Life Sciences Commons^™

Description Of Gastrophryne Elegans (Boulenger, 1882) Tadpole From The Rainforest Of Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico, Víctor H. Jiménez-Arcos, Rafael Alejandro Calzada-Arciniega, Bruno Cortés-Ortiz, Christopher Blair

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Insights Into The Molecular Roles Of Foxr2 In The Pathology Of Primary Pediatric Brain Tumors, Rajendra Gharbaran

Publications and Research

Forkhead box gene R2 (FOXR2) belongs to the family of FOX genes which codes for highly conserved transcription factors (TFs) with critical roles in biological processes ranging from development to organogenesis to metabolic and immune regulation to cellular homeostasis. A number of FOX genes are associated with cancer development and progression and poor prognosis. A growing body of evidence suggests that FOXR2 is an oncogene. Studies suggested important roles for FOXR2 in cancer cell growth, metastasis, and drug resistance. Recent studies showed that FOXR2 is overexpressed by a subset of newly identified entities of embryonal tumors. This review discusses the …

Diminazene Aceturate-Induced Cytotoxicity Is Associated With The Deregulation Of Cell Cycle Signaling And Downregulation Of Oncogenes Furin, C-Myc, And Foxm1 In Human Cervical Carcinoma Hela Cells, Rajendra Gharbaran

Publications and Research

Diminazene aceturate (DIZE) is an FDA‐listed small molecule known for thetreatment of African sleeping sickness. In vivo studies showed that DIZE may bebeneficial for a range of human ailments. However, there is very limited informationon the effects of DIZE on human cancer cells. The current study aimed to investigatethe cytotoxic responses of DIZE, using the human carcinoma Hela cell line. WST‐1cell proliferation assay showed that DIZE inhibited the viability of Hela cells in adose‐dependent manner and the observed response was associated with thedownregulation of Ki67 and PCNA cell proliferation markers. DIZE‐treated cellsstained with acridine orange‐ethidium and JC‐10 dye revealed cell …

A Biological Lens On Food Deserts [Biology], Claudette Davis

Open Educational Resources

SCB101 is a non-major biology course. In Fall 2022, the course was designated as an Experiential Learning-LaGuardia Humanitarian Initiative (LHI) course in CUNYFirst. LHI is LaGuardia's experiential learning program that helps students to critically reflect on global issues and develop sustainable solutions in partnership with local and global organizations. For the 2022-2023 academic year, LHI focused on two United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG): Goal 2 and Goal 10. UNSDG 2 aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. UNSDG 10 addresses reducing inequality both within and among countries. Thus, I developed an assignment to …

Body Movement Syllabus - The City College Of New York - Department Of Theatre - Prof Timothy Allen, Timothy J. Allen

Open Educational Resources

This course will explore three modules of learning.

1. Anatomy and Psycho-Physical Centering, will explore two foundations: (1) the start of our research and practical application of the human anatomy in regards to how our body moves; and (2) your ability to tune into movement centers within the body by utilizing Chakra as a guiding study. Please note: Anatomy will be a continuous study throughout the entire semester.

2. THE SECOND MODULE, Partnered Connection, will focus on partnering with lifts, counter-balances, falls, and rolls that will build to a partnering sequence of the tools presented.

3. THE LAST MODULE, Global Archetypes, …

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Bio 013: Writing In The Sciences - Human Origins, Esther Muehlbauer

Open Educational Resources

Bio. 013: Writing in the Sciences - Human Origins is an OER syllabus for a College Writing 2 course that develops student writing for different audiences, following the trajectory of how scientists work: Scientists Writing for themselves (a field journal); Scientists writing for other scientists (a review article); Scientists writing for society (an essay for Natural History Magazine).

