HSLIC News

UNM’s Research Opportunities for Science Educators (ROSE) Program offers science educators from all over New Mexico the chance to work with lab researchers in discovery-based research. One of this summer’s ROSE Scholars, Margaret Lewis, a 30-year teaching veteran from Las Vegas, NM, designed a 3D model to help UNM researchers on their project. The researchers, Jarek Maleszka, Ifigeneia Tsironi Tzinious, and Elvis Attah, work under Dr. Jean-Hubert Olivier in UNM’s Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology.  

Maleszka describes their project as follows: “We want to develop more robust brain-machine interface coatings that can withstand the foreign body response when implanted into the brain. Since electrodes tend to be hard and stiff, there is a mechanical mismatch at the brain interface, causing the degradation of the brain electrodes to be quickened. Our strategy involves applying a hydrogel coating that can soften the material and make it closer in mechanical properties to the brain tissue surrounding it. Our coating also contains a drug that is also used to slow down the foreign body response. It does this by binding iron around the implant site to slow the reactions that cause the degradation of the wires. This is done by sustaining the release of the drug on the order of weeks, and overall prolonging the lifetime of the implant (so people don't need to get a brain surgery every week!).” 

Lewis, who had previously brought her experience with 3D printing into her work as a Chemistry and Physics teacher, designed a new scaffold for loading the microwires in a way that makes the coating of them far easier. Lewis created a 3D model for this scaffold and Maleszka prepared it for printing on HSLIC’s 3D printer. Typically, users of HSLIC’s 3D Printer choose PLA filament for their models, but in this case the acetone from the production of the hydrogel would end up degrading the scaffold. As part of HSLIC’s 3D Printing services, we offer nylon filament as an option, but this was the first time since we got the 3D Printer that we had an occasion to use it. The model required support material, which we printed in water soluble PVA.  

After coating the microwires on this nylon scaffold, the microwires then get sent to Dr. Abishek Prasad, of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. Dr. Prasad will then implant the electrodes into rat models to test the efficacy of the treatment. For more information about this type of brain electrode research, see this recent paper:  Implantable brain–computer interface for neuroprosthetic-enabled volitional hand grasp restoration in spinal cord injury. 

HSLIC staff welcomed this opportunity to participate in a project that featured so many connections: between health sciences and chemistry, secondary education and laboratory research, Albuquerque and Miami, as well as the HSC Campus and the UNM Main Campus. 

June is Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month!

What is Alzheimer's disease? 

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. It is a progressive disease involving thought, memory, and language. AD begins with mild memory loss, and it can affect the activities of daily living. Healthy People 2030 provides a brief overview of dementias, including AD. The goal is to improve the care and quality of life for people living with these conditions. 

What is the prevalence and outlook?

• In 2020, as many as 5.8 million Americans were living with AD.
• This is projected to triple to 14 million by 2060.
• Source: https://www.cdc.gov/aging/aginginfo/alzheimers.htm

AD in New Mexico:

• AD is a growing public health concern in New Mexico.
• In 2017, it was the 8th leading cause of death in the state.
• Source: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/states/newmexico/newmexico.htm

HSLIC Resources:

• Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders is a journal focused on these conditions. This journal is indexed in PubMed, and HSLIC has electronic access.
• Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine includes a chapter on AD. Harrison's is available through AccessMedicine.
• Search databases like PubMed or Embase for more information. Use the index term Alzheimer Disease, or try these variations as keywords: Alzheimer Dementia, Alzheimer Type Dementia (ATD), Alzheimer Fibrillary Change, Alzheimer Fibrillary Lesion, Alzheimer Sclerosis, Alzheimer Syndrome, or Late Onset Alzheimer Disease. You may use this worksheet to guide your search.

Thank you for joining HSLIC in recognizing Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month! 

May is National Stroke Awareness Month! According to the National Institutes of Health, a 2018 National Health Interview Survey found that 7.8 million Americans have suffered from a stroke. For many years, the rate of strokes in the United States had declined, but due to rising rates of obesity, this decline has reversed, and the incidence of strokes in the United States is rising.

