Digital Commons Network^™

Metformin Enhances Autophagy And Normalizes Mitochondrial Function To Alleviate Aging-Associated Inflammation, Leena P Bharath, Madhur Agrawal, Grace Mccambridge, Dequina A Nicholas, Hatice Hasturk, Jing Liu, Kai Jiang, Rui Liu, Zhenheng Guo, Jude Deeney, Caroline M Apovian, Jennifer Snyder-Cappione, Gregory S Hawk, Rebecca M Fleeman, Riley M F Pihl, Katherine Thompson, Anna C Belkina, Licong Cui, Elizabeth A Proctor, Philip A Kern, Barbara S Nikolajczyk

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Age is a non-modifiable risk factor for the inflammation that underlies age-associated diseases; thus, anti-inflammaging drugs hold promise for increasing health span. Cytokine profiling and bioinformatic analyses showed that Th17 cytokine production differentiates CD4+ T cells from lean, normoglycemic older and younger subjects, and mimics a diabetes-associated Th17 profile. T cells from older compared to younger subjects also had defects in autophagy and mitochondrial bioenergetics that associate with redox imbalance. Metformin ameliorated the Th17 inflammaging profile by increasing autophagy and improving mitochondrial bioenergetics. By contrast, autophagy-targeting siRNA disrupted redox balance in T cells from young subjects and activated the Th17 …

Disrupted Hypothalamic Crh Neuron Responsiveness Contributes To Diet-Induced Obesity, Canjun Zhu, Yuanzhong Xu, Zhiying Jiang, Jin Bin Tian, Ryan M Cassidy, Zhao-Lin Cai, Gang Shu, Yong Xu, Mingshan Xue, Benjamin R Arenkiel, Qingyan Jiang, Qingchun Tong

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

The current obesity epidemic mainly results from high-fat high-caloric diet (HFD) feeding and may also be contributed by chronic stress; however, the neural basis underlying stress-related diet-induced obesity remains unknown. Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons in the paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH), a known body weight-regulating region, represent one key group of stress-responsive neurons. Here, we found that HFD feeding blunted PVH CRH neuron response to nutritional challenges as well as stress stimuli and dexamethesone, which normally produce rapid activation and inhibition on these neurons, respectively. We generated mouse models with the activity of these neurons clamped at high or low levels, both …

Multi-Omics: Differential Expression Of Ifn-Γ Results In Distinctive Mechanistic Features Linking Chronic Inflammation, Gut Dysbiosis, And Autoimmune Diseases, Heekyong R. Bae, Patrick S. C. Leung, Deborah L. Hodge, John M. Fenimore, Seon Min Jeon, Vishal Thovarai, Amiran Dzutsev, Andrew A. Welcher, Michael Boedigheimer, Michael A. Damore, Myung Sook Choi, Richard A. Fravell, Giorgio Trinchieri, M. Eric Gershwin, Howard A. Young

United States Public Health Resources

Low grade, chronic inflammation is a critical risk factor for immunologic dysfunction including autoimmune diseases. However, the multiplicity of complex mechanisms and lack of relevant murine models limit our understanding of the precise role of chronic inflammation. To address these hurdles, we took advantage of multi-omics data and a unique murine model with a low but chronic expression of IFN-γ, generated by replacement of the AU-rich element (ARE) in the 3’ UTR region of IFN-γ mRNA with random nucleotides. Herein, we demonstrate that low but differential expression of IFN-γ in mice by homozygous or heterozygous ARE replacement triggers distinctive gut …

Mitochondrial Contributions To Disuse Atrophy: Let’S Talk About Sex, Megan Rosa-Caldwell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Skeletal muscle atrophy is a hallmark of many pathologies and is associated with disease prognosis, quality of life, and mortality. Specifically, lack of contractile activity of the muscle can result in disuse-associated atrophy. Disuse-induced atrophy is a common phenomenon in intensive care unit (ICU) patients and significantly impacts patient prognosis and ability to transition of out of intensive care. However, effective therapeutics to mitigate disuse-associated atrophy do not exist, clearly demonstrating the scientific and clinical need to further understand mechanisms contributing to disuse atrophy. In particular, a significant portion of the scientific literature has utilized male models, yet there is …

