Digital Commons Network^™

Tuberous Sclerosis: A Review Of The Past, Present, And Future, Sanem Pinar Uysal, Mustafa Şahi̇n

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant, multisystem disorder that is characterized by cellular and tissue dysplasia in several organs. With the advent of genetic and molecular techniques, mutations in the TSC1 or TSC2 genes were discovered to be responsible for mTOR overactivation, which is the underlying mechanism of pathogenesis. TSC is a highly heterogenous clinical entity with variable presentations and severity of disease. The brain, heart, skin, eyes, kidneys, and lungs are commonly involved in this syndrome, with neurologic symptoms comprising a significant source of morbidity and mortality. In 2012, the diagnostic criteria for TSC were revised by …

Limbic-Predominant Age-Related Tdp-43 Encephalopathy (Late): Consensus Working Group Report, Peter T. Nelson, Dennis W. Dickson, John Q. Trojanowski, Clifford R. Jack, Patricia A. Boyle, Konstantinos Arfanakis, Rosa Rademakers, Irina Alafuzoff, Johannes Attems, Carol Brayne, Ian T. S. Coyle-Gilchrist, Helena C. Chui, David W. Fardo, Margaret E. Flanagan, Glenda Halliday, Suvi R. K. Hokkanen, Sally Hunter, Gregory A. Jicha, Yuriko Katsumata, Claudia H. Kawas, C. Dirk Keene, Gabor G. Kovacs, Walter A. Kukull, Allan I. Levey, Nazanin Makkinejad, Thomas J. Montine, Shigeo Murayama, Melissa E. Murray, Sukriti Nag, Robert A. Rissman, William W. Seeley, Reisa A. Sperling, Charles L. White Iii, Lei Yu, Julie A. Schneider

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

We describe a recently recognized disease entity, limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE). LATE neuropathological change (LATE-NC) is defined by a stereotypical TDP-43 proteinopathy in older adults, with or without coexisting hippocampal sclerosis pathology. LATE-NC is a common TDP-43 proteinopathy, associated with an amnestic dementia syndrome that mimicked Alzheimer’s-type dementia in retrospective autopsy studies. LATE is distinguished from frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 pathology based on its epidemiology (LATE generally affects older subjects), and relatively restricted neuroanatomical distribution of TDP-43 proteinopathy. In community-based autopsy cohorts, ∼25% of brains had sufficient burden of LATE-NC to be associated with discernible cognitive impairment. Many …

Understanding Awareness And Completion Of Advanced Care Directives: An Exploratory Study, Katherine Anna Chiu, Katherine Grace Topf

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Background: Advance Care Directives (ACDs) are forms that are beneficial for expressing end-of-life wishes during Advance Care Planning (ACP); however, few studies have focused on awareness and completion among college-aged populations. Completion of ACDs are more common among populations forced to think about potential of death, such as the elderly and chronically ill.

Methodology: This research is comprised of two parts in order to explore the availability of resources on four-year public institutions’ official websites (institutional level), and college-aged students’ beliefs and values. The institutional level took inventory of information available on the official websites of four-year public institutions (n=1,642). …

Visual And Verbal Serial List Learning In Patients With Statistically-Determined Mild Cognitive Impairment., Victor Wasserman, Sheina Emrani, Emily F Matusz, David Miller, Kelly Davis Garrett, Katherine A Gifford, Timothy J Hohman, Angela L Jefferson, Rhoda Au, Rod Swenson, David J Libon, Consortium For Clinical And Epidemiological Neuropsychological Data Analysis (Cenda).

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Background and Objective: Prior research with patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) suggests that visual versus verbal episodic memory test performance may be more sensitive to emergent illness. However, little research has examined visual versus verbal episodic memory performance as related to MCI subtypes.

Research Design and Methods: Patients were diagnosed with non-MCI, amnestic MCI (aMCI), and combined mixed/dysexecutive MCI (mixed/dys MCI). Visual and verbal episodic memory were assessed with the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R) and the 12-word Philadelphia (repeatable) Verbal Learning Test (P[r]VLT), respectively.