A Review Of Theropithecus Oswaldi With The Proposal Of A New Subspecies, Dagmawit Abebe Getahun, Eric Delson, Chalachew Mesfin Seyoum

Publications and Research

Theropithecus oswaldi darti, as currently understood, is the oldest Theropithecus taxon in the fossil record and the earliest subspecies in the Theropithecus oswaldi lineage. Theropithecus oswaldi darti is typified at the site of Makapansgat in South Africa, and a similar form (T. o. cf. darti) is usually recognized at Hadar, Dikika, some Middle Awash localities, and Woranso-Mille in Ethiopia. This taxon is also tentatively believed to occur in Kenya at Kanam and Koobi Fora and in Member C of the Shungura Formation in Ethiopia. While there is a general consensus that the East African ‘darti’ specimens are …

Effects Of Climate Change On Human Health, Sara El Houzaly, Richa Gupta

Publications and Research

The effects of climate change are evident worldwide as average global land and air temperatures have been rising, glaciers and ice sheets are shrinking with the concomitant rise in sea levels, extreme weather events have become more frequent, and oceans are warming and acidifying. Humanity is facing a big environmental challenge which not only impacts our habitat but will also have ramifications on our health. The present review describes a detailed examination of the scientific evidence proving the relationship between climate change and various fatal human diseases in different geographical regions. Our findings indicate that variations in the patterns of …

Multichannel Modulation Of Depolarizing And Repolarizing Ion Currents Increases The Positive Rate-Dependent Action Potential Prolongation, Candido Cabo

Publications and Research

Prolongation of the action potential duration (APD) could prevent reentrant arrhythmias if prolongation occurs at the fast excitation rates of tachycardia with minimal prolongation at slow excitation rates (i.e., if prolongation is positive rate-dependent). APD prolongation by current anti-arrhythmic agents is either reverse (larger APD prolongation at slow rates than at fast rates) or neutral (similar APD prolongation at slow and fast rates), which may not result in an effective anti-arrhythmic action. In this report we show that, in computer models of the human ventricular action potential, the combined modulation of both depolarizing and repolarizing ion currents results in a …

Introduction To Human Biology, Sharon S. Ellerton, Christopher Roblodowski

Open Educational Resources

This OER is intended as a textbook for a one semester introductory course in Human Anatomy and Physiology for non-science majors. It covers the major topics typically covered in A&P, but in a simplified, easier to understand manner. This textbook aims to educate students interested in lower-level health careers and non-science majors without the intimidating detail found in current textbooks. Text and images were created to be more accessible for these student populations.

Course Project Overview Biology 1400, General Biology Ii, Kristin Polizzotto

Open Educational Resources

This open pedagogy assignment is a semester-long project for an introductory general biology course for biology majors. Working in pairs or small groups, students will make a 3 to 5 minute video explaining concepts from the course learning objectives. Students will apply a creative commons license and publish their videos on CUNY Academic Works (or another appropriate platform), where they will be available to future introductory biology students as learning resources.

Learning outcomes:

At the end of this project, students will be able to do the following:

• Effectively teach a concept from the course to a general audience
• Identify and …

Physics 422 Spring 2023 Syllabus - Medical Physics, Ronald Koder

Open Educational Resources

This is the Spring 2023 syllabus for Physics 315, Medical Physics, at CCNY

Physics 422 Spring 2023 Syllabus, Ronald Koder

Open Educational Resources

Spring 2023 course syllabus for Physics 422, Biophysics, at the City College of New York

Biotechnology Lab Manual Course Bi-453, Sarbani Ghoshal, Nidhi Gadura

Open Educational Resources

The purpose of the lab manual is to acquaint undergraduate students with hands-on training on key laboratory experiments needed to gain expertise in Biotechnology, Cell & Molecular Biology.

Human Retinal Organoids Release Extracellular Vesicles That Regulate Gene Expression In Target Human Retinal Progenitor Cells, Rajendra Gharbaran

Publications and Research

Introduction: Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a potentially blinding retinal disorder that develops through the pathogenesis of diabetes. The lack of disease predictors implies a poor prognosis with frequent irreversible retinal damage and vision loss. Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) present a novel opportunity for pre-symptomatic disease diagnosis and prognosis, both severely limited in DR. All biological fluids contain EVs, which are currently being studied as disease biomarkers. EV proteins derived from urine have emerged as potential noninvasive biomarkers.