Parenteral Lipids Shape Gut Bile Acid Pools And Microbiota Profiles In The Prevention Of Cholestasis In Preterm Pigs, Lee Call, Tiffany Molina, Barbara Stoll, Greg Guthrie, Shaji Chacko, Jogchum Plat, Jason Robinson, Sen Lin, Caitlin Vonderohe, Mahmoud Mohammad, Dennis Kunichoff, Stephanie Cruz, Patricio Lau, Muralidhar Premkumar, Jon Nielsen, Zhengfeng Fang, Oluyinka Olutoye, Thomas Thymann, Robert Britton, Per Sangild, Douglas Burrin

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Multi-component lipid emulsions, rather than soy-oil emulsions, prevent cholestasis by an unknown mechanism. Here, we quantified liver function, bile acid pools, and gut microbial and metabolite profiles in premature parenterally fed pigs given a soy-oil lipid emulsion, Intralipid (IL), a multi component lipid emulsion, SMOFlipid (SMOF), a novel emulsion with a modified fatty-acid composition [experimental emulsion (EXP)], or a control enteral diet (ENT) for 22 days. We assayed serum cholestasis markers, measured total bile acid levels in plasma, liver, and gut contents, and analyzed colonic bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences and metabolomic profiles. Serum cholestasis markers (i.e., bilirubin, bile acids, …

Improving Nutrition And Immunity With Dry Chain And Integrated Pest Management Food Technologies In Lmics., Peetambar Dahal, Meghnath Dhimal, Krishna Belbase, Sundar Tiwari, John Groopman, Keith West, Bradley Pollock, Subodh Pyakurel, Ganga Acharya, Sunil Aryal, Yug Nath Ghimire, Manish Neupane, Rosina Poudel, Johan Van Ashbrouck, Keshavulu Kunusoth, Sarah De Saeger, Marthe De Boevre, Gokarna Gharti-Chhetri, Tek Bahadur Gurung, Kent J Bradford

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Low Yield Of Hepatitis C Infection In An Outreach Screening Program In Harris County, Texas, Hyun-Seok Kim, Rosalia Guerrero, Shane W Reader, Maria Daheri, Maya Balakrishnan, Catherine L Troisi, Hashem B El-Serag, Aaron P Thrift

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

A community outreach hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection screening program provided low yield of detecting HCV-infected patients, linking them to our hepatology clinic for treatment. Our data underscore that most of the yield was related to addiction centers and birth cohort; these groups should be targeted by future interventions.

Glycemic Control And Infections Among Us Hemodialysis Patients With Diabetes Mellitus, Jinnie J Rhee, Yuanchao Zheng, Sai Liu, Maria E Montez-Rath, Richard J Hamill, Julie H Ishida, Wolfgang C Winkelmayer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) on hemodialysis (HD) may be particularly vulnerable to infections.

METHODS: We used merged data from the United States Renal Data System and electronic health records data from a large US dialysis provider to retrospectively examine the association between glycemic control and infections in these patients. Adult patients with DM aged ≥18 years who initiated in-center maintenance HD treatment from 2006 to 2011 and survived >90 days were included. Quarterly mean time-averaged hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values were categorized into

RESULTS: In a cohort of 33,753 eligible patients, those with higher HbA1c levels had higher rates …

Impact Of Covid-19 On Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellow Training In North America, Daniel Mallon, John F Pohl, Uma P Phatak, Melissa Fernandes, John M Rosen, Sarah S Lusman, Cade M Nylund, Candi S Jump, Aliza B Solomon, Arvind Srinath, Andrew Singer, Rula Harb, Norberto Rodriguez-Baez, Kristin L Whitfield Van Buren, Shifra Koyfman, Riha Bhatt, Dellys M Soler-Rodriguez, Mamata Sivagnanam, Christine K Lee, Naspghan Training Committee Covid-19 Survey Working Group

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed healthcare systems and training around the world. The Training Committee of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition sought to understand how COVID-19 has affected pediatric gastroenterology fellowship training.