Results: BVMT-R and P(r)VLT scores yielded similar between-group patterns of performance. Non-MCI patients scored …

Behavioral And Neural Correlates Of Normal Aging Effects On Motor Preparatory Mechanisms Of Speech Production And Limb Movement, Karim Johari, Dirk B. Den Ouden, Roozbeh Behroozmand

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

Normal aging is associated with decline of the sensorimotor mechanisms that support movement function in the human brain. In this study, we used behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) recordings to investigate the effects of normal aging on the motor preparatory mechanisms of speech production and limb movement. The experiment involved two groups of older and younger adults who performed randomized speech vowel vocalization and button press motor reaction time tasks in response to temporally predictable and unpredictable visual stimuli. Behavioral results revealed age-related slowness of motor reaction time only during speech production in response to temporally unpredictable stimuli, and this …

Changes In Mitochondrial Protein Expression In Human Cd4 + T Cells During The Initiation And Progression Of Diabetes, Alanna Keady

Health Sciences Student Work

Introduction: Chronic sterile inflammation that underlies obesity can promote unhealthy cellular changes eventually leading to a decline in metabolic health and type-2 diabetes. Dysregulation of cellular processes during the initiation and progression of obesity can impair inflammatory homeostasis leading to a proinflammatory Th17 cytokine profile by CD4 + Tcells. Our ongoing research efforts are to understand the mechanistic link between the changes in a cellular housekeeping process known as autophagy and the regulation of Th17 cytokines in obese non diabetic and diabetic subjects. Methods: We assessed cellular protein expression and colocalization using immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry and ELISA assays. Results: …

Transcranial Doppler Assessment Of Patients With Cerebral Small Vessel Disease, Alaa Ebrahim Ata Ata Shaaban, Mahmoud H. Ebrahim, Mohamed M. T. Elbaghdady, Salma H. M. Khalil

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) refers to any pathology in all vascular structures (small arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules, and small veins). Transcranial Doppler is a bedside, inexpensive, noninvasive technique that can assess intracerebral circulation in real time and can be used for continuous monitoring. Aim of the work Our study tried to detect the pathogenesis of cerebral SVD, especially the implication of the cerebral large artery disease. Moreover, it assessed the ability of transcranial Doppler in evaluating the severity of cerebral SVD and people who are at risk. Patients with cardioembolic risk were excluded. Patients and methods A cross-sectional …

ความสามารถในการทำงานและปัจจัยที่เกี่ยวข้องของบุคลากรทางการแพทย์สูงอายุในโรงพยาบาลตติยภูมิแห่งหนึ่งในกรุงเทพมหานคร, ศรวิทย์ โอสถศิลป์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การวิจัยนี้เป็นการวิจัยเชิงพรรณนา ณ จุดใดจุดหนึ่ง มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาถึงความสามารถในการทำงานและปัจจัยที่เกี่ยวข้องของบุคลากรทางการแพทย์สูงอายุในโรงพยาบาลตติยภูมิแห่งหนึ่งในกรุงเทพมหานคร กลุ่มตัวอย่างเป็นบุคลากรทางการแพทย์ที่มีอายุตั้งแต่ 45 ปีขึ้นไป จำนวน 285 คน คัดเลือกโดยการสุ่มตัวอย่างแบบชั้นภูมิตามสัดส่วนของแต่ละกลุ่มอาชีพ เครื่องมือที่ใช้คือแบบสอบถามดัชนีชี้วัดความสามารถในการทำงาน (Work ability index) ฉบับภาษาไทย และแบบสอบถามเกี่ยวกับปัจจัยที่เกี่ยวข้องกับความสามารถในการทำงาน ข้อมูลจะถูกวิเคราะห์ด้วยสถิติเชิงพรรณาและการวิเคราะห์การถดถอยโลจิสติกแบบเชิงชั้น ผลการวิจัย พบว่ากลุ่มตัวอย่างส่วนใหญ่มีระดับความสามารถในการทำงานอยู่ในระดับดี จำนวน 166 คน (ร้อยละ 58.2) และดัชนีชี้วัดความสามารถในการทำงานเฉลี่ยอยู่ที่ 38.8 คะแนน (SD = 4.50) และโดยปัจจัยที่มีความสัมพันธ์ ได้แก่ เคยมีประวัติการสูบบุหรี่ (ORadj = 11.43, 95% CI = 1.78 – 73.36) มีสิ่งแวดล้อมในการทำงานที่ไม่ดีในด้านการยศาสตร์ (ORadj = 4.22, 95% CI = 1.80 – 9.90) กลุ่มอาชีพแพทย์ (ORadj = 12.36, 95% CI = 2.15 – 71.00) มีความขัดแย้งกันกับบุคคลในครอบครัว (ORadj = 2.63, 95% CI = 1.14 – 6.06) เพศชาย (ORadj = 0.06, 95% CI = 0.01 - 0.32) ระดับการศึกษาสูงสุดสูงกว่าปริญญาตรี (ORadj = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.14 – 0.93) และรายได้ต่อเดือนมากกว่าทุก 1 พันบาท (ORadj = 0.95, 95% …

