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Comparative Enzymatic Analysis Of Different Isoforms Of Group A Streptococcal Bacteriophage H4489a Hyaluronidase, Urvi Prakash Rawal Jan 2024

Comparative Enzymatic Analysis Of Different Isoforms Of Group A Streptococcal Bacteriophage H4489a Hyaluronidase, Urvi Prakash Rawal

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The Hyaluronate Lyase derived from Group A streptococcal bacteriophage H4489A gene (HylP) is known for cleaving the glycosidic bonds of high molecular weight hyaluronic acid (HMWHA), a substance often overexpressed in certain types of cancer cells. This enzymatic action produces HA oligosaccharides. Previous research, conducted by our team, has demonstrated that these oligosaccharides play a significant role in reducing the invasion, migration, and proliferation of breast cancer cells. This effect occurs through the disruption of Erk1/2 activation and RhoA expression. This bacteriophage hyaluronate lyase (HylP), a 40kDa protein, possesses a unique collagen-like sequence, consisting of 30 amino acids in a …

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Novel Roles Of Rab35 In Development And Disease, Kelsey Ruth Clearman Jan 2024

Novel Roles Of Rab35 In Development And Disease, Kelsey Ruth Clearman

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As the largest and most dynamic family of GTPases within the mammalian cell, Rabs play an essential role as molecular switches in regulating intracellular vesicular trafficking and serve as significant signaling transducers. Over the last few decades, Rabs have been identified to regulate endocytic, transcytosis, and exocytotic pathways, and mutations in Rabs, or alterations in downstream effectors lead to embryonic lethality and diseases such as cancer and ciliopathies. Ciliopathies are a class of pathologies that result from defects in structure or function of the primary cilia. Primary cilia, found on virtually all mammalian cells, is a microtubule-derived appendage that relies …

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Catecholamines And Catecholamine Resistance In Animal Models Of Metabolic Syndrome, Robert Follett Rosencrans Jan 2024

Catecholamines And Catecholamine Resistance In Animal Models Of Metabolic Syndrome, Robert Follett Rosencrans

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The sympathetic nervous system is a key regulator of energy homeostasis, in part, through the control of white adipose tissue lipolysis. Sympathetic nerves modulate adipose tissue physiology through the release of catecholamines, particularly norepinephrine, onto alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptors (a-AR; B-AR). Lipolysis refers to the breakdown of triglycerides into glycerol and free fatty acids, often in response to activation of B2/3-AR. Beta adrenergic activation of lipolysis is widely known to be impaired in patients with metabolic syndrome and animal models thereof (catecholamine resistance). Recent studies have demonstrated that catecholamine regulation of adipokine release is also disrupted, suggesting that catecholamine resistance …

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Dact1, The “Super-Crosslinker”: Regulation Of Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling During Vertebrate Convergent Extension By Modulating Dishevelled Oligomerization, Allyson Angermeier Jan 2023

Dact1, The “Super-Crosslinker”: Regulation Of Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling During Vertebrate Convergent Extension By Modulating Dishevelled Oligomerization, Allyson Angermeier

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A broad spectrum of human birth defects arise from the disruption of morphogenesis, the critical process through which tissues and organs acquire their proper shape. Convergent extension (CE) is a universal morphogenetic engine that promotes polarized extension of diverse tissues and organs by regulating directional cell behavior, such as oriented cell intercalation. In vertebrates, CE is regulated by non-canonical Wnt/Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) pathway, an ancient signaling pathway that was originally discovered to coordinate the cellular polarity in the plane of the epithelium. Non-canonical Wnt/PCP signaling shares the Frizzled (Fz) receptor and cytoplasmic signal transducer Dishevelled (Dvl) with the canonical …

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The Noahic Pattern In Nicolas Rolin's Patronage: Jan Van Eyck's Rolin Madonna And Rogier Van Der Weyden's Beaune Altarpiece, Elizabeth Deschamps Blackford Jan 2023

The Noahic Pattern In Nicolas Rolin's Patronage: Jan Van Eyck's Rolin Madonna And Rogier Van Der Weyden's Beaune Altarpiece, Elizabeth Deschamps Blackford

