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Development Of A Human Viable Heavy Chain Antibody Against The Alpha Folate Receptor As A Molecule For Targeted Application By Phage Display Technology, Nattihda Parakasikron

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Alpha folate receptor (FRα) is currently under investigation as a target for the treatment of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), since it is highly expressed in tumor cells but is largely absent in normal tissue. In this study, a novel human variable domain of a heavy-chain (VH) antibody fragment specific to FRα was enriched and selected by phage bio-planning. The positive phage clone (3A102 VH) is specifically bound to FRα and also cross-reacted with FRβ, as tested by ELISA. Clone 3A102 VH was then successfully expressed as a soluble protein in an E. coli shuffle strain. The obtained soluble …

Designing An Extracorporeal Plasma Filtration Column With Specific Binding To Dengue Virions, Sasiwimon Thonghong

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Dengue infection is one of the major public health concerns and no specific treatment is currently available. An extracorporeal system is one of the alternative treatment in severe dengue patients with impending shock. However, the commercial immunoadsorption devices were size-exclusive, non-selective designed for multipurpose thus not specific for dengue syndrome. This study focuses on establishing the flavivirus-specific (4G2) antibody entrapped into the alginate bead. Results showed that the viral titer reduced more than 90 % after 3 h running on a simulated circuit quantified by reverse transcription qPCR and plaque titration assay. The experiments were repeated with two biological replicates …

Impact Of Bacterial Dna In Severity Of Sepsis, Warerat Kaewduangduen

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Bacterial sepsis can be caused by intestinal damage, leading to the passage of viable bacteria and their components into the circulatory system. Bacterial-free DNA in the blood during sepsis can be derived from bacterial death and intestinal translocation of free DNA in the gut contents. The presence of bacterial DNA in combination with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can lead to more serious outcomes of sepsis. To explore the impact of bacterial-free DNA in sepsis, animal and macrophage experiments were performed. Firstly, the appearance of bacterial-free DNA and bacteriome in the blood was presented in mice with cecal ligation and puncture sepsis. Secondly, …

Alteration Of Extracellular Matrix Components In Anterior Pituitary Gland Of Neonatal Rats Induced By Maternal Bisphenol A (Bpa) Diet During Pregnancy, Bumpenporn Sanannam

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known endocrine-disrupting chemical that is widely used in the resin and plastic manufacturing sectors. Prenatal exposure to this chemical results in changes of pituitary hormone-producing cells. However, there have been no reports of the alterations of extracellular matrix (ECM) which play a role in controlling cell activities in the pituitary gland. In the present study, a daily oral dose of 5,000 µg/kg BW of BPA was administered to pregnant rats. ECM-producing cells, i.e., pericytes and folliculostelate cells, ECM products, and ECM regulators were investigated in the neonatal anterior pituitary at day 1 at the histology …

Modified Pre-Pcr Protocol For Detection Of Bacteria In Blood Samples Of Patients With Sepsis, Phanni Wanthong

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Sepsis and septic shock are leading causes of deaths in hospitals. The most common cause of blood stream infection is bacteria. To reduce mortality, a rapid and accurate bacterial detection in sepsis patients is essential. It is necessary to identify pathogens based on their species for appropriate choice of antibiotics. In this study, we aimed to improve the pre-PCR procedure for detection of bacteria in blood samples and to compare the performance between real-time PCR, conventional PCR and blood culture. Blood samples from 16 sepsis patients were separated into whole blood, plasma, buffy coat and white blood cell. Bacterial nucleic …

Effects Of Strongyloides Stercoralis Antigens On Immune Responses In Dendritic Cells, Vittawin Sutaveesup

