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Molecular Detection Of Entamoeba Histolytica In Diarrheic Fecal Samples From Patients Attending National Hepatology And Tropical Medicine Research Institute, Azza Hasan Abbas, El Shahat Ahmed Elshahat, Heba Mohamed Abdelglil

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background: Amoebiasis is a worldwide disease caused by Entamoeba histolytica infection. The true prevalence is unknown due to the difficulty in distinguishing Entamoeba histolytica from non-pathogenic amoebas especially when microscopic diagnosis is performed, to overcome microscopy misidentification. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay is necessary as a highly sensitive and specific technique. Objective: To determine the value of Real-Time PCR (RT.PCR) in the diagnosis of Entamoeba histolytica in the stool samples of diarrheic patients attending NHTMI versus microscopy, copro- antigen, and serum antibodies detection techniques. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 150 diarrheic patients. Their stool samples were …

Dental And Oral Manifestations Of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Is It Related To General Disease Activity?, Omnia A. Abubakr, Ali M Youssef, Mohamed A Mohamed, Mohamed A Hamdy

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background: RA is a chronic immune-mediated systemic disorder; its pathogenesis is complex. Genetic, environmental, hormonal, and lifestyle are the main risk factors. The correlation between oral health and RA is rising. Oral manifestations in RA include temporomandibular joint disorder, secondary Sjögren’s syndrome, xerostomia, and periodontal disease. Previous studies suggest a bidirectional relationship between RA and periodontal diseases. This study aims to detect oral mucosal and dental disease in RA patients and its relation to demographic features, disease activity, and extra-articular manifestation. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 150 patients with RA allocated into two groups, 75 patients in each …

Prevalence Of Upper Limb Musculoskeletal Abnormalities In Type 2 Diabetic Patients And Its Relation To Glycemic Control And Associated Factors, Eslam Elsayed Ali Shohda, Amal Emam El-Maghraby, Hadeer Khaled Youssef Elhamid

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Aim of the study: to investigate the prevalence of upper limb musculoskeletal abnormalities and their correlations to glycemic control and associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at diabetes unit and internal medicine outpatient clinic at Al-ahrar teaching hospital, Zagazig, Egypt. 200 type 2 diabetic patient (T2DM) and 200 non-diabetic control patients of ages > 18 years were enrolled. Rheumatological diseases were excluded. Studied upper limb musculoskeletal abnormalities were Limited joint mobility (LJM), Dupuytren’s contracture (DC), Trigger finger (TF), De Quervain’s tenosynovitis (DQT), Lateral epicondylitis (LE), Medial epicondylitis (ME), Rotator’s cuff tendinitis (RCT) and Carpel tunnel syndrome susceptibility diagnosed by …

Assessment Of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness And Its Relation To Cardiovascular Risk Factors In Obese Children, Faten A.A. Fathi, Somaya M. Abd El Ghany, Ahmed A.H. Taha, Gihan F.A. Hassan, Eman Fouad

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background Childhood obesity is one of the most critical public health problems today. This study aims to assess the relation between carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and cardiovascular risk factors in obese children. Patients and methods This is a case–control study conducted on 80 Egyptian children aged 6–18 years; 40 children with simple obesity as defined by WHO (2011) and 40 healthy children age matched and sex matched were taken as a control group. Cases were selected from the National Nutritional Institute randomly from December 2017 to March 2018. All patients and control groups were subjected to the following: full history …

Efficacy Of Native T1 Mapping In Differentiation Between Viable And Non-Viable Myocardium In Chronic Ischemia, Diab Mahmoud S, Gad Azza A.H, Abdel Lattif Reda A, Mahrous Mary R

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background Myocardial ischemia may lead to reversible or irreversible myocardial insult. A precise assessment of myocardial viability (MV) is of clinical relevance to determine the recovery potential of the affected segments. Contrast enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (CE-CMR) with late gadolinium (Gd) sequences is the gold standard method for MV assessment. Our study tasted the accuracy of segmental native T1 mapping (NT1M) imaging as a non-contrast technique for assessing MV. Methods: Forty-three patients with chronic myocardial ischemia underwent 1.5 T CMR. Imaging protocol includes cine images to assess left ventricular (LV) function, and (LGE) images to detect and estimate the extension …

Non-Pharmaceutical Symptom Management In Patients With Pcos, Allison Stern

Capstone Showcase

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a relatively common diagnosis among biological females. There are many variations of presentations among patients with PCOS that require an individualized and tailored treatment plan for symptom management. Although there are pharmaceutical medications that can be used for PCOS symptoms, some patients’ symptoms might not be fully managed, or they might prefer to focus on non-pharmaceutical options for their symptoms instead. Therefore, it is important for clinicians to be familiar with alternatives to the mainstay of pharmaceutical treatment.

