Western University of Health Sciences View Institution's Website 7 articles published in JoVE Medicine Measurement of Carotenoids in Perifovea using the Macular Pigment Reflectometer Juan C. Sanabria1, Jordan Bass1, Frank Spors1, Dennis L. Gierhart2, Pinakin Gunvant Davey1 1College of Optometry, Western University of Health Sciences, 2ZeaVision LLC We present a protocol to determine the levels of overall macular pigment, lutein, and zeaxanthin optical density in the central and parafoveal regions of the retina. The protocol includes a novel adjustable track system used to measure macular pigment optical density in the foveal eccentricity. Engineering Multiplexing Focused Ultrasound Stimulation with Fluorescence Microscopy Jerome J. Lacroix1, Alper D. Ozkan1 1Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences, Western University of Health Sciences Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound Stimulation (LIPUS) is a modality for non-invasive mechanical stimulation of endogenous or engineered cells with high spatial and temporal resolution. This article describes how to implement LIPUS to an epi-fluorescence microscope and how to minimize acoustic impedance mismatch along the ultrasound path to prevent unwanted mechanical artefacts. Medicine Evaluation of Stem Cell Therapies in a Bilateral Patellar Tendon Injury Model in Rats John R. Wagner1, Takashi Taguchi1, Jane Y. Cho2, Chandrashekhar Charavaryamath3, Dominique J. Griffon1 1College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, 2Applied Medical, 3College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University This paper describes the preparation and evaluation of umbilical cord matrix-derived mesenchymal stem cells spheroids with a bilateral patellar tendon defect model in a rat. This model was associated with an acceptable morbidity and was found to detect differences between untreated and treated tendons, and between the two treatments tested. Cancer Research Fluorescent Orthotopic Mouse Model of Pancreatic Cancer Jonathan A. Moreno1, Antonio Sanchez2, Robert M. Hoffman3,4, Saima Nur1, Maria P. Lambros1 1College of Pharmacy, Western University of Health Sciences, 2UVP, LLC, 3Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 4Anticancer Inc. A procedure to implant green fluorescent protein-expressing pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1 GFP) orthotopically into the pancreas of Balb-c Ola Hsd-Fox1nu mice to assess tumor progression and metastasis is presented here. Biology Imaging and 3D Reconstruction of Cerebrovascular Structures in Embryonic Zebrafish Douglas W. Ethell1,2,3, D. Joshua Cameron1,4 1Molecular Neurobiology, Western University of Health Sciences, 2Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences, Western University of Health Sciences, 3College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University of Health Sciences, 4College of Optometry, Western University of Health Sciences Imaging of cerebrovascular development in larval zebrafish is described. Techniques to facilitate 3D imaging and modify cerebrovascular development using chemical treatments are also provided. Neuroscience The Optokinetic Response as a Quantitative Measure of Visual Acuity in Zebrafish Donald Joshua Cameron1,2, Faydim Rassamdana1, Peony Tam1, Kathleen Dang1, Carolina Yanez3, Saman Ghaemmaghami3, Mahsa Iranpour Dehkordi3 1College of Optometry, Western University of Health Sciences, 2Molecular Neurobiology Group, Western University of Health Sciences, 3Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences, Western University of Health Sciences Zebrafish have been a valuable tool for many research areas. Here we demonstrate a method to elicit a visual response and calculate a functional visual acuity in the adult zebrafish. Neuroscience Screening Assay for Oxidative Stress in a Feline Astrocyte Cell Line, G355-5 Maria Pia Testa1, Omar Alvarado1, Andrea Wournell1, Jonathan Lee2, Frederick T. Guilford3, Steven H. Henriksen2, Tom R. Phillips1,2 1College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, 2Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences, Western University of Health Sciences, 3ReadiSorb, Products A screening method to detect oxidative cellular environments is to measure the oxidation of CM-H2DCFDA. Once oxidized within a cell, CM-H2DCFDA changes from non-fluorescent into a fluorescent compound. This change in fluorescence is measured by flow cytometry and indicates the number of cells in an oxidative environment.