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Strongyloidiasis is a parasitic disease caused by Strongyloides stercoralis. Infection in the immunocompromised hosts such as organ transplants, SLE patients, or HIV and HIPV infected patients can cause severe strongyloidiasis. Infected patients have high levels of Th2, and Treg related cytokines, including IL-4, IL-5, IL-9, IL-10, IL-13, and TGF-β. These cytokines are then decreased to normal levels after the treatments. Parasites have several mechanisms to suppress or evade the host’s immune response, such as suppressing the expression of co-stimulatory molecules on antigen-presenting cells (APCs), stimulating apoptosis of APCs, or stimulating Th2 and Treg responses. Dendritic cells (DCs) play a crucial …

Attenuation Of Chronic Kidney Disease (Ckd) And Uremia Induced Gut-Leakage By Lactobacillus Rhamnosus L34, A Probiotic Derived From Thai Population, In 5/6 Nephrectomy Model Mice; An Experimental Study, Somkanya Tungsanga

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Background: Although pathogenic gut microbiota causes gut leakage, increases translocation of uremic toxins into circulation, and accelerates CKD progression, the local strain of Lactobacillus rhamnosus L34 (L34) might attenuate gut leakage. We explored the effects of L34 on kidney fibrosis and levels of gut-derived uremic toxins (GDUTs) in 5/6-nephrectomy (5/6 Nx) mice. Methods: At 6 weeks post-5/6 Nx in mice, either L34 (1x106 CFU) or phosphate buffer solution (as 5/6 Nx control) were daily fed for 14 weeks. In vitro, the effects of L34-conditioned media with or without indoxyl sulfate (a representative GDUT) on inflammation and cell integrity (transepithelial electrical …

Ocular Surface Microbiome In Diabetes Mellitus, Orathai Suwajanakorn

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This cross-sectional, age and gender matched study included 20 eyes of non-diabetic subjects (non-DM group) and 60 eyes of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM group). Subgroups of DM were classified by diabetic retinopathy (DR) staging into no DR (DM-no DR), non-proliferative DR (DM-NPDR), proliferative DR (DM-PDR), and by glycemic control (well-controlled DM; HbA1c<7%, poorly-controlled DM; HbA1c≥7%). Conjunctival swabs were performed for ocular surface microbiome analysis using conventional culture and next-generation sequencing analysis (NGS). A higher culture-positive rate was found in DM (15%) than in non-DM group (5%) (pvalue=0.437). Antibiotic-resistant organisms were only detected in the DR groups (DM-NPDR and DM-PDR). The NGS analysis showed that potentially pathogenic bacteria predominated in DM, especially in DR. There was dissimilarity in the ocular surface microbiome between DM and non-DM groups. The subgroup analysis showed that the DR group had significantly different microbial community from DM-no DR and non-DM groups (p-value<0.05). The microbial community in the poorly-controlled DM was also significantly different from well-controlled DM and non-DM groups (p<0.001). Using the NGS method, this study is the first to signify the importance of DR and glycemic control status, which affect the changes in the ocular surface microbiome.

การศึกษาประสิทธิผลของการให้ยาเมนาควิโนน-7 ต่อภาวะการแข็งตัวของหลอดเลือดแดงในผู้ป่วยโรคไตเรื้อรังที่ได้รับการฟอกเลือดด้วยเครื่องไตเทียม: งานวิจัยเชิงทดลองแบบสุ่ม, นวลจันทร์ทิพย์ นัยรักษ์เสรี