The Association Of Reduced Bone Density With Paraspinal Muscle Atrophy And Adipose Tissue In Geriatric Patients: A Cross-Sectional Ct Study, Eli̇f Evri̇m Eki̇n, Muhi̇tti̇n Emre Altunrende

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: The aim of the study is to examine the relationship among bone density, adipose tissue, and muscle mass with abdominal CT in geriatric patients.Materials and methods: The study is a retrospective cohort study of patients 65 years and over who underwent abdominal CT for any reason between October 2017 and July 2018. Third lumbar vertebra density, fatty degeneration of the paraspinal muscle, subcutaneous adipose tissue, and mesenteric adipose tissue ratio were evaluated. Results: A total of 312 patients, 144 females and 168 males, were included in the study. Reduced bone density was found in 237 (76%) patients. Reduced bone …

Alterations In Serum Levels Of Copper, Zinc, And Selenium Among Children With Sickle Cell Anemia, Rana Hasanato

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Oxidative stress contributes to pathophysiological dysfunction in sickle cell anemia (SCA). Copper (Cu) is a prooxidant, whereas zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se) are antioxidant trace elements. This study investigates the serum levels of Cu, Zn, and Se among children with SCA.Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was performed at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh. Thirty-three children with SCA in steady state and 33 age- and sex-matched normal healthy children were included in the study. Cu, Zn, and Se levels were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) instrument.Results: The median serum Cu levels among SCA patients (1.3 -g/mL) were …

The Turkish Version Of The Modified Falls Efficacy Scale: Reliability And Validity From The Viewpoint Of Balance, Ni̇lüfer Çeti̇şli̇ Korkmaz, Mehmet Duray, Esra Doğru Hüzmeli̇, Hande Şenol

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: The factors associated with fall-related self-efficacy should be addressed, especially in the elderly. The Modified Falls Efficacy Scale (MFES) is a simple instrument with good scaling properties and reliability. The aim of the present study was to determine the reliability and the validity of the Turkish version of the MFES from the viewpoint of balance.Materials and methods: In this study, 164 participants aged >65 years were included. The use of walking aids and assistive devices, history and frequency of falls in the previous year, living environment, and exercise habits were noted. Balance and risk of falling were assessed with …

Efficiency Of Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields On Pain, Disability, Anxiety, Depression, And Quality Of Life In Patients With Cervical Disc Herniation: A Randomized Controlled Study, Erkam Hattapoğlu, İbrahi̇m Batmaz, Banu Di̇lek, Mehmet Karakoç, Serda Em, Remzi̇ Çevi̇k

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effects ofpulsed electromagnetic field(PEMF) therapy on pain, disability, psychological state, and quality of life in cervical disc herniation.Materials and methods: Patients were randomly divided into two groups, including Group 1, which received a therapy consisting of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), hot pack (HP), and PEMF, and Group 2, which received a magnetic field (sham magnetic field) without current flow in addition to TENS and HP therapy. Pain was assessed by a visual analog scale (VAS, 0?10 cm). The other outcome measures were function (Neck Pain and Disability Scale), anxiety-depressive …

The Relationship Between Serum Nt-Probnp Levels And Severity Of Coronary Artery Disease Assessed By Syntax Score In Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction, Taner Sarak, Muhammed Karadeni̇z

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: In the present study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between NT-proBNP and SYNTAX score, which is a measure of the complexity of coronary artery disease. Materials and methods: We enrolled 405 consecutive patients with myocardial infarction who underwent coronary angiographic examination. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to their SYNTAX scores. Those with SYNTAX score ≤22 were included in the low SYNTAX score group (LSTX), those with a score of 23-32 were included in the intermediate SYNTAX score group (ISTX), and those with a score of ≥33 were included in the high SYNTAX score group (HSTX). Results: …

An Evaluation Of The Impact Of Medication On Behavioral Intervention Effectiveness For Adults With Traumatic Brain Injury, Sulay Martinez

Capstone Projects

A systematic search of the literature was conducted to identify articles implementing both pharmacological and behavioral interventions with subjects with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Limitations of pharmacological interventions were evaluated and compared to the implications for behavioral interventions for adults with TBI. Results of this study indicate further research is necessary to adequately evaluate the effects of medication on behavioral intervention effectiveness for adults with TBI.