METHODS: A 21 question survey was distributed to all 77 pediatric gastroenterology fellowship program directors (PDs) in the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition program director database via email on April 7. Responses collected through April 19, 2020 were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS: Fifty-one of 77 (66%) PDs from the United States, Canada, and Mexico responded to …

Studi Tinjauan Pustaka: Risiko Kejadian Kanker Paru Pada Penderita Tuberkulosis Paru., Fariha Ramadhaniah, Syahrizal Syarif

Jurnal Epidemiologi Kesehatan Indonesia

Indonesia merupakan satu dari lima negara di dunia dengan insiden kasus TB yang tinggi, sementara itu kanker paru di Indonesia merupakan kasus keganasan utama yang paling sering terjadi. Untuk melihat gambaran risiko kejadian kanker paru diantara penderita TB paru, dilakukan studi tinjauan pustaka pada sepuluh jurnal yang dipublikasikan melalui Pubmed pada tahun 2009-2019. Kriteria inklusi dalam pemilihan jurnal yaitu TB paru sebagai faktor risiko dan kanker paru primer sebagai outcome, sedangkan kriteria ekslusi adalah jurnal yang merupakan tinjauan pustaka sistematis, skrining, diagnosis, dan evaluasi hasil pengobatan yang berkaitan dengan infeksi TB dan kanker paru. Analisis deskriptif menunjukan subjek sebagian …

Karakteristik Ibu Melahirkan Sectio Caesaria Peserta Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional Di Rumah Sakit Profit X Di Sekitar Jakarta, Trisna Budy Widjayanti

Jurnal Epidemiologi Kesehatan Indonesia

Program Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN) memudahkan akses ibu melahirkan Sectio Caesaria (SC) di RS. Dalam tahun 2014-2017 persalinan SC menempati urutan 10 jumlah kasus dan klaim tertinggi. WHO menetapkan angka optimum SC sebesar 15% sebagai salah satu standar kualitas pelayanan persalinan ibu. Tujuan penelitian ini untukmengidentifikasi karakteristik sosial ekonomi dan klinis dari ibu yang melahirkan SC yang berhubungan dengan penggunaan JKN di Rumah Sakit Profit (RSP) X di sekitar Jakarta. Penelitian menggunakan desain Cross Sectional dengan total sampel sebanyak 385 ibu melahirkan SC yang diambil dari rekam medis pada periode januari 1- 31 Desember 2018. Karakteristik sosial ekonomi dan klinis …

Effects Of Acute Cocoa Supplementation On Postprandial Apolipoproteins, Lipoprotein Subclasses, And Inflammatory Biomarkers In Adults With Type 2 Diabetes After A High-Fat Meal, Dustin D. Davis, Rickelle Tallent, James W. Navalta, Anthony Salazar, Timothy J. Lyons, Arpita Basu

Integrated Health Sciences Faculty Research

Dyslipidemia and inflammation exacerbate postprandial metabolic stress in people with diabetes. Acute dietary supplementation with polyphenols shows promise in improving postprandial metabolic stress in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Cocoa is a rich source of dietary polyphenols with demonstrated cardioprotective effects in adults without diabetes. To date, the acute effects of cocoa on postprandial lipids and inflammation have received little attention in the presence of T2D. This report expands on our earlier observation that polyphenol-rich cocoa, given as a beverage with a fast-food-style, high-fat breakfast, increased postprandial high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) in adults with T2D. We now test whether polyphenol-rich cocoa modulated …

Predictors Of In-Hospital Mortality Among Under-Five Children With Severe Acute Malnutrition In South-Western Uganda, Timothy Nduhukire, Daniel Atwine, Luwaga Rachel, Joseph Byonanebye

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) affects about 13 million under-five children (U5), with an estimated one million dying every year. In this study we aimed at determining the in hospital mortality and its associated factors among U5s admitted with SAM.

Methods

This was a prospective cohort study of children 6 months to 5 years with SAM admitted at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) between June and August 2015. Care-takers were interviewed to collect socio-demographic and clinical information. Children under-went physical examination and had blood drawn for HIV, serum glucose, malaria, full blood count, culture and serum electrolytes investigation. Children were …

Evaluation Of The Level Of Biomolecules Isolated From Date Palm Seeds (Phoenix Dactylifera L) And In Vitro Antioxidant Property, Najla Bentrad Dr, Rabéa Gaceb-Terrak

BioMedicine

Date palm fruits and by-products such as seeds are a source of various elements with significant nutritional values like fibres, minerals, essential fatty acids, amino acids and phenolic compounds. The experimental part was carried out on date palm seeds from Bent Kbala cultivar, the chemical composition of the organic fraction was determined using the method of UV-visible spectrophotometer, thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD).

