Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Enhanced Cholesterol Efflux And Atherosclerosis Regression Via Ceh Gene Delivery Using Galactose-Functionalized Dendrimeric Nanoparticles, Huari Kou, Jing Wang, Paul J. Yannie, Da Huang, William J. Korzun, Genta Kakiyama, Siddhartha S. Ghosh, Hu Yang

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Cholesteryl ester hydrolase (CEH) is a critical enzyme in cholesterol ester hydrolysis, influencing cholesterol metabolism and efflux. This study demonstrates that CEH overexpression promotes free cholesterol efflux from macrophages, thereby reducing the lipid burden in existing atherosclerotic plaques. To enable targeted delivery, galactose-functionalized polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimeric nanoparticles were utilized as nanocarriers for hepatic delivery of the CEH expression vector. The therapeutic potential of CEH plasmid-loaded dendrimeric nanoparticles was evaluated in Ldlr-/- mice. Results showed a significant reduction in total lesion area (21%) and aortic arch lesion area (23%) compared to baseline. Lesion component analysis revealed marked decreases in total cholesterol …

In Vitro Microfluidics System For Mechanobiologic Investigations, Michael A. Daanen

Honors Theses

Mechanobiology is an emerging field that aims to study the relationships between mechanical forces and cellular behavior. Such mechanobiological relationships are especially critical in the cardiovascular system, where endothelial cells lining the vasculature align in response to fluid shear stresses from blood flow (Sinha, 2016). Implanted flow devices, diabetes, chronic hypertension, and various other diseases and pathophysiologies alter vessel geometries and flow dynamics. Such alterations impact fluid shear stress and endothelial cell behavior, leading to microcirculatory dysfunction, vessel leakage, and organ failure (Poredos, 2021; Papadaki, 1999; Leitschuh, 1987). To simulate dysfunctional endothelial cell behavior in vitro and evaluate novel therapeutic …

Engineering Nanomaterials From Phase-Change Biological Materials Reacting With Carbon Dioxide, Qingyang Li

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The current global situation concerning CO2 emissions is increasingly alarming, with rising concentrations of CO2 significantly worsening climate change and global warming. Atmospheric CO2 levels are now at their highest in millions of years, driving a host of catastrophic effects, including but not limited to extreme weather events, rising sea levels, ocean acidification, disrupted ecosystems, deteriorating air quality, respiratory health issues, heat-related illnesses, threats to food and water security, and escalating social and geopolitical tensions. To keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C higher than that of pre-industry – as called for in the Paris Agreement – emissions need …

Delivery Method For Dissolvable Staples, Brian Nguyen, Colleen Kroah, Bethany Fogle, Sean Brown

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Surgical staples play a vital role in modern medicine by enabling efficient wound closure and tissue repair. However, traditional metal staples often require removal, increasing patient discomfort and the risk of infection. Dissolvable staples offer a promising alternative, eliminating the need for removal while maintaining secure wound closure. Despite their potential, current delivery systems for dissolvable staples face significant challenges, including inconsistent deployment, lack of precision, and inadequate integration with surgical workflows.

Developing an optimized delivery system is critical to maximizing the benefits of dissolvable staples. Such a system must ensure reliable performance, precision, and ease of use while maintaining …

Neurotensin Regulates Primate Ovulation Via Multiple Neurotensin Receptors, Andrew C. Pearson, Jessica S. Miller, Hannah J. Jensen, Ketan Shrestha, Thomas E. Curry Jr., Diane M. Duffy

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Neurotensin (NTS), a small neuropeptide, was recently established as a key paracrine mediator of ovulation. NTS mRNA is highly expressed by granulosa cells in response to the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge, and multiple NTS receptors are expressed by cells of the ovulatory follicle. To identify the role of NTS receptors NTSR1 and SORT1 in ovulation in vivo, the dominant follicle of cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) was injected with either vehicle control, the general NTS receptor antagonist SR142948, the NTSR1-selective antagonist SR48692, or the SORT1-selective antagonist AF38469. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) was then administered to initiate ovulatory events. …

