Life Sciences Commons^™

Remodeling Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer's Aggressive Profile And Metabolic Signature By Natural Alkaloid Berberine, Tara Elizabeth Jarboe

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Anaplastic thyroid cancer is a rare, fatal cancer with a five-year survival of 4%. Universally diagnosed at stage IV, anaplastic thyroid cancer is characterized by its lack of differentiation, rapid proliferative rate, highly inflammatory tumor microenvironment, and metabolic dysregulation. Refractory to all established therapies, anaplastic thyroid cancer requires a novel therapeutic approach that targets all of these drivers of anaplastic thyroid cancer carcinogenesis. We propose natural alkaloid berberine as a therapeutic with multitarget efficacy to alter mitochondrial metabolism and reprogram anaplastic thyroid cancer’s aggressive phenotype. Our in vitro model uses monocyte cell line U937, anaplastic thyroid cancer cell lines T238 …

A Bird's-Eye View Of The Multiple Biochemical Mechanisms That Propel Pathology Of Alzheimer's Disease: Recent Advances And Mechanistic Perspectives On How To Halt The Disease Progression Targeting Multiple Pathways., Caleb Vegh, Kyle Stokes, Dennis Ma, Darcy Wear, Jerome Cohen, Sidhartha D. Ray, Siyaram Pandey

Touro College of Pharmacy (New York) Publications and Research

Neurons consume the highest amount of oxygen, depend on oxidative metabolism for energy, and survive for the lifetime of an individual. Therefore, neurons are vulnerable to death caused by oxidative-stress, accumulation of damaged and dysfunctional proteins and organelles. There is an exponential increase in the number of patients diagnosed with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s (AD) as the number of elderly increases exponentially. Development of AD pathology is a complex phenomenon characterized by neuronal death, accumulation of extracellular amyloid-β plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, and most importantly loss of memory and cognition. These pathologies are most likely caused by mechanisms including …

Possible Causes Of Preeclampsia And Potential Treatments, Helene Weinreb

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Preeclampsia is a common complication of pregnancy characterized by hypertension and proteinuria. Its symptoms are well-defined, but the pathophysiology is not fully understood. This paper analyzes several of the most credible causes of this syndrome and attempts to relate these to the known risk factors. Current preeclampsia treatments are examined, and special focus is given to novel experimental treatments which offer hope of ending preeclampsia and eclampsia.

Pathogenic Mechanisms Of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Or Broken Heart Syndrome, Devorah Leah Borisute

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy (TTC) is a temporary heart-wall motion abnormality with the clinical presentation of a myocardial infarction. Found predominantly in postmenopausal women, TTC most often appears with apical ballooning and mid-ventricle hypokinesis. Often induced by an emotional or physical stress, TTC is reversible and excluded as a diagnosis in patients with acute plaque rupture and obstructive coronary disease. The transient nature and positive prognosis of this cardiomyopathy leaves a dilemma as to what precipitates it. This paper explores the theories of the pathogenesis of TTC including coronary artery spasm, microvascular dysfunction, and catecholamine excess. A thorough analysis of the pathogenesis …

Is Detection Of Preclinical Alzheimer’S Disease Possible?, Shana Brawer

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

No abstract provided.

The Association Between Type Of Fat And The Risk Of Developing Cardiovascular Diseases, Dovid Leib Glassner

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Objective: To determine the significance of various types of dietary fat in the progression of atherosclerosis leading to heart disease. Methods: Study inclusion criteria constituted relevance to the discussion topic and peer reviewed literature. Age of the published material was taken into account as well, with greater preference being given to more recent research as the topic of nutrition and its relation to chronic disease remains an emerging science. Results: This research review found an overall significant relationship between the type (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated and trans-fat) of dietary fat intake and the incidence of cardiovascular disease. While earlier research identified …

Towards A Personalized Cancer Gene Therapy: A Case Of Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, Dumitru Iacobas, Sanda Iacobas