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In Rogier van der Weyden’s (1399/1400-1464) Beaune Altarpiece (fig. 1, c.1445-1451), Christ presides over the Day of Judgment while seated atop a rainbow. Previous analyses of the polyptych briefly mention the rainbow’s presence. However, in this thesis, I will show how the rainbow motif symbolizes a significant and, until now, undiscovered allusion instigated by the patron Nicolas Rolin (1376-1462), the chancellor of Burgundy, to Noah, the Old Testament patriarch. In the chancellor’s previous commission to Jan van Eyck (1390-1441), the Virgin and Child with Chancellor Nicolas Rolin (fig. 3, c.1435), Rolin first exhibited the Noahic allusion through the Drunkenness of …

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Prevalence And Phenotype Of Autism Spectrum Disorder Within Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, Helen Kay Root Jan 2023

Prevalence And Phenotype Of Autism Spectrum Disorder Within Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, Helen Kay Root

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Pitt Hopkins Syndrome (PTHS) is an extremely rare genetic disorder which has been described as closely associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While individuals with PTHS have been observed to exhibit symptoms that closely mirror ASD (de Winter et al., 2016; van Balkom et al., 2012; de Pontual et al., 2009; Sweatt, 2013), there have been few studies which have specifically examined ASD-like symptomatology in this population. The current study aims to build understanding regarding the developmental and ASD-specific profile of individuals with PTHS using in-person, observational and elicited standardized assessment measures. Participants included 10 individuals with PTHS aged 2-12 …

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Analytical Fundamentals For Advancing Aero-Road/Terrain Multibody Morphing Dynamics And Stability Of Autonomous Utility Truck In Hazardous Environments, Parth Y. Patel Jan 2023

Analytical Fundamentals For Advancing Aero-Road/Terrain Multibody Morphing Dynamics And Stability Of Autonomous Utility Truck In Hazardous Environments, Parth Y. Patel

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Severe weather conditions have steadily increased over the last two decades. Therefore, the safety of the rescue and repair team is of paramount importance while they attend to emergencies due to these severe weather conditions. Utility trucks are the first responders in these extreme climate and weather situations for cutting trees to restore traffic, recovering life beings from destroyed properties, repairing electric posts, and restoring power. Such trucks with morphing capabilities of the boom equipment can increase the possibility of road accidents in several ways and create hazardous situations on the roads and off-road conditions while moving and performing critical …

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Manipulation And Dependence On Host Cell Cycle By Human Rna And Dna Viruses: Human Coronavirus Oc43 And Bk Polyomavirus, Jason M. Needham Jan 2023

Manipulation And Dependence On Host Cell Cycle By Human Rna And Dna Viruses: Human Coronavirus Oc43 And Bk Polyomavirus, Jason M. Needham

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Cell cycle is a universal necessity of cellular life and impacts nearly every process within the cell. However, despite over one hundred years of research, there still remain questions concerning the mechanisms and regulation of eukaryotic cell cycle. From the beginning, viruses have informed our knowledge of cell cycle. Many key regulators such as the E2F transcription factors, Src kinase, and p53 were originally discovered while studying the interactions between viruses and the cell. Herein, we continue the investigation of viral interactions with cell cycle machinery by researching an RNA virus and a DNA virus. These viruses, human coronavirus OC43 …

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A Tale Of Two Waves: The Role Of Genomic Enhancers In Regulating Transcriptional And Epigenetic Responses To Neuronal Activitiy, Robert A. Phillips Jan 2023

A Tale Of Two Waves: The Role Of Genomic Enhancers In Regulating Transcriptional And Epigenetic Responses To Neuronal Activitiy, Robert A. Phillips

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The mesolimbic dopamine (DA) pathway, which consists of dopaminergic neurons that project from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens (NAc), is heavily implicated in drug addiction. Exposure to drugs of abuse results in increases in extracellular concentrations of DA in the NAc, which in turn activates an immediate early gene (IEG) expression program that primarily consists of activity-dependent transcription factors, such as the AP1 subunits Fos and JunB. IEGs engage a set of temporally and functionally distinct genes, termed the late response gene (LRG) expression program. While gene expression changes are critical for drug-dependent adaptations, two major …

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Randomized Control Trial Of A Novel Dental Gel As An Adjunct To Scaling And Root Planing In Subjects With Stage Ii & Iii Periodontitis, Sarah Pham Jan 2023

Randomized Control Trial Of A Novel Dental Gel As An Adjunct To Scaling And Root Planing In Subjects With Stage Ii & Iii Periodontitis, Sarah Pham