Overexpression Of Cyb5r3 And Nqo1, Two Nad+-Producing Enzymes, Mimics Aspects Of Caloric Restriction, Alberto Diaz-Ruiz, Michael Lanasa, Joseph Garcia, Hector Mora, Frances Fan, Alejandro Martin-Montalvo, Andrea Di Francesco, Miguel Calvo-Rubio, Andrea Salvador-Pascual, Miguel A. Aon, Kenneth W. Fishbein, Kevin J. Pearson, Jose Manuel Villalba, Placido Navas, Michel Bernier, Rafael De Cabo

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Calorie restriction (CR) is one of the most robust means to improve health and survival in model organisms. CR imposes a metabolic program that leads to increased stress resistance and delayed onset of chronic diseases, including cancer. In rodents, CR induces the upregulation of two NADH‐dehydrogenases, namely NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (Nqo1) and cytochrome b₅ reductase 3 (Cyb5r3), which provide electrons for energy metabolism. It has been proposed that this upregulation may be responsible for some of the beneficial effects of CR, and defects in their activity are linked to aging and several age‐associated diseases. However, …

Effect Of Exercise And Hypoxia On Plasma Telomerase, Charli D. Aguilar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction: Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is the enzyme that adds telomeric sequences to the end of linear chromosomes. Exercise has shown to upregulate acutely leukocyte TERT after just 30 minutes of running on a treadmill at 80% of VO2max (Denham et al., 2016). Hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is also a mediator of TERT in in vitro (Nishi et al., 2004). Moderate acute exposure to hypoxia was associated with substantial increases in plasma TERT in a recent study on rats (Wang et al., 2014). The specific aim of the current study was to identify if acute hypoxia upregulates plasma TERT …

Out Of The Shell: Exploring The Phagocytic Capabilities Of The B Cell And Isolated Lymphoid Follicle-Lie Structures In The Red-Eared Slider, Trachemys Scripta, Marc A. Ashford Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Management of immunity is crucial for survival in all living organisms. While there is a large amount of research for established model organisms, such as the mouse model, much less is known about reptiles. When compared to immunity in mammals, we discover many differences such as susceptibility to certain pathogens, alteration of immune processes due to environmental temperature, the total absence of certain lymphoid organs contained in mammals, among many others. Despite this, the reptile has shown in many studies that they are worthy systems to study immunity in an evolutionary perspective and recent studies may show that they may …

Dysregulation Of Daf-16/Foxo3a-Mediated Stress Responses Accelerates T Oxidative Dna Damage Induced Aging, Aditi U. Gurkar, Andria R. Robinson, Yuxiang Cui, Xuesen Li, Shailaja K. Allani, Amanda Webster, Mariya Muravia, Mohammad Fallahi, Herbert Weissbach, Paul D. Robbins, Yinsheng Wang, Eric E. Kelley, Claudette M. St. Croix, Laura J. Niedernhofer, Matthew S. Gill

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

DNA damage is presumed to be one type of stochastic macromolecular damage that contributes to aging, yet little is known about the precise mechanism by which DNA damage drives aging. Here, we attempt to address this gap in knowledge using DNA repair-deficient C. elegans and mice. ERCC1-XPF is a nuclear endonuclease required for genomic stability and loss of ERCC1 in humans and mice accelerates the incidence of age-related pathologies. Like mice, ercc-1 worms are UV sensitive, shorter lived, display premature functional decline and they accumulate spontaneous oxidative DNA lesions (cyclopurines) more rapidly than wild-type worms. We found that ercc-1 worms …

Baseline White Matter Hyperintensities And Hippocampal Volume Are Associated With Conversion From Normal Cognition To Mild Cognitive Impairment In The Framingham Offspring Study., Katherine J Bangen, Sarah R Preis, Lisa Delano-Wood, Philip A Wolf, David J Libon, Mark W Bondi, Rhoda Au, Charles Decarli, Adam M Brickman

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

INTRODUCTION: We examined associations between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers of cerebrovascular disease and neurodegeneration with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnosis at baseline and conversion from normal cognition to MCI at follow-up.

