Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 30 of 292

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Synthesis And Investigation Into The Estrogen Receptor Antagonist Activity Of Isoflavans And Their Synthetic Derivatives, Nikiwe N. Tsipa, Catherine H. Kaschula, Willem Van Otterlo, Amanda Swart Oct 2023

Synthesis And Investigation Into The Estrogen Receptor Antagonist Activity Of Isoflavans And Their Synthetic Derivatives, Nikiwe N. Tsipa, Catherine H. Kaschula, Willem Van Otterlo, Amanda Swart

Research Symposium

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most invasive and prevalent cancer in women in South Africa, with numbers as high as 1 in 8 women in urban areas and with a large percentage being ER-positive (ER+). ER+ BC cells are reliant on the binding of the natural ligand 17β-estradiol (E2) to ERα and ERβ isoforms which drives tumor growth1. ER antagonists and inhibitors of estrogen synthesis are therefore widely used therapeutic agents in the treatment of BC. Isoflavans are natural products found in many dietary plants. They are phytoestrogens, able to act as natural anti-breast cancer agents, acting as ER …


Tox3 Rs3803662 Polymorphism Is Associated With Breast Cancer Protection In Northeastern Mexican Woman, Orlando D. Solis-Coronado, Hazyadee F. Rodríguez-Gutiérrez, Monica P. Villarreal-Vela, Ricardo M. Cerda-Flores, Juan F. González-Guerrero, Oscar Vidal-Gutiérrez, Diana C. Pérez-Ibave, Maria Lourdes Garza-Rodríguez Sep 2023

Tox3 Rs3803662 Polymorphism Is Associated With Breast Cancer Protection In Northeastern Mexican Woman, Orlando D. Solis-Coronado, Hazyadee F. Rodríguez-Gutiérrez, Monica P. Villarreal-Vela, Ricardo M. Cerda-Flores, Juan F. González-Guerrero, Oscar Vidal-Gutiérrez, Diana C. Pérez-Ibave, Maria Lourdes Garza-Rodríguez

Research Symposium

Introduction: Low penetrance genes are involved in breast cancer (BC) and confer risk for the development of this neoplasia. Different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with BC have been identified, such as rs3803662 (TOX3), which is related to estrogen receptors in European and African-American women. The contribution of this variant in the Mexican population is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate, through a case-control design, the association of the SNP rs3803662 (TOX3), with the risk of BC in women from northeastern Mexico.

Methods: We included 434 cases and 228 controls. Genotyping was carried out using RFLPs. The …


Yb-1 Transcription Factor Promotes Sorafenib Resistance In Liver Cancer, Kristopher L. Ezell, Omar Karkoutly, Sophia M. Leslie, D. Sudershan, Kyle Doxtater, Sudhir Kotnala, S. Lopez, Adithya Anilkumar, Sanjaya Satapathy, Vijian Dhevan, Subhash C. Chuahan, Manish Tripathi Sep 2023

Yb-1 Transcription Factor Promotes Sorafenib Resistance In Liver Cancer, Kristopher L. Ezell, Omar Karkoutly, Sophia M. Leslie, D. Sudershan, Kyle Doxtater, Sudhir Kotnala, S. Lopez, Adithya Anilkumar, Sanjaya Satapathy, Vijian Dhevan, Subhash C. Chuahan, Manish Tripathi

Research Symposium

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignant liver tumor that commonly occurs as a progression of chronic liver inflammation. Sorafenib is the standard first-line systemic drug for advanced HCC, but the acquired resistance to sorafenib results in limited benefits. The mechanism underlying sorafenib resistance in HCC remains unclear. Recently, we have identified a multifunctional oncoprotein Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) that dysregulates a wide range of genes involved in drug resistance in other cancers and is responsible for increasing the IC-50 of sorafenib in HCC cell lines. In this study we will analyze the signaling pathways and genes regulated by …


Unusual Case Of Disseminated Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis In A Young Male, A Case Report, Dayana Carreras, Rosa Guedez-White, Ayesha Khan, Lina Pedraza Sanchez, Marta Solis, Jorge Nadal, Ricardo Abreu Sep 2023

Unusual Case Of Disseminated Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis In A Young Male, A Case Report, Dayana Carreras, Rosa Guedez-White, Ayesha Khan, Lina Pedraza Sanchez, Marta Solis, Jorge Nadal, Ricardo Abreu

Research Symposium

Background: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), is an uncommon hematological disorder characterized by uncontrolled stimulation and proliferation of normal antigen presenting cells, Langerhans cells. It’s estimated incidence in adults is approximately one to two cases per million. The purpose of this report is to describe the case of LCH in a 21-year-old male with multiple organ involvement including the brain, liver, bone; also, to discuss clinical, radiological, and histopathological features of LCH, and the role of internist in diagnosing and managing such disease.