NYMC Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Genetic Divergence Of Influenza A(H3n2) Amino Acid Substitutions Mark The Beginning Of The 2016-2017 Winter Season In Israel, Aharona Glatman-Freedman, Yaron Drori, Sharon Beni, Nehemya Friedman, Rakefet Pando, Hanna Sefty, Ilana Tal, John Mccauley, Galia Rahav, Nathan Keller, Tamy Shohat, Ella Mendelson, Musa Hindiyeh, Michal Mandelboim

NYMC Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Influenza vaccine composition is reevaluated each year due to the frequency and accumulation of genetic changes that influenza viruses undergo. The beginning of the 2016-2017 influenza surveillance period in Israel has been marked by the dominance of influenza A(H3N2).

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the type, subtype, genetic evolution and amino acid substitutions of influenza A(H3N2) viruses detected among community patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) and hospitalized patients with respiratory illness in the first weeks of the 2016-2017 influenza season.

STUDY DESIGN: Respiratory samples from community patients with influenza-like illness and from hospitalized patients underwent identification, subtyping and molecular characterization. Hemagglutinin …

Annual Wormwood Leaf Inhibits The Adipogenesis Of 3t3-L1 And Obesity In High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Rats, Y Song, S Lee, S Jang, T Kim, Hong-Duck Kim, S Kim, C Won, J Cho

NYMC Faculty Publications

Annual wormwood (AW) (Artemisia annua L.) has anti-malarial, anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-tumour, and anti-inflammatory activities. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of annual wormwood leaves (AWL) on adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells and high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rats. 3T3-L1 adipocytes and HFD-induced obese rats were treated with AWL, and its effect on gene expression was analyzed using RT-PCR and Western blotting experiments. Treatment with AWL effectively prevented triglyceride accumulation during adipogenesis in a dose-dependent manner. Consistently, AWL suppressed the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes into adipocytes through the downregulation of dexamethasone, 3-isobutyl-1- methylxanthine, and insulin (DMI)-induced serine/threonine kinase protein kinase …

Hla-B*57:01 Allele Prevalence In Hiv-Infected North American Subjects And The Impact Of Allele Testing On The Incidence Of Abacavir-Associated Hypersensitivity Reaction In Hla-B*57:01-Negative Subjects, Catherine Small, D Margolis, M Shaefer, L Ross

NYMC Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The presence of the HLA-B*57:01 allele in HIV-infected subjects is associated with a higher risk of abacavir-associated hypersensitivity reaction (ABC HSR). HLA-B*57:01 allele prevalence varies in different populations, but HLA-B*57:01 testing with immunological confirmation has had a negative predictive value for ABC HSR between 97 and 100%. METHODS: In the ASSURE study (EPZ113734), the HLA-B*57:01 prevalence in virologically suppressed, antiretroviral treatment-experienced, HIV-infected subjects from the United States, including Puerto Rico, was assessed. RESULTS: Three hundred eighty-five subjects were screened; 13 were HLA-B*57:01 positive and 372 were negative. Only HLA-B*57:01-negative, abacavir-naive subjects were eligible to enroll into the ASSURE trial. …

Enhanced Control Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Extrapulmonary Dissemination In Mice By An Arabinomannan-Protein Conjugate Vaccine, R Prados-Rosales, L Carreno, T Cheng, C Blanc, B Weinrick, Aharona Glatman-Freedman, A Casadevall, S Hung, A Tripathi, J Xu, Aharona Glatman-Freedman, W Jacobs Jr., J Chan, S Porcelli, J Achkar, A Casadevall

NYMC Faculty Publications

Currently there are a dozen or so of new vaccine candidates in clinical trials for prevention of tuberculosis (TB) and each formulation attempts to elicit protection by enhancement of cell-mediated immunity (CMI). In contrast, most approved vaccines against other bacterial pathogens are believed to mediate protection by eliciting antibody responses. However, it has been difficult to apply this formula to TB because of the difficulty in reliably eliciting protective antibodies. Here, we developed capsular polysaccharide conjugates by linking mycobacterial capsular arabinomannan (AM) to either Mtb Ag85b or B. anthracis protective antigen (PA). Further, we studied their immunogenicity by ELISA and …

