Life Sciences Commons^™

The Influence Of Taste Sensitivity To 6-N-Propylthiouracil (Prop) On Anthropometric Measurements, Body Composition, And Eating Behaviors Among Female College Students, Abeer Mohammedsharief Alardawi

Theses and Dissertations

Taste is one of the crucial factors that contributes to shaping eating behaviors and is also one of the leading reasons that affects our preferences to like or dislike some foods that mainly have a bitter taste. Variation in bitter phenotype (tasters and non-tasters) could influence diet quality and in turn body weight, which overall influenced health outcomes. The objective of this study was to identify whether bitter taste phenotype status influences anthropometric measurements, body fat percentage, and eating behaviors (liking and intake) in female college students. In this cross-sectional study (n = 86), female college students aged 18 to …

Targeting Ribosome Biogenesis For Pancreatic Cancer Treatment, Carlos Perez Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in the United States. Currently, PanCa is one of the recalcitrant cancers that has very limited therapeutic options available for its treatment. The current standard care of PanCa is gemcitabine (GEM) alone or in combination with FOLFIRINOX, nab-paclitaxel, erlotinib, or 5-FU PanCa, which often show poor response. Therefore, new treatment strategies are required for the prevention and treatment of cancer. Ribosome biogenesis process is dysregulated in most of the cancer types of results in production of more ribosomes and synthesis of oncoproteins which lead to the induction, progression, …

Influence Of Paclitaxel Nanomedicine On The Pancreatic Tumor Immune Components, Godwin Peasah-Darkwah

Theses and Dissertations

Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortalities in the U.S due to ineffective therapeutic options. Pancreatic tumors are highly desmoplastic and inhibit efficient uptake of therapeutic payloads. Paclitaxel (PTX) has been tested in PanCa therapy with marginally better clinical outcomes, but remain limited by its poor hemocompatibility, biodistribution and intracellular accumulation in tumor cells. Thus, we synthesized a next generation nanoparticle system for PTX to improve its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PKPD) in treating PanCa. We also examined ability of the nano formulation to potentiate gemcitabine (GEM) activity in combating chemoresistance in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment …

Development Of Enhanced Food Packaging Systems Based On Blends Of Bio-Based And Biodegradable Polymers Exhibiting Antimicrobial Properties, Aishat Agboluaje

Theses and Dissertations

Food packaging is one of the important aspects of food processing, which contributes greatly to decreasing post-harvest food losses. While ensuring that foods are adequately packaged, it is also important to consider the impact of these food packaging materials on the environment. Accordingly, this research work was aimed at investigating the potential of bio-based and biodegradable blends of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan loaded with antimicrobial agents such as turmeric, clove, and cinnamon for use in food packaging applications. The methodology involved creating PVA/chitosan films with varying compositions via solvent casting method and selecting the best composition exhibiting the highest …

Identification Of Pneumococcal Membrane Proteins Involved In Colonization/Biofilm Formation And Cognate Host Cellular Receptors, Yoonsung Hu

Theses and Dissertations

Colonization is prerequisite for infection and transmission of Streptococcus pneumoniae, or pneumococcus. Currently available pneumococcal conjugate and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines can provide protection against a limited number of capsular serotypes. Implementation of vaccines has decreased the frequency of invasive pneumococcal disease and their colonization rates, but only in a serotype-dependent manner. This has led to serotype replacement in pneumococcal ecology and increased invasive disease caused by non-vaccine serotypes. Development of conserved protein-based vaccine that can provide protection against all pneumococcal serotypes is needed. Numerous surface proteins are conserved in all serotypes, and some are known to be involved in …

Bodyverse, Colin B. Stilwell

Theses and Dissertations

This paper supports the MFA dance thesis film BodyVerse. Exploring the intertwining relationship of body systems with the natural world, it brings somatic principles such as Body Mind Centering and dance improvisation together with film legacies and digital platforms.