The results revealed the presence of catechic tannins and approximately 17 phenolic compounds, including two compounds, which were identified for the first time in the date palm sub-product, especially in seeds …

Alteration Of Iron Responsive Gene Expression In Arabidopsis Glutaredoxin S17 Loss Of Function Plants With Or Without Iron Stress, Ninghui Cheng, Han Yu, Xiaolan Rao, Sunghun Park, Erin L Connolly, Kendal D Hirschi, Paul A Nakata

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Iron (Fe) is a mineral nutrient and a metal cofactor essential for plants. Iron limitation can have detrimental effects on plant growth and development, while excess iron inside plant cells leads to oxidative damage. As a result, plants have evolved complex regulatory networks to respond to fluctuations in cellular iron concentrations. The mechanisms that regulate these responses however, are not fully understood. Heterologous expression of an Arabidopsis thaliana monothiol glutaredoxin S17 (GRXS17) suppresses the over-accumulation of iron in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Grx3/Grx4 mutant and disruption of GRXS17 causes plant sensitivity to exogenous oxidants and iron deficiency stress. GRXS17 may act …

Hericium Erinaceus: Erinacine A, Ventura Villanueva

Agricultural Education and Communication

Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane)

Erinacines - component found in Lion's Mane

A variety of mushroom that has been grabbing the attention of different pharmaceutical companies is the Hericium Erinaceus commonly known as Lion’s Mane. Lion’s Mane also known as, “Sheep’s head, Bear’s head, Bearded tooth carpophore, and Yamabushitmnnake” (Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus)). Lion’s Mane in nature is found growing off the dry bark of trees (Kuo, 2016). Nowadays there are many products in the market that sell Lion’s Mane mushroom powder as a superfood. Lion’s Mane mushroom is known to have the component erinacines. Erinacines as of …

Costs Of Maternity Leave To Support Breastfeeding; Brazil, Ghana And Mexico, Mireya Vilar-Compte, Graciela M. Teruel, Diana Flores-Peregrina, Grace J. Carroll, Gabriela S. Buccini, Rafael Perez-Escamilla

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Objective To develop a method to assess the cost of extending the duration of maternity leave for formally-employed women at the national level and apply it in Brazil, Ghana and Mexico. Methods We adapted a World Bank costing method into a five-step method to estimate the costs of extending the length of maternity leave mandates. Our method used the unit cost of maternity leave based on working women’s weekly wages; the number of additional weeks of maternity leave to be analysed for a given year; and the weighted population of women of reproductive and legal working age in a given …

Renal And Cardiovascular Outcomes Associated With Cannabis Use In Veterans With Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease Transitioning To Dialysis, Praveen Kumar Potukuchi

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Background: Legalization of cannabis and its constituents may lead to increased exposure of a higher number of consumers to cannabis use, including those with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We expect increase in cannabis use, especially, in patients with compromised kidney function. However, there is sparse literature on the effects of cannabis use on cardiorenal and mortality outcomes among patients with advanced CKD. Objectives: The main goal of the current study was to examine the effect of cannabis use on renal and cerebrovascular outcomes as well as mortality in patients with advanced CKD. Using a nationwide cohort of US veterans with …

Acute Maltodextrin Supplementation During Resistance Exercise, Dylan T Wilburn, Steven B Machek, Thomas D Cardaci, Paul S Hwang, Darryn S Willoughby

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Most of the research investigating the ergogenic enhancing mechanisms of carbohydrate have been conducted using aerobic based exercise. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of pre-exercise maltodextrin ingestion on resistance exercise performance, serum insulin, epinephrine, glucose, and muscle glycogen concentrations. In a double blind, cross over, repeated measures design, participants completed four sets to failure at 70% of 1-RM with 45s rest on the angled leg press with or without pre-exercise maltodextrin (2g/kg) after a 3hr fast. Serum glucose, epinephrine, and insulin were assessed at baseline, 30 min post-ingestion, immediately after, and 1hr post-exercise with …