The Expression Of Platelet-Activating Factor Is Induced By Low Extracellular Mg2+ In Aortic, Cerebral And Neonatal Coronary Vascular Smooth Muscle; Cross Talk With Ceramide Production, Nf–Kb And Proto-Oncogenes: Possible Links To Atherogenesis And Sudden Cardiac Death In Children And Infants, And Aging: Hypothesis, Review And Viewpoint, Burton M. Altura, Wenyan Li, Aimin Zhang, Tao Zheng, Nilank C. Shah, Gatha J. Shah, Bella T. Altura

The School of Health Sciences Publications and Research

An attempt is made, herein, to reconcile, and integrate, various phenomena associated with magnesium deficiency (MgD) in cardiovascular health, disease, and aging as well as reasons for the high incidence of sudden cardiac death in infants and young adults. With new experiments, we demonstrate, for the first time, that very low concentrations of platelet-activating factor (PAF), when added to primary cultured cerebral, neonatal coronary, and aortic vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells (from three different mammals) promote rapid rises in free intracellular Ca2+ ions and a significant, concomitant reduction in free intracellular Mg2+ ions; these actions of PAF being curtailed with …

Potential Roles Of Magnesium Deficiency In Inflammation And Atherogenesis: Importance And Cross-Talk Of Platelet-Activating Factor And Ceramide, Burton M. Altura, Asefa Gebrewold, Nilank C. Shah, Gatha J. Shah, Bella T. Altura

The School of Health Sciences Publications and Research

Epidemiologic studies in North America and Europe have shown that people consuming Western-type diets are low in magnesium (Mg) content (i.e., < 30 - 65% of the RDA for Mg); most such diets in the USA show that 60 - 80% of Americans are consuming only 185 - 235 mg/day of Mg. Low Mg content in areas of soft-water, and Mg-poor soil, is associated with high incidences of ischemic heart disease (IHD), coronary artery disease, hypertension, and sudden cardiac death (SCD). It is clear that the leading underlying cause of death worldwide is atherosclerosis. Importantly, both animal and human studies have shown an inverse relationship between dietary intake of Mg and atherosclerosis. The myocardial level of Mg has consistently been observed to be lower in subjects dying from IHD and SCD in soft-water areas than those in hard-water areas. Over the past 20 years, our laboratories, using several types of primary cultured vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells, and myocardial cells, demonstrated that declining levels of extracellular Mg ([Mg2+]0) activated several enzymatic pathways to produce increases in cellular sphingolipids, particularly ceramides which are known to exert numerous types of cardiovascular manifestations including inflammatory effects; the latter play important roles in atherogenesis and cardiovascular diseases. Approximately 20 years ago, we reported that low [Mg2+]0 caused formation of platelet-activating factor (PAF) as well as other types of PAF-like molecules and suggested that these molecules might be causative agents in low Mg2+- induced IHD and SCD. Herein, we review results and data from our labs which strongly support roles for ceramides, PAF and PAF-like lipids in low [Mg2+]0-induced IHD and SCD.

Insights Into The Possible Mechanisms By Which Platelet-Activating Factor And Paf-Receptors Function In Vascular Smooth Muscle In Magnesium Deficiency And Vascular Remodeling: Possible Links To Atherogenesis, Hypertension And Cardiac Failure, Burton M. Altura, Nilank C. Shah, Gatha J. Shah, Jose Luis Perez-Albela, Bella T. Altura

The School of Health Sciences Publications and Research

The authors discuss different studies concerning the relationship between platelet-activating factor (PAF) and PAF-receptors with atherosclerosis and hypertension.