Inpatient Management Of An Intravenous Drug User With Tetanus, Nina Paris

Capstone Showcase

Tetanus is rare in the United States now due to the tetanus vaccine but there is still the potential too see patients with tetanus. IV drug users, neonates, and geriatric populations are at an increased risk of developing tetanus. Tetanus is caused by Clostridium tetani, a spore forming and exotoxin releasing anaerobic bacteria. The symptoms of tetanus are caused by the exotoxin tetanospasmin which inhibits the release of inhibitory neurotransmitters, leading to sustained neuronal stimulation. The classic symptoms of tetanus are lockjaw (trismus), neck stiffness, back arching, and fever. Patients can be febrile, tachycardic, tachypneic, and hypertensive on exam. …

Phasic And Repetitive Self-Touch Differ In Hemodynamic Response In The Prefrontal Cortex–An Fnirs Study, Sabrina Von Au, Ingo Helmich, Simon Kieffer, Hedda Lausberg

Exercise and Sport Studies: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Each individual touches the own body several 100 times a day. While some researchers propose a self-regulatory function of self-touch, others report that self-touching increases nervousness. This controversy appears to be caused by the fact that researchers did not define the kind of self-touch they examined and actually, referred to different types of self-touch. Thus, kinematically defining different types of self-touch, such as phasic (discrete), repetitive, and irregular, and exploring the neural correlates of the different types will provide insight into the neuropsychological function of self-touching behavior. Methods: To this aim, we assessed hemodynamic responses in prefrontal brain areas …

Managing Neonatal Pain: A Guideline For Non-Neonatal Providers, Kelly Stanton

Capstone Showcase

Neonatal pain, especially in settings outside of the NICU or newborn nursery, is often under-recognized or even unnoticed altogether. Many providers and parents do not know how to recognize when a neonate is in pain and many do not know how to minimize or alleviate this pain effectively. Even when providers know how to assess pain in neonates, they typically assess for acute pain in the presence of chronic pain, or vice-versa. Untreated pain in neonates harms brain development and can lead to behavior defects later in life for these babies. Due to these outcomes, the recognition and effective treatment …

Hopeful Oscillation: Metamodernism, Barbenheimer, And Our New Cultural Undercurrent, Jewel T. Miller

Capstone Showcase

Recent societal changes have pushed artwork and media away from postmodernism as a dominant cultural philosophy. In its place has risen a new theoretical approach, titled Metamodernism, which attempts to discover the meaning behind present day art and media’s strengthening affective qualities, and provide a possible label for this new post-postmodernist state. This is not only an important attempt at understanding the society we live in today but also its broader impact on how we communicate through media. This paper explores the rise of Metamodernism as a theoretical approach within media studies and philosophy, including the term’s inception and growing …

Comparison Of Various Intermittent Fasting Dietary Interventions To The Ketogenic Dietary Interventions And Its Effects In Mitigating Hunger In Obese Adults, Aston Earl Francis Jr

Theses and Dissertations

There have been many dietary strategies that can be used for fat loss and the most recent popular dietary interventions have been intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet. Intermittent fasting (IF) dietary interventions and the ketogenic diet (KD) are popular diets that claim to promote weight loss which has also been speculated to have enhanced benefits than caloric restriction. Although these dietary strategies are growing in popularity, it is unclear if the intervention can manage hunger, which may increase adherence. The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the literature on the impact of IF protocols compared to KD …

Csi Botany: Dna Barcode “Fingerprints” Identify Cryptic Urban Flora, Luis R. Vega

Theses and Dissertations

As short genomic markers, DNA barcodes can play a role in conservation by identifying cryptic species and hybrids when morphological approaches fall short. Here we present our application of barcodes to the identities of two wetland taxa as part of an ongoing floristic inventory of Van Cortlandt Park (VCP), Bronx, NY. Previous barcode data by Marriott et al. (2018) identified the VCP lake water lily as the exotic Nymphaea alba, rather than the native N. odorata as historically described. In addition, cattails in the park were historically identified as the native Typha latifolia and the exotic T. angustifolia …