Effects Of Changes In Strouhal And Reynolds Numbers On Beetle Wing Aerodynamics, Keith L. Thiha

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Insect flight has long been a subject of interest across the scientific community, largely due to the exceptional aerodynamic performance insects demonstrate relative to their size. Insects tend to have very high aerodynamic performance characteristics like thrust and lift generation compared to their size. This has many potential applications in improving aircraft performance, however the flow phenomena concerning insect wing aerodynamics is still an area of ongoing research. This study aims to investigate how variations in key nondimensional flow parameters—specifically the Reynolds number and Strouhal number—affect the aerodynamic performance of beetle wings. Strouhal numbers ranging from 0.2 to 0.6 were …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Free Radical Scavenging Dendrimer Nanogels Via Cross-Linking Reaction-Enabled Flash Nanoprecipitation, Lin Qi, Da Huang, Huari Kou, Anna Chernatynskaya, Nuran Ercal, Hu Yang

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

This work reports the development and evaluation of dendrimer-based nanogels based on Poly amidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer generation 5, engineered to act as a carrier with reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging capabilities. We developed a cross-linking reaction-enabled flash nanoprecipitation method in which the cross-linking reaction occurs during the flash nanoprecipitation process to form a cross-linked nanostructure. Using this approach, an N-hydroxy succinimide (NHS)-functionalized ROS-responsive thioketal cross-linker (TK-NHS) was synthesized and utilized to cross-link DAB-core PAMAM dendrimer G5, resulting in the formation of G5-TK nanogels. The resulting nanogels were characterized using dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy, and their cytocompatibility, irritancy, cellular …

Cellular Mechanisms Of Spinal Motoneuron Hypoexcitability Underlying Dynapenia In Aging, Ibrahim Abdul Halim

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Age-related weakness remains poorly understood as the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. While synaptic input and muscular changes have been investigated with age, intrinsic motoneuron excitability alterations are often overlooked. This thesis provides the first direct assessment of intrinsic excitability and ion channel properties of spinal α-MNs from male and female mice across three ages: young, middle aged, and old. Our findings reveal a decline in intrinsic excitability of motoneurons with age in both sexes. Mechanistic analysis shows sex specific differences: female motoneurons exhibit increased dendritic size, hyperpolarized RMP, and SK channel overactivation, whereas males show only SK overactivation with age. …

An Improved Method To Protecting Skin Graft Dressings Following Surgery In Severe Burn Patients, Andrew Martin, Matt Flaker, Hailey Essinger

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Severe burns, including deep second- and third-degree burns, affect over 450,000 people annually in the U.S., often requiring skin grafts for treatment. Recovery involves wearing wound dressings covered by bandage wraps for at least two weeks. While wraps are breathable, versatile, and simple, they can be painful to apply, especially for larger patients, and their compression varies based on the person applying them. This poses challenges when untrained caregivers are involved. Additionally, wraps often slip during physical therapy. Burn care units seek a new solution that matches current wraps in breathability and comfort but offers quicker application, controlled compression, and …

Deep Learning-Assisted Diagnostic System: Apices And Odontogenic Sinus Floor Level Analysis In Dental Panoramic Radiographs, Pei Yi Wu, Yuan-Jin Lin, Yu-Jen Chang, Sung-Tsun Wei, Chiung An Chen, Kuo-Chen Li, Wei-Chen Tu, Patricia Angela R. Abu

Department of Information Systems & Computer Science Faculty Publications

Odontogenic sinusitis is a type of sinusitis caused by apical lesions of teeth near the maxillary sinus floor. Its clinical symptoms are highly like other types of sinusitis, often leading to misdiagnosis as general sinusitis by dentists in the early stages. This misdiagnosis delays treatment and may be accompanied by toothache. Therefore, using artificial intelligence to assist dentists in accurately diagnosing odontogenic sinusitis is crucial. This study introduces an innovative odontogenic sinusitis image processing technique, which is fused with common contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization, Min-Max normalization, and the RGB mapping method. Moreover, this study combined various deep learning models …