Case presentation: We describe the case of a 21-year-old Hispanic man with Langerhans cell histiocytosis involving his liver, …


Unraveling The Mechanisms By Which Smoking And Alcohol Alter Pancreatic Cancer Pathogenesis, Poornima Devi Shaji, Ana Martinez Bulnes, Vincent P. Diego, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan Sep 2023

Unraveling The Mechanisms By Which Smoking And Alcohol Alter Pancreatic Cancer Pathogenesis, Poornima Devi Shaji, Ana Martinez Bulnes, Vincent P. Diego, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan

Research Symposium

Pancreatic cancer is the 3rd leading cause of cancer in United States with a 5-to-7-year relative survival rate. This can be attributed to the late onset of symptoms and diagnosis of the disease, which makes it unmanageable at its later stage. Ethnic differences in pancreatic cancer incidence have been reported, especially regarding higher incidence in African Americans. African Americans are more likely than Asian, Hispanic, or whites’ people to develop pancreatic cancer. They have highest incidence rate between 28% and 59% higher than other racial groups. The mortality rate for Blacks is 13.3 per 100,000 people, while for Whites …


Tuberculosis In Elderly Hispanics: Bcg Vaccination At Birth Is Protective Whereas Diabetes Is Not A Risk Factor, Julia M. Scordo, Genesis P. Aguillón-Durán, Doris Ayala, Ana P. Quirino-Cerrillo, Eminé Rodriguez-Reyna, Francisco Mora-Guzmán, Jose A. Caso, Eder Ledezma-Campos, Larry Schlesinger, Jordi B. Torrelles, Joanne Turner, Blanca I. Restrepo Sep 2023

Tuberculosis In Elderly Hispanics: Bcg Vaccination At Birth Is Protective Whereas Diabetes Is Not A Risk Factor, Julia M. Scordo, Genesis P. Aguillón-Durán, Doris Ayala, Ana P. Quirino-Cerrillo, Eminé Rodriguez-Reyna, Francisco Mora-Guzmán, Jose A. Caso, Eder Ledezma-Campos, Larry Schlesinger, Jordi B. Torrelles, Joanne Turner, Blanca I. Restrepo

Research Symposium

Background. Aging increases the risk of tuberculosis (TB) and its adverse outcomes, but most studies are based on secondary analyses, and few are in Hispanics. Diabetes is a risk factor for TB in adults, but its contribution in the elderly is unknown. We aimed to identify the role of diabetes and other risk factors for TB in elderly Hispanics.

Methods. Cross-sectional study among newly-diagnosed TB patients, recent contacts (ReC), or community controls (CoC) totaling 646 participants, including 183 elderly (>60 years; 43 TB, 80 ReC, 60 CoC) and 463 adults (18 to 50 years; 80 TB, 301 …


Understanding An Inflammatory Pathway In Diabetic Retinopathy, Reanna R. Rodriguez Sep 2023

Understanding An Inflammatory Pathway In Diabetic Retinopathy, Reanna R. Rodriguez

Research Symposium

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of blindness in the U.S. However, not much is known of its molecular pathway and how it attributes to increases in inflammatory response in the eye. One avenue we will investigate is the transforming growth factor beta (TGFB) signaling pathway and its effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion and cell viability. VEGF is the hallmark that exacerbates DR progression in prolonged diabetes. Some major concern that have arisen are the underlying effects of oxidants and antioxidants in elevating VEGF secretion in diabetes. In attempt to learn more, we evaluated how an …


Thymoquinone Inhibits Prostate Cancer Progression By Modulating Cytochrome P450 (Cyps), Santosh K. Singh, Rajesh Singh Sep 2023

Thymoquinone Inhibits Prostate Cancer Progression By Modulating Cytochrome P450 (Cyps), Santosh K. Singh, Rajesh Singh

