRef), non-academic (online views), and engaged (AltMetric). Three lists were developed using consolidated keywords from top scoring articles in each of the included metrics. Lists were thematized to map focal points of each au- Intersections interest. dience’s of different audiences’ interests are highlighted as well as points of divergence. Key findings included: a disconnect between the academic and in- audiences’ non-academic terests, the influence of trend- ing social media discourse on non-academic metrics, and a between relationship causal article online views and other metrics in this analysis was include Implications revealed. using this innovative analytic approach to assess uptake of fields, other in disciplines other and creating a way to involve audience interactions with the direc- future inform to literature tions of research and position- ality of the science itself in the greater pool of scholarly knowledge. Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman Methods: Alexithymia se- To assess the relation- To assess Poster #143 : An innovative approach Title to assess uptake of Occupa- tional Science literature using publisher metrics: an exploratory analysis Author: Linah AlShaalan Faculty advisor: Mary Lawlor Occupational science (OS) is a fast-growing discipline with Data from 29 participants with ASD (mean age=12.0 ± was com- was analyzed. AQC 2.3) and pleted by participants, by the SSP-2 was completed col- was data fMRI parents. lected on a 3-T Siemens MAG- while NETOM Prisma scanner videos watched participants Standard of emotional faces. applied, preprocessing was and parameter estimates were extracted from bilateral amygdala using FSL’s featquery. Pearson partial correlation was used to assess associations between neural activity, AQC, and SSP-2 scores. Results: The SSP-2 Register was posi- AQC the with correlated tively identifying emotions score (R=.438, p=.036). There was a significant negative correlation between the Register and activity in the left amyg- profile dala during emotional face observation (R= -.426, p=.038). Conclusion: sensory a with increased verity under-responsivity score. Sen- sory under-responsivity was related to reduced activation in amygdala during emotion observation, complimenting previous work showing hyper- activation of amygdala in individuals with SOR.4 Results highlight modulation of amygdala activation as a function of sensory processing, and relationship the underscore between sensory and emotion processing in ASD. Pur- sensory stimulation. plicit pose: scores on The ship between Questionnaire for Alexithymia Short and the (AQC) Children Sensory Profile (SSP-2); performance on assess how and neural to relate scales these face activity during emotional processing in ASD. 74

level. Around 10% of handouts scored highly on both contents and understandability. Conclu- sion: This study identified a list of reliable CTS education handouts for clinicals and patients to utilize. Multiple problems that impacted the quality of CTS patient education handouts were revealed in this study and this would help improve online health information.

The Explorer Journal 2020 Abstracts 75 Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry USC School of of Ostrow Herman 76

STUDENT FROM RESEARCH GROUP THE EDITORS SRG

To our fellow students, faculty, and staff,

We are extremely honored to present to you the Twelfth Edition of The Explorer Jour- nal of USC Student Research. This year has been another exciting year for research and innovation here at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, the Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, and The Division of Bio- kinesiology and Physical Therapy.

We would like to acknowledge the wonderful efforts of all our fellow classmates and faculty that are engaged in research, and who continue to make meaningful breakthroughs for our profession. Our keynote speakers this year truly showcase the efforts our community is making towards advancing science. Now, more than ever we highly encourage all our fellow students to pursue research. There are so many exciting opportunities available here at USC.

Our annual Research Day would not be possible without the immense support we have received from our faculty advisors Dr. Yang Chai, Dr. Parish Sedghizadeh, and the entire Research Day planning committee. Our Student Research Group thrives on the encouragement and support we have received from our faculty advisors.

Thank you, and Fight On! Yeonghee Jung & Teresa Ngyuen 77

2019-2020

THE EXPLORER JOURNAL OF USC STUDENT RESEARCH VOLUME 12

Presidents / Editors in Chief Yeonghee Jung Teresa Nguyen Vice President Secretary Mahboobeh Mirzaei Mirza Baig Faculty Advisors Yang Chai, DDS, PhD Student Research Involvement Photography Editors Parish Sedghizadeh, DDS, MS Director Kevin Hadidjaja Meredith Messerle Henry Yim Senior Editor Bridget Samuels, PhD

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC 78

RESEARCH DAY RESEARCH DAY PLANNING 2020 COMMITTEE

Yang Chai, DDS, PhD Parish Sedghizadeh, DDS, MS Donna Castillo Jaime Gonzalez Patty Gutierrez Linda Hattemer Thach-Vu Ho Lynn Matsumoto Barbara Roddy Jacqueline Cordova Bridget Samuels, PhD

The Explorer Journal 2020 79

All views are of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the student body of the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC nor of the editors of the Explorer Journal, unless such statements have been officially adopted by the University. The Explorer Journal editorial board reserves the right to reduce, revise or reject any material submitted for publication. Articles and photos published in the Explorer Journal are the property of the Explorer Journal and may be reproduced or reprinted only after written permission has been granted. The editors and founder reserve the right to accept, reject, discontinue or edit any article, letter, or abstract submitted for publication.

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC