Biological Factors Commons^™

Comparative Polar And Lipid Plasma Metabolomics Differentiate Kshv Infection And Disease States, Sara R. Privatt, Camila Pereira Braga, Alicia Johnson, Salum J. Lidenge, Luke Berry, John R. Ngowi, Owen Ngalamika, Andrew G. Chapple, Julius Mwaiselage, Charles Wood, John T. West, Jiri Adamec

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a neoplastic disease etiologically associated with infection by the Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). KS manifests primarily as cutaneous lesions in individuals due to either age (classical KS), HIV infection (epidemic KS), or tissue rejection preventatives in transplantation (iatrogenic KS) but can also occur in individuals, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), lacking any obvious immune suppression (endemic KS). The high endemicity of KSHV and human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) co-infection in Africa results in KS being one of the top 5 cancers there. As with most viral cancers, infection with KSHV alone is insufficient to induce tumorigenesis. …

Microrna (Mirna) Complexity In Alzheimer’S Disease (Ad), Walter J. Lukiw

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

AD is a complex, progressive, age-related neurodegenerative disorder representing the most common cause of senile dementia and neurological dysfunction in our elderly domestic population. The widely observed heterogeneity of AD is a reflection of the complexity of the AD process itself and the altered molecular-genetic mechanisms operating in the diseased human brain and CNS. One of the key players in this complex regulation of gene expression in human pathological neurobiology are microRNAs (miRNAs) that, through their actions, shape the transcriptome of brain cells that normally associate with very high rates of genetic activity, gene transcription and messenger RNA (mRNA) generation. …

Upregulation Of Cell Surface Glycoproteins In Correlation With Kshv Lana In The Kaposi Sarcoma Tumor Microenvironment, Sara R. Privatt, Owen Ngalamika, Jianshui Zhang, Qinsheng Li, Charles Wood, John T. West

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

HIV-associated epidemic Kaposi sarcoma (EpKS) remains one of the most prevalent cancers in sub-Saharan Africa despite the widespread uptake of anti-retroviral therapy and HIV-1 suppression. In an effort to define potential therapeutic targets against KS tumors, we analyzed previously published KS bulk tumor transcriptomics to identify cell surface biomarkers. In addition to upregulated gene expression (>6-fold) in the EpKS tumor microenvironment, biomarkers were selected for correlation with KSHV latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) expression. The cell surface glycoprotein genes identified were KDR, FLT4, ADAM12, UNC5A, ZP2, and OX40, as well as the endothelial lineage determinants Prox-1 and CD34. Each protein …

Role Of Adenylyl Cyclase Type 7 In Functions Of Bv-2 Microglia, Yawen Hu, Rebecca A. Hill, Masami Yoshimura

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

To assess the role of adenylyl cyclase type 7 (AC7) in microglia’s immune function, we generated AC7 gene knockout (AC7 KO) clones from a mouse microglial cell line, BV-2, using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system. The ability of BV-2 cells to generate cAMP and their innate immune functions were examined in the presence or absence of ethanol. The parental BV-2 cells showed robust cAMP production when stimulated with prostaglandin-E1 (PGE1) and ethanol increased cAMP production in a dose-dependent manner. AC7 KO clones of BV-2 cells showed diminished and ethanol-insensitive cAMP production. The phagocytic activity of the parental BV-2 cells was …

Metabolic Pathways Enriched According To Erg Status Are Associated With Biochemical Recurrence In Hispanic/Latino Patients With Prostate Cancer, Natalia L. Acosta-Vega, Rodolfo Varela, Jorge Andrés Mesa, Jone Garai, Melody C. Baddoo, Alberto Gómez-Gutiérrez, Silvia J. Serrano-Gómez, Marcela Nuñez Lemus, Martha Lucía Serrano, Jovanny Zabaleta, Alba L. Combita, María Carolina Sanabria-Salas

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: The role of ERG-status molecular subtyping in prognosis of prostate cancer (PCa) is still under debate. In this study, we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) according to ERG-status to explore their enriched pathways and implications in prognosis in Hispanic/Latino PCa patients. Methods: RNA from 78 Hispanic PCa tissues from radical prostatectomies (RP) were used for RNA-sequencing. ERGhigh/ERGlow tumor groups were determined based on the 1.5-fold change median expression in non-tumor samples. DEGs with a False Discovery Rate (FDR) < 0.01 and a fold change >2 were identified between ERGhigh and ERGlow tumors and submitted to enrichment analysis in MetaCore. Survival and association analyses were performed …

Contraceptive Methods In The United States: The Question Of Abortive Mechanisms, Tara Ferenczy

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis reviews the many methods of contraception available in the United States. Although society’s understanding of women’s health has become a major topic, there is still a significant deficit of information regarding how the accessible methods affect women’s bodies, specifically reproductive tissue. The thesis analyzes numerous contraceptive options focusing specifically on the mechanisms of action to determine whether options have abortifacient properties so that readers may develop educated opinions regarding medical and ethical uses. Information involving strengths and limitations of each technique and the effects on both the female body and the reproductive material assist in understanding the process …

Assessment Of Physical Fitness After Bariatric Surgery And Its Association With Protein Intake And Type Of Cholecalciferol Supplementation, Hendrika J M Smelt, Sjaak Pouwels, Alper Celik, Adarsh Gupta, Johannes F Smulders