Research Symposium

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) incidence and mortality remain high in African American (AA) than Caucasian American (CA) men. Multiple factors contribute to this critical disease disparity, androgen receptors (AR), and differences among variants of the genes such as Cytochrome P450 (CYP) are involved in androgen biosynthesis and metabolism that may switch to gene regulation for prostate growth. However, inhibitors have been approved for CYP genes, the major pitfall, undesirable side effects, and quality of life in those patients. Therefore, targeting CYPs with a natural compound, Thymoquinone (TQ), a constituent of Nigella sativa (black seed), potentially safe and curative option for …


Thermal Dose Inactivation Of Escherichia Coli By Magnetic Induced Hyperthermia, Silverio A. Lopez, Carlos Trevino De Leo, Ivan Davila, Karen S. Martirosyan Sep 2023

Thermal Dose Inactivation Of Escherichia Coli By Magnetic Induced Hyperthermia, Silverio A. Lopez, Carlos Trevino De Leo, Ivan Davila, Karen S. Martirosyan

Research Symposium

Background: Apoptosis of mutated cells via magnetic hyperthermia has gained advocacy as technology capable of being used in lieu of chemotherapy for targeting cancer tumors. Progress of nanotechnology offers effective remote heating of magnetic fluid via hyperthermia. The heating and specific power absorption of these nanoparticles use in the magnetic fluid are dependent on particle properties and treatment locations.

Methods: Nanoparticles were fabricated using microfluidic system by interaction of two solutions containing 2Fe(NO3)3+FeSO4 and NaOH+2%Dextran to create nanostructured media with a biocompatible dextran coating and a Fe3O4 core. The nanoparticles, of a concentration of 5mg/ml, were placed in a vile …


Therapeutic Intervention Using Autologous Exosomes For Treatment Of Early-Stage Pancreatic Cancer, Saini Setua, Poornima Devi Shaji, Swathi Holla, Vincent P. Diego, Stephen W. Behrman, Murali M. Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan Sep 2023

Therapeutic Intervention Using Autologous Exosomes For Treatment Of Early-Stage Pancreatic Cancer, Saini Setua, Poornima Devi Shaji, Swathi Holla, Vincent P. Diego, Stephen W. Behrman, Murali M. Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan

Research Symposium

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is the third deadliest cancer in United States with a poor survival rate. Despite extensive research efforts, there is not any substantial progress in cancer therapeutics; major challenges lie with inherent drug toxicity, ineffectiveness, and resistance due to impediments against intracellular drug delivery. From a therapeutic delivery standpoint, novel delivery vehicles are required that are both biocompatible and non-immunogenic for a patient in order to maximize the chances of cure. This is possible by utilizing an autologous biological material, which can be applied as a personalized medicine to match the individual circumstances and molecular profile …


Therapeutic Efficacy Of Ormeloxifene Against Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Mohammed Sikander, M. Vela, Shabnam Malik, A. Rodriguez, A. Lopez, Daniel Zubieta, Fathi T. Halaweish, Subhash C. Chauhan Sep 2023

Therapeutic Efficacy Of Ormeloxifene Against Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Mohammed Sikander, M. Vela, Shabnam Malik, A. Rodriguez, A. Lopez, Daniel Zubieta, Fathi T. Halaweish, Subhash C. Chauhan

Research Symposium

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer and leading cause of cancer related deaths worldwide. Severe toxicity and drug resistance to available chemotherapeutic agents display ineffective clinical response. Therefore, drug repurposing is gaining attention owing to their known biological activities and excellent safety profiles. Ormeloxifene (ORM), non-steroidal, selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), and exhibit diverse pharmacological activities. The aim of this study is to assess the therapeutic activity of ORM and to investigate the underlying molecular mechanism against hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic activity of ormeloxifene in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Methodology: MTT and …


The Role Of Zinc In Psd-95 Palmitoyl Modification, Luis F. Acosta, Lili Guerra, Safiya Syed, Ivonn Ruvalcaba, Yonghong Zhang, Xiaoqian Fang Sep 2023

The Role Of Zinc In Psd-95 Palmitoyl Modification, Luis F. Acosta, Lili Guerra, Safiya Syed, Ivonn Ruvalcaba, Yonghong Zhang, Xiaoqian Fang

