Laboratory and Basic Science Research Commons^™

The Rotator Cuff Tendon-To-Bone Interface: Maturation, Aging, And 3d Bioprinting For Regeneration, Xiping Jiang

Theses & Dissertations

Rotator cuff tendon injuries often occur at the tendon-to-bone interface (i.e., enthesis) area with a high prevalence for the elderly population. In addition, regeneration of the gradient structure of the enthesis is still a significant clinical challenge. Our studies aim to identify the histological, molecular, and biomechanical alterations of the rotator cuff enthesis with maturation and aging, and develop a novel therapeutic method using three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technique to regenerate a functional enthesis. Striking variations of the entheses were observed both histologically and biomechanically during the maturation process. The histological features did not show many differences at the insertion site …

4d Ex Vivo Crispr/Cas9 Whole-Genome Screen To Identify Genes Regulating Lung Cancer Metastasis, Alexandria Plumer

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Metastatic lung cancer has a 5-year survival rate of 5%. Lung cancers tend to be asymptomatic until late stages, and almost 90% are not diagnosed until they are advanced. Metastases are very rare events, often initiated by a single cell from a primary tumor into a new niche at a distant location. Investigation of the early metastatic process is of urgent need for the development of early diagnostics and targeted therapeutics. We performed a proof-of-concept CRISPR/Cas9 whole genome knockout screen in the A549 lung adenocarcinoma cell line and utilized a novel ex vivo 4D lung metastasis model to find gene …

Influence Of Saltwater Submergence On Geohydraulic Properties Of Sand: A Laboratory Investigation, Sudip Basack, Ghritartha Goswami, Sumanpran Sonowal, Moses Karakouzian

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Saline water intrusion into freshwater aquifers is a major geohydraulic problem relevant to coastal environment. Apart from contaminating the fresh groundwater resources, the saltwater intrusion alters the geotechnical properties of the aquifer materials, affecting the coastal water resource planning and management. The present study focuses on an in-depth laboratory investigation of the influence of saltwater submergence on the geohydraulic properties of sand. The fine sand sample was submerged under saline water of specified concentrations for specific periods, and the alteration in their engineering properties has been studied. It is observed that the specific gravity, dry density, and permeability of fine …

Differentiating The Mechanistic Role And Chemotherapeutic Potential Of Src And Podoplanin In Oncogenic Transformation, Edward P. Retzbach

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

There were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases worldwide in 2020, resulting in nearly 1000 deaths per hour [1]. Oral cancer exemplifies the difficulties of treating cancer patients. The first line for oral cancer treatment is surgery and radiation that can lead to patient disfigurement and decreased quality of life in cancer survivors [2-4]. Though there have been many developments in chemotherapy in the last 30 years, the 50% mortality rate associated with oral cancer has not changed [4, 5]. Longitudinal studies that track survival rates in oral cancer patients demonstrate a 3-fold reduction in patient deaths when patients …

The Role Of The Erbb Signaling Pathway In Cardiovascular Progenitor Cell-Based Repair, Christopher Ramos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Adult mammalian hearts lack self-renewal and proliferative capabilities necessary for cardiovascular regeneration. Current treatments using cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) for cell-based repair do not restore cardiac function in patients who experience a myocardial infarction (MI). Our laboratory has been studying Islet-1+ neonatal CPCs as a promising candidate for cell-based repair due to their ability to significantly improve cardiac function after MI in sheep. The current study addresses the hypothesis that the ERBB pathway is linked to the Hippo-pathway to activate YAP1 by the involvement of an autocrine loop that upregulates neuregulin (NRG). In our sheep model of MI and cardiovascular …

Effect Of Hydrogen Peroxide On Algae And Microcystin In Control And Lake Waters, Tatiana Castillo Hernandez

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cyanobacteria are photo-autotrophic organisms with a worldwide distribution, which can result in Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) producing toxins. One of the most common strains of cyanobacteria is Microcystis, which produces the most abundant cyanotoxin, microcystin. In this study, we analyzed the effect of H₂O₂ on algae and microcystin using both lake and reagent grade water. The first objective was to determine the effect of H₂O₂ on algae and cyanobacteria in lake water that was nutrient enriched. The second objective was to detect the effect of H₂O₂ at oxidizing microcystin in …