METHODS: Framingham Offspring participants underwent brain MRI and neuropsychological assessment at baseline (n=1049) and follow-up (n=561). Participants were classified at baseline and at follow-up as cognitively normal or MCI using sensitive neuropsychological criteria. White matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume, covert brain infarcts, hippocampal volume, and total cerebral brain volume were quantified.

RESULTS: Baseline measures of WMH and hippocampal volume were associated with MCI status cross-sectionally and also with conversion …

Assessing Working Memory In Mild Cognitive Impairment With Serial Order Recall., Sheina Emrani, David J Libon, Melissa Lamar, Catherine C Price, Angela L Jefferson, Katherine A Gifford, Timothy J Hohman, Daniel A Nation, Lisa Delano-Wood, Amy Jak, Katherine J Bangen, Mark W Bondi, Adam M Brickman, Jennifer Manly, Rodney Swenson, Rhoda Au, Consortium For Clinical And Epidemiological Neuropsychological Data Analysis (Cenda)

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

BACKGROUND: Working memory (WM) is often assessed with serial order tests such as repeating digits backward. In prior dementia research using the Backward Digit Span Test (BDT), only aggregate test performance was examined.

OBJECTIVE: The current research tallied primacy/recency effects, out-of-sequence transposition errors, perseverations, and omissions to assess WM deficits in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

METHODS: Memory clinic patients (n = 66) were classified into three groups: single domain amnestic MCI (aMCI), combined mixed domain/dysexecutive MCI (mixed/dys MCI), and non-MCI where patients did not meet criteria for MCI. Serial order/WM ability was assessed by asking participants to repeat …

The Use Of Rhyme, Rhythm, And Melody As A Form Of Repetition Priming To Aid In Encoding, Storage, And Retrieval Of Semantic Memories In Alzheimer’S Patients, Faiz Plastikwala

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Millions are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease annually which can have debilitating effects on patient memory. Thus, finding new ways to help facilitate memory in these patients, especially through non-pharmaceutical means, has become increasingly important. I examined the use of melody, rhyme, and rhythm as encoding mechanisms to aid in the retrieval of long term semantic information by juxtaposing scholarly articles detailing experiments, each of which examined the effects of various facets of memory facilitation; this helped produce an idea of which devices are most effective. Additionally, I surveyed studies highlighting limitations of song implementation to craft an effective plan to …

Proof-Of-Concept Testing Of A Real-Time Mhealth Measure To Estimate Postural Control During Walking: A Potential Application For Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries, Hyunhwa Lee, Sunchul Lee, Laura Salado, Jonica Estrada, Jacob White, Venkatesan Muthukumar, Szu-Ping Lee, Sambit Mohapatra

Nursing Faculty Research

Background: Most individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) experience post-injury deficits in postural control. Currently available measures of postural control are lab-based or supervised, which may hinder timely symptom assessment for individuals with mTBI, including Asian populations, who do not seek initial screening post-injury. In this proof-of-concept testing study, we introduce a real-time mobile health (mHealth) system to measure postural control during walking. The proposed mHealth system can be used for home-based symptom assessment and management of mTBI. Methods: In our proposed mHealth system, a smartwatch, a smartphone, and a cloud server communicate to measure, collect, and store body …

Novel Insights Into The Contribution Of Cellular Senescence To Cancer Therapy: Reversibility, Dormancy And Senolysis., Tareq Saleh

Theses and Dissertations

Cellular senescence a specialized form of growth arrest that contributes to the pathogenesis of several aging-related disorders including cancer. While by definition tumor cells are considered immortalized, they can undergo senescence when exposed to conventional and targeted cancer therapy. Therapy-Induced Senescence (TIS) represents a fundamental response to therapy and impacts its outcomes. However, TIS has been considered a positive therapeutic goal since senescent tumor cells are expected to enter a state of permanent growth abrogation. In this work we examined the hypothesis that a subpopulation of senescent cells can re-acquire proliferative potential after a state of senescent dormancy, indicating that …

Evaluation Of Postural Stability In Overweight And Obese Middle-Aged Men, Mohammadreza Rezaeipour

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Weight gain is associated with balance disorders. This study intends to evaluate the postural stability in a natural stance in overweight and obese men by measuring the center of pressure (CoP) velocity in the medial-lateral (ML) and anteriorposterior (AP) directions. Materials and methods: A total number of 111 men categorized according to body mass index (BMI) into normal weight, overweight, and obese categories underwent a measurement of quiet standing with eyes open (EO) and with eyes closed (EC). Postural stability was assessed using a force platform. The average of CoP velocity was assessed in the two directions. Results: In …

Aging, Inflammation, And Gut Microbiota In Mice, Jody Demeo

Honors Projects

Inflammation and gut microbiota are two areas of study that can be linked to aging in the body. As a person ages, systemic inflammation tends to increase, and changes in microbiota in the gastrointestinal system occur as well.