Effects Of Duckweed On Mosquito Oviposition And Larval Survivorship, Alyssa Gushka

Capstone Showcase

Invasive species are those non-natives to habitat and that negatively impact the environment or human health problems. Invasive mosquitoes threaten the environment and humans, as they transmit 17% of infectious diseases including malaria, West Nile virus and yellow fever. Aedes japonicas and Aedes albopictus are invasive mosquitoes that often deposit eggs in artificial containers. Chemical pesticides, such as Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI), utilizes endospores to release toxins into the larvae. However, BTI creates negative consequences for the environment and other species. Many plants are being examined to see if they can act as natural pesticides. Duckweeds are native to North …

The Positive Effects Of Medical Cannabinoids On The Dysregulated Endocannabinoid System In Autism Spectrum Disorder Patients, Caroline J. Reichelderfer

Capstone Showcase

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability. The symptoms include a lack of social skills, a need for repetitive patterns of life, difficulty in communication, speaking deficits and numerous other symptoms. While the specific cause is unknown, there is much research being done on mechanisms including dysregulations of the immune system, endocannabinoid system, and overall brain (Nez Govorova 2021, Pol 2021). The Endocannabinoid system is a recently discovered branch of the nervous system composed of endocannabinoids which are produced naturally in the body; lipid-based neurotransmitters that bind to cannabinoid receptors (CBRs) and cannabinoid receptor proteins that are expressed throughout …

Vitamin D Enhanced Vitamin D Receptor (Vdr) Inhibition Of Nlrp3 Inflammasome Activation Can Attenuate The Development Of Autoimmune Thyroiditis, Alexzon Mandac

Capstone Showcase

Autoimmune Thyroiditis (AIT) is a prevalent autoimmune disease affecting approximately 2% of the population. Characterized by the gradual loss of thyroid function through an autoimmune attack on the thyroid gland, the disease manifests symptoms that negatively affect one’s quality of life. The mechanisms behind the disease’s pathophysiology are not fully understood; however, researchers are examining the involvement of the NLRP3 inflammasome in the disease. This thesis will address the question of whether Vitamin D can act as an inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome and attenuate the progression of AIT in mouse model. Current investigations explore the effects of NLRP3 inhibition …

High Energy Blue Light Induces Oxidative Stress And Retinal Cell Apoptosis, Jessica Malinsky

Capstone Showcase

Blue light (BL) is a high energy, short wavelength spanning 400 to 500 nm. Found in technological and environmental forms, BL has been shown to induce photochemical damage of the retina by reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Excess ROS leads to oxidative stress, which disrupts retinal mitochondrial structure and function. As mitochondria amply occupy photoreceptors, they also contribute to oxidative stress due to their selectively significant absorption of BL at 400 to 500 nm. ROS generation that induces oxidative stress subsequently promotes retinal mitochondrial apoptosis. BL filtering and preventative mechanisms have been suggested to improve or repair BL-induced retinal damage, …

What Is Active Learning? Perspectives From Five Stem Professors' Teaching Practices In Their Classrooms, Iliana Correa

Capstone Showcase

This senior thesis investigated what ways, if any, STEM professors incorporated active learning pedagogy in their undergraduate classroom in a small private university in the northeast USA. STEM pedagogy was investigated because of the increasing prominence of active learning methods in the classroom compared to the didactic type of teaching that was prominent in the past (Eichler, 2020). A qualitative case study of five STEM professors was conducted and involved collecting data from biographical questions, a one-hour interview, and the analysis of a document provided by the professor that could have been a lesson plan, an assignment, or an activity …

Elite Women In The Mediterranean 31 Bc – 1380 Ad: An Investigation Into Female Agency, Identity, And Patriarchy Across Classical And Christian Paradigms, Julia Maurer

Capstone Showcase

This paper explores the responses of elite women to patriarchal regimes across the Classical Pagan and Medieval Christian paradigms in the Mediterranean from 31 BC to 1380 AD. While the current historiography acknowledges the radical differences between the two worldviews fundamental to the core values of Western Civilization, an investigation of three women that can be taken to be emblematic examples of the periods in which they lived reveals a striking continuity in the nuanced social roles available to women. This continuity contradicts expectations of significant changes reflective of this revolutionary paradigm shift.

I utilize Julia Augusti, Vