Digital Commons Network^™

Influence Of Smoking On Mlh1 Gene Polymorphism: Insights Into Colorectal Cancer Incidence, Ali Mohammed Al-Abedi, Rand Muhammed Abdul-Hussein Al-Husseini

Al-Bahir

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The MutL Homolog 1 (MLH1) gene plays a critical role in DNA mismatch repair (MMR). Evidence suggests cigarette smoking increases CRC risk, potentially interacting with genetic factors.

Materials and Methods: This case-control study involved 50 Iraqi CRC patients and 50 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. The PCR-RFLP technique was employed for genotyping the -93G/A (rs1800734) polymorphism. Statistical analysis included Chi-square, Fisher's Exact Test, and logistic regression adjusted for confounders. Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) was assessed in controls.

Results: The frequency of the rs1800734 variant was significantly higher in CRC …

Dual-Action Antibacterial Agents Targeting Biofilm Reduction And Membrane Disruption In Staphylococcus Aureus, Rahmat Folashade Zakariyah, Waliyullahi Akorede Husain, Elohor Precious Samuel, Wonder Olanipekun Oloruntoba, Fatmah Opeyemi Saka, Khalid Ayinde Oyelami, Mariam Temitope Baker

Al-Bahir

Antimicrobial resistance in Staphylococcus aureus is a serious global health problem as the organism rapidly develops resistance against widely used antibiotics. This study sought to investigate the antibacterial and antibiofilm properties of γ-Tocopherol, a natural compound from Ocimum gratissimum, as well as its synergism with 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) against S. aureus. The antibacterial activities and minimum inhibitory concentrations of the compounds were determined using agar diffusion and microbroth dilution methods, respectively. Biofilm reduction was evaluated using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) assay and membrane integrity was evaluated using the crystal violet microtiter plate assay and the ion leakage assay. The results …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Green-Method-Prepared Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles On Gene Expression Of Efflux Pumps In Klebsiella Pneumoniae Bacteria Isolated From Women With Gestational Diabetes, Wissam Qadry Mutaab, Rana J. Shaker

Al-Bahir

Vaginitis is one of the most common women's health problems, and its severity increases in pregnant women with gestational diabetes due to higher susceptibility to infection and increased rates of antibiotic resistance. The research problem: The increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae and its association with AcrAB-TolC ejaculation pumps limits treatment efficacy, while the effect of green-method nanoparticles on gene expression of these pumps remains unclear. This paper aimed to detect the acrA and acrB genes in K. pneumoniae isolates and evaluate the effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles prepared with garlic and rosemary extracts on their gene expression. …

Substantial Nighttime Evapotranspiration In Lettuce Grown Under Controlled-Environment Conditions, Claudia Garrido-Ruiz, Juan D. González-Teruel, Scott B. Jones, Bruce Bugbee

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Nighttime evapotranspiration (ET_n) has been widely reported across plant species, yet its magnitude and physiological significance in controlled-environment crop production remain poorly understood. This study quantified ET_n in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv. Outredgeous) grown under controlled-environment conditions and evaluated nighttime-to-daytime ET dynamics under contrasting surface cover conditions. Plants were grown in peat-based root modules operated as zero-drainage systems, allowing ET to be quantified from continuous mass loss of individual nutrient reservoirs. Two surface treatments were compared: uncovered growth media and growth media covered with flexible silicone-rubber sheets incorporated as part of the evaluated growth-system configuration, which …

Cardiovascular Disease Subtypes And Alzheimer's Disease: Phenotypic And Genetic Associations In The Uk Biobank And All Of Us Research Program, Aili Toyli, Chen Zhao, Kuan Jui Su, Hui Shen, Hong Wen Deng, Qing Hui Chen, Qiuying Sha, Weihua Zhou