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The current standard of care for treating chronic periodontitis is scaling and root planing (ScRP) followed by supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) (Cobb et al., 2021; Ramfjord et al., 1987). The goal of ScRP is to eliminate supra- and subgingival bacterial deposits and to reduce periodontal pathogens, inflammation, and pocket depths (Greenstein, 2000). Although ScRP has been shown to significantly improve baseline clinical parameters, moderate to advanced cases may require additional surgical therapy which many patients resist (Stambaugh, 1981; Becker et al., 2001). Currently, no dentifrice used adjunctively has been proven to increase the therapeutic effects of scaling and root planing. …

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Acceptability And Tolerability Of Ketone Supplements And Their Effects On Capillary Beta-Hydroxybutyrate Concentrations In Young Adults, Mickey Bolyard Jan 2023

Acceptability And Tolerability Of Ketone Supplements And Their Effects On Capillary Beta-Hydroxybutyrate Concentrations In Young Adults, Mickey Bolyard

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Increased concentrations of circulating ketones via ketogenic diet (KD) have been associated with beneficial effects on a number of chronic conditions, including obesity, fatty liver disease, refractory epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases. KD has been associated with low sustainability and compliance, which has led to the creation and commercialization of exogenous ketones. However, past studies examining the effects of exogenous ketones in humans are very limited. In this study, we compared two different commercially available exogenous ketones, a ketone monoester (KME) and a ketone monoester-salt mix (KME+S), at two different doses (5 g and 10 g ketones). Fourteen healthy young adults …

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Differential Mechanisms Of Intestinal Inflammation Drive Pathogenesis Of Diabetic Retinopathy In Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes, Jason Levi Floyd Jan 2023

Differential Mechanisms Of Intestinal Inflammation Drive Pathogenesis Of Diabetic Retinopathy In Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes, Jason Levi Floyd

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Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common microvascular complication of diabetes and, along with diabetic macular edema (DME), accounts for the greatest source of vision-threatening eye disease in the working-age community. DR is caused by weakening of the retinal vasculature, the blood-retinal barrier (BRB), by high levels of blood glucose (hyperglycemia), exacerbations of oxidative stress, and systemic inflammatory factors. Many of these inflammatory factors are metabolic by-products and cell membrane constituents of the gut microbiota, the resident community of microbial species which inhabit the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract. These factors are collectively termed gut microbial antigens (GMAs). In diabetes, …

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Protein-Carbohydrate Ratio Affects Blastema Formation During Wound Healing In The Zebrafish Danio Rerio, Jonathan T. Flowers Jan 2023

Protein-Carbohydrate Ratio Affects Blastema Formation During Wound Healing In The Zebrafish Danio Rerio, Jonathan T. Flowers

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Tissue damage, whether a traumatic injury or surgically-induced, can compromise organ structure and function. Traumatic injury affects 38 million people annually in the U.S alone, costing around 4.8 billion dollars. Much research has been accomplished on defining the pathways associated with recovery, but research on understanding the role of nutrition in wound healing is limited. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) provide a high-throughput model to elucidate nutrients that are important in the regenerative process due to their reproductive capacity, rapid development, cost compared to other animal models and, lastly, their ability for tissue regeneration. Specifically caudal fin amputation is of interest because …

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Mechanical, Thermal, Flammability Analyses Of Composites Made Of Recycled High-Density Polyethylene And Perlite, Sergen Barçin Jan 2023

Mechanical, Thermal, Flammability Analyses Of Composites Made Of Recycled High-Density Polyethylene And Perlite, Sergen Barçin

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High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is a widely used plastic for applications such as packaging for food industry and piping system in nuclear plants because of its beneficial properties, including lightweight, impact resistance, and chemical resistance. The use of HDPE can contribute to environmental problems, such as depletion of natural resources and accumulation of plastic waste in landfills and oceans. There is a growing need to find ways to recycle and reuse HDPE. While the use of recycled HDPE presents certain challenges such as relatively low thermal, mechanical properties, and flame retardancy, the addition of mineral-based additives can enhance these properties. By …

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Renal Proximal Tubule Tissue Chips For Disease Modeling And Drug Toxicity Testing, Leslie Donoghue Jan 2023

Renal Proximal Tubule Tissue Chips For Disease Modeling And Drug Toxicity Testing, Leslie Donoghue

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The current pathway for drug discovery is associated with costs of $2.55 billion and between 10-15 years of development for a single drug to reach the market. The challenges in predicting drug toxicities and efficacies are attributed to inherent species differences in drug-metabolizing enzyme activities and cell-type-specific sensitivities to toxicants. Organs-on-a-chip are an emerging technology in disease modeling and screening therapeutics to address discrepancies between animal models and human clinical trials. They utilize tissue engineering, fluid mechanics, and biomaterials to replicate in vivo architectures and functions of complex organs and tissues. Herein, the effect of pressure and stretch on bioengineered …