Drivers Of Extracellular Polysaccharide Production By A Mat-Forming Diatom, Kaitlin A. Stansbury

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microbial biofilms are held together by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which can be secreted by many organisms. EPS production can facilitate intercellular communication and inter-guild microbial mutualisms, intraspecific gamete exchange, nutrient sequestration, and desiccation resistance. Benthic microbial mats (periphyton) of the Florida Everglades and other karstic wetlands contain abundant EPS generated by mat-producing filamentous blue-green algae and many other species of mat-dwelling algae, cyanobacteria, and bacteria, including the most abundant Everglades diatom, Mastagloia calcarea. The benthic diatom genus Mastogloia is characterized by several morphological and physiological features that foster production of a ‘halo’ of EPS around the frustule, but the …

Laboratory Research Skills, Joanna Burkhardt

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Laboratory Research Skills (Permanent), Joanna Burkhardt

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Reproducibility Of Alkaline Inorganic Phosphate Quantification Using 31p-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy At 3t, Alexs A. Matias

Masters Theses

INTRODUCTION: The detection of a second inorganic phosphate (Pi) resonance, a possible marker of mitochondrial content in vivo, using phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P- MRS) at 3T is technically challenging, which may prevent its reproducible quantification. PURPOSE: To determine the reproducibility of resting alkaline inorganic phosphate (Pialk) measurement using 31P-MRS in human skeletal muscle at 3 tesla (T). METHODS: Resting 31P- MRS of the quadriceps muscles was acquired on two separate visits, within seven days, in 13 healthy, sedentary to moderately active young adults using a whole-body 3T MR system. Measurement variability related to coil position, shimming procedure, and spectral …

Motor Unit Firing Rate Control Of Agonist Skeletal Muscle During Voluntary Isometric And Shortening Contractions With Limb Movement, Eric A. Kirk

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Voluntary movements throughout mammalian lifespan require skeletal muscle contractions that are controlled by time- and recruitment-dependent firing rate patterns. Single motor unit (MU) activity reflects the final efferent neural drive to the muscle, yet the underlying neural control of movement at the MU level is not well understood. Using intramuscular electromyography single MU recordings, relationships between voluntary contraction kinematics and MU firing rates were evaluated in vivo, in groups of young and older adult participants.

The purpose of study one was to characterize how MU firing rates are differently scaled among muscles relative to voluntary contraction intensity. Across 12 …

Exogenous Surfactant As A Delivery Vehicle For Intrapulmonary Therapeutics, Brandon J. Baer

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

As an organ system, the lung has unique advantages and disadvantages for direct drug delivery. Its contact with the external environment allows for the airways to be easily accessible to intrapulmonary delivery. However, its complex structure, which divides into more narrow airways with each branch, can make direct delivery to the remote alveoli challenging. The objective of this thesis was to overcome this issue by using exogenous surfactant, a lipoprotein complex used to treat neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, as a carrier for pulmonary therapeutics. It was hypothesized that therapeutics administered with a surfactant vehicle would display enhanced delivery to the …

Tb3+-Atorvastatin Doped In Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Optical Biosensor For Selective Determination Of Progesterone And Testosterone In Serum Samples, Ekram Hany Mohamed, Mohamed S. S. Attia, Safwat A. Mahmoud,, Amal M. Ahmed,, Tarek A. Amin, Ahmed O. Youssef, Mona N. Abou-Omar,, Mohammed A. C Amin,

Pharmacy

An innovative, simple and cost effective Tb3+-atorvastatin photo probe was designed and used as a core for a spectrofluorometric approach to sensitively determine two vital biological compounds in serum samples. Tb3+-atorvastatin complex displays a characteristic electrical band with λem at 545 nm with significant luminescence intensity, which is quenched in the presence of progesterone and testosterone at two variant sets of pH; 6.2 and 7.5, respectively. The conditions were optimized and the best solvent for operation was found to be acetonitrile with λex at 320 nm. Progesterone and testosterone were assessed in serum samples using the same optimal conditions within …