Methods: In this study, we isolated EVs from DR retinal tissue explants and from DR patients' urine, and characterized the vesicles, finding differences in …

Raw Data Files For The Manuscript 'Elastin Recoil Is Driven By The Hydrophobic Effect', Nour M. Jamhawi, Ronald Koder, Richard J. Wittebort

Publications and Research

These are the raw data files associated with the manuscript 'Elastin Recoil is Driven by the Hydrophobic Effect' by Nour M. Jamhawi, Ronald L. Koder, and Richard J. Wittebort

It Turned Into A Bioblitz: Urban Data Collection For Building Scientific Literacy And Environmental Connection, Kelly O'Donnell, Lisa Brundage

Publications and Research

In 2013, Macaulay Honors College redesigned its required science curriculum to focus on scientific literacy skills rather than content. Central to this shift was inclusion of a data collection event, a BioBlitz, to provide students with the basis for their own semester-long research projects. Students are teamed with naturalists in an urban green space to find as many species as they can in 24 h and to contribute to a global biodiversity database via the app iNaturalist. We have learned two important lessons: (1) developing an interdisciplinary curriculum with a high degree of experiential learning is more successful when both …

Incision Precision: Engaging Students During Dissection Labs, Azure N. Faucette

Publications and Research

Active learning tools, such as gamification, have facilitated teamwork and improved decision-making skills in Anatomy and Physiology classes. However, most Anatomy and Physiology labs currently contain dissection activities where students are not likely to engage in inquiry, critical thinking, or problem-solving. Usually, the instructor gives a brief lecture on the topic, and students are left to dissect without understanding how the lecture relates to what is in front of them, which is frustrating. Coupled with the frustration, some students have adverse opinions on dissecting specimens, including hesitation to dissect the specimen and religious or ethical concerns with dissection. Utilizing similar …

Chemical, Microbial And Safety Profiling Of A Standardized Withania Somnifera (Ashwagandha) Extract And Withaferin A, A Potent Novel Phytotherapeutic Of The Millennium, Pawan Kumar, Samudra P. Banik, Apurva Goe, Sanjoy Chakraborty, Manashi Bagchi, Debasis Bagchi

Publications and Research

Background:Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, popularly known as Ashwagandha, is an ethnomedicinal plant with multiple pharmacotherapeutic applications. The diverse medicinal properties of the plant are largely due to the presence of withanolides, a group of C28 ergostane based steroidal lactones, with several sites of unsaturation and oxygenation. Withaferin A, a major with anolide present in Ashwagandha plant accounts for its emerging new roles to treat cancer, arthritis, inflammatory responses, immunomodulatory properties, and neuronal disorders. The root and leaf extracts are specifically important constituent materials for the development of phytotherapeutics, mostly intended for oral consumption. Several studies have been carried out …

Effectiveness And Safety Of Direct Oral Anticoagulants Among Patients With Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation And Multimorbidity, Amol Dhamane, Mauricio Ferri, Allison V. Keshishian, Cristina Russ, Nipun Atreja, Cynthia Gutierrez, Birol Emir, Huseyin Yuce, Manuela Di Fusco

Publications and Research

Introduction

In the USA, there is a steady rise of atrial fibrillation due to the aging population with increased morbidity. This study evaluated the risk of stroke/systemic embolism (S/SE) and major bleeding (MB) among elderly patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and multimorbidity prescribed direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs).

Methods

Using the CMS Medicare database, a retrospective observational study of adult patients with NVAF and multimorbidity who initiated apixaban, dabigatran, or rivaroxaban from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2017 was conducted. High multimorbidity was classified as having ≥ 6 comorbidities. Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the hazard …

Single-Cell Approach Reveals Intercellular Heterogeneity In Phage-Producing Capacities, Sherin Kannoly, Gabriella Oken, Jonathan Shadan, David Musheyev, Kevin Singh, Abhyudai Singh, John J. Dennehy