Hne-Modified Proteins In Down Syndrome: Involvement In Development Of Alzheimer Disease Neuropathology, Eugenio Barone, Elizabeth Head, D. Allan Butterfield, Marzia Perluigi

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Down syndrome (DS), trisomy of chromosome 21, is the most common genetic form of intellectual disability. The neuropathology of DS involves multiple molecular mechanisms, similar to AD, including the deposition of beta-amyloid (Aβ) into senile plaques and tau hyperphosphorylating in neurofibrillary tangles. Interestingly, many genes encoded by chromosome 21, in addition to being primarily linked to amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) pathology, are responsible for increased oxidative stress (OS) conditions that also result as a consequence of reduced antioxidant system efficiency. However, redox homeostasis is disturbed by overproduction of Aβ, which accumulates into plaques across the lifespan in DS as well as …

Age Drives Distortion Of Brain Metabolic, Vascular And Cognitive Functions, And The Gut Microbiome, Jared D. Hoffman, Ishita Parikh, Stefan J. Green, George Chlipala, Robert P. Mohney, Mignon Keaton, Bjoern Bauer, Anika M. S. Hartz, Ai-Ling Lin

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Advancing age is the top risk factor for the development of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the contribution of aging processes to AD etiology remains unclear. Emerging evidence shows that reduced brain metabolic and vascular functions occur decades before the onset of cognitive impairments, and these reductions are highly associated with low-grade, chronic inflammation developed in the brain over time. Interestingly, recent findings suggest that the gut microbiota may also play a critical role in modulating immune responses in the brain via the brain-gut axis. In this study, our goal was to identify associations between deleterious changes in …

Enduring Chronic Kidney Disease: An Investigation Of Psychosocial Factors And Life Satisfaction In Older Adults Receiving Dialysis Treatment, Bailee Sobotka

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Chronic kidney disease is a condition during which the kidneys begin to shut down and no longer filter blood efficiently. Once the disease has progressed far enough, dialysis treatments are mandatory to sustain life. To further understand how older adults receiving dialysis treatments cope with their disease, psychosocial factors were evaluated to investigate possible correlations with life satisfaction using a Life Satisfaction Index Z (LSI-Z). Expected correlations with life satisfaction were sociability, financial satisfaction, importance of spirituality, and activities of daily living scores. Interviews were conducted with 30 dialysis patients and results were analyzed using various statistical measures. Significant correlations …

Aging, Executive Function, Fronto-Parietal Network Cortical Thickness: Insights From Cognitive Reserve, Katherine Reiter

Dissertations (1934 -)

Cognitive reserve (CR) indexes the nonlinear relationship between neurological insult and behavioral change. CR is manifested in both static factors (e.g., childhood environment, education) and modifiable lifestyle factors, (e.g., leisure activities). Detailed investigation of the influence of CR on cortical thickness, which indexes neuropathology, and cognitive functioning could be particularly important in understanding the heterogeneity of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While memory decline is the hallmark of AD, executive functioning (EF) decline often predates memory changes, making EF an important target for investigating CR influences. The current study examines the relationship of CR and genetic risk for AD (ε4) on EF …

Temperature Induces Significant Changes In Both Glycolytic Reserve And Mitochondrial Spare Respiratory Capacity In Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines, Mihail I. Mitov, Jennifer W. Harris, Michael Alstott, Yekaterina Y. Zaytseva, B. Mark Evers, D. Allan Butterfield

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Thermotherapy, as a method of treating cancer, has recently attracted considerable attention from basic and clinical investigators. A number of studies and clinical trials have shown that thermotherapy can be successfully used as a therapeutic approach for various cancers. However, the effects of temperature on cancer bioenergetics have not been studied in detail with a real time, in a microplate, label-free detection approach.

This study investigate how changes in temperature affect the bioenergetics characteristics (mitochondrial function and glycolysis) of three colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines utilizing the Seahorse XF96 technology. Experiments were performed at 32°C, 37°C and 42°C using assay …