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ที่มา: ภาวะพร่องวิตามินเคในเลือดถือเป็นความเสี่ยงที่สำคัญต่อการเกิดภาวะแคลเซียมเกาะผนังหลอดเลือดและนำไปสู่ภาวะหลอดเลือดแดงแข็งสูญเสียความยืดหยุ่นในผู้ป่วยโรคไตเรื้อรังและผู้ป่วยที่ได้รับการบำบัดทดแทนไต อย่างไรก็ตามประโยชน์ของการให้วิตามินเคเสริมต่อโครงสร้างและหน้าที่ความแข็งแรงสมบูรณ์ของหลอดเลือดนั้นยังเป็นเรื่องที่ถกเถียงกันในวงกว้างและยังต้องการหลักฐานงานวิจัยสนับสนุนเพิ่มเติม การศึกษานี้จึงถูกจัดทำขึ้นเพื่อศึกษาประสิทธิผลของการให้วิตามินเคหรือยาเมนาควิโนน-7ต่อการดำเนินของภาวะหลอดเลือดแดงแข็งในผู้ป่วยไตเรื้อรังที่ได้รับการฟอกเลือดด้วยเครื่องไตเทียม กระบวนการและระเบียบวิธีวิจัย: เป็นการศึกษาทดลองแบบสุ่มในพหุสถาบันชนิดมีกลุ่มควบคุม จัดทำขึ้นในศูนย์ไตเทียม 4 แห่งในจังหวัดกรุงเทพมหานคร ประเทศไทย โดยรวบรวมผู้ป่วยไตเรื้อรังที่ได้รับการฟอกเลือดด้วยเครื่องไตเทียมทั้งหมด 96 คนซึ่งมีภาวะหลอดเลือดแดงแข็งรุนแรงจากการประเมิน carotod-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV ≥ 10 เมตรต่อวินาที) เข้ามาในการศึกษา โดยผู้ป่วยที่เข้าร่วมในการศึกษาจะได้รับการสุ่มแบ่งออกเป็น 2 กลุ่มการศึกษา ได้แก่ กลุ่มรักษาที่ได้รับยาเมนาควิโนน-7 (ขนาด 375 ไมโครกรัมต่อวัน) ในระยะเวลา 24 สัปดาห์ (n=50) และกลุ่มควบคุมที่ไม่ได้รับยาเมนาควิโนน-7 (n=46) โดยผลลัพธ์หลักของการศึกษาคือการเปลี่ยนแปลงของภาวะหลอดเลือดแดงแข็งวัดด้วย cfPWV ระหว่างและหลังการรักษา ผลการศึกษา: ผู้ป่วยที่เข้าร่วมในงานวิจัย 96 คนมีข้อมูลพื้นฐานไม่แตกต่างกันในทั้งสองกลุ่ม ระหว่างการรักษาที่ 12 สัปดาห์พบว่า ผู้ป่วยในกลุ่มรักษาที่ได้รับยาเมนาควิโนน-7 มีแนวโน้มของภาวะหลอดเลือดแดงแข็งที่ดีขึ้นเมื่อเทียบกับกลุ่มควบคุม (-13.0 ± 20.7% vs -6.8 ± 21.1%, p=0.18) เมื่อวิเคราะห์ในกลุ่มย่อยพบว่า กลุ่มรักษาที่มีภาวะเบาหวานร่วมด้วยมีการลดลงของภาวะหลอดเลือดแดงแข็งที่มากยิ่งขึ้นเมื่อเทียบกับกลุ่มควบคุมที่มีภาวะเบาหวานร่วมด้วย (-9.9±13.8% vs 1.9±17.2%, p = 0.065) นอกจากนี้ผลการศึกษายังแสดงให้เห็นว่า ผู้ป่วยในกลุ่มรักษามีการดำเนินของภาวะหลอดเลือดแดงแข็งน้อยกว่ากลุ่มควบคุมเมื่อตรวจติดตามค่า cfPWV ที่ 12 สัปดาห์ (21.4% vs 34.1%, p = 0.20) โดยเฉพาะผู้ป่วยที่มีภาวะเบาหวานร่วมด้วยเช่นกัน (21.4% vs 58.3%, p = 0.054) ทั้งนี้ระหว่างการศึกษาที่ 12 สัปดาห์ยังไม่พบรายงานยาเมนาควิโนน-7ก่อให้เกิดผลข้างเคียงร้ายแรงต่อผู้ป่วยในงานวิจัยนี้ สรุปผลการศึกษา: การให้ยาเมนาควิโนน-7 รับประทานเสริมขนาด 375 ไมโครกรัมต่อวัน ในระยะเวลา 24 สัปดาห์พบว่า มีแนวโน้มในการลดภาวะหลอดเลือดแดงแข็งจากการวัดด้วย cfPWV ในผู้ป่วยไตเรื้อรังที่ได้รับการฟอกเลือดด้วยเครื่องไตเทียม:7 ซึ่งผลลัพธ์เดียวกันนี้ชัดเจนยิ่งขึ้นในผู้ป่วยที่ภาวะเบาหวานร่วมด้วย อย่างไรก็ตามควรมีการศึกษาเพิ่มเติมในแง่ผลลัพธ์ทางคลินิกของระบบไหลเวียนโลหิตและหัวใจเพิ่มเติมในอนาคต