The Trait Repertoire Enabling Cyanobacteria To Bloom Assessed Through Comparative Genomic Complexity And Metatranscriptomics, Huansheng Cao, Yohei Shimura, Morgan M. Steffen, Zhou Yang, Jingrang Lu, Allen Joel, Landon Jenkins, Masanobu Kawachi, Yanbin Yin, Ferran Garcia-Pichel

Food for Health: Publications

Water bloom development due to eutrophication constitutes a case of niche specialization among planktonic cyanobacteria, but the genomic repertoire allowing bloom formation in only some species has not been fully characterized. We posited that the habitat relevance of a trait begets its underlying genomic complexity, so that traits within the repertoire would be differentially more complex in species successfully thriving in that habitat than in close species that cannot. To test this for the case of bloom-forming cyanobacteria, we curated 17 potentially relevant query metabolic pathways and five core pathways selected according to existing ecophysiological literature. The available 113 genomes …

Myeloma Cells Shift Osteoblastogenesis To Adipogenesis By Inhibiting The Ubiquitin Ligase Murf1 In Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Zhiqiang Liu, Huan Liu, Jin He, Pei Lin, Qiang Tong, Jing Yang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The suppression of bone formation is a hallmark of multiple myeloma. Myeloma cells inhibit osteoblastogenesis from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which can also differentiate into adipocytes. We investigated myeloma-MSC interactions and the effects of such interactions on the differentiation of MSCs into adipocytes or osteoblasts using single-cell RNA sequencing, in vitro co-culture, and subcutaneous injection of MSCs and myeloma cells into mice. Our results revealed that the α4 subunit of integrin on myeloma cells stimulated vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1) on MSCs, leading to the activation of protein kinase C β1 (PKCβ1) signaling and repression of the muscle ring-finger …

Consistency Of Ever Reported Risky And Sensitive Behaviors Among Early Adolescents In A Nationally Representative Longitudinal Study: Results From The First 2 Waves Of The Longitudinal Cohort Study Of The Filipino Child, 2016 To 2018, Nel Jason L. Haw

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: An ongoing cohort study on adolescents in the Philippines presents a unique opportunity to update current literature by measuring the level of reporting consistency on these behaviors and determine predictors of reporting inconsistency.

Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of the first 2 waves of the Longitudinal Cohort Study on the Filipino Child (LCSFC), a nationally representative cohort of Filipino adolescents throughout the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) implementation period, that is, age 10 in 2015 until age 24 in 2030, to measure the impact of SDG-oriented policies on the country’s future economic and health outcomes. This …

Intranasal Administration Of Pcrv Conjugated To A Tobacco Mosaic Virus Delivery Platform Protects Against P. Aeruginosa In A Murine Model Of Acute Pneumonia, Eman Barahim

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a facultative anaerobic bacterium that is the most common type of Gram-negative bacteria causing nosocomial pneumonia in the United States. P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen ubiquitously found in the atmosphere that can colonize both plants and animals. It is known to cause a wide range of severe, persistent, and fatal infections ranging from acute and chronic pneumonia, skin and soft tissue infections to urinary tract infections, especially in immune-compromised individuals. Patients with cystic fibrosis are at high risk because of deficiencies in mucosal immunity and phagocytosis. Ultimately, Pseudomonas infections can be lethal. There is a very …

Cell Surface Regulatory Immune Targets In Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer, Sanjukta Chakraborty

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Thyroid cancer incidence is increasing at an alarming rate almost trebling every decade. 52,070 new cases of thyroid cancer (14,260 in men and 37,810 in women) were diagnosed in 2019 with an estimated death toll of 2170. Although most thyroid tumors are treatable and has good prognosis, anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is extremely aggressive with a grim poor prognosis of 6-9 months post diagnosis. ATC is completely refractory to mainstream therapies. In our study, immunohistochemical analyses of ATC tissues confirmed a T cell inflamed “hot” tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) as evidenced by presence of CD3+ and CD8+ T cells. This …

The Anti-Proliferative Effects Of Methotrexate And Novel Ucp1162 On Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cell Lines, Jacqueline Klepinger, Charles Giardina, Didem Ozcan