Full-Body Biomechanical Characterization Of Children With Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome During Gait And Activities Of Daily Living, Anahita Alahmoradiqashqai

Theses and Dissertations

Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) is an inherited connective tissue disorder, often under-diagnosed, and presenting with frequent chronic pain and severe musculoskeletal symptoms that can drastically reduce the quality of life during one’s life span. While there are limited quantitative approaches in the literature on adult movements, the biomechanics of movements during activities of daily living (ADLs) in children have not been investigated comprehensively. Therefore, the primary purpose of this dissertation was to characterize the biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system and investigate the biomechanics of hEDS by quantifying joint dynamics and muscle activations during ADLs and gait in the pediatric population. …

Development Of New Treatments For Asthma And Neuropathic Pain Based On Ɣ-Aminobutyric Acid A Receptor (Gabaar) Ligands, Nicolas Mark Zahn

Theses and Dissertations

The γ-aminobutyric acid A receptor (GABAAR) is a ligand-gated pentameric chloride channel consisting of several identified subunits: α1-6, β1-3, γ1-3, δ, ε, π, θ, ρ1-3.1-2 Typical arrangement of subunits consists of two α subunits, two β subunits, and one γ subunit.3 GABAARs have two binding sites for the endogenous ligand γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), between the α and β subunits. GABAARs also have a binding site for positive allosteric modulators, such as benzodiazepines, between the α and γ subunits.4-5 Due to their ability to treat anxiety, epilepsy, insomnia, and muscle relaxation, benzodiazepines are widely prescribed pharmaceuticals.6-7 Still, adverse effects result from …

Selective Gsk3Β Inhibition Mediates An Nrf2-Independent Anti-Inflammatory Microglial Response, Mohamed H. Yousef

Theses and Dissertations

Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 (GSK3) is associated with the proinflammatory phenotype of microglia and has been shown to act in concert with Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). . GSK3 is also a suppressor of Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), the principal regulator of redox homeostasis. Agreeing with the oxidative paradigm of aging, Nrf2 is often deregulated in parainflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we aimed to explore a multimodal disease-modifying utility of GSK3 inhibition, beyond neuronal proteopathologies, Furthermore, we aimed to underscore the difference in therapeutic value between the two GSK3 paralogs by isoform-selective chemical inhibition.

The …

Repurposing Metformin And Antifolates For The Treatment Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Sherouk Mohamed Tawfik

Theses and Dissertations

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most prevalent types of cancers worldwide, continues to maintain high levels of resistance to standard therapy. As clinical data revealed poor response rates, the need for developing new methods has increased to improve the overall wellbeing of patients with HCC. Due to its safety, wide availability and previously reported anti-cancer effects, metformin (MET) serves to be a possible therapeutic agent when combined with other well-known anti-cancer agents. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential anti-cancer effects of MET, an anti-diabetic agent, when combined with two antifolate drugs: trimethoprim (TMP) or methotrexate …

A Predictive Model For Geographical Location Using Microbiome Composition And Covid-19 Based Analysis, Ahmed Adel Aboushanab

Theses and Dissertations

The human microbiome is a main contributor for the health and welfare of the human body. It is affected by many factors like diet and hygiene. These factors differ between different populations. Testing the population-microbiome differences using healthy samples from different countries is the first objective of this study. This data was then used in training and testing machine learning models (Random Forest and L2-logistic Regression Classifiers) for the prediction of the geographical location based on the microbiome data. Random Forest Classifier had the highest accuracy. Feature importance analysis showed that the data for Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes improved the …

The Role Of Human Dopamine Transporter Threonine 261 And Serine 262 In Amphetamine Regulation Of Transporter Function And Surface Expression, Sina Abdollahi

Theses and Dissertations

Amphetamine (AMPH) has been used clinically and recreationally around the world for years. A 2021 study reports a 67.5% rise in AMPH use from 2010-2017 across all fifty states. Study also shows that 30% of patients with AMPH-induced psychosis end up with primary psychosis over time. AMPH works by inhibiting monoamine (Norepinephrine (NE), Serotonin (5-HT), and Dopamine (DA) reuptake followed by triggering transporter mediated monoamine release and consequently increases monoamine concentrations in extracellular synaptic space. AMPH also works as a substrate for monoamine transporters, enters the neuron, and once its inside the neuron, it will prevent the storage of monoamines …

Estimating Weighted Panel Sizes For Primary Care Providers: An Assessment Of Clustering And Novel Methods Of Panel Size Estimation On Electronic Medical Records, Martin A. Lavallee

Theses and Dissertations

Primary Care is on the frontlines of healthcare, thus they see the most diverse set of patients. In order to achieve high functioning primary care, a practice must establish empanelment, the pairing of patients to providers. Enumeration of empanelment, or estimating panel sizes, helps ensure that the demands of the patients demand the supply of providers and optimize the balance of primary care resources to improve quality of care. Further we can adjust panel sizes by using patient-level data on healthcare utilization and complexity extracted from the electronic medial record to determine the amount of care or burden of work …

Chronic Adolescent Stress As A Predictive Factor For The Risk Of Developing Ptsd-Like Symptoms In Adulthood, Grace K. Young

Theses and Dissertations

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a stress and trauma based psychological disorder that is defined by the DSM-IV as an anxiety disorder that affects approximately 7.8% of people in the United States. PTSD is when those who suffer a traumatic event have intense and distressing feelings, emotions, and memories for a prolonged period of time after the event. A prominent feature of PTSD is the impaired ability to properly extinguish a fear response after a dangerous trigger or stressor is no longer present, also known as safety learning. Stressors are threats perceived within the environment that activate a response within the …

Protein Structure And Interaction: The Role Of Aromatic Residues In Protein Structure And Interactions Between Pyridoxine 5'-Phosphate Oxidase/Dopa Decarboxylase, Mohammed H. Al Mughram

Theses and Dissertations

Naturally developed proteins are capable of carrying out a wide variety of molecular functions due to their highly precise three-dimensional structures, which are determined by their genetically encoded sequences of amino acids. A thorough knowledge of protein structures and interactions at the atomic level will enable researchers to get a deep foundational understanding of the molecular interactions and enzymatic processes required for cells, resulting in more effective therapeutic interventions. This dissertation intends to use structural knowledge from solved protein structures for two distinct objectives.

In the first project, we conducted a bioinformatics structural analysis of experimental protein structures using our …

Behavioral Screening And Chiral Bioanalysis Of Emerging Stimulant-Type Drugs In Rats, Tyson R. Baird

Theses and Dissertations

The epidemic of drug use in the United States and elsewhere in the world has resulted in tragic loss of life and substantial economic costs. Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are one of the contributors to this problem, and the lack of information about many of these drugs compounds their risk. This dissertation proposes a strategy to use intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) as a behavioral screening tool to assess emerging drugs of abuse for their abuse potential in order to generate a proactive threat assessment. A series of stimulant-type drugs including methcathinone, α-pyrrolidinohexanophenone (α-PHP), cocaine, and the phenyltropane analogs of cocaine WIN35428 …

Examination Of Common And Rare Variant Genetic Architecture Of Psychiatric Disorders, Mohammad Ahangari

Theses and Dissertations

Psychiatric disorders are often heterogenous in their manifestation and genome-wide association studies have identified many common risk variants involved in their polygenic architectures with varying degrees of pleiotropy. In recent years, large-scale biobanks have also begun sequencing the genome of their participants to elucidate the role of rare risk variation in the genetic architecture of complex phenotypes, including psychiatric traits. This dissertation sought to better understand the role of both common and rare risk variation in the genetic architecture of psychiatric disorders with a particular focus on schizophrenia and alcohol problems. In the first three analyses, we focused on characterizing …

Targeting Bcl-2 Family Proteins In Therapy Induced Senescent Cancer Cell Models, Wade Cook