Michigan Tech Publications

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are major public health concerns that share overlapping risk factors and potential mechanistic pathways. Although vascular contributions to cognitive decline are well documented, the specific relationships between AD and different CVD subtypes remain poorly understood. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we examined associations between AD and 11 CVD subtypes using logistic regression models in 2 large biobanks: the UK Biobank (n=502 133) and the All of Us Research Program (n=287 011). Models were adjusted for demographic, lifestyle, and clinical covariates. We also explored genetic overlap between AD and CVD traits through proximity-based …

Meningioma Detection From Mri: A Comparative Study Of Deep Learning Models, A. H. Doha, Sandi Jennifer, Fatima Alabdaly

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

This study compares several deep learning models including DenseNet20, CNN, ResNet50, VGG19, EfficientNet-B3, MobileNetV2, NASNetMobile, Xception to automatically classify brain meningiomas from MRI scans. A public dataset was used to evaluate the proposed model. All models were trained, validated, and tested on this dataset. Because meningiomas are common and manual reads, the goal is to speed and standardize diagnosis. Our main contribution is pairing a high-accuracy classifier with deep learning models. Among all models, DenseNet201 performed best, reaching 0.991% accuracy and reliably separating tumorous from non-tumorous MRIs. Future work will expand the dataset and incorporate stronger segmentation to further boost …

Role And Effectiveness Of U.S. Universities In Training Professionals For Work In International Agriculture, D F. Fienup

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Problems of hunger, malnutrition, and world food security became a major world concern in the 1970s. Two U.S. presiden­tial reports have emphasized the seriousness of the situation and the need to expand food production and distribution, par­ticularly in the less-developed countries (LDCs) where hunger is most severe. The LDCs need to strengthen agricultural teaching, research, and extension in order to develop and disseminate the ap­propriate technology farmers need to increase food production. The most limiting factor is often the lack of trained scientists to provide local leadership and expertise. Here U.S. and other developed-country universities are needed to train LDC …

Adoption Of Leucaena For Cattle Grazing In Australia, J H. Wildin

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The tree legume Leucaena leucocephala is a high-quality cattle forage in many tropical countries. For the past 30 years, cat­tlemen have not planted leucaena despite conclusive evidence from small grazing experiments that it improved beef production and was suited to a large area of northern Australia. Seed of four cultivars was available in the 1960s. In 1968 cv. Peru, an ex­ cellent forage type, was planted in a 24-ha block specifically for seed production. But little of this seed was used in Australia. There were sev.eral probable reasons for the nonadoption of leucaena. Adverse publicity on the extreme effects of …

Hiv-1 Tat-Driven Glutamate Dysregulation: Implications For Cognitive Impairment In Hand, Brenna Duffy, Michael Nonnemacher, Sandhya Kortagere

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: HIV-1-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) manifest in 15% to 50% of people with HIV, impairing learning and memory and executive function. The chronic generation of HIV-1 Transactivator of transcription (Tat) likely contributes to HAND via direct neuronal toxicity and glial-mediated toxicity. This review summarizes our current understanding of how chronic Tat generation from microglia and astrocytes promote glutamate excitotoxicity.

RECENT FINDINGS: In recent years, the indirect effects of Tat through the activation of glial cells have gained significant interest. This review highlights microglia and astrocytes as HIV-1 reservoirs that release Tat protein in the central nervous system. Specific …

(Re)Claiming Homeplace: Dance As Embodied Resistance & Healing For Health & Spatial Justice, Preeya G. Kannan

University Honors Theses

This thesis argues that dance functions as both an upstream public health intervention and a form of radical spatial resistance; creating healing, agency, and belonging among historically marginalized communities. Drawing on bell hooks' concept of homeplace, Jasbir Puar's assemblage theory, Nancy Krieger's eco-social theory, and Katherine McKittrick's Black geographies, I position the body as both an ecological and political landscape shaped by histories of colonialism, racial capitalism, displacement, and resilience.