Precision Medicine Assessment Of The Radiographic Defect Angle Of The Intrabony Defect In Periodontal Lesions By Deep Learning Of Bitewing Radiographs, Patricia Angela R. Abu, Yi Cheng Mao, Yuan Jin Lin, Chien Kai Chao, Yi He Lin, Bo Siang Wang, Chiung An Chen, Shih Lun Chen, Tsung Yi Chen, Kuo Chen Li

Department of Information Systems & Computer Science Faculty Publications

In dental diagnosis, evaluating the severity of periodontal disease by analyzing the radiographic defect angle of the intrabony defect is essential for effective treatment planning. However, dentists often rely on clinical examinations and manual analysis, which can be time-consuming and labor-intensive. Due to the high recurrence rate of periodontal disease after treatment, accurately evaluating the radiographic defect angle of the intrabony defect is vital for implementing targeted interventions, which can improve treatment outcomes and reduce recurrence. This study aims to streamline clinical practices and enhance patient care in managing periodontal disease by determining its severity based on the analysis of …

Enhanced Diagnostics And Surveillance Of Enteroviruses Including Serotypes Associated With Acute Flaccid Myelitis, Denise Lynette Kramer

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Prior to 2014, Enterovirus D68 infections typically caused symptoms resembling the common cold. From 2014-2018, D68 was associated with an increase in acute flaccid myelitis. However, since 2020, neurological complications have all but disappeared. We selected 1076 respiratory specimens previously determined to be positive for rhinovirus or enterovirus from Department of Defense members and their beneficiaries collected globally from October 2018 through January 2024 and underwent sequencing. Of these specimens, 93.7% were identified as rhinoviruses, while 6.3% were enteroviruses, including 30 enterovirus D68. We utilized the Nextstrain bioinformatic pipeline to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationship of these 30 D68 viruses. Twenty-two …

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Ameliorates Cognitive Impairment Caused By Hypoxia, Birendra Sharma

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Hypoxia disrupts brain function due to the high demand for oxygen, leading to significant cognitive impairments. While vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been shown to enhance cognition, its ability to counteract hypoxia-induced deficits remains unclear. In this study, male Sprague–Dawley rats were assigned to sham, hypoxia, or VNS + hypoxia groups, with VNS delivered during hypoxia (8% oxygen) using biphasic pulses (100 μs, 30 Hz, 0.8 mA). Cognitive performance was evaluated using multiple behavioral paradigms, and hippocampal tissue was analyzed for neurotrophin expression through quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. Among the behavioral measures, hypoxia specifically impaired performance on the passive avoidance …

The Role Of Trpm7 In Mouse Development And Immune Cell Function, Jananie Rockwood

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Transient receptor melastatin 7 (TRPM7) functions both as an ion channel and a protein kinase. TRPM7 has been implicated in Mg2+ homeostasis, embryogenesis, cardiac automaticity, and immunity. The purpose of this research was to deepen our understanding of TRPM7 channel and kinase functions. To this end, we used two transgenic mouse models: the TRPM7 gain-of-function (GOF) and TRPM7 kinase-dead (KD) mice to address the consequences of increased channel activity and kinase inactivation, respectively. Global deletion of TRPM7 or the kinase domain alone are embryonic lethal, therefore, we used the TRPM7 GOF mouse to investigate germline transmission. We examined embryo development …

Induced Reduction Of N-Glycosylation Leads To Heart Failure, Anthony M. Young

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and contributes to the increasing global prevalence of heart failure (HF). N-glycosylation is a common co-/post-translational modification where branching oligosaccharides are bound to the extracellular domain of membrane proteins. This creates a diverse range of glycan structures and requires the coordination of hundreds of regulated genes. Inherited mutations in glycan synthesis frequently present with cardiomyopathies leading to HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Additionally, gene expression studies of HFrEF patients have shown altered expression of glycosylation-related genes, including alpha-1,3-mannosyl-glycoproten 2-beta-N acetlyglucosaminyltransferase (Mgat1). This gene encodes N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase 1 (GlcNAcT1) which is required …