Publications and Research

Bacteriophage burst size is the average number of phage virions released from infected bacterial cells, and its magnitude depends on the duration of an intracellular progeny accumulation phase. Burst size is often measured at the population level, not the single-cell level, and consequently, statistical moments are not commonly available. In this study, we estimated the bacteriophage lambda (ƛ) single-cell burst size mean and variance following different intracellular accumulation period durations by employing Escherichia coli lysogens bearing lysis-deficient ƛ prophages. Single lysogens can be isolated and chemically lysed at desired times following prophage induction to quantify progeny intracellular accumulation within individual …

Distinct Thalamic And Frontal Neuroanatomical Substrates In Children With Familial Vs. Non-Familial Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd), Rahman Baboli, Meng Cao, Jeffrey M. Halperin, Xiaobo Li

Publications and Research

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent, inheritable, and heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder. Children with a family history of ADHD are at elevated risk of having ADHD and persisting its symptoms into adulthood. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of having or not having positive family risk factor in the neuroanatomy of the brain in children with ADHD. Cortical thickness-, surface area-, and volume-based measures were extracted and compared in a total of 606 participants, including 132, 165, and 309 in groups of familial ADHD (ADHD-F), non-familial ADHD (ADHD-NF), and typically developed children, respectively. Compared to controls, …

How Will Climate Change Affect The Future, Ashanti K. Belone, Farrukh Zia

Publications and Research

Climate Change has played a massive role in the habitat of us earth dwellers and the animals that co-exists with us. I believe that essentially climate change plays a massive role because this can dictate whether or not the earth is habitable and if a need for evacuation is necessary. Many might believe that climate change only refers to the rising temperature but that’s just the icing on the cake. Earth is a system that is very much connected, this means that changes in one area will set off a chain reaction allowing these changes to happen in many other …

Females Exhibit Higher Glua2 Levels And Outperform Males In Active Place Avoidance Despite Increased Amyloid Plaques In Tgf344‑Alzheimer’S Rats, Osama Chaudry, Kelechi Ndukwe, Maria Figuiredo-Perira, Peter A. Serrano, Patricia Rockwell

Publications and Research

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is most prevalent in females. While estrogen provides neuroprotection in females, sex mediated differences in the development of AD pathology are not fully elucidated. Therefore, comparing events between sexes in early-stage AD pathology may reveal more effective therapeutic targets of intervention. To address sex differences, we analyzed early-stage 9-month male and female TgF344-AD (Tg-AD) rats, an AD model carrying the APPswe and Presenilin 1 (PS1ΔE9) mutations that develops progressive age-dependent AD pathology similar to humans. Tg-AD females significantly outperformed Tg-AD males in the active place avoidance (aPAT) test that assesses hippocampal-dependent …

Zebras Of All Stripes Repel Biting Flies At Close Range, Kaia J. Tombak, Andrew S. Gersick, Lily V. Reisinger, Brenda Larison, Daniel I. Rubenstein

Publications and Research

The best-supported hypothesis for why zebras have stripes is that stripes repel biting flies. While this effect is well-established, the mechanism behind it remains elusive. Myriad hypotheses have been suggested, but few experiments have helped narrow the field of possible explanations. In addition, the complex visual features of real zebra pelage and the natural range of stripe widths have been largely left out of experimental designs. In paired-choice field experiments in a Kenyan savannah, we found that hungry Stomoxys flies released in an enclosure strongly preferred to land on uniform tan impala pelts over striped zebra pelts but exhibited no …

Racial/Ethnic Disparities Of Cancer, Metabolic Syndrome, And Lifestyle Behaviors In People Under 50: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Data From The National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey, Lin Zhu, Areebah Rahman, Ming-Chin Yeh, Grace X. Ma

Publications and Research

Introduction: Recent epidemiological studies have suggested a trend of increasing preva- lence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and certain types of cancer among adults under age 50. How MetS is associated with cancer in adults under the age of 50, however, remains unclear. Furthermore, it remains unknown whether associations between MetS and cancer vary by racial/ethnic group and whether modifiable lifestyle factors influence MetS–cancer relationships. Methods: We used data from the 2011–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to define a case-control sample to examine potential racial/ethnic disparities associated with MetS and cancer of any type. We used a chi-square …