Studies show that there is a connection between high blood pressure, dementia, and stroke. Therefore, controlling high blood pressure has become an integral part of stroke prevention and awareness efforts.

Several prominent health organizations promote stroke awareness and provide guidelines for the lay public and health providers:

• The American Heart Association: 

             https://www.heart.org/en/professional/quality-improvement/get-with-the-guidelines/get-with-the-guidelines-stroke

• The American Stroke Association (a Division of the American Heart Association):

             https://www.stroke.org/en/about-the-american-stroke-association

             https://www.stroke.org/en/about-the-american-stroke-association/stroke-awareness-month

• The National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke:

             https://www.ninds.nih.gov/news-events/directors-messages/all-directors-messages/may-stroke-awareness-month-1

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

             https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/index.htm

You are invited to join us on Thursday, April 6th, from 10 A.M - 11 A.M. for a virtual seminar by Lewis Worley, BE, and Robyn Gleasner, MLIS.

Topic: HSC Citation Analysis Project

Description: The HSC Citation Analysis Project set out to answer the following questions: where are faculty at the HSC publishing, does HSLIC/UNM provide access to these journals, what journals are the authors citing, and does HSLIC/UNM provide access to those journals. The answers to the questions would assist in the evaluation of HSLIC’s journal collection and determine potential gaps.  This session will show how we went about attempting to answer these questions from pulling data from Web of Science, analyzing it, and wrangling and parsing it using a number of programs and scripts including excel, open refine, SQL, and python. 

Learning Objectives: 

We will discuss: 

• What citation analysis is and why it is beneficial for collection evaluation 
• Our process of pulling, cleaning, wrangling, and parsing the data to meet our needs 
• Next steps to analyze the data and how to apply the analysis to future collection development decisions 

Please email BLCarroll@salud.unm.edu to request Zoom info.

You are invited to join us on Thursday, March 2nd, from 10 A.M - 11 A.M. for a virtual seminar by Glyneva Bradley-Ridout, BA, MI, and Elena Springall, BSc, MLIS.

Topic: Cross-Sectional Study of UpToDate versus DynaMed

Description: Health Sciences Libraries are often faced with difficult budget decisions regarding which clinical tools to purchase while keeping in mind user preferences and needs. Our research study was designed to inform evidence-based decision-making around this issue. We designed and executed a cross-sectional research project which compared the speed and accuracy of two popular point-of-care information tools: UpToDate and DynaMed plus. We will share the results of our research, including a behind-the-scenes glimpse into our research process. 

Learning Objectives: 

We will discuss: 

• how to form research objectives from collections priorities
• how to balance multiple priorities and changing roles while conducting research
• how to work with busy medical residents as study participants

Please email BLCarroll@salud.unm.edu to request Zoom info.

You are invited to join us on Thursday, February 16th, from 10 A.M. - 11 A.M. for a virtual seminar by Jonathan Pringle, MAS.

Topic: The Native Health Database in 2023: Embedding Outreach with Culturally-Respectful Technology

Description: The years 1993-2019 marked significant changes and modifications to the Native Health Database, a (then) abstracting database that provided unique health information and resources for myriad audiences. Between 2019 and 2022 the resource underwent significant changes, this time focused on the underlying platform delivering the information; the new NHD now has the capacity to elevate source Native American & Indigenous communities to equal partners in the exchange of information. In 2023, the NHD is poised to leverage this new platform and engage in focused outreach efforts to show content creators, communities, users, and healthcare providers how they can interact within the new platform.

Learning Objectives:

We will discuss:

• How the past has informed the present and future of this resource
• How the new platform provides solutions to information exchange that embodies the Indigenous Data Sovereignty movement
• How the platform can be utilized broadly as an effective outreach tool for researchers

Please email BLCarroll@salud.unm.edu to request Zoom info.