New Tb3+-Simvastatin Optical Biosensor For Sensitive Determination Of Folic Acid, Progesterone, Testosterone And Vitamin D3in Biological Fluids, Ekram Hany Mohamed, Mohamed S. S. Attia, Ahmed O. Youssef, Mona N. Abou-Omar,, Amal M. Ahmed,, Safwat A. Mahmoud,, Mohammed A. Amin, Tarek A. Mahmoud,

Pharmacy

An innovative, simple and cost effective Tb3+-simvastatin photo probe was designed and used as a core for a spectrofluorometric approach to sensitively determine four vital biological compounds in different matrices. A Tb3+-simvastatin complex displays a characteristic electrical band with λem at 545 nm with significant luminescence intensity, which is quenched in the presence of folic acid, progesterone, testosterone and vitamin D3 at four variant sets of pH: 5.0, 6.2, 7.5 and 9.0, respectively. The conditions were optimized and the best solvent for operation was found to be acetonitrile at λex at 340 nm. Folic acid was successfully estimated in tablet …

Extracellular Polymeric Substances In Oxygenic Photogranules: Investigation Of Their Role In Photogranulation In A Hydrostatic Environment, Wenye Camilla Kuo-Dahab

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to assess the critical role of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in the photogranulation of activated sludge, in a hydrostatic environment. The first section evaluates the fate and dynamics of different fractions of EPS in sludge-based photogranulation under hydrostatic conditions. The study shows that during the transformation of activated sludge into a photogranular biomass, sludge’s base-extractable proteins selectively degrade. Strong correlations between base-extracted proteins and the growth of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll a/b ratio suggest that the bioavailability of this organic nitrogen is linked with selection and enrichment of filamentous cyanobacteria under hydrostatic conditions. The …

Molecular Dynamics Simulations Of Self-Assemblies In Nature And Nanotechnology, Phu Khanh Tang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Nature usually divides complex systems into smaller building blocks specializing in a few tasks since one entity cannot achieve everything. Therefore, self-assembly is a robust tool exploited by Nature to build hierarchical systems that accomplish unique functions. The cell membrane distinguishes itself as an example of Nature’s self-assembly, defining and protecting the cell. By mimicking Nature’s designs using synthetically designed self-assemblies, researchers with advanced nanotechnological comprehension can manipulate these synthetic self-assemblies to improve many aspects of modern medicine and materials science. Understanding the competing underlying molecular interactions in self-assembly is always of interest to the academic scientific community and industry. …

Understanding The Influence Of Zinc On Grain Cadmium Accumulation And Bioaccessibility In Rice, Michael A. Tavarez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The effect of cadmium and zinc on mineral concentrations in three cultivars of rice

Interactions between the essential mineral zinc (Zn) and the toxic heavy metal cadmium (Cd) play an important role in regulating transport of both minerals to rice grains. Understanding these interactions is crucial for limiting cadmium and increasing zinc transfer to the food chain. Previous studies on the matter have had conflicting results suggesting synergistic and antagonistic relationships between the minerals. The goal of this work was to identify the effect of external cadmium and zinc on the uptake and translocation of both minerals from roots to …

The Relationship Between Climate And Nesting Patterns In Two-Lined Salamanders Spanning The Northeast To Southeast United States, Jasmyne Blake-Sinclair

Symposium of Student Scholars

Two-lined salamanders (Eurycea bislineata species complex) are among the most ubiquitous amphibians in the Eastern United States. Because this group is geographically widespread and shows notable life history variation, it provides an opportunity to study the role of phylogeny and environment in shaping these differences. However, records of some important life history traits—such as clutch size and the date of oviposition—are scarce in the scientific literature. In this study, we gathered observations from published research, field notes, and citizen science databases like iNaturalist—a site where anyone can share natural history photographs and pinned geographical locations for other users to …

Simultaneous Determination Of Avanafil And Dapoxetine In Human Plasma Using Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry (Lc-Ms/Ms) Based On A Protein Precipitation Technique, Ekram Hany Mohamed, Mohamed S. S. Attia, Mona N. Abou-Omar,, Abdelaziz M Annadi,, Ahmed O. Youssef, Mohamed A. Amin, Noha M. El Zahar,

