Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Fight For Fluoridation In Stl, Noor Yousaf

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Fluoridation is the addition of fluoride to a source of drinking water. In St. Louis’s public water supply, the amount of fluoride remains the same since 1953 at 5ppm. Dr. Ralph Rosen and his team of dentists and researchers advocated for the fluoridation of the water because it reduced the frequency of dental caries occurring in children and adults alike, but the public had opinions on the sudden addition of chemicals to their water. This includes how the public’s health will be affected, how consumer products would change, and also how effective this addition of fluoride would be. This debate …

The Revolutionary St. Louis Insane Asylum, Julia Talbert

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Even with its grand structure on Arsenal Street towering over the city below, few residents of St. Louis and surrounding areas are aware of the grand history or even existence of the St. Louis Insane Asylum. The building is over 150 years old and was a place of hope, failure, strife, and empathy. The asylum had a large impact on St. Louis and provided revolutionary outlooks, unique perspectives, and curious therapies.

Human Zoo Healthcare At The 1904 World’S Fair, Angel Blake

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Human Zoo Healthcare at the 1904 World’s Fair

Were precautions taken or put into place for the Human Zoo performers at the 1904 World’s Fair? This topic has been overlooked and understudied by historians, there are few articles written and we do not know the true death toll which shows the racism towards these indigenous peoples. The research for this project was conducted at the State Historical Society of Missouri, the St. Louis Mercantile Library, Newspapers.com, Archives.com, St. Louis Public Library, and the Missouri Historical Society, including research on primary sources such as official World’s Fair committee meeting minutes, hospital …

Telehealth Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder In Missouri’S Urban And Rural Areas Prior To And Since Covid-19, Aurora Rojo, Rashmi Ghonasgi, Zachary Budesa, Rachel Winograd

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic health condition that can be adequately treated when individuals have access to needed services. Telehealth services can be delivered remotely through audio-visual technological communications rather than in-person visits, which can greatly improve care accessibility. Following the onset of COVID-19, there were swift clinical and policy adaptations to promote telehealth services across medical and behavioral health fields. This study aims to identify changes in the frequency of telehealth for OUD treatment in Missouri’s rural and urban counties prior to and since the onset of COVID-19. Chi-square tests and analysis of changes between years and …

Examining Immune Markers As Determinants Of Cognitive Difficulties Among Perinatally Infected Youth With Hiv, Addie Halbrook, Jacob Bolzenius, Julie Mannarino, Robert Paul

Undergraduate Research Symposium

This research explores the relationship between immune markers and cognitive performance in perinatally HIV-infected youth. While the use of antiretroviral therapy has greatly improved the mortality rate among children with perinatal HIV, these children still experience various health consequences, including cognitive difficulties. Previous studies have reported that children with perinatal HIV have worse cognitive performance in domains of learning, memory, processing speed, executive function, and motor function when compared to their HIV-uninfected peers. However, there is substantial heterogeneity in cognitive performance reported across studies, possibly due to significant heterogeneity in psychosocial and demographic backgrounds. This study aims to investigate whether …

Schizophrenia And Social Stigma: How Society Views Those With Mental Illness, Rebecca Littrel

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Mental Illness is one of the most stigmatized diseases in the media today. Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia are more likely to have depression, more likely to commit suicide, and less likely to hold a job and be covered by insurance companies. How society views mental illness needs to change. Mental health professionals often feel stigmatized for their jobs as well.

Synthesis Of Curcumin Derivatives: Increasing Compound Stability, Chloe Wilke

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Curcumin (C₂₁H₂₀O₆), the main active component in the spice Turmeric, has many recognized health benefits ranging from anti-inflammatory agents to the suppression of the proliferation of tumors. Curcumin has been used worldwide as an antiseptic and treatment for inflammatory conditions, arthritis, and sepsis. This water-insoluble molecule is unstable and degrades quickly upon entering the body. In order to preserve the beneficial structure of curcumin before it is broken down by the digestive system, carbohydrates are attached to alter the compound, increasing polarity and solubility. This topic was researched by analyzing multiple journal articles and …

Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Challenges In Everyday Life, Chloe Wilke