You are invited to join us on Thursday, October 20th, from 10 to 11 AM for a virtual seminar by Emily McRae, BA, and Cynthia Jacobs, BS

Topic: The New Mexico Community Data Collaborative

Description: Join the New Mexico Community Data Collaborative (NMCDC) to explore social determinants and health indicators across your neighborhood. The NMCDC team will provide a brief tutorial of how to find data on the site, as well as describe recent and future projects, including the NM Food Supply Chain Data Hub and the Data Disaggregation Project.

Learning Objectives:

1. Navigate to a data product on the NMCDC website given only a broad topic area.

2. Use the NM Food Supply Chain Data Hub to find data related to the food supply chain components and understand how you can support the upkeep and relevance of the Data Hub.

3. Describe the Data Disaggregation project and understand how to follow, support, and inform the work.

Please email BLCarroll@salud.unm.edu to request Zoom info.

You are invited to join us on Thursday, October 6th from 10 to 11:30 AM, for a virtual seminar by Gabe Peters, BA.

Topic: Inclusive Dermatology: Creating a Diverse Visual Atlas of Skin Conditions

Description: Existing literature on Dermatological conditions highlight little to no visual diversity amongst skin conditions of varying individuals of color. Inclusive dermatology focuses on the importance of gathering and sharing images of dermatological conditions in all skin types with an emphasis on individuals who have been excluded in medical education. By expanding the availability of images in varying skin types, we hope to not only advance medical education but also strive to improve patient care, especially with our diverse population here in New Mexico.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe what Inclusive Dermatology is

2. Explain the importance of inclusivity and how it benefits patient care

Please email BLCarroll@salud.unm.edu to request Zoom info.

You are invited to join us on Thursday, September 15th from 10 to 11 AM, for a virtual seminar by Deborah L. Lauseng, AMLS

Topic: Roles, Collaborations, and Activities in Health Informatics Education - a discussion of scoping review findings and your own involvement

Description: Librarians and libraries have been engaged in informatics training for decades, however, sharing of the types and extent of engagement has been limited in the literature. The scoping review, “Library involvement in health informatics education for health professions students and practitioners,” published in JMLA, seeks to explore the extent library involvement in health informatics education, specifically focused on activities and outcomes described in the published literature.

In this BioMISS session, the lead author will share findings on the roles, collaborations, and activities librarians have had in health informatics beyond instruction. The author will lead a discussion about current and potential collaborations. Additionally, attendees will explore how best to report their involvement with health informatics to inform the profession.

Learning objectives: 

• Participants will gain insights into the extent and nature of librarian/information professional involvement with health informatics as discovered through this scoping review. 

• Participants will explore potentials of collaboration with health informatics activities in their own work. 

• Participants will discuss generating a standardized template for reporting librarian/information professional involvement in informatics educational activities. 

Please email BLCarroll@salud.unm.edu to request Zoom info.

It is unclear how long the library has had these brain slice specimens, let alone how long they have been on display on the second floor. Regardless, in the (possibly) decades since their arrival at HSLIC, they have both intrigued and offended visitors and employees alike. In some Indigenous cultures, particularly the Diné (Navajo) and Cherokee, the display of human remains is taboo. Considering the relationship between HSLIC and our Indigenous students and colleagues, earlier this year we agreed that we would re-home these specimens and continue our work to create welcoming and healthy spaces for our students, staff, faculty, and community visitors. 

Fortunately we had a very willing and happy recipient. Dr. Bill Shuttleworth and his team at the UNM Brain and Behavioral Health Institute (BBHI) were more than happy to take these specimens off our hands. Who better to accept these than a researcher engaged in the use of brain slices to help better understand "brain tsunamis," or spreading depolarization (SD) events as key contributors to severe brain injuries or strokes? We hope this arrangement will have ended up being mutually beneficial for all involved. 

We are happy to respond to the cultural needs and practices of our diverse population here at UNM-HSC. In the coming months we will determine how best to utilize these now specimen-free tables to most responsively serve our student population.