Pharmacy

A rapid and selective LC-MS/MS method is described for the simultaneous assay of Avanafil and Dapoxetine in human plasmaviaa protein precipitation (PP) sample preparation technique. Tadalafil was chosen as the internal standard reaching good recovery and reproducibility while diminishing the effects of the matrix. An Agilent Zorbax Eclipse XDB C18column (4.6 × 50 mm, 1.8 μm) was used for the chromatographic separation and analysis, while 0.1% formic acid : acetonitrile (60 : 40, v/v) was utilized at a flow rate of 0.5 mL min−1. It was revealed that 6 min stop time accomplished the best separation. The assay was linear …

Novel Optical Biosensor Based On A Nano-Gold Coated By Schiff Base Doped In Sol/Gel Matrix For Sensitive Screening Of Oncomarker Ca-125, Ekram Hany Mohamed, Mohamed S. S. Attia, Mona N. Abou-Omar,, Mohammed A. Amin,, Rabah Boukherroub, Hisham Afify

Pharmacy

The urge for sensitive, facile, minimally invasive, and fast detection method of CA-125, a significant and crucial biomarker in ovarian malignancy, is currently substantial. This paper describes the detailed construction and characterization of a newly designed optical nano-biosensor to detect CA-125 accurately and sensitively. The fabricated sensor consists of a nano-gold thin film doped into a matrix of sol-gel, exhibiting a centered fluorescence band at 423 nm when excited at 340 nm. The quantification of CA-125 relies on its quenching ability of this fluorescence signal. The sensor was challenged to evaluate its sensitivity and specificity in detecting CA-125 present in …

Investigations In The Cellular And Molecular Biology Of Human Airway Mucociliary Tissue, Vincent Manna

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Our laboratory has integrated the use of a human-derived, in vitro model of airway mucociliary tissue. We isolate human nasal epithelial cells (HNECs) from the nasal mucociliary tissue of donors with a small brush and expand the airway progenitor cells in culture. The HNECs are then seeded onto semi-permeable transwell inserts. The inserts are in contact with the media in the lower chamber but don’t contain media in the upper chamber therefore the cells are exposed to the air while drawing nutrients from the media below, this is called the Air-Liquid Interface (ALI). HNECs cultured at the ALI initiate a …

Effects Of Trans-Acting Factors On The Translational Machinery In Yeast, Brandon M. Trainor

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Synthesis of proteins, or translation, is a complex biological process requiring the coordinated effort of numerous protein and RNA factors. Central to translation is the ribosome, a complex macromolecular complex consisting of both ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and ribosomal protein (r-protein). Ribosomes are essential and are one of the oldest and most abundant biomolecules across all forms of life. In addition to the ribosome, translation requires messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer-RNA conjugated to an amino acid (aa-tRNA), translation factors, and energy in the form of ATP and GTP. Translation universally occurs in four major stages, initiation, elongation, termination, and recycling, with initiation …

Unveiling Global Roles Of G-Quadruplexes And G4-22 In Human Genetics, Ruth Barros De Paula

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

G-quadruplexes are non-B DNA structures formed by four or more runs of repeated guanines that confer unique features to living organism’s genomes. These sequences are enriched in regulatory regions, such as promoters and 5’ UTRs, and have distinct regulatory roles in both health and disease states. Even though previous studies showed the impact of G4 in gene expression, none of them summarized the location-specific effect of G4. Also, there is no broad understanding about the most common G4 repeat in the human genome, named here as G4-22, and how it links to the evolution of mammals and their biology. In …

Modulation Of Glucose Homeostasis By Nucleotide P2y2 Receptor And Biological Sex, Hailee Anne Marino

MSU Graduate Theses

Recent insights into the pathological role of Nucleotide P2Y₂ receptor suggest P2Y₂R involvement in high fat diet-induced obesity and potentiates insulin resistance. However, these recent insights do not demonstrate how P2Y₂R modulates glucose homeostasis under physiological conditions. Further, it remains unknown how sex biological factors influence P2Y₂R receptor signaling in the regulation of glucose homeostasis. The research objective for the present study is to elucidate the novel roles of P2Y₂ in fasting blood glucose and glucose tolerance (basal insulin sensitivity) under resting conditions in males and females. We expected that under physiological …

