Medical Molecular Biology Commons^™

Acute Kidney Injury In The Elderly, Zachary Palanza

Honors Scholar Theses

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a significant clinical concern in the elderly, marked by heightened incidence rates, increased morbidity and mortality, and impaired kidney repair mechanisms. AKI often has severe consequences, including extended hospital stays, heightened rates of chronic kidney disease, and elevated healthcare costs. The vulnerability of elderly individuals to AKI is amplified by age-related structural and functional changes in the kidneys, reduced physiological reserve, and increased exposure to nephrotoxic agents. The impaired kidney repair mechanisms observed in the elderly pose further complexities in AKI management. With age, the regenerative capacity of the kidneys diminishes, resulting in incomplete recovery …

The Effects Of Mapk Signaling On The Development Of Cerebellar Granule Cells, Kerry Morgan

Honors Scholar Theses

The granule cells are the most abundant neuronal type in the human brain. Rapid proliferation of granule cell progenitors results in dramatic expansion and folding of the cerebellar cortex during postnatal development. Mis-regulation of this proliferation process causes medulloblastoma, the most prevalent childhood brain tumor. In the developing cerebellum, granule cells are derived from Atoh1-expressing cells, which arise from the upper rhombic lip (the interface between the roof plate and neuroepithelium). In addition to granule cells, the Atoh1 lineage also gives rise to different types of neurons including cerebellar nuclei neurons. In the current study, I have investigated the …

Development Of A Sonically Powered Biodegradable Nanogenerator For Bone Regeneration, Avi Patel

Honors Scholar Theses

Background: Reconstruction of bone fractures and defects remains a big challenge in orthopedic surgery. While regenerative engineering has advanced the field greatly using a combination of biomaterial scaffolds and stem cells, one matter of difficulty is inducing osteogenesis in these cells. Recent works have shown electricity’s ability to promote osteogenesis in stem cell lines when seeded in bone scaffolds; however, typical electrical stimulators are either (a) externally housed and require overcomplex percutaneous wires be connected to the implanted scaffold or (b) implanted non-degradable devices which contain toxic batteries and require invasive removal surgeries.

Objective: Here, we establish a biodegradable, piezoelectric …

Differential Iron Regulatory Genetics In 2d & 3d Culture Of Breast Cancer Cells, Tyler Hanna, Suzy Torti Ph. D, Frank Torti M.D., Mph, Nicole Farra Ph. D.

Honors Scholar Theses

The iron regulatory axis has consistently been shown to be perturbed in cancer cell lines relative to non-cancerous cell lines. As cancer cells rapidly divide and grow, they require iron to fuel many intracellular processes, including DNA replication and protein synthesis. Three-dimensional cell culture is an increasingly popular method of culture that purportedly more accurately mimics the in vivo microenvironment of cancers over traditional two-dimensional culture. This project was prompted by previous lab results to investigate differential iron regulatory gene expression in 2D and 3D spheroid culture models. We replicated the findings that the gene hepcidin is induced in 3D …

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 …

The Role Of Amp-Activated Protein Kinase (Ampk) In Regulating The Early Stages Of Acute Pancreatitis, Mohamed Shitia

Honors Scholar Theses

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease that is initiated by the activation and retention of digestive zymogens inside pancreatic acinar cells (acini). It is proposed that adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) regulates early responses of acute pancreatitis in acini. A recent study shows that induction of experimental pancreatitis in isolated rat acini with supraphysiologic cerulein (orthologue of cholecystokinin) increases intracellular zymogen activation, but decreases AMPK levels. Furthermore, in vitro pharmacologic stimulation of AMPK reduces zymogen activation, having a protective effect. In this study, the effectiveness of two AMPK activators was examined in two separate in vivo pancreatitis models. In the …