Through this community-based participatory research study, Homeplace, I explore dance as a form of social prescription that centers liberation rather than pathology. Movement is often reduced in public health discourse …

Case Study On Operational Performance Improvement By Turbocharger Nozzle-Ring Modification In Shipboard Generators, Jong-Hun Im, Mukyeong Kang, Sang-Deuk Lee

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Owing to increasingly stringent emission regulations imposed by the International Maritime Organization and rising fuel prices, the demand for enhanced energy efficiency and emission control in marine power systems is increasing. This study presents a case study in which the performance of an aging auxiliary generator is restored by modifying the turbocharger nozzle ring. The vessel, a 12-year-old crude-oil tanker, experienced repeated operational issues with its No. 3 generator. This included elevated exhaust gas temperatures, reduced intake air pressure, and frequent turbocharger surges. To address these challenges, the nozzle-ring blade angle was reduced by approximately 2° using spare components, while …

Towards Sustainable Marine Education: Assessing High School Students’ Understanding Of Conservation Concepts, Cheng-Chieh Chang, Tsuyoshi Sasaki, Ya-Yin Liao, Ling-Ya Hung, Liang-Ting Tsai

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study assesses the concepts of marine resource conservation and sustainability among Taiwanese high school students by developing a Chinese version of the Marine Resources Conservation and Sustainability Scale. Grounded in the cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral learning objectives outlined in UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development Goals (ESDGs), the scale targets students aged 16 to 18 to examine gender differences in marine knowledge and conservation concepts. The scale comprises 31 items across four dimensions: the first section evaluates marine knowledge, while the remaining dimensions utilize a four-point Likert scale to assess cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral learning objectives, respectively. The results indicate …

Lock Scheduling Decisions And Strategy Optimization Under Operation Interruption Scenarios, Junhe Li, Qiang Zhang, Junpeng Jiang, Jiangchao Bao

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Locks are critical nodes in inland waterway transportation systems that concentrate vessel traffic between upstream and downstream reaches, making their operations highly sensitive to hydrological conditions. Therefore, disruptions caused by droughts, floods, or routine maintenance can easily trigger congestion. To address this issue, this study systematically examines the interrelationships among the number of ships awaiting passage, scheduling strategies, the trade-off between lock chamber utilization and ship waiting time, the influence of ship entry sequences on user satisfaction, and the combined effects of these factors on overall lock scheduling performance. Based on these analyses, an integrated decision-making model for two-stage ship …

Face-To-Face Versus Distance Education In Competence-Based Maritime Education And Training, Clara Borén, Marcella Castells-Sanabra, Manel Grifoll

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The COVID-19 pandemic created significant challenges for higher education, with universities being shut down and face-to-face teaching and assessment shifting to an online format. This presented an opportunity to focus on the continuity of learning through distance education, especially in the maritime context, due to the on-board training requirements, and even though five years have passed, this shift has reshaped the education landscape, proving that remote learning has come to stay.

At the Barcelona School of Nautical Studies, we have developed a weather routing software in the framework of distance education and teaching innovation. We conducted a teaching trial alternatively …

Evaluating The Impact Of Early Contractor Involvement On Enhancing The Performance Of Construction Projects In Egypt, Samah Saleh Abdelraof, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman, Lamees Mostafa Ahmed

Mansoura Engineering Journal

The construction industry constitutes a critical pillar of Egypt’s national economic growth and sustainable development. Despite its strategic importance, the sector continues to face persistent challenges, including chronic cost overruns, schedule delays, and inadequate coordination among stakeholders. These inefficiencies are largely attributed to the dominance of the traditional Design–Bid–Build (DBB) system, which enforces a rigid separation between design and construction, fostering adversarial relationships and project disputes, which highlights the need for alternative procurement approaches. This research investigates the impact of Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) as a collaborative procurement alternative to enhance project performance. Case studies show that ECI improves early-stage …

Allosteric And Uncompetitive Inhibition Of Yeast Alcohol Dehydrogenase Identified By Enzyme Kinetics, Dylan Jeremy Harrison, Jenny A. Cappuccio

IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt

Enzyme kinetics is a powerful technique used to quantify the rate at which an enzyme converts a substrate into a product and to identify potential inhibitors. In this study, kinetic analysis was employed to assess the activity of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH) in the presence and absence of sweeteners commonly found in alcoholic beverages. YADH catalyzes the oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde using NAD⁺ as a cofactor; the reduction to NADH can be monitored spectrophotometrically at 340 nm. Based on structural similarities to the ribose moiety of NAD⁺, it was hypothesized that sucrose and sucralose could directly interact with the …

An Extension To A. Goldshtein, Et Al, 2025, Manish Rami

Communication Sciences & Disorders Faculty Publications

This note extends the findings reported in “Onboard recordings reveal how bats maneuver under severe acoustic interference” available at:

Goldshtein, Aya, et al. “Onboard Recordings Reveal How Bats Maneuver under Severe Acoustic Interference.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 122, no. 14, Apr. 2025, p. e2407810122. pnas.org (Atypon), https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2407810122.

The Palm Farm Next-Door: Land Concessions, Livelihoods, And Nutrition In Plantation-Adjacent Communities, Julia Entwistle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Large-scale land concessions have reshaped agrarian landscapes globally, yet their implications for community land tenure, livelihoods, and nutrition remain unevenly understood. This dissertation examines how plantation agriculture and foreign investment have transformed land access, labor relations, and food systems in Liberia, a country with one of the highest proportions of land under concession globally. Guided by a political ecology framework, the study employs a mixed-methods design integrating policy analysis, in-depth interviews, and household surveys across two palm oil concession sites. The findings show that ambiguous land policies historically facilitated dispossession, while recent legal reforms have enabled communities to strategically mobilize …

Food System Science Lesson-2 For First Graders. Makhózula Etáŋhaŋ Wiyútapi Ke: From Planting To Eating, Arlene A. Abao, Madhav P. Nepal

iLEARN Teaching Resources

Feeding the Land That Feeds Us In this delicious adventure, kids will trace the journey of their food from the deep, dark soil all the way to their lunch forks! They will discover that the land is like a giant, magical kitchen called Makhózula, where plants cook up energy using sunlight and "vitamins" from the soil. Students will learn that when we eat a crunchy carrot or a sweet berry, we are actually tasting the strength of the Earth and the warmth of the sun. Through stories of Wopila (gratitude), they’ll see that the food system is a big, …

Comparison Of Bacteriological Culture And A Multiplex Real-Time Pcr Kit For The Detection Of Mastitis Pathogens In Small Ruminants, Ebru Karakaya Bi̇len, Serpi̇l Kahya Demi̇rbi̇lek, Bariş Güner, Öznur Yilmaz Koç, Ali̇ Ünver, Merve Yildiz, İrem Çakmak, Abdulkadi̇r Keski̇n

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of a multiplex real-time PCR (rPCR) kit, originally developed for bovine mastitis, for detecting mastitis pathogens in small ruminants and reducing bacterial identification time compared with conventional bacteriological culture (BC). Milk samples were obtained from 175 sheep and 124 goats and included cases of clinical mastitis (n = 57) and subclinical mastitis (n = 242). With BC, bacterial growth was detected in 125 of 299 milk samples (41.8%), yielding a total of 169 bacterial isolates. The pathogens most frequently isolated by BC were coagulase-negative staphylococci (58.0%), followed by Streptococcus spp. (9.4%), Staphylococcus aureus …

Comparative Efficacy Of Controlled Internal Drug Release And Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Sponges On Ovulatory Follicle Growth In The Ovsynch Protocol During The Breeding Season In Cyclic Nili Ravi Buffaloes, Muhammad Binyameen, Ali Husnain, Saba Anwar, Muhammad Waseem, Muhammad Saleem

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The objective of the experiment was to compare the dominant follicle size, growth rate of the dominant follicle, estrus response, plasma progesterone concentration, and pregnancy in Nili Ravi buffaloes synchronized by controlled internal drug release (CIDR; 1.38 g) and medroxyprogesterone acetate sponge (MPAS; 250 mg) in the ovulation synchronization (OvSynch) protocol. The experiment had a randomized complete block design. Buffaloes (n = 42) were blocked by parity, body weight, body condition score, and ovarian status, and, within the block, they were randomized to receive either CIDR or MPAS and that day was considered day 0 of the experiment. On days …