Red Panda: A Novel Method For Detecting Variants In Single-Cell Rna Sequencing, Adam Cornish, Shrabasti Roychoudhury, Krishna Sarma, Suravi Pramanik, Kishor Bhakat, A T. Dudley, Nitish K. Mishra, Chittibabu Guda

Journal Articles: Genetics, Cell Biology & Anatomy

BACKGROUND: Single-cell sequencing enables us to better understand genetic diseases, such as cancer or autoimmune disorders, which are often affected by changes in rare cells. Currently, no existing software is aimed at identifying single nucleotide variations or micro (1-50 bp) insertions and deletions in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. Generating high-quality variant data is vital to the study of the aforementioned diseases, among others.

RESULTS: In this study, we report the design and implementation of Red Panda, a novel method to accurately identify variants in scRNA-seq data. Variants were called on scRNA-seq data from human articular chondrocytes, mouse embryonic fibroblasts …

Assessment Of The Nutritional Status Of Malnourished School-Age Egyptian Children, Hoda A. Abed-El Salam, Sally R. Eid, Salwa M. Saleh

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background The nutritional status of school-age children is a primary determinant of children's health, as it influences their physical and mental development. The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional status and dietary intake of macronutrients and micronutrients in a sample of malnourished school-age children (5–12 years) in Egypt. Patients and methods This was a cross-sectional study that included school-age children (5–12 years) recruited from the outpatient clinic of the National Nutrition Institute, Cairo, Egypt. Participants sampling was performed during the period from June to August 2019. In this study, 85 children of both sexes were enr?olled. Results …

Dietary Intake Of A Sample Of Stunted Egyptian Preschool Children, Amina S. Soliman, Hoda A. Abdel Salam, Saher A. Khairy, Salwa M. Saleh

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background Growth retardation is highly prevalent among children. Infections and inadequate food intake are well-established causes of growth retardation. Nutrition plays a key role in the control of linear growth. Objective The aim was to assess dietary intake of stunted Egyptian preschool children. Participants and methods The study was designed as a case–control study that included 100 Egyptian children aged 2 to less than 6 years old with delayed linear growth, proportionate stunting, who were randomly selected from the stunted outpatient clinic of National Nutrition Institute. Their results were compared with age-matching and sex-matching controls. All participants were subjected to …

Effect Of Thyme (Thymus Vulgaris L.) Essential Oil On The Quality Parameters Of Stirred Yoghurt, Emad A. H. Guirguis, Mary G. B. Meleka

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Aim Stirred yoghurt was supplemented with thyme essential oil in an attempt to enhance its quality. Materials and methods Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) essential oil concentrations (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 μl/ml) were added to the prepared stirred yoghurt and then examined for microbiological count and mycotoxin quality during storage intervals following the Egyptian standards. Results Samples contained ≥ 6 μl/ml oil showed significant increase (p<0.05) of total viable bacterial count and lactic acid bacteria, whereas mold and yeast count was decreased. Pathogenic bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, and coliform group were not detected in any of the samples, which complied with the standards. Moreover, …

Week Of December 21, 2020, New York Medical College

InTouch

• 27th Annual Faculty Author Recognition Celebrates Faculty Scholarly Works
• NYMC Shares the Latest on the COVID-19 Vaccine
• Department of Surgery Hosts 17th Annual Louis R.M. DelGuercio Research Day
• Colin Ahyoung Is Named Director of Restricted Funds and Grants Management
• Skyline Elevator Update