Honors Scholar Theses

Cancer cells proliferate at rapid rates due to the aberrant activity of proteins involved in regulating the cell cycle. This characteristic allows mutated cancer cells to spread and metastasize, causing lesions to form throughout the body. Two treatment conditions, one classical antifolate methotrexate (MTX) and non-classical, novel antifolate UCP1162, were tested on a panel of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines to determine if UCP1162 has higher anti-proliferative activity. High dose MTX is used as a first line chemotherapy in common childhood malignancies such as acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL). Methotrexate is excluded from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatments based on …

Culinary Education Programs For Children In Low-Income Households: A Scoping Review, Priscilla P Li, Guisela Mackey, Chishinga Callender, Jayna M Dave, Norma Olvera, Shana Alford, Debbe Thompson

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Child obesity in the United States is at an all-time high, particularly among underserved populations. Home-cooked meals are associated with lower rates of obesity. Helping children develop culinary skills has been associated with improved nutrition. The purpose of this study is to report results from a scoping review of culinary education interventions with children from low-income families. Three databases and hand searches of relevant articles were examined. Retained articles met inclusionary criteria. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed, as appropriate. A data extraction template was developed. Data were independently extracted and verified. Only …

Diurnal Patterns Of Gene Expression In The Dorsal Vagal Complex And The Central Nucleus Of The Amygdala - Non-Rhythm-Generating Brain Regions, Mary M Staehle, Sean O'Sullivan, Rajanikanth Vadigepalli, Kate F Kernan, Gregory E Gonye, Babatunde A Ogunnaike, James S. Schwaber

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Genes that establish the circadian clock have differential expression with respect to solar time in central and peripheral tissues. Here, we find circadian-time-induced differential expression in a large number of genes not associated with circadian rhythms in two brain regions lacking overt circadian function: the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) and the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). These regions primarily engage in autonomic, homeostatic, and emotional regulation. However, we find striking diurnal shifts in gene expression in these regions of male Sprague Dawley rats with no obvious patterns that could be attributed to function or region. These findings have implications …

Differences In Brain Morphometry Associated With Creative Performance In High- And Average-Creative Achievers., Evangelia G Chrysikou, Christopher Wertz, David B Yaden, Scott Barry Kaufman, Donna Bacon, Nancy Wintering, Rex E Jung, Andrew B. Newberg, Md

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Nearly everyone has the ability for creative thought. Yet, certain individuals create works that propel their fields, challenge paradigms, and advance the world. What are the neurobiological factors that might underlie such prominent creative achievement? In this study, we focus on morphometric differences in brain structure between high creative achievers from diverse fields of expertise and a 'smart' comparison group of age-, intelligence-, and education-matched average creative achievers. Participants underwent a high-resolution structural brain imaging scan and completed a series of intelligence, creative thinking, personality, and creative achievement measures. We examined whether high and average creative achievers could be distinguished …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Manganese Porphyrin Compounds In The Prevention Of Radiation-Induced Fibrosis, Shashank Shrishrimal

Theses & Dissertations

Radiation therapy is frequently used as a treatment strategy for prostate cancer patients, which leads to several side effects due to damage to health tissue around the tumor and the development of radiation-induced fibrosis (RIF). Manganese (III) meso-tetrakis (N-ethylpyridinium-2-yl) porphyrin (MnTE-2-PyP or T2E or BMX-010) and other similar manganese porphyrin compounds that scavenge superoxide molecules have been demonstrated to be effective radioprotectors and prevent the development of RIF. However, understanding of the radioprotective molecular pathway associated with these compounds remains limited. Recent RNA-sequencing data from our laboratory revealed that MnTE-2-PyP treatment may activate the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 …

Identifying Determinants Of Target Specificity In Two Related Bacterial Peptide Toxins, Andrew D. Holmes

Honors Thesis

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems were originally identified as two-component systems ensuring the stable inheritance of plasmids in bacterial populations. Recently, they have been identified on bacterial chromosomes where their functions remain mostly undefined. The par locus of E. faecalis plasmid pAD1 (par_pAD1) was the first TA system defined in a Gram-positive bacterium and a homolog encoded on the E. faecalis chromosome (par_EF0409) was later described. Related loci numbering in the hundreds have been identified throughout Gram-positive bacteria based on homology to the toxin of the system, Fst, and similarities in genetic organization and regulation. Despite …