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Journal of Undergraduate Research

2017

Articles 1 - 9 of 9

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

The Role Of Nr4a1 In Maternal Obesity Induced Beta Cell Expansion, Jeffery S. Tessem Jul 2017

The Role Of Nr4a1 In Maternal Obesity Induced Beta Cell Expansion, Jeffery S. Tessem

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The academic objectives of this Mentoring Environment Grant (MEG) were to 1) train undergraduate students in the scientific process to prepare them in careers as physicians and scientists, and 2) to examine the relationship between in utero Nr4a1 beta cell specific deletion during maternal overnutrition and obesity on beta cell mass at birth and diabetic onset. We were successful in accomplishing these objectives, as evidenced by the training of four undergraduate students, presentation of research and local and national meetings, and initial preparation of a manuscript reporting our findings.

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The Role Of Nr4a1 In Β-Cell Glucose Stimulated Insulin Secretion And Cellular Survival, Kevin Garland, Jeffery Tessem Jun 2017

The Role Of Nr4a1 In Β-Cell Glucose Stimulated Insulin Secretion And Cellular Survival, Kevin Garland, Jeffery Tessem

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In 2010, diabetes was the 7th leading cause of death in America, and as of 2014, 9% of the world’s adult population was affected by it. In both Type I (T1D) and Type II diabetes (T2D), a loss of β-cell mass and overall function is observed. β-cells essentially stop proliferating after adolescence, therefore developing mechanisms to increase function and/or induce proliferation in β-cells could serve as a powerful treatment and even a cure for both T1D and T2D. Overexpression of the β-cell transcription factor Nkx6.1 induces β-cell proliferation (1) and up-regulates expression of the nuclear receptor Nr4a1 (2). Nr4a1 has …

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Cebp/Α Increases Functional Β-Cell Mass, Jason Ray, Jeffery Tessem Jun 2017

Cebp/Α Increases Functional Β-Cell Mass, Jason Ray, Jeffery Tessem

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are major global health concerns. Diabetes is characterized by impaired management of glucose in the bloodstream, which is due to decreased pancreatic functional β-cell mass. Functional β-cell mass is determined from the insulin secretion rate and the number of β-cells, which is determined from cellular proliferation and death rates. Increasing functional β-cell mass could cure diabetes either by enhancing pancreatic islets prior to transplantation, or by strengthening endogenous cells. Although β-cells stop proliferating around adolescence, β-cell proliferation resumes during conditions such as pregnancy and obesity (1), demonstrating that the molecular pathways necessary for replication …

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Defining Nkx6.1 Binding Partners In Young And Aged Pancreatic Islet, Sean Kang, Dr. Jeffery Tessem Jun 2017

Defining Nkx6.1 Binding Partners In Young And Aged Pancreatic Islet, Sean Kang, Dr. Jeffery Tessem

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Diabetes is an increasing epidemic that deserves more attention. Those affected by diabetes are restricted to either strict diets or remedial insulin supplementation. Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are directly related to a decrease in functional β-cell mass. Exciting research has revealed Nkx6.1 to be an influential transcription factor which induces β-cell proliferation, protects against apoptosis and enhances insulin secretion when overexpressed 1 . Our recent findings indicate significant β-cell proliferation is limited to β-cells from adolescent rats, with a severe decrease in proliferation as the animal ages. 2 Nkx6.1 expression is present in every stage of development, …

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Tear Analysis: High-Speed Video Capture Of The Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear, Devon Smith, Steven Cook Jun 2017

Tear Analysis: High-Speed Video Capture Of The Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear, Devon Smith, Steven Cook

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The tearing of the ACL is among one of the most common sports injuries seen during this era. Research shows that annually there are more than 80,000 documented cases of ACL tears occurring with a 15x greater possibility of re-tearing after reconstruction.1 Currently, there is no digitally filmed data on how the fiber bundles unravel during an induced ACL tear. Published studies utilize a Porcine ACL as the highest anatomically comparative model to Human ACL. We are looking to create a grade 3 ACL tear in both human and porcine ACL’s, and film them at high-speed while it unravels. We …

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Effects Of Nixtamalization On Maize Processing In Malawi, Annica Cooper, Frost Steele Jun 2017

Effects Of Nixtamalization On Maize Processing In Malawi, Annica Cooper, Frost Steele

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Malawi is a small country in southeastern Africa. The main crops that rural Malawians grow for food are maize, legumes, and dark, leafy greens. Due to this restrictive diet, many Malawians are at risk for several nutritional deficiencies. In a survey conducted of Malawian families at the School of Agriculture for Family Independence (SAFI), families reached an average of only 18.3% of their calcium needs. A calcium deficiency, especially early in life, can lead to low bone mass and low vitamin D levels, which leads to rickets or osteomalacia. An ancient Mesoamerican tradition called nixtamalization turns maize into a great …

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Is Hdac1 Mediated Β-Cell Proliferation Dependent On Decreased P15 Expression?, Kyle Kener, Jeffery Tessem Jun 2017

Is Hdac1 Mediated Β-Cell Proliferation Dependent On Decreased P15 Expression?, Kyle Kener, Jeffery Tessem

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The body maintains normoglycemia through pancreatic β-cells which sense elevation in circulating glucose levels and secrete insulin to maintain the correct blood glucose concentration. A decrease in functional pancreatic β-cell mass leads to Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Each form has different initial causes, but both forms ultimately result in decreased functional β-cell mass. Functional β-cell mass is defined as the rate of glucose stimulated insulin secretion multiplied by the total β-cell mass. The total β-cell mass is a function of cellular proliferation and death rates. β-cells have a very low proliferation rate, therefore determining the mechanisms that induce …

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Determining The Mechanism Of Cocoa-Derived Epicatechin Enhancement Of Glucose Stimulated Insulin Secretion, Benjamin Bitner, Jeffery Tessem Jun 2017

Determining The Mechanism Of Cocoa-Derived Epicatechin Enhancement Of Glucose Stimulated Insulin Secretion, Benjamin Bitner, Jeffery Tessem

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Due to recent increases in incidence, diabetes is now classified as a global epidemic. Diabetes results from the eventual destruction of β-cell mass, which causes decreased insulin secretion. Increasing functional β-cell mass may provide a cure for diabetes. A previous study has shown that oligomeric procyanidins were effective in preventing weight gain, fat mass, impaired glucose tolerance, and insulin resistance in a mouse obesity model1. This was the first long-term feeding study to examine the activities of cocoa constituents on diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance.

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Identifying The Upstream Target Of Resveratrol In Breast Cancer Cells, Jeffrey Mecham, Jason Kenealey Mar 2017

Identifying The Upstream Target Of Resveratrol In Breast Cancer Cells, Jeffrey Mecham, Jason Kenealey

Journal of Undergraduate Research

One commonly disrupted pathway in many different cancer cells lines revolves around the tumor suppressor protein p53. Approximately half of human cancers exhibit direct, inactivating mutations of p53, while the majority of the remainder either elevate inhibitors, reduce activators, or deactivate downstream targets of p531. The central role of p53 in preventing tumorigenesis stems from its ability to induce controlled cell death of unhealthy cells, along with DNA repair and cell cycle arrest.

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