Short Term Effects Of Electronic Cigarettes On Pulmonary Function In Healthy Adult Smokers When Compared To Conventional Cigarette Use, Kayleen Lynch, Rachel Bastianelli

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Background: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) first appeared on the U.S. market in 20071 , but to date, little is known about their safety. Concern about long term adverse effects on overall health continues to increase as we explore the potential of e-cigarettes to aid in smoking cessation practices. E-cigarettes have gained popularity and support through this idea that by using them to help patients quit smoking, the benefits of ultimately abstaining from tobacco use will outweigh the harms associated with e-cigarette use¹ . While the idea of reducing tobacco usage by any means possible remains the goal for most providers, …

Week Of December 14, 2020, New York Medical College

InTouch

• Leader in Academic Medicine, Catherine D. DeAngelis, M.D., M.P.H., Is Tapped to Address the Class of 2021
• NYMC Unveils Pandemic Perspectives
• D.P.T. Class of 2022 Community Service Projects Adapt to the Virtual World
• 17th Annual Louis R.M. DelGuercio Research Day to Take Place Virtually on December 16
• HSL Annual Faculty Author Awards Set for December 17

Large-Scale Characterization Of Drug Responses Of Clinically Relevant Proteins In Cancer Cell Lines, Yikai Luo, Zhenlin Ju, Nicole K Nesser, Katie Johnson-Camacho, Christopher T Boniface, Yancey Lawrence, Nupur T Pande, Michael A Davies, Meenhard Herlyn, Taru Muranen, Ioannis K Zervantonakis, Erika Von Euw, Andre Schultz, Shwetha V Kumar, Anil Korkut, Paul T Spellman, Rehan Akbani, Dennis J Slamon, Joe W Gray, Joan S Brugge, Yiling Lu, Gordon B Mills, Han Liang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Perturbation biology is a powerful approach to modeling quantitative cellular behaviors and understanding detailed disease mechanisms. However, large-scale protein response resources of cancer cell lines to perturbations are not available, resulting in a critical knowledge gap. Here we generated and compiled perturbed expression profiles of ∼210 clinically relevant proteins in >12,000 cancer cell line samples in response to ∼170 drug compounds using reverse-phase protein arrays. We show that integrating perturbed protein response signals provides mechanistic insights into drug resistance, increases the predictive power for drug sensitivity, and helps identify effective drug combinations. We build a systematic map of "protein-drug" connectivity …

Role Of The Acid Sensing Ion Channel 1a In The Systemic Circulation, Selina M. Garcia

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) is a non-selective cation channel that is expressed in vascular smooth muscle cells. However, little is known about the contribution of ASIC1a to vascular reactivity and cardiovascular homeostasis. We have previously shown that ASIC1a contributes to pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) Ca²⁺ entry and vasoconstriction as well as chronic hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension. However, a role of ASIC1a in the systemic circulation is unclear. Previous reports have shown that ASIC1a is expressed in femoral and cerebral arteries, however, these studies suggest that ASIC1a contributes to vascular reactivity through neuronal regulation rather than vascular. Therefore, …

Trypanosoma Cruzi Modulates Piwi-Interacting Rna Expression In Primary Human Cardiac Myocytes During The Early Phase Of Infection, Kayla J. Rayford, Ayorinde Cooley, Ashutosh Arun, Girish Rachakonda, Yulia Kleschenko, Fernando Villalta, Siddharth Pratap, Maria F. Lima, Pius N. Nde

Publications and Research

Trypanosoma cruzi dysregulates the gene expression profile of primary human cardiomyocytes (PHCM) during the early phase of infection through a mechanism which remains to be elucidated. The role that small non-coding RNAs (sncRNA) including PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) play in regulating gene expression during the early phase of infection is unknown. To understand how T. cruzi dysregulate gene expression in the heart, we challenged PHCM with T. cruzi trypomastigotes and analyzed sncRNA, especially piRNA, by RNA-sequencing. The parasite induced significant differential expression of host piRNAs, which can target and regulate the genes which are important during the early infection phase. An …