Research Symposium

Postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95) is a membrane-associated guanylate kinase that mediates localization of receptors in the excitatory postsynaptic density. It has been reported that PSD-95 mediates postsynaptic localization of NMDA receptors and anchors postsynaptic AMPAR receptors mainly through its postsynaptic membrane targeting by its N-terminal palmitoylation. Recent studies have shown that Ca2+/calmodulin blocks palmitoylation of PSD-95 by binding at the N-terminus of PSD-95, which promotes dissociation of PSD-95 from the postsynaptic membrane and causes loss of surface AMPARs in cultured neurons. Another metal ion zinc is found in various areas of the brain. As an endogenous neuromodulator, zinc plays a role …


The Rare Often Violet Sarcoma: A Case Of Kaposi Sarcoma In Hiv/Aids, Rodolfo Singleterry, Khairiya Haj-Yahya, Eddy Valdez Sep 2023

The Rare Often Violet Sarcoma: A Case Of Kaposi Sarcoma In Hiv/Aids, Rodolfo Singleterry, Khairiya Haj-Yahya, Eddy Valdez

Research Symposium

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a rare malignancy derived from the cells that line lymph and blood vessels. KS is caused by the human herpes virus-8 (HHV-8) and is an AIDS-defining illness that manifests as violaceous skin and mucosal lesions.

The patient is a 37-year-old previously healthy male who presented with a 4-month history of rapid, unintentional weight loss totaling 60lbs. The patient reported having a low WBC count at a free health fair 1 year prior but was uninsured, without access to follow-up care. Additionally, he noted the appearance of several dark purple, raised lesions on his skin about 9 …


The Intensity Of Physical Activity Improves Cognitive Performance Among Aging Americans, Imtiaz Masfique Dowllah, Juan Carlos Lopez-Alvarenga, Gladys E. Maestre, Ulku S. Karabulut, Murat Karabulut Sep 2023

The Intensity Of Physical Activity Improves Cognitive Performance Among Aging Americans, Imtiaz Masfique Dowllah, Juan Carlos Lopez-Alvarenga, Gladys E. Maestre, Ulku S. Karabulut, Murat Karabulut

Research Symposium

Background: Currently there is no pharmacological cure for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, physical activity (PA) has emerged as a promising approach. The optimal intensity of PA to improve cognitive health remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate associations between different durations and intensities of PA on performance across cognitive domains (executive function, processing speed, and memory) among aging Americans.

Methods: 2377 adults aged ≥ 60 years from the cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2014, were included. Linear regression in hierarchical blocks and the size of effect (η2) were analyzed with R software.

Results: The mean age …


The Development Of Fviii Inhibitor In Hispanic American Patients With Hemophilia A Critically Impacts Coagulation Potential, Shuchita Jhaveri, Hoang Nguyen, Marcio A.A. Almeida, Vincent P. Diego, Satish Kumar, Juan M. Peralta, Joanne E. Curran, Bernadette W. Luu, Donna M. Lehman, Ralph A. Defronzo, Laura Almasy, Sarah Williams-Blangero, Ravi Duggirala, John Blangero, Tom E. Howard Sep 2023

The Development Of Fviii Inhibitor In Hispanic American Patients With Hemophilia A Critically Impacts Coagulation Potential, Shuchita Jhaveri, Hoang Nguyen, Marcio A.A. Almeida, Vincent P. Diego, Satish Kumar, Juan M. Peralta, Joanne E. Curran, Bernadette W. Luu, Donna M. Lehman, Ralph A. Defronzo, Laura Almasy, Sarah Williams-Blangero, Ravi Duggirala, John Blangero, Tom E. Howard

Research Symposium

Background: Hemophilia A (HA) is caused by deficiencies in plasma-FVIII and heterogeneous factor-VIII-gene mutations that impair intrinsic coagulation amplification. In severe hemophilia A patients (HAPs), FVIII infusions are begun at toddlerhood to prevent hemarthrosis induced crippling. However, approximately 30% of these patients develop FVIII inhibitors. Gain-of-function mutations in the common pathway of coagulation increases coagulation potential and decreases bleeding and FVIII-utilization in HAPs which should decrease FVIII-inhibitor-risk. We identified loss-of-function mutations in this pathway which decrease coagulation-potential as they increase FVIII-inhibitor risk in HAPs.