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Differential Recruitment Of Bone Marrow-Derived Cells Into The Injured Retina, Bright Asare-Bediako Jan 2023

Differential Recruitment Of Bone Marrow-Derived Cells Into The Injured Retina, Bright Asare-Bediako

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The hematopoietic system, which resides in the bone marrow in adults, maintains the constant turnover of blood cells in the circulatory system and supplies inflammatory/vascular reparative cells to the retina. Chronic metabolic diseases disrupt hematopoietic homeostasis, suppressing the generation of bone marrow-derived reparative cells in favor of pro-inflammatory cells. While much research has been done on development and disease-associated changes in hematopoiesis in the long bones and how mobilization to the retina is affected, the calvarium's hematopoiesis is underexplored. This dissertation investigated hematopoiesis in postnatal development and in disease, comparing calvarium hematopoiesis to that of long bones. The findings showed …

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Analytical Methods Using Cardiac Mri To Assess Systolic And Diastolic Ventricular Function, Muhammad Rifqi Aufan Jan 2023

Analytical Methods Using Cardiac Mri To Assess Systolic And Diastolic Ventricular Function, Muhammad Rifqi Aufan

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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has proven invaluable for clinical and research investigations due to its minimal invasiveness and excellent measurement precision and reproducibility. In particular, Cardiac MRI (CMR) is a powerful tool for evaluating anatomical and functional properties of the left ventricle (LV). In this study, two aspects of CMR applications of the LV are investigated: 1) assessment of diastolic function by quantifying LV stiffness index and related properties as a representation of intrinsic myocardium properties in patients with diastolic dysfunction and 2) evaluation of systolic function by relating myocardial strain and LV geometrical configuration with ejection fraction (EF). The …

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Indicators Of The Social Environment And Cognition In An Older Population Of Puerto Rican Adults, Erin E. Ballard Jan 2023

Indicators Of The Social Environment And Cognition In An Older Population Of Puerto Rican Adults, Erin E. Ballard

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Isolation and other indicators of poor social environment have been associated with a higher risk of cognitive decline. Overall evidence for this association is mixed, with most studies being conducted in Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (aka “WEIRD”) societies. Religiosity may moderate this relationship between less robust social environments and cognition by buffering the negative effects of stress. The primary aim of this study is to assess the relationship between indicators of the social environment and psychological distress (depressive symptoms) and cognitive decline in a population-based sample of older Puerto Rican adults (n=3,557) across two time-points. Social environment included …

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Synthesis, Characterization, And Evaluation Of A Bionanomatrix And Antibiotic-Releasing Liposomes On Osseointegration, Vascularization, Inflammation, And Antibacterial Efficacy, Benjamin Kade Estep Jan 2023

Synthesis, Characterization, And Evaluation Of A Bionanomatrix And Antibiotic-Releasing Liposomes On Osseointegration, Vascularization, Inflammation, And Antibacterial Efficacy, Benjamin Kade Estep

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Percutaneous osseointegrated prostheses (POP) implants combat the multitude of issues and limitations of contemporary prosthetic sockets/limbs, including range of motion, comfort/fit, irritation, gait, and osseoproprioception. However, POP implants lack long-term clinical success; specifically, several risks exist at the bone-implant interface, including superficial/deep infections, inflammation, poor vascularization, and inadequate osseointegration, resulting in implant loosening over time and ultimately removal of the implant. The goal of this thesis is to evaluate a multifunctional, nitric oxide-releasing bionanomatrix incorporated with antibiotic-releasing liposomes on osseointegration, inflammation, vascularization/angiogenesis, and bacterial infection. We successfully synthesized the bionanomatrix, and the antibiotic-releasing liposomes readily encapsulated the antibiotics. The antibiotic-releasing …

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Persuasion In Descriptions Of Medical Crowdfunding On Gofundme: When Children Fundraise For Their Mothers' Lung Cancer, Ziyu Zhao Jan 2023

Persuasion In Descriptions Of Medical Crowdfunding On Gofundme: When Children Fundraise For Their Mothers' Lung Cancer, Ziyu Zhao

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Medical needs have become one of the top categories in online crowdfunding in the United States (Chandler, 2015). However, the level of donations falls short of what is needed to cover the high costs of healthcare (Norton, 2022; Young & Scheinberg, 2017). Therefore, more successful promotion of medical crowdfunding campaigns is crucial. This thesis research examined the influence of two persuasive factors, appeal type and cover images, in medical crowdfunding of lung cancer on backers’ donation behaviors on GoFundMe with manual coding and Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). The study found no statistically reliable support for the hypotheses, perhaps …