Electrophysiological And Imaging Calcium Biomarkers Of Aging In Male And Female 5×Fad Mice, Adam O. Ghoweri, Lara Ouillette, Hilaree N. Frazier, Katie L. Anderson, Ruei-Lung Lin, John C. Gant, Rachel Parent, Shannon Moore, Geoffrey G. Murphy, Olivier Thibault

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: In animal models and tissue preparations, calcium dyshomeostasis is a biomarker of aging and Alzheimer's disease that is associated with synaptic dysfunction, neuritic pruning, and dysregulated cellular processes. It is unclear, however, whether the onset of calcium dysregulation precedes, is concurrent with, or is the product of pathological cellular events (e.g., oxidation, amyloid-β production, and neuroinflammation). Further, neuronal calcium dysregulation is not always present in animal models of amyloidogenesis, questioning its reliability as a disease biomarker.

OBJECTIVE: Here, we directly tested for the presence of calcium dysregulation in dorsal hippocampal neurons in male and female 5×FAD mice on …

The Aboriginal Gap In Online Active Vaccine Safety Surveillance, Patrick Cashman, Sally-Anne Munnoch, Katrina Clark, Natalie Allan, Stephen Clarke, Kristine Macartney, David Durrheim

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

Objectives: To investigate if Aboriginal people are equally included in new forms of vaccine safety post-marketing surveillance that support safety signal detection and confidence in the vaccine program by comparing the use of Vaxtracker active adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) surveillance between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal parents of vaccinated children.

Methods: In 2016, automated AEFI surveillance was conducted to monitor seasonal influenza vaccine in children aged 18 months to less than 5 years and for DTPa vaccine after the inclusion of a new dose at 18 months of age. To explore reasons for non-response, Aboriginal Immunisation Officers contacted the …

Pandemic Vibrio Cholerae Shuts Down Site-Specific Recombination To Retain An Interbacterial Defence Mechanism, Francis J. Santoriello, Lina Michel, Daniel Unterweger, Stefan Pukatzki

Publications and Research

Vibrio cholerae is an aquatic microbe that can be divided into three subtypes: harmless environmental strains, localised pathogenic strains, and pandemic strains causing global cholera outbreaks. Each type has a contact-dependent type VI secretion system (T6SS) that kills neighbouring competitors by translocating unique toxic effector proteins. Pandemic isolates possess identical effectors, indicating that T6SS effectors may affect pandemicity. Here, we show that one of the T6SS gene clusters (Aux3) exists in two states: a mobile, prophage-like element in a small subset of environmental strains, and a truncated Aux3 unique to and conserved in pandemic isolates. Environmental Aux3 can be readily …

Impact Of Endangered Animal Protection Rights, Policies, And Practices On Zoonotic Disease Spread, Daniella Fedak-Lengel

Honors Projects

Building on field research in Costa Rica and Belize, this honors project analyzes environmental and endangered animal protection policies, rights, and practices in Central America and the Caribbean, and assesses the impact of veterinary science and biological research and practice, particularly conservation biology, on animal welfare concerns. Informed by the recent surge in awareness regarding zoonoses and zoonotic disease transmission, prevention and control, resulting from the current global pandemic of SARS-CoV-2, the project assesses the need for new and innovative types of collaboration, particularly involving conservation biologists, environmental scientists, public health experts, law and policy makers, and global trade and …