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

Background: Several studies showed that there is a relationship between vitamin and mineral status and muscle strength. In particular this is the case for handgrip strength (HS) and vitamin D deficiency. In bariatric surgery there is a risk of decrease in muscle strength after surgery and also vitamin and mineral deficiencies are not uncommon. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of low vitamin 25 (OH) cholecalciferol levels, high dose cholecalciferol supplementation regime and protein intake on physical fitness, measured using handgrip strength (HS) and the shuttle walk run test (SWRT). Methods: For this retrospective …

Escherichia Coli Itat Is A Type Ii Toxin That Inhibits Translation By Acetylating Isoleucyl-Trnaile, Brendan Wilcox, Ilya Osterman, Marina Serebryakova, Dmitry Lukyanov, Ekaterina Komarova, Bridget Gollan, Natalia Morozova, Yuri I Wolf, Kira S Makarova, Sophie Helaine, Petr Sergiev, Svetlana Dubiley, Sergei Borukhov, Konstantin Severinov

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

Prokaryotic toxin-antitoxin (TA) modules are highly abundant and are involved in stress response and drug tolerance. The most common type II TA modules consist of two interacting proteins. The type II toxins are diverse enzymes targeting various essential intracellular targets. The antitoxin binds to cognate toxin and inhibits its function. Recently, TA modules whose toxins are GNAT-family acetyltransferases were described. For two such systems, the target of acetylation was shown to be aminoacyl-tRNA: the TacT toxin targets aminoacylated elongator tRNAs, while AtaT targets the amino acid moiety of initiating tRNAMet. We show that the itaRT gene pair from Escherichia coli …

Recombinant Human Proteoglycan-4 Reduces Phagocytosis Of Urate Crystals And Downstream Nuclear Factor Kappa B And Inflammasome Activation And Production Of Cytokines And Chemokines In Human And Murine Macrophages, Marwa Qadri, Gregory D. Jay, Ling X. Zhang, Wendy Wong, Anthony M. Reginato, Changqi Sun, Tannin A. Schmidt

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Microbial biofilms are organized communities of cells that are associated with a wide spectrum of resistant and chronic infections that lead to the treatment failure. Accordingly, there is an urgent demand to create novel effective therapeutic drugs that can inhibit biofilm formation with new mechanisms of action to surmount the current escalating resistance. In this study, in silico hybrid model was utilized to develop three novel short linear peptides (4, 5, and 6) with potential biofilm inhibiting activities (scores > 1.0). The peptides were composed of cationic and hydrophobic residues. They were synthesized using solid-phase strategy. Synthesized peptides were purified and …

Transplantation Of Thioredoxin-1 Exosomes In A Murine Model Of Hind-Limb Ischemia: A Novel Therapeutic Approach, Shubham Kanake

Honors Scholar Theses

Peripheral artery disease is one of the most prevalent cardiovascular diseases in the United States and worldwide. It is estimated that over 8 million people in the United States are affected with peripheral artery disease, and up to 40% of people over 80 years old may have some degree of the disease. Peripheral artery disease can increase one’s chances for having other cardiovascular co-morbidities such as coronary artery disease, among others. Current interventional strategies are endovascular treatments such as transluminal angioplasty and stenting, or in more advanced cases peripheral artery bypass grafting. Medical interventions focus on managing symptoms and treating …

A Review Of Ankylosing Spondylitis, Hannah L. Owen

Senior Honors Theses

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a systemic autoimmune disorder that induces ankylosis of the spine (fusion of the vertebrae at their various joints) and inflammatory arthritis of peripheral joints among other symptoms. Overexpression of cytokines, the presence of genetic mutations not exclusive to the human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 region, and environmental factors all have large roles in the progressive development of AS. Although a definitive pathology continues to be sought after, researchers believe the adaptive immune system in AS patients attacks fibrocartilaginous entheses (supportive connective tissue between bone and attached structures like tendon, ligament, and fascia).

AS markedly reduces proper systemic …

Nanofabrication And Spectroscopy Of Magnetic Nanostructures Using A Focused Ion Beam, Ali Hadjikhani

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research used a focused ion beam in order to fabricate record small nano-magnetic structures, investigate the properties of magnetic materials in the rarely studied range of nanometer size, and exploit their extraordinary characteristics in medicine and nano-electronics. This study consists of two parts: (i) Fabrication and study of record small magnetic tunnel junctions (ii) Introduction of a novel method for detection of magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENs) in the tissue.

A key challenge in further scaling of CMOS devices is being able to perform non-volatile logic with near zero power consumption. Sub-10-nm nanomagnetic spin transfer torque (STT) magnetic tunneling junctions (MTJs) …

Biomass Assisted Synthesis Of Antibacterial Gold Nanoparticles And Commentary On Its Future Potential And Applications In Medicine, Chad Willis

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Xylose is a natural monosaccharide found in biomass such as straw, pecan shells, cottonseed hulls, and corncobs. Using this monosaccharide, we report the green synthesis and characterization of biocompatible, biodegradable xylose encapsulated gold nanoparticles (Xyl-GNPs) with potential antibacterial activity. GNPs were synthesized using the bioreduction property of xylose on the chloroaurate anions in an aqueous solution at room temperature and at atmospheric pressure. The characterization of synthesized GNPs was examined by UV-vis spectroscopy; transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results indicate that the particles were stable; near spherical in shape with an …