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is one of the leading mental illnesses in the United States, affecting 6.8 million adults. Having a mental disorder can lead to stigmatization, isolation, and changes in interpersonal relations. The recent psychiatric approach to these types of diseases equates them to physical illnesses in both importance and concern. This project will examine articles and journals that include social context for mental illness along with current issues that are prevalent in society such as treatments and social stigmas. Discrediting, rejection, and ostracization based on bias and prejudices result in lower self-esteem, contributing to the severity or presence of …

Tritons United: Against Gender-Based Violence Campus Programming, Mackenzie A. Chrun, Maggie M. Gross

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Tritons United Against Gender-based Violence is a programming grant funded by the Department of Justice office on Violence Against Women. This presentation will introduce the UMSL community to grant activities and the work I have supported throughout this semester as an undergraduate research assistant on the project. The project is led by a Coordinated Community Response Team (CCRT) that includes key members both within and outside the UMSL campus and in the surrounding community from professionals in areas of victim services, prevention & education, law enforcement/safety, and student conduct. The overall goal of Tritons United is to reduce gender-based violence …

Malaria: Existence Perpetuated By A Counterfeit Drug Industry, Nicholas Black

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease that has plagued society for thousands of years. Malaria is often overlooked from the perspective of wealthier industrialized countries due to prevention efforts largely eliminating malaria from these locations. However, overlooking malaria’s continued global relevance is misinformed to the fact that nearly half the global population lives in regions at risk of malarial transmission. According to the CDC and WHO, such a high number of people at risk has subsequently led to an estimated 241 million cases and over 627 thousand deaths in 2020 alone. The purpose for the present research is to examine the …

Staph Infection: Hospitals Battle Against A Deadly Menace, Mckenzie Lamos

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Staph infection is caused by the staphylococcus bacteria, which is found on the skin or within the nose of even healthy individuals. This bacteria is usually harmless, but deadly infectious diseases may arise when it enters deep within the body. Staph infection is commonly treated with antibiotics, however the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain is resistant to antibiotics which further complicates treatment. This research provides insight on preventative measures to stop and slow the spread of staph infection in hospitals, along with what is being done to limit the number of MRSA infections. The CDC and NCBI both outline strategies …

Resolving The Repression Pathway Of Virulence Gene Hila In Salmonella, Alexandra King, Lon Chubiz Phd, Brenda Pratte, Lauren Daugherty

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Salmonella is a relatively abundant, virulent species of bacteria that is most known for spreading gastrointestinal diseases through food. These illnesses result in approximately 1.35 million infections, including over 25,000 hospitalizations each year, in the U.S. alone (CDC.gov). As antibiotic resistance becomes an increasingly urgent public health problem, the importance of developing alternative treatment methods is only becoming more crucial. One of the genes responsible for this virulence is known as hilA. HilA is the main transcriptional regulator of Salmonella Pathogenicity Island-1 gene (UniProt). SPI-1 plays an important role in the invasion of Salmonella into epithelial cells. The proteins encoded …

Statistical Analysis Of Birth Control Counseling Recipients, Aman Chishti

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Objectives: Birth control counseling and management are incredibly important for women’s health. However, women often report that they do not receive adequate birth control counseling. This study characterized demographic factors associated with receiving birth control counseling.

Methods: The population for this study included women aged 18–50 in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 2018, a nationally representative database. The predictors analyzed in this study were age, race, insurance status, and poverty status. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the effect of these predictors on receiving birth control counseling in the last 12 months.

Results: The study population included 5054 women …

A Study Analysis Of A New Vitiligo Treatment: Patent Wo 20200588091a, Shaikha Al-Mousherji

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Abstract

Patent WO20200588091A in vitiligo treatment/methodology is a two-phase patent methodology and compositions for leukoderma treatment, patented by HSC researchers at Kuwait University-Kuwait. It is a day-and-night natural-based treatment that uses photosynthesizers followed by antioxidants and tyrosinase cofactors. The study aims to measure the effectiveness of the treatment.

Method

The data of this study was extracted from a hundred randomly selected patients through an online form of a questionnaire. The data covers the patient's demographics, awareness, previous vitiligo conventional treatments, and the patented treatment assessment.