Week Of December 7, 2020, New York Medical College

InTouch

• Mill Etienne, M.D. '02, M.P.H., FAAN, FAES, Appointed Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion
• School of Medicine Class of 2024 Marks Start of Journey as Medical Professionals During White Coat Ceremony
• School of Medicine Class of 2024 Finds Developing White Coat Ceremony Oath as a Class Particularly Meaningful
• NYMC Receives New Holographic Patent Combined With 5G Wi-Fi
• GivingTuesday Supports Clinical Skills and Simulation Center
• NYMC and Touro Host Eighth Symposium on COVID-19
• SHSP Hosts 2020 Virtual Career Mentor Session
• NYMC Gives Thanks On Campus

Manf Is Neuroprotective Against Ethanol-Induced Neurodegeneration Through Ameliorating Er Stress, Yongchao Wang, Wen Wen, Hui Li, Marco Clementino, Hong Xu, Mei Xu, Murong Ma, Jacqueline A. Frank, Jia Luo

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a spectrum of developmental disorders caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. Neuronal loss or neurodegeneration in the central nervous system (CNS) is one of the most devastating features in FASD. It is imperative to delineate the underlying mechanisms to facilitate the treatment of FASD. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is a hallmark and an underlying mechanism of many neurodegenerative diseases, including ethanol-induced neurodegeneration. Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) responds to ER stress and has been identified as a protein upregulated in response to ethanol exposure during the brain development. To investigate the role of MANF in …

Technology Aiding In Neonatal Lung Developmental Care, Megan Kirk

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this paper, old as well as new technological findings to decrease premature infant mortality are reviewed. This paper discusses fetal development throughout pregnancy from conception to full-term status as well as fetal lung development specifically from conception until full-term status. Several ideas to rapidly develop and mature fetal lungs are discussed such as mothers ingesting artificial surfactant supplements, either independently or coupled with antenatal corticosteroids, as well as intra-amniotic instillation prior to 28 weeks gestational. Drawbacks regarding these two are mentioned as well such as the fetus’s lungs not being mature enough to use the artificial surfactant leading into …

The Role Of Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells In Liver Malady Homeostasis, Fatima Cabral

Department of Biochemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Current literature described techniques for the purification of liver cell types through text alone. The techniques described for the isolation of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells as well as hepatocytes described here are modified from a published article in the Journal of Visualized experiments. The video protocol allows for the user to successfully isolate cells as the most difficult parts of the procedure are demonstrated visually. The detection of liver maladies such as the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the stage if this disease and differentiation between non-alcoholic and alcoholic fatty liver disease is demonstrated in the development of a unique panel …

Reversal Of Neurodegeneration By Engineered Monocytes In Alzheimer’S Disease, Chao-Hsien Chen

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The health challenges posed by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) continue to grow as societies age worldwide. Accumulation of Tau-associated pathology correlates with clinical cognitive deterioration in AD. Resident myeloid cells within the central nervous system (CNS) have a limited capacity to uptake and degrade Tau; however, the resulting secretion of proinflammatory cytokines only acts to accelerate neurodegeneration. Therapeutic antibodies can reduce the neurotoxic oligomeric form of Tau (o-Tau), but in doing so they also aggravate inflammation. Attenuating mutation of the antibody Fc region can silence inflammation but also eliminates its capacity to mediate o-Tau clearance by CNS myeloid cells. Thus, there …

Nuclear-Targeted Gold Nanoparticles Enhance The Effects Of Radiation Therapy With And Without Liposomal Delivery, Maureen Aliru

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Less that 10% of pancreatic cancer patients are eligible for curative resection, and clinical trials evaluating chemoradiation in locally advanced patients with unresectable disease have been largely disappointing. New and creative therapeutic approaches are needed to address the unment need for treatment options. The objective of this thesis is to advance radiosensitization of treatment-resistant densely desmoplastic pancreatic cancer using nanoparticles to surmount biological barriers to effective particle distribution for DNA-targeting.

Clinical translation of radiosensitizing nanoparticles has stalled owing to technical challenges. Current strategies to use AuNPs for radiosensitization require large quantities of gold, kilovoltage x-rays, immediate irradiation after intravenous administration, …

Dean's Update December 2020, Jerry L. Nadler

SOM Dean's Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.