Methods: We screened Mexican-American-pedigrees of the South-Texas-Family-Study (STFS) for protein-altering-variants. Subjects were genotyped using Illumina-exome-24-chip. Protein-altering-variants …


The Dual Delivery Of Y15 And Metformin In A Plga Scaffold For The Treatment Of Platinum Resistant Ovarian Cancer, Emily M. Jordan, Hannah Obregon, Arkene Levy, Sue Anne Chew Sep 2023

The Dual Delivery Of Y15 And Metformin In A Plga Scaffold For The Treatment Of Platinum Resistant Ovarian Cancer, Emily M. Jordan, Hannah Obregon, Arkene Levy, Sue Anne Chew

Research Symposium

Background: Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality among women in the US. High mortality is linked to resistance to platinum compounds. Currently there is no treatment for platinum resistant ovarian cancer (OCpt). Platinum resistance shows increased activity of focal adhesion kinase (FAK). Y15 is a FAK inhibitor and increases OCpt sensitivity to chemotherapy. Metformin induces apoptosis, has no increased cytotoxicity, and works synergistically with Y15 in OCpt cells. Biomaterial scaffolds deliver drugs locally, maximizing drug concentration and bioavailability while minimizing systemic toxicity. PLGA copolymer has excellent biocompatibility, versatility, and a tailorable degradation rate. The objective of …


The “Cushion Effect” Revisited:, George A. Flores, Annelyn Torres-Reveron, Raul Barreda Sep 2023

The “Cushion Effect” Revisited:, George A. Flores, Annelyn Torres-Reveron, Raul Barreda

Research Symposium

Background: It is known the pattern and severity of injuries sustained during a motor vehicle accident depend on many variables. An interesting avenue for research is obesity as a positive or negative modifier for injury distribution patterns in MVA. We hypothesize that body mass index (BMI) will influence MVC related injury patterns.

Methods: We queried STRAC data for DHR - Edinburg for the years 2014 to 2018 using CPT codes for MVC/MVA, IS > 8, age 15 - 64. Interactions between injury location, BMI, seatbelt and gender were analyzed.

Results: We had 191 detailed crashes, we found increasing age to be …


Tc-Ptp Overexpression Attenuates Skin Cancer Formation During Environmental Skin Carcinogenesis, Zahidur Rahmann, Carson Bogatto, Serena Olivarez, Dae Joon Kim Sep 2023

Tc-Ptp Overexpression Attenuates Skin Cancer Formation During Environmental Skin Carcinogenesis, Zahidur Rahmann, Carson Bogatto, Serena Olivarez, Dae Joon Kim

Research Symposium

Background: T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TC-PTP), encoded by Ptpn2, has been shown to function as a tumor suppressor during skin carcinogenesis.

Methods: we generated a novel epidermal specific TC-PTP-overexpressing (K5HA.Ptpn2) mouse model to show that TC-PTP contributes to the attenuation of chemically induced skin carcinogenesis through the synergistic regulation of STAT1, STAT3, STAT5, and PI3K/AKT signaling.

Results: We found overexpression of TC-PTP increased epidermal sensitivity to DMBA-induced apoptosis and it decreased TPA-mediated hyperproliferation, coinciding with reduced epidermal thickness. Inhibition of STAT1, STAT3, STAT5 or AKT reversed the effects of TC-PTP overexpression on epidermal survival and proliferation. Mice overexpressing TC-PTP in …


Targeting Cellular Signaling Pathways In Cancer By Lactobacilli, Varish Ahmad, Aftab Ahmad, Quazi Muhammad Sajid Jamal Sep 2023

Targeting Cellular Signaling Pathways In Cancer By Lactobacilli, Varish Ahmad, Aftab Ahmad, Quazi Muhammad Sajid Jamal

Research Symposium

Purpose: Presenting lactobacilli therapy for cancer treatment targeting cancer signaling Lactobacilli as Probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a group of fermentative gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria that produces a large number of intracellular and extracellular metabolites used in the food manufacture industry as well as complementary and alternative medicines against many diseases including cancer.