Results

Data collection showed 52% of Females and 48% of Males were using the patented …

Paternal Parenting Stress During Middle Childhood: The Impact Of Covid-19, Vanessa Newell, Kathryn E. Cherry, Emily D. Gerstein

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Background: Parenting stress is the unpleasant psychological reaction to the demands of parenthood, including perceptions of competence at and knowledge of the day-to-day and long-term tasks of parenting (Deater-Deckard 2006). While most research has examined mothers, father parenting stress is also critical to children’s development, predicting increased problem behaviors (Cabrera & Mitchell 2009) and poorer cognitive skills (Harwood, 2017). The COVID-19 pandemic may increase parental stress in multiple ways, as parents are at home more with their children while fulfilling occupational and personal responsibilities. Parents have reported increased stress due to job loss, school closures, and other stressors (van Tilburg …

Mara Repression Of Virulence Gene Hila In Salmonella, Alexandra King, Lauren Daugherty, Lon Chubiz Phd

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Salmonella is a bacteria most commonly known for causing the eponymous food-related illness. Due to their rapid reproduction rate and their ability to be propogated and maintained in a lab setting, they are commonly used in lab studies so that we can better understand how Salmonella causes disease in organisms that are more difficult to study. One area of interest is analyzing how Salmonella controls expression of the mechanisms that actually cause disease, called virulence traits, in response to the environment. In this study, antibiotic stress was used to analyze virulence gene expression. MarA is a gene that regulates ampicillin …

From Ridicule To Reform: Potential Solutions To The Domestic Violence Crisis, Kelly Gordon

Undergraduate Research Symposium

During the grassroots campaigns of the 1970s, American citizens saw a rise of concern for victims of domestic violence. The knowledge gathered over the past half-century has explained the detrimental effects intimate partner violence has on victims, the potential reasons partners become violent, and the most effective approaches to ending this epidemic. To curve the high rates of recidivation seen among domestic violence offenders, current rehabilitation programs must change to mirror the needs of the abuser. A new approach, Achieving Change Through Values-Based Behavior (ACTV), works to address comorbidities that potentially prevent offenders from shaking off their violent pasts. This …

Synthesis Of Glycopharmaceuticals For The Treatment Of Microbial Sepsis, Nicholas Forsythe, Alexei Demchenko, Catherine Alex

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Carbohydrates (glycans) form the basis of all living organisms and, consequently, are ubiquitous both in nature as biologically active compounds and in medicine as pharmaceuticals. One important application of carbohydrate-based drugs (glycopharmaceuticals) is the treatment of microbial sepsis, an acute illness that causes 100,000+ human deaths annually in the US alone. Exposure of the patient’s blood system to E. coli bacteria causes a massive, and often fatal, immune response. One important cellular receptor that senses the bacterium and is critically involved in triggering the immune response is CD14. Significant efforts by our team and others have been made to develop …

Historical Trauma Response Scores As A Function Of Unresolved Grief And Substance Use Disorder In American Indian Populations, Andrew R. Saunders

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Abstract

Researchers are interested in the outcomes of interventions, specifically, measuring historical trauma (HT) among American Indian/Alaska Native communities and the long-term distress and substance abuse as a result of historical trauma response (HTR). Previous literature has implicated limitations in the clinical conceptualization of the relationship between intergenerational transfer of HTR and substance abuse. The aim of the current study is to examine treatment efficacy of 50 homosexual, American Indian males randomized to a culturally-adapted juxtaposition of (1) Group Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), (2) Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and (3) Historical Trauma and Unresolved Grief Intervention (HTUG), or (4) waitlisted on …

Rurality Of Medical Provider And Race Of Patient As Risk Factors For Overdose In Opioid Use Disorder Populations, Christopher Vance, Colleen Mulligan, David Von Nordheim, Jodi Heaps-Woodruff Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Title: Rurality of medical provider and race of patient as risk factors for overdose in opioid use disorder populations

Background

This study examines the outcomes of medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorders (OUD) based on location of treatment and race of the individual seeking treatment. Opioid use in the United States has been disproportionately rising in the last decade and there is evidence of unequal treatment based on different social disparities, namely rurality and race. Discriminatory distribution of medication and treatment for individuals seeking OUD along the lines of race and rurality is an issue of grave importance …

Examining Access To Sexual And Reproductive Health Care Services And Information For Young Women With Physical Motor Disabilities In Dakar, Senegal, Olivia Soule, Diatou Sonko