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The Er Stress-Pathogen Nexus In Regulation Of Cell Death In Arabidopsis Immunity, Danish Diwan Jan 2023

The Er Stress-Pathogen Nexus In Regulation Of Cell Death In Arabidopsis Immunity, Danish Diwan

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Pathogens and plants are involved in a coevolutionary battle for dominance. As plants lack adaptive immune systems, they rely on their innate immunity to protect themselves from infectious agents. Upon pathogen attack, plant cells activate their pro-survival strategy by recognizing the pathogen and actively transcribing and translating proteins to effectively defend against the pathogen infection. As the intensity of infection increases, the heightened demand for proteins places an excessive burden on the ER machinery resulting in the accumulation of misfolded or unfolded proteins within the ER. To restore the protein homeostasis, a cellular relief signaling pathway called Unfolded Protein Response …

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Physiology And Energetics Of Resilient Coral-Dinoflagellate Communities, Elise F. Keister Jan 2023

Physiology And Energetics Of Resilient Coral-Dinoflagellate Communities, Elise F. Keister

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Despite coral reefs declining globally, thermally resilient coral-dinoflagellate communities have been identified, providing insight into how corals can inhabit warmer environments. These corals are able to better resist and recover from thermal stress events compared to adjacent, offshore conspecifics that are found in habitats that have cooler temperatures. To better understand the physiological traits that make corals resilient, I measured the initial tissue biomass and energy reserves of eight coral species. These corals were collected from both warm-water nearshore habitats and offshore reefs with milder temperatures in Palau, Micronesia. Despite contrasting environments, coral tissue similarities between these populations were striking, …

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Impact Of Exercise On Antioxidative-Stress Induced Endoplasmic Reticulum Dysfunction And Cardiac Remodelling, Arun Jyothidasan Jan 2023

Impact Of Exercise On Antioxidative-Stress Induced Endoplasmic Reticulum Dysfunction And Cardiac Remodelling, Arun Jyothidasan

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The gain of function of nuclear factor erythroid 2 like 2 (Nrf2), in the absence of oxidative stress (or toxic insults), its pathophysiology arising from the endoplasmic reticulum and exercise intervention to mitigate the pathology are the focal point of this dissertation. Nrf2, when constitutively expressed, has been previously associated with cardiomyopathy. Chapter II investigated the hypothesis that cardiac-specific expression of Nrf2 (mNrf2-TG) would establish a pro-reductive state and trigger adaptive cardiac remodeling by enhancing the basal antioxidant defense. Through RNA profiling and imaging techniques, the study underscored that while acute preconditioning might prove advantageous against oxidative stress, prolonged pro-reductive …

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Characterizing The Role Of Mapk Phosphatases In Age-Dependent Macrophage Dysfucntion And Increased Suceptiblity To Pneumonia In A Tnf-Dependent Manner, Katherine Lauren Kruckow Jan 2023

Characterizing The Role Of Mapk Phosphatases In Age-Dependent Macrophage Dysfucntion And Increased Suceptiblity To Pneumonia In A Tnf-Dependent Manner, Katherine Lauren Kruckow

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Lower respiratory infections are the primary cause of infectious death among the elderly. One reason for this is ‘inflamm-aging,’ a chronic low-grade inflammatory state that develops with advanced age. Pertinently, our group has shown increases in TNF levels to be responsible for age-dependent macrophage dysfunction (ADMD) and, in turn, enhanced susceptibility to Streptococcus pneumoniae, the leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia. The underlying molecular mechanisms responsible, however, remain unclear. Following adoptive transfer of alveolar macrophages (AM) from aged (18+ months) or young (3-6 month) mice into young mice, followed by infection with S. pneumoniae, we found that aged AM were sufficient …

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Time-Restricted Feeding Attenuates Obesity-Induced Muscle Dysfunction Through Energy Metabolism And Microbiota Modulation, Christopher Livelo Jan 2023

Time-Restricted Feeding Attenuates Obesity-Induced Muscle Dysfunction Through Energy Metabolism And Microbiota Modulation, Christopher Livelo