Description: Some LAB has been found to have inhibitory activity against colon liver cancer, cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and lung cancer in vivo or in vitro. These fermentative bacteria induced the autophagy cell death either by GRP78 and Beclin-1 or by induction of Bak …


Synthesis And Evaluation Of Sulphonamide Clubbed Thiophenes As Dihydrogen Pteroate Synthase Inhibitors, Pooja A. Chawla, Rupinder Kaur Sep 2023

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Sulphonamide Clubbed Thiophenes As Dihydrogen Pteroate Synthase Inhibitors, Pooja A. Chawla, Rupinder Kaur

Research Symposium

Background. Derivatives of thiophene and sulphonamide showed various pharmacological activities including antimicrobial and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibition activity. Dihydrofolate reductase and dihydropteroate synthetase enzymes are responsible for bacterial growth and cell proliferation of cancer cells.

Method: In the first step, thiophene was synthesized from cyclohexanone, sulphur and ethyl cyanoacetate by Gewald reaction. Second step involved cyclization of ethyl 2-aminothiophene-3-carboxylate conducted using formamide. In the third step, the carbonyl group was replaced by chlorine in the presence of POCl3. Then the chlorine group was removed by substituted sulphonamide. A series of derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for …


Stress-Induced Changes In Carf Expression Determine Growth Arrest, Apoptosis, Or Malignant Transformation In Cultured Human Cells: Molecular Evidence And Its Application, Mallika Khurana, Rajkumar Singh Kalra, Anupama Chaudhary, Amr Omar, Xiaoshuai Li, Sunil C. Kaul, Renu Wadhwa Sep 2023

Stress-Induced Changes In Carf Expression Determine Growth Arrest, Apoptosis, Or Malignant Transformation In Cultured Human Cells: Molecular Evidence And Its Application, Mallika Khurana, Rajkumar Singh Kalra, Anupama Chaudhary, Amr Omar, Xiaoshuai Li, Sunil C. Kaul, Renu Wadhwa

Research Symposium

Background: CARF (Collaborator of ARF)/CDKN2AIP is an essential protein, first cloned as a binding partner of ARF. It was subsequently shown to interact with p53, HDM2 proteins and regulate growth arrest and apoptosis by its multimodal mechanism of action. Over-expression of CARF caused senescence like growth arrest of cells, its knock-down triggered apoptosis. Intriguingly, malignantly transformed cells showed high level of CARF expression. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that level of CARF expression may be a key determinant of cell proliferation fates; where an increase in its levels causes growth arrest/senescence, but beyond a threshold it activates carcinogenesis.

Methods: …


Stress Induced Lncrna Malat1 In Colorectal Cancer Health Disparity, Justin L. Wendel, Kyle Doxtater, Kristopher L. Ezell, Samantha Lopez, Adithya Anilkumar, Sophia Leslie, Vijian Dhevan, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Manish Tripathi Sep 2023

Stress Induced Lncrna Malat1 In Colorectal Cancer Health Disparity, Justin L. Wendel, Kyle Doxtater, Kristopher L. Ezell, Samantha Lopez, Adithya Anilkumar, Sophia Leslie, Vijian Dhevan, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Manish Tripathi

Research Symposium

Background: Health disparities in the lower Rio Grande Valley are well documented and can play a critical role in cancer prognosis. Chronic stress, arguably exacerbated by these disparities, can also lead to a poor outcome after diagnosis through dysregulation of molecular markers known to be involved in cancer progression, resistance, and recurrence. lncRNA have been a relatively recent point of interest in the field of cancer research and play a role in cancer initiation and progression across tissue types. We have found that lncRNA MALAT1 is stress induced through transcription factor NFATc1. Here, we propose to investigate the association of …


Stem Cell Technology For Age Related Macular Degeneration Intervention, Laura Valdez Sep 2023

Stem Cell Technology For Age Related Macular Degeneration Intervention, Laura Valdez

Research Symposium

Retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) cells are located between the choroid and photoreceptors within the eye and are essential to provide nutrients from blood to rods and cones, as well retinoids of the visual cycle. Vision loss and various ocular diseases are attributable to the degeneration or dysfunction of the RPE cells, leading to blindness.One of the major ocular problem from RPE dysfunction is macular degeneration. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can be frequently diagnosed in patients over the age of 60. In the early stages of AMD, some symptoms may not be noticeable but will lead to vision loss in both …


Spinal Cord Injury: What About The Brain?, Monica Lozano Garcia, Kelsey Baker Sep 2023

Spinal Cord Injury: What About The Brain?, Monica Lozano Garcia, Kelsey Baker

Research Symposium

Background: Recent research has suggested that the brain may also undergo neurodegeneration after a spinal cord injury (SCI). Here, we evaluated neurodegeneration in the brain of patients with SCI and related neurodegeneration to rehabilitation performance, spine degeneration, and motor function.