Overcoming Obstacles In Protein Expression In The Yeast Pichia Pastoris: Interviews Of Leaders In The Pichia Field, Zoe Ingram, Abha Patkar, Dahoon Oh, Kevin K. Zhang, Christina Chung, Joan Lin-Cereghino, Geoff P. Lin-Cereghino

Pacific Journal of Health

The yeast Pichia pastoris (also known as Komagataella pastoris) has been used for over 30 years to produce thousands of valuable, heterologous proteins, such as insulin to treat diabetes and antibodies to prevent migraine headaches. Despite its success, there are some common, stubborn problems encountered by research scientists when they try to use the yeast to produce their recombinant proteins. In order to provide those working in this field with strategies to overcome these common obstacles, nine experts in P. pastoris protein expression field were interviewed to create a written review and video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyC9xXVLyD0). This review describes …

Comparative Genomics Methods And Applications, Emily N. Alden

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Virtually all fields of biology have benefited from the advancements in comparative genomics technologies, specifically in the study of evolution. In this dissertation I develop and use comparative genomic technologies to investigate the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus, assembly the first genome of the black lace domestic angelfish and identify germline genetic variants associated with altered breast cancer-specific survival. Our genome tiling array for the novel coronavirus presents a rapid and cost-effective method to sequence the entire viral genome and can be used to track the rapid evolution of viral variants in the population. The domestic angelfish is a member of the …

All Solid-State Miniaturized Potentiometric Sensors For Flunitrazepam Determination In Beverages, Ekram Hany Mohamed, Mahmoud Tantawy, Ali Yahia

Pharmacy

Flunitrazepam is one of the frequently used hypnotic drugs to incapacitate victims for sexual assault. Appropriate diagnostic tools should be available to victims regarding the growing concern about “date-rape drugs” and their adverse impact on society. Miniaturized screen-printed potentiometric sensors offer crucial point-of-care devices that alleviate this serious problem. In this study, all solid-state screen-printed potentiometric flunitrazepam sensors have been designed. The paper device was printed with silver and carbon ink. Formation of an aqueous layer in the interface between carbon-conducting material and ion-sensing membrane nevertheless poses low reproducibility in the solid-contact electrodes. Accordingly, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDT) nano-dispersion was applied as …

Biographical Feature: Karen C. Carroll, M.D., Erik Munson

Clinical Lab Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Validation Of A Novel Uplc-Ms/Ms Method For Estimation Of Metformin And Empagliflozin Simultaneously In Human Plasma Using Freezing Lipid Precipitation Approach And Its Application To Pharmacokinetic Study, Ekram Hany Mohamed, Mona N. Abou-Omar,, Mohamed S. S. Attia, Ahmed O. Youssef, Sarah Alharthi,, M. Kenawy

Pharmacy

fast, sensitive one step UPLC ESI-MS/MS method was successfully applied for the simultaneous estimation of two concurrently administrated antidiabetic drugs, Metformin (MET) and Empagliflozin (EMPA) in human plasma. Metformin-d6 (MET-d6) and Empagliflozin-d4 (EMPA-d4) were utilized as internal standards. Extraction of the analytes from the human plasma was performed through acetonitrile precipitation technique followed by freezing the precipitated plasma proteins and lipids to minimize the matrix effect. Chromatographic analysis was developed on Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (1.7 μm, 2.1 × 50 mm) using isocratic elution mode. A mobile phase of formic acid (0.01 %): acetonitrile (70:30 v/v) with a flow …

Expression And Purification Of Proteins For A Structural Determination: Orf8, Paivy1, Paivy2, Sarah Fashinasi, Avery Moss

Symposium of Student Scholars

Protein purification is a crucial procedure in order to analyze the behavior, structure, and function of a select protein. The Orf8 protein is an increasingly mutable accessory protein found within the SARS-CoV2 virus, however the complex and unpredictable nature of this protein has been met by its inability to be purified thus far. By purifying the model proteins, PaIVY1 and PaIVY2, we believe that we can denote a sound purification method to apply to the Orf8 protein. In our procedure, we transformed BL21(DE3)pLysS cells and inoculated them in LB media. The cells were then placed into a centrifuge to isolate …