Theses and Dissertations

Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) originates from numerous different cell types in the lungs and is among the deadliest of cancers. Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas (HNSCC) are derived from the mucosal membranes of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx. Both NSCLC and HNSCC are predominately caused by tobacco smoke inhalation and as such mutations in the tumor suppressor gene TP53 are common. Since similarities exist in the root cause of NSCLC and HNSCC, they may also share similarities in treatment methods. Cisplatin is a platinum-based DNA damaging agent that has been used as a cancer chemotherapy for decades. …

Theta Burst Brain Stimulation In Painful Diabetic Neuropathy Patients: Investigating Neural Mechanisms, Bhushan Thakkar

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic pain (CP) is a significant contributor to disability and disease burden globally. In 2019, approximately 50.2 million adults (20.4% of the US population) experienced chronic pain, contributing to $560-635 billion in direct medical costs. In addition, the worldwide prevalence of diabetes mellitus has reached epidemic proportions and is set to increase to 629 million by 2045. Almost 50% of patients with diabetes present with diabetic neuropathy (DN), and one in five patients with diabetes presents with painful DN (pDN) which is the most common cause of neuropathic pain (NP) in the US. Symptomatic treatment is the mainstay of management …

Antiviral Effects Of Metalloshielding: Differential Antiviral Activity Of Polynuclear Platinum And Cobalt Compounds, Mary Zoepfl

Theses and Dissertations

The majority of antiviral drug development has focused on virus-specific discovery targeting discrete steps in the individual life cycles. Although great strides have been made for a number of clinically relevant diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus, influenza virus, and hepatitis B, broad spectrum antivirals do not exist. Broad spectrum antivirals would offer (1) treatment for viruses without specifically-targeted antivirals, (2) treatment for viruses which have developed resistance to their available treatments, and (3) a rapidly deployable treatment option in viral epidemics. Many viruses including human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), HIV, and SARS-CoV-2. rely on heparan sulfate (HS), a highly sulfated glycosaminoglycan …

Human Papillomavirus 16 E2 Regulates Host Cell Pathways Important For Cancer Progression And Treatment Sensitivity Which May Contribute To Cancer Outcomes, Christian Fontan

Theses and Dissertations

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are causative agents in around 5% of all cancers, including cervical and oropharyngeal. A feature of HPV cancers is their better clinical outcome compared with non-HPV anatomical counterparts. In turn, the presence of E2 predicts a better clinical outcome in HPV-positive cancers; the reason(s) for the better outcome of E2-positive patients is not fully understood.

Previously, we demonstrated that HPV16 E2 regulates host gene transcription that is relevant to the HPV16 lifecycle in N/Tert-1 cells. One of the genes repressed by E2 and the entire HPV16 genome in N/Tert-1 cells is TWIST1. In these studies, we demonstrate …

Structure-Based Drug Discovery And Development Of Protein Structure Prediction Tools Using An Empirical Force Field, Noah B. Herrington

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional drug discovery has rapidly accelerated thanks to development of computational molecular modeling. The crucial component that these computational studies hinge upon is having a well-defined, and energetically favorable structure. Structures of proteins and ligands that meet these criteria are important for accurately simulating models used to study drug binding. To demonstrate the role of accurate structure simulation in the study of these events, this thesis presents, first, a story examining the problem of accurate structure modeling of ionizable residues within protein structures, specifically aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and histidine. I present our method, which uses the HINT force field …

Changes In Physical Activity And Relationships To Submaximal Exercise Capacity And Cardiac Function During Breast Cancer Therapy, Moriah P. Bellissimo

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Breast cancer (BC) survivors are at high risk for heart failure due to curative cancer therapies. In non-cancer populations, physical activity is a first line treatment for preventing cardiovascular disease. This study examined whether more physical activity was associated with better submaximal exercise capacity and cardiac function during the first three months of cancer therapy.

Methods: Participants included 223 women with stage I-III BC before therapy and after three months of undergoing treatment and 126 controls. Leisure time physical activity was reported using the Godin Sheppard leisure time exercise questionnaire. Cardiac function was assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance, and …