Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Role Of Novel Immunoregulatory Long Noncoding Rnas In Airway Epithelial Pathophysiology And Chronic Pulmonary Disease, Marko Manevski

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

COPD is currently the third leading cause of death globally, accounting for approximately 6% of all deaths in 2019, and cigarette smoke (CS) is the primary risk factor for disease development.

Transcriptomic analysis of a 3D in vitro model using differentiated human airway epithelial cells (AECs) identified a novel lncRNA on the antisense strand of ICAM-1 or LASI that showed increased expression upon CS exposure. The lncRNA was significantly upregulated in CS-induced Rhesus macaque airways and in human COPD airways that exhibited higher mucus expression and goblet cell hyperplasia, which was recapitulated in vitro. Blocking lncRNA expression in cell culture …

Therapeutic Approaches To Alter Mineral Formation And Growth In Vascular Calcification, Amirala Bakhshiannik

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular diseases represent the global leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Cardiovascular calcification is the most significant predictor of cardiovascular events, but no therapeutic options exist to prevent or treat mineral formation in the vasculature. The presence of bone-like mineral increases cardiac work required to move blood through systemic circulation and can lead to mechanical stress in atherosclerotic plaques, promoting plaque rupture events that cause heart attacks. Clinical trials correlated bisphosphonates (BiPs), common anti-osteoporosis pharmaceuticals, with contradicting cardiovascular outcomes. Here, we demonstrated the importance of treatment timing in BiP-induced mineral disruption or promotion. We showed that BiPs can alter morphological …