Determination Of Hematobiochemical Parameters And Egg Quality Traits Of Turkish Sultan Chickens, Mehmet Naci̇ Oktay, Ruhi̇ Kabakçi, Ali̇ Karapinar, Gökhan Şen, Taha Altuğ, Yasi̇n Şenel

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The present study aimed to investigate the hematological and biochemical blood parameters, along with selected egg quality traits, of Turkish Sultan chickens. A total of 90 blood samples collected from 60-week-old hens and roosters and 129 eggs collected from 50 hens were analyzed. The findings showed that hematological parameters such as red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB), packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and heterophil-to-lymphocyte (H/L) ratio, as well as biochemical markers such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and uric acid levels, were significantly higher in roosters. The average egg weight, shape …

The In Vitro Feeding Of Hyalomma Marginatum (Koch, 1844), Nesli̇han Ölmez, Bariş Sari, Zati̇ Vatansever

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Ticks are obligate hematophagous ectoparasites that play a major role in the transmission of pathogens affecting both animals and humans. Investigations into tick biology, pathogen transmission, and the development of effective control strategies have traditionally depended on the extensive use of laboratory animals. Consequently, the development of reliable in vitro feeding systems is a valuable alternative approach with the potential to reduce animal use in tick research. In the present study, a previously described silicone membrane artificial feeding system was modified and applied for the in vitro feeding of Hyalomma marginatum (Koch, 1844). Feeding units were prepared using bovine blood …

Immunohistochemical Expression Of Lgr5 In The Bovine Ovary, Oviduct, And Uterus, Aytül Kürüm, Yasi̇n Özkabadayi, Hakan Kocamiş, Mustafa Türk, Si̇yami̇ Karahan

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 5 (LGR5) has recently been considered as a stem cell marker seen especially in mitotically active tissues. The aim of the present study was to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of LGR5 in the bovine reproductive tract, which is regularly renewed in response to hormonal changes throughout the estrous cycle. The oviduct (ampulla, isthmus, and fimbria), uterus, and ovary tissue samples were collected from 12 cows at a local slaughterhouse. The samples were further identified as follicular (n = 6) or luteal (n = 6), subjected to routine histological procedures, and processed for immunohistochemical expression of …

Origins Of Mitochondrial Diversity In Turkish Sheep Breeds: Anatolia As A Contact Zone Or Refugial Center?, Nezi̇h Ata, İbrahi̇m Cemal

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Advances in molecular genetics, especially the integration of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analyses, have significantly transformed our understanding of the origins, geographical centers, and dispersal dynamics of domestication, a field traditionally based on archaeological and morphological evidence. In this study, the mtDNA control-region sequences of 296 individuals from 15 native Turkish sheep breeds were analyzed to clarify their maternal genetic diversity and evolutionary origins. Sequencing of a 531-bp D-loop fragment revealed 53 polymorphic sites and 78 distinct haplotypes, indicating substantial haplotypic diversity (Hd = 0.918) and nucleotide diversity (π = 0.01391) within these populations. All five major ovine mitochondrial haplogroups (A, …

Diet And Microbiome Shape Small-Molecule Cytokinin Pools In Mammals, Eman M. Othman, Elena Bencurova, Pamela Ferretti, Peer Bork, Alvaro Rodriguez Del Rio, Jaime Huerta-Cepas, Ignazio Caruana, Rania Abdel-Latif, Aman Akash, Alfonso Albacete, Feras Lafi, Thomas Dandekar, Muhammad Naseem

All Works

Cytokinins (CKs) are adenine-derived metabolites traditionally characterized as plant hormones, yet their origin, distribution, and functions in mammalian systems remain largely undefined. Using integrated metabolomics, microbiome, and metagenomics approaches, we provide a systematic characterization of CK occurrence and potential sources in mammals. Serum profiling across five animal species revealed consistent detection of multiple CK derivatives, with concentrations markedly lower than in plant tissue. The CK storage form, zeatin-O-glucoside, predominated in mammalian sera, followed by trans-zeatin and kinetin, indicating a CK composition distinct from that in plants. Species-specific differences, such as reduced trans-zeatin in mice and lower kinetin in humans, further …