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Obesity is a global epidemic that affects countless numbers of people caused by genetic and environmental factors including circadian disruption, which poses significant health risks to skeletal muscle physiology and other tissues. While a feeding fasting intervention known as time-restricted feeding (TRF) has been shown to mitigate obesity-related muscle dysfunction, the underlying mechanisms remain a subject of investigation. In this study, we delve into potential mechanisms underlying TRF's protective effects on muscle physiology in the context of diet- and genetic-induced obesity using Drosophila models. Our findings reveal that TRF triggers the upregulation of key genes involved in glycine production (Sardh …

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Perceptions Of Comfort And Vison In Center Distance Multifocal Contact Lenses In Non-Presbyopic Adults, D'Ajanee Smallwood Jan 2023

Perceptions Of Comfort And Vison In Center Distance Multifocal Contact Lenses In Non-Presbyopic Adults, D'Ajanee Smallwood

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Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the subjective performance of four different multifocal contact lenses (MFCLs) amongst a population of adults excluding presbyopes. Methods: Forty-three subjects were fit with up to four different lenses (Biofinity “D” MFCL, NaturalVue MFCL, MiSight 1 Day contact lens, & Intelliwave MFCL). Information about vision and comfort were gathered using subjective assessments. Pupil size data were gathered as secondary outcome measurements. Results: There were no significant differences in ghosting, haloes, and visual clarity between larger and smaller pupils. All MFCLs had reduced overall visual clarity compared to habitual correction except for Biofinity. …

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Role Of Gtp Cyclohydrolase I In Glioblastoma, Kaysaw C. Tuy Jan 2023

Role Of Gtp Cyclohydrolase I In Glioblastoma, Kaysaw C. Tuy

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Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults with a median survival of 15 months. Poor patient survival is, in part, caused by a stem-like and therapy-resistant population of brain tumor initiating cells (BTICs). BTICs are plastic, with the capacity to overcome oxidative damage. Guanosine triphosphate cyclohydrolase I (GCH1), a rate limiting enzyme in the de novo synthesis of the redox cofactor, tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), was previously identified as a significant regulator of oxidative stress in BTICs. Reducing oxidative damage in the form of lipid peroxidation is imperative for GBM growth: lipid metabolism is required for the …

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Cognition, Self-Awareness, And Driving After Moderate-To-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Christina A. Diblasio Jan 2023

Cognition, Self-Awareness, And Driving After Moderate-To-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Christina A. Diblasio

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Moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) often results in cognitive deficits in learning/memory, executive functions, and self-awareness. Cognitive impairments and unawareness of those impairments hinder driving capacity, yet a large proportion of survivors return to driving after injury. Given that many survivors are driving, it is essential to understand how cognition and self-awareness impact driving practices. To date, studies in this area are limited. This dissertation aimed to (1) create a normative sample for the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone (BTACT), a short cognitive battery adapted for telephone administration and validated for the TBI population; (2) examine the relationship …

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Production, Purification And Radiochemistry Development Of Manganese-52 Fir Characterization Of Pet/Mr Imaging Agents, Jennifer Marie Pyles Jan 2023

Production, Purification And Radiochemistry Development Of Manganese-52 Fir Characterization Of Pet/Mr Imaging Agents, Jennifer Marie Pyles

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Manganese (Mn) has the potential to be an important element in biomedical research as different isotopes of Mn have the characteristics to be used for both positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Manganese(II) (55Mn) is paramagnetic which makes it useful as a contrast agent in T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Mn as a radiotracer provides excellent sensitivity for studying 55Mn, but only Manganese-52 (52Mn) met the criteria for this research. 52Mn has a half-life (t1/2 = 5.591 days) that was long enough to optimize purification, chemistry and examine timepoints over several days. 52Mn decays by positron emission …

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Development And Evaluation Of A Nanomatrix Coated Stent Using A Vascular Sheet With Atherosclerosis Model, Xixi Zhang Jan 2023

Development And Evaluation Of A Nanomatrix Coated Stent Using A Vascular Sheet With Atherosclerosis Model, Xixi Zhang

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While cardiovascular stent technology has considerable advances, there are hurdles to overcome due to the dysfunctional stented arteries which fail to maintain vascular homeostasis. Current stent designs ignored the significance of promoting functional artery healing (pro-healing). Therefore, we developed a pro-healing nanomatrix coating for stent. Previous studies investigated its effect on individual vascular cell type. In natural artery, there are multiple vascular cell types that strongly affect stent performance. Thus, an in vitro vascular double-layer (VDL) system was used to observe stent effects on different vascular cell types. And the pro-healing ability and mechanism of the nanomatrix coated stent were …

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