The Impact Of Ahr And Hs1.2 Enhancer Genetic Variations On Igh Expression And Antibody Production In Human B Cells, Mili Santosh Bhakta-Yadav

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Antibody production is an essential component of the immune response against pathogens. The immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene codes for the heavy chain of antibodies. The IgH constant regions Cμ, Cδ, Cγ1-4, Cα1-2, and Cε encode the five major classes of antibodies, i.e., IgM, IgD, IgG1-4, IgA1-2, and IgE, respectively. The transcription of the IgH gene and class switch from IgM to other isotypes is regulated by two 3’ IgH regulatory regions (3’IgHRRs), each of which is a cluster of three enhancer regions (hs3, hs1.2 and hs4). The genetic variations in the hs1.2 enhancer have been identified; a ~53 bp …

Effects Of Invigorating And Relaxing Music On Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, And Heart Rate Variability, Matthew Joshua Faur

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Heart-rate variability (HRV) has been documented to correlate with several health measures, including autonomic nervous system longevity and athletic performance (Zulfiqar, 2010). While increasing age does not affect heart rate, there is a steady decline in HRV, which is a biological marker of aging and the decline of autonomic nervous system function. Furthermore, men who exercise regularly tend to have increased HRV, suggesting a mitigation of the typical age-dependent loss of HRV (Kristal-Boneh et al., 1995). Previous studies have suggested that music may have a physiological effect (e.g., fluctuating vitals, emotional changes) on cardiovascular parameters. However, little is known about …

Measuring Achilles Tendon Stiffness And Kinetics In-Vivo, Chloe L. Pinkston

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study aims to measure the gastrocnemii Achilles subtendon passive stiffness and energy storage during walking. Stiffness was first determined using a noninvasive method that combines ultrasound, motion capture, musculoskeletal modeling, and a force transducer. Eight healthy participants were tested using this method to obtain the passive force-displacement relationship of the Achilles tendon at two different knee angles to calculate stiffness of the gastrocnemii subtendon. A gait analysis session was then performed using ultrasound, motion capture, and an instrumented treadmill at self-selected slow, normal, and fast walking speeds, using stiffness to calculate the subtendon’s force and energy storage. Gastrocnemii Achilles …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Multifunctional Cerium Oxide Containing Nanoparticles For Biomedical Applications, Ishaan Patel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study presents the synthesis and comprehensive characterization of a novel core-shell nanoparticle composed of a maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃) core and a europium-doped cerium oxide (EuCNP) shell, developed for potential use in cancer theranostics. Using a co-precipitation method, Fe₂O₃–EuCNP core-shell nanoparticles were synthesized and compared against control samples of CNPs, EuCNPs, and Fe₂O₃. A variety of characterization techniques, including UV-Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, TEM, XRD, XPS, DLS, TGA, and DSC confirmed the successful synthesis of core-shell architecture and europium doping. Moreover, Fe₂O₃–EuCNPs demonstrating strong colloidal …

Development And Validation Of A Subject-Specific Integrated Finite Element Musculoskeletal Model Of Human Trunk With Ergonomic And Clinical Applications, Farshid Ghezelbash, Amir Hossein Eskandari, Amir Jafari Bidhendi, Aboulfazl Shirazi-Adl, Christian Lariviere

Études primaires

Biomechanical modeling of the human trunk is crucial for understanding spinal mechanics and its role in ergonomics and clinical interventions. Traditional models have been limited by only considering the passive structures of the spine in finite element (FE) models or incorporating active muscular components in multi-body musculoskeletal (MS) models with an oversimplified spine. To address those limitations, we developed a subject-specific coupled FE-MS model of the trunk and explored its applications in ergonomics and surgical interventions. A parametric detailed FE model was constructed, integrated with a muscle architecture, and individualized based on existing datasets. Our comprehensive validation encompassed tissue-level responses, …