Decoupled Carbon Assimilation And Growth Responses To Aridity In Temperate Deciduous Oaks, Mukund Palat Rao, Arturo Pacheco-Solana, Rong Li, Bar Oryan, Johanna E. Jensen, Milagros Rodriguez-Caton, Steve L. Voelker, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications

The magnitude of the terrestrial carbon sink remains a key uncertainty in future climate projections, in part due to poorly understood links between carbon uptake and its allocation to woody biomass in vegetation. Here, in this study, we show that photosynthesis and aboveground growth occur asynchronously across diel to seasonal scales in eight North American oak species. Across 137 tree ring sites, current-year annual growth was insensitive to climate variability after midsummer despite 26 to 36% of annual gross primary productivity (GPP) occurring during this period. Hourly GPP flux and growth measurements at four sites spanning seven site years further …

1 Billion Birds Lost: Mechanisms Of Window Collisions And Possible Mitigation Strategies At Lawrence University, Shoshana Schmit

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Windows are currently the largest killer of birds on the planet, with an estimated 1 billion birds dying from collisions annually. If birds that hit windows do not die on impact, they may either die elsewhere shortly afterwards, resulting in the number of carcasses at collision sites being a conservative estimate of the actual number of fatalities. During the day, proximity to foraging sites and reflectivity play crucial roles in the danger of windows, and during the night, artificial illumination emitting from windows disorients and inhibits navigational cues. To explore this topic on campus, I documented bird collisions at Lawrence …

Unveiling The Complexity Of Post-Roman Polity Formation In Pannonia Using Ancient Dna, Yijie Tian, István Koncz, Norbert Faragó, Corina Knipper, Ronny Friedrich, Deven N. Vyas, Levente Samu, Olga Spekker, Tamás Szeniczey, Tamás Hajdu, Balázs Gusztáv Mende, Péter Tomka, Ildikó Katalin Pap, Dávid Czigány, Rita Radzeviciute, Luca Traverso, Guido Alberto Gnecchi-Ruscone, Paolo Francalacci, Bernd Schöne, Gábor Tóth, Anna Szécsényi-Nagy, Petrus Le Roux, Kurt W. Alt, Zuzana Hofmanová, Walter Pohl, Johannes Krause, Tivadar Vida, Patrick J. Geary, Krishna R. Vereramah

Ecology & Evolution Faculty Publications

The transformation of the Roman world [fourth to ninth centuries common era (CE)], culminating in the Western Roman Empire’s fall, marked a fundamental transition in European history. Key questions persist regarding the regionally specific nature of this transformation. We generated a paleogenomic dataset to reconstruct post-Roman organizations in the Little Hungarian Plain at microregional resolution. Genetic and archaeological analyses of two Roman (n = 68) and five post-Roman (n = 246) sites reveal a rise in Northern European ancestry, reflecting large-scale population movements into this region. Moreover, despite post-Roman sites sharing similar genetic profiles, material culture, and burial …

Structure-Based Discovery Of Malate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors With Efficacy Against C. Parvum Oocysts, Ankita Bharatbhai Kheni

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Cryptosporidium parvum, the etiological agent of Cryptosporidiosis (diarrheal illness) represents a significant global health burden, particularly affecting immunodeficient and pediatric populations. Since the parasite has a highly reduced mitochondrion and relies on glycolysis, enzymes such as C. parvum malate dehydrogenase (CpMDH), which are believed to be indispensable for parasite viability due to their pivotal roles in NAD⁺ regeneration and redox balance, remain largely unexplored as therapeutic targets. The present study employed a multifaceted experimental and computational strategy to evaluate the inhibitory activity of two lead-like and drug-like small molecules, referred to as compound 1.8 and compound 1.5, against the cofactor …