Methods: T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted images of 13 SCI patients and 13 healthy controls were obtained. We evaluated fractional anisotropy in the motor cortex (MC), the sulci in front of the MC, the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC), and the cerebral peduncles (CP) in both hemispheres to determine neurodegeneration. Statistical analysis was performed between patients with SCI …


Specific Educational Needs Detection In Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd) In Superior Middle Level Students Students, Rebeca Thelma Martínez Villarreal, Brenda Elizabeth Salas Herrera, Alan Fernando García Martínez, Claudia Cecilia Salazar Garza, José Guadalupe Sánchez Hernández, Irma Cecilia Rico Ramírez Sep 2023

Specific Educational Needs Detection In Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd) In Superior Middle Level Students Students, Rebeca Thelma Martínez Villarreal, Brenda Elizabeth Salas Herrera, Alan Fernando García Martínez, Claudia Cecilia Salazar Garza, José Guadalupe Sánchez Hernández, Irma Cecilia Rico Ramírez

Research Symposium

Purpose: Detection ASD and intervention in superior middle level students at Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL), Mexico.

Description: Upon admission to superior middle level at UANL, modified Gilliam Asperger's disorder scale (GADS) was applied to parents in a Program to identify behavioral characteristics associated to ASD.

Parents of students with positive GADS were informed and students were scheduled for standard psychological testing in order to evaluate cognitive process, study habits, social anxiety and self-esteem, prior to an intervention.

From 2014 to 2020, 178 013 GADS were applied; there were 332 (0.19%) students with definite or suggestive pattern of ASD. …


Smoking And Drinking Activates Nf-Κb /Il-6 Axis To Promote Inflammation During Cervical Carcinogenesis, Vivek Kumar Kashyap, Prashanth Kb Nagesh, Ajay K. Singh, Andrew Massey, Godwin P. Darkwah, Murali M. Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan Sep 2023

Smoking And Drinking Activates Nf-Κb /Il-6 Axis To Promote Inflammation During Cervical Carcinogenesis, Vivek Kumar Kashyap, Prashanth Kb Nagesh, Ajay K. Singh, Andrew Massey, Godwin P. Darkwah, Murali M. Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan

Research Symposium

Background: High-risk strains of HPV are known to cause cervical cancer. Multiple clinical studies have emphasized that smoking and drinking are critical risk factors for cervical cancer and its high-grade precursors. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms involved in the interplay of smoking and/or drinking with HPV infectivity and defined a systematic therapeutic approach for their attenuation in cervical cancer.

Methods: The impact of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and/or ethanol (EtOH) exposure on cervical cancer cells was assessed by measuring changes in cell proliferation, clonogenicity, biophysical properties, cell migration, and invasion. Expression of HPV16 E6/E7, NF-κB, cytokines, cell cycle, and …


Role Of Pote-2 In Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression., Samantha Lopez, Kyle Doxtater, Adithya Anilkumar, Sudhir Kotnala, Vijian Dhevan, Subhash C. Chuahan, Manish Tripathi Sep 2023

Role Of Pote-2 In Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression., Samantha Lopez, Kyle Doxtater, Adithya Anilkumar, Sudhir Kotnala, Vijian Dhevan, Subhash C. Chuahan, Manish Tripathi

Research Symposium

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for 85-90% of primary liver cancers. The Hispanic population had an incidence of 21.2 per 100,000 in Texas. Particularly, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) is an underserved area facing disparities that increase risk factors of HCC and thus, yielding higher incidence and mortality. Therefore, early, faster, and inexpensive diagnostic biomarkers and methods are crucial to under-resourced areas such as the RGV. Recently, we have identified an extracellular cancer antigen, POTE-2. Preliminary data indicates high POTE-2 expression in HCC tumors. In this study, we will discuss the role of POTE-2 in HCC progression and its associated …


