kaitlyn prezioso
Thesis Director: Dr. Panagiotis Koutakis, Department of Nutrition, Food & and Exercise Sciences
"During the 2019-2020 academic year, I began working on my thesis under the guidance of Dr. Panagiotis Koutakis in the Clinical Skeletal Muscle Physiology and Biochemistry Lab. The aim of this study was to distinguish the relationship of blood serum biomarkers with walking distance autonomy and skeletal muscle oxygenation in peripheral artery disease (PAD) patients. My initial interest for the study was driven by the insufficient correlation between these blood serum markers and the pain experienced upon onset of physical activity, also known as intermittent claudication, in PAD patients. At present, there are no screening programs in place to detect PAD. Therefore, the underlying issue remains: the disease is often left untreated and underdiagnosed. The need for early detection of PAD is an important component of the cardiovascular field that is currently lacking in our society.
Overall, my goal for this project was to expand our knowledge on the pathophysiological processes and functional outcomes in PAD patients. In order to investigate the aforementioned relationships, various biochemical parameters and blood serum samples from both PAD patients and healthy, non-PAD individuals were compared. Furthermore, the data from the blood serum samples was used to analyze the associations between the biomarkers and walking distance autonomy, as well as calf muscle hemoglobin oxygen saturation levels (% StO2). In order to assess the functional performance levels, participants wore monitors to collect the % StO2 levels. After running statistical analyses, it has been observed that specific biomarkers are significantly different in PAD when compared to non-PAD controls. As well, it was found that several of the biomarkers were also associated with functional performance. Ultimately, these biomarkers aid in the isolation of specific processes within the body that may have a direct, or indirect effect on the progression of distinguished features of peripheral artery disease, such as atherosclerosis.
Being selected to receive The Bess H. Ward Thesis Award has had a tremendous impact on the outcome of my Honors in the Major Thesis. By providing a resource to obtain more reliable and dependable lab equipment, our protocol for data collection was more sufficient and practical with the ability to interpret data on the field in real-time, something that we were unable to do otherwise. I am forever indebted to Florida State University, the University Honors Program, and the donors who made this award possible."
-Kaitlyn Prezioso, Spring 2020 Bess H. Ward Honors in the Major Award Winner