Reproductive Traits And Change In Body Shape Of Neonates In The Oak Forest Skink, Plestiodon Lynxe, Manuel Feria-Ortiz, Uri Omar García-Vázquez, Carlos Joaquín Pavón-Vázquez, Adrián Nieto-Montes De Oca

Publications and Research

Reproductive traits are critically important for understanding how organisms adapt to their respective environments. In this study, we provide information on relative litter mass (RLM) and other litter and neonate related characters of nine female Plestiodon lynxe captured in the field. We also recorded seven body dimensions in 16 neonates and 15 two-month juveniles, and on the basis of these dimensions we compared the body shape of these two age classes to detect changes in the proportions of body parts. The average litter size (4.55) is larger than that found in other viviparous species of Plestiodon, but smaller than …

Rescue Of Deficits By Brwd1 Copy Number Restoration In The Ts65dn Mouse Model Of Down Syndrome, Sasha L. Fulton, Wendy Wenderski, Ashley E. Lepack, Andrew L. Eagle, Tomas Fanutza, Ryan M. Bastle, Aarthi Ramakrishnan, Emma C. Hays, Arianna Neal, Jaroslav Bendl, Lorna A. Farrelly, Amni Al-Kachak, Yang Lyu, Bulent Cetin, Jennifer C. Chan, Tina N. Tran, Rachael L. Neve, Randall J. Roper, Kristen J. Brennand, Panos Roussos, John C. Schimenti, Allyson K. Friedman, Li Shen, Robert D. Blitzer, Alfred J. Robison, Gerald R. Crabtree, Ian Maze

Publications and Research

With an incidence of ~1 in 800 births, Down syndrome (DS) is the most com- mon chromosomal condition linked to intellectual disability worldwide. While the genetic basis of DS has been identified as a triplication of chromosome 21 (HSA21), the genes encoded from HSA 21 that directly contribute to cognitive de fi cits remain incompletely understood. Here, we found that the HSA21- encoded chromatin effector, BRWD1, was upregulated in neurons derived from iPS cells from an individual with Down syndrome and brain of trisomic mice. We showed that selective copy number restoration of Brwd1 in trisomic animals rescued de fi …

Inhibiting Glutamine Utilization Creates A Synthetic Lethality For Suppression Of Atp Citrate Lyase In Kras-Driven Cancer Cells, Ahmet Hatipoglu, Deepak Menon, Talia Levy, Maria A. Frias, David A. Foster

Publications and Research

Metabolic reprogramming is now considered a hallmark of cancer cells. KRas-driven cancer cells use glutaminolysis to generate the tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediate α -ketoglutarate via a transamination reaction between glutamate and oxaloacetate. We reported previously that exogenously supplied unsaturated fatty acids could be used to synthesize phosphatidic acid–a lipid second messenger that activates both mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2). A key target of mTORC2 is Akt–a kinase that promotes survival and regulates cell metabolism. We report here that mono- unsaturated oleic acid stimulates the phosphoryla tion of ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) at …

Forest Cover And Geographic Distance Influence Fine-Scale Genetic Structure Of Leaf-Toed Geckos In The Tropical Dry Forests Of Western Mexico, Connor M. French, Casey-Tyler Berezin, Isaac Overcast, Fausto R. Méndez De La Cruz, Saptarsi Basu, Roberto Lhemish Martínez Bernal, Robert W. Murphy, Michael J. Hickerson, Christopher Blair

Publications and Research

The biodiversity within tropical dry forests (TDFs) is astounding and yet poorly catalogued due to inadequate sampling and the presence of cryptic species. In the Mexican TDF, endemic species are common, and the landscape has been continually altered by geological and anthropogenic changes. To understand how landscape and environmental variables have shaped the population structure of endemic species, we studied the recently described species of leaf-toed gecko, Phyllodactylus benedettii, in coastal western Mexico. Using double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing data, we first explore population structure and estimate the number of ancestral populations. The results indicate a high degree of …