Rational Design For The Recombinant Expression Of The Receptor Binding Domain Of Sars-Cov-2 Spike Glycoprotein, Luis Mario Rodriguez, Mario Alberto Rodriguez, Hugo A. Barrera-Saldaña, Rocio Marisol Martinez, Daniela Rodriguez Sep 2023

Rational Design For The Recombinant Expression Of The Receptor Binding Domain Of Sars-Cov-2 Spike Glycoprotein, Luis Mario Rodriguez, Mario Alberto Rodriguez, Hugo A. Barrera-Saldaña, Rocio Marisol Martinez, Daniela Rodriguez

Research Symposium

Background: COVID-19 represents a significant threat to global human health. SARS-CoV-2, the etiologic viral agent, needs to be under-covered at the structural biology level to facilitate the rational design of diagnostic tests and vaccine candidates. SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain of Spike protein (RBD-S) acts as the key to open the gate, to enter the cells during infection. Thus, it is a stronger candidate for designing effective antigens for vaccines and diagnostics. Here, we relied on the viral DNA codifying to RBD-S to use synthetic biology for optimizing the recombinant expression of this (rRBD-S) as a proof of concept of rational …


Randomized Clinical Trials Of Obesity Treatments In Mexican Population. Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Marisol Rosas Diaz, Esperanza Milagros Garcia-Oropesa, Adriana L. Perales-Torres, Yoscelina E. Martinez-Lopez, Sonia Maria Ruiz Cejudo, Jose Dario Martinez Esquerro, Alvaro Diaz-Badillo, Carlos Ramirez Pfeiffer, Alejandra Bustamante-Fuentes, Elena Beatriz Lopez Sosa, Edna J. Nava Gonzalez, Oscar M. Moctezuma Chavez, Lucia Monserrat Perez Navarro, Beatriz Tapia, Kathleen V. Carter, Juan C. Lopez-Alvarenga, Yoscelina Estrella Martinez-Lopez Sep 2023

Randomized Clinical Trials Of Obesity Treatments In Mexican Population. Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Marisol Rosas Diaz, Esperanza Milagros Garcia-Oropesa, Adriana L. Perales-Torres, Yoscelina E. Martinez-Lopez, Sonia Maria Ruiz Cejudo, Jose Dario Martinez Esquerro, Alvaro Diaz-Badillo, Carlos Ramirez Pfeiffer, Alejandra Bustamante-Fuentes, Elena Beatriz Lopez Sosa, Edna J. Nava Gonzalez, Oscar M. Moctezuma Chavez, Lucia Monserrat Perez Navarro, Beatriz Tapia, Kathleen V. Carter, Juan C. Lopez-Alvarenga, Yoscelina Estrella Martinez-Lopez

Research Symposium

Background: Mexicans and Mexican Americans share similar culture, genetic background, and predisposition for obesity and diabetes. Randomized clinical trials (RCT) assessing obesity treatments (ObT) are reliable to assess efficacy. To date, there is no systematic review to investigate ObT tested by RCT in Mexican adults.

Methods: We conducted systematic searches in Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science to retrieve ObT RCT from 1990 to 2019. The ObT included alternative medicine, pharmacological, nutritional, behavioral, and surgical interventions. The analyzed RCT were at least three months of duration, and reported: BMI, weight, waist circumference, triglycerides, glucose and blood pressure.

Results: We found …


Rare Atypical Presentation Of Ogilvie Syndrome In A Hispanic Man, Aramide Mikhail Tijani, Semenawit B. Burka, Nazish Khan, Fatimah Oluwakemi Bello Sep 2023

Rare Atypical Presentation Of Ogilvie Syndrome In A Hispanic Man, Aramide Mikhail Tijani, Semenawit B. Burka, Nazish Khan, Fatimah Oluwakemi Bello

Research Symposium

Background: Ogilvie syndrome (OS) also known as acute pseudo-obstruction of the colon is a bowel motility disorder characterized by features of intestinal obstruction in the absence of an anatomical or mechanical cause. Typical presentation is with abdominal distension but atypical and more rare presenting features have also been reported including respiratory distress. Thus, we present the first case of Ogilvie syndrome presenting with respiratory distress in a Hispanic man.

Case Presentation: A 71-year-old gentleman with a history of diabetes mellitus, functional quadriplegia and other comorbidities was brought to the ED via EMS on account of altered metal status and constipation …