Genotoxic Effects Of Magnesium Deficiency In The Cardiovascular System And Their Relationships To Cardiovascular Diseases And Atherogenesis, Burton M. Altura, Nilank C. Shah, Gatha J. Shah, Bella T. Altura

The School of Health Sciences Publications and Research

The authors present evidence for a novel, new hypothesis whereby magnesium deficiency (MgD) acts as a genotoxic agent which probably causes numerous, hertofore, unrecognized consequences, even over a short-term, on the physiological, molecular and biochemical machinery of cardiovascular tissues and cells. The end result of these genotoxic effects of MgD probably plays important roles in the etiology and generation of diverse cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, inflammation, and strokes via alterations in the epigenome of cardiovascular tissues and cells. The importance of adequate water-borne and dietary levels of Mg is emphasized.

Magnesium Deficiency Results In Oxidation And Fragmentation Of Dna, Down Regulation Of Telomerase Activity, And Ceramide Release In Cardiovascular Tissues And Cells: Potential Relationship To Atherogenesis, Cardiovascular Diseases And Aging, Burton M. Altura, Nilank C. Shah, Gatha J. Shah, Jose Luis Perez-Albela, Bella T. Altura

The School of Health Sciences Publications and Research

The authors discuss the potential relationship between magnesium, cardiovascular diseases, and aging.

Sudden Cardiac Death In Infants, Children And Young Adults: Possible Roles Of Dietary Magnesium Intake And Generation Of Platelet-Activating Factor In Coronary Arteries, Burton M. Altura, Wenyan Li, Aimin Zhang, Tao Zheng, Nilank C. Shah, Gatha J. Shah, Bella T. Altura

The School of Health Sciences Publications and Research

Magnesium (Mg) is a co-factor for more than 500 enzymes, and is the second most abundant intracellular cation after potassium. It is vital in numerous physiological, cellular and biochemical functions and systems necessary for life. Approximately 35 years ago, our laboratory suggested that a progressive, dietary deficiency and/or metabolic induced loss of Mg from the body, beginning early in life, particularly during development of the coronary arteries, could lead to coronary arterial vasospasm, ischemic heart disease, and sudden-cardiac death (SCD). Herein, we review evidence for a brand-new, novel hypothesis which combines knowledge suggesting a combined role for hypomagnesemia and platelet-activating …

Human Animal Chimeras For Therapeutic Protocols, Bracha Sklar

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Research on humans is limited, therefore human animal chimeras have been used to study human systems. A Human animal chimera is an animal containing animal and human cell lines. The primary goal of human animal chimera research is to establish an animal with human cellular characters, which can and should more realistically be able to imitate as closely as possible the in vivo situations in humans. This research is very important, because it allows scientists to study human systems in vivo using a humanized animal model. However ethical issues arise when experimenting with humans and animals being mixed together. Using …

Palytoxin Poisoning Via Inhalation In Pediatric Siblings, Martha M. Rumore, Blaine M. Houst

Touro College of Pharmacy (New York) Publications and Research

Introduction: Several cases of palytoxin poisoning have occurred during cleaning of aquariums.

Case Report: We report a case of palytoxin inhalational toxicity in pediatric siblings following secondary exposure to vapors from cleaning of an aquarium containing Zoanthids. Symptoms included fever, tachycardia, leukocytosis and elevated lactic dehydrogenase. Both patients received supportive treatment in the pediatric intensive care unit and were discharged after 48 hours. Symptoms also occurred in children’s parents including cleaning attendant.

Conclusion: Herein, we present a rare case of inhalational toxicity from palytoxin.

Cancer Immunotherapy Treatments, Shifra Sadowsky

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in American, with over half a million deaths from cancer reported in 2009. Cancer chemotherapy treatments were developed in the nineteen hundreds and remain the backbone of current treatments; however, they have some limitations. New immunotherapy cancer treatments, where biologic agents are given to patients to influence the body’s natural immune response, are being researched. Among these immunotherapy treatments are co-inhibition blockade of T cells, and combination blockade treatments together with chemotherapy treatment. This review will discuss T cell activation and the role of T cell coinhibitors such as CTLA-4 and PD-1 …