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Access to and use of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in Senegal remains low despite local and international interventions and campaigns to increase contraception use, increase knowledge regarding Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), and increase access to reproductive health services. Among marginalized groups, such as people living with disabilities, access to and use of services and information are even lower, and there are gaps in research involving Senegalese people with disabilities and their access to and use of SRH services and information. This mixed-methods, community-based participatory research examines how Senegalese women navigate their sexual and reproductive health care. It seeks …

The Protection Of Children And Their Rights: A Comparison Between The United States And Costa Rica, Abigail Rothweiler

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Abstract:

Introduction: In Missouri, there are over 13,000 children who are currently receiving care through the state foster care system. Because being removed from their families causes life-long trauma and decreased quality of life for many children, it is important that the situation is approached in the best way. While there are differences between St. Louis, Missouri and San Jose, Costa Rica, the Costa Rican child welfare system, El Patronato Nacional de Infancia (PANI), uses several strategies that may be beneficial in St. Louis.

Purpose: To examine the current policies and programs in San Jose, Costa Rica to …

Silver Salt-Mediate Benzylation Of Carbohydrates Under Mildly Acidic Conditions, Nicholas Forsythe, Samira Escopy, Yashapal Singh 2436808, Alexei Demchenko

Undergraduate Research Symposium

When looking at biomolecules, carbohydrate represent a large group of macromolecules that play an important role in the body. Most importantly, carbohydrates provide an energy supply for organisms, but it is proven that they are also involved in a myriad of other processes. Furthermore, synthesizing these molecules leads to advancements in chemistry, such as drug design, and other structures such as glycolipids play important roles in the immune system. Understanding this, an efficient and reliable way to create these carbohydrates is needed.

The protection and deprotection manipulations of carbohydrates play an essential role in synthetic carbohydrate chemistry.¹ Using benzyl …

Cloning, Sequencing, Expression And Characterization Of An Alzheimer’S-Specific Monoclonal Antibody, Anna K. Jones, Thao Pham

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by chronic inflammation and neurodegeneration, which leads to loss of cognitive functions. Dr. Nichols’ research laboratory is studying the neurological effects associated with AD. Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a membrane spanning protein whose primary function is unknown, but it is associated with many tissue types and found clustered at the synapse of neurons. APP can be cleaved by secretases into 40 or 42 amino acid fragments called amyloid beta protein (Aβ). These cleaved amyloid-β proteins can accumulate (aggregate) and form extracellular plaques in AD brains. Antibodies are normally produced in an adaptive immune response …

Childhood Obesity: A Childhood Nightmare, Sarah S. Teemul

Undergraduate Research Symposium

There is an alarming increase in the rates of childhood obesity. The social issues that obese children face begin with the society’s behavior towards them. Obesity is viewed by the public as a lifestyle disease therefore, victim blaming is involved. Society created how a “perfect” body should be and this has led to bullying. People are taken advantage of due to low-economics status, resulting in the purchase of unhealthy food. The challenges that overweight children face from society are important to acknowledge because understanding the social issues can prevent this epidemic. Although, society has come to terms with the epidemic, …

Development Of A Protofibril-Selective Sandwich Elisa To Analyze Alzheimer’S Amyloid-Β Levels, Marina Villoch Diaz Maurino, Cristina Sinobas Pereira

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Protein aggregation is recognized as an important contributing factor to several neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). One of the peptide involved is amyloid-β (Aβ), a 40-42-residue peptide and the primary component of the senile plaques found in AD brains. Aβ aggregations can be found in the form of protofibrils, monomers, and fibrils intermediates. However, only protofibrils have been shown to be a crucial factor in pathogenicity due to their toxicity. This research involves the development of a novel protofibril-selective sandwich ELISA to determine Aβ levels in AD so it can be used for further research as a biomarker, …

Regulation Of Mrna Decay By Puf Proteins Is Dependent On Environmental Conditions, Anthony Fischer, Alexandra Hamrick, Shayna Mueller

Undergraduate Research Symposium

The nucleus of a eukaryotic cell contains the genetic code within DNA that directs growth and function of the cell. The genes contained in DNA make copies of themselves called RNAs, which are molecules able to leave the nucleus and direct protein synthesis. Over- or under-production of any one protein can cause cell malfunction and disease. Regulation of RNA lifespan is one method to ensure proper protein production. The Puf family of RNA-binding proteins regulate mRNA lifespans by controlling the rate of mRNA decay. More specifically, Puf proteins stimulate the removal of the poly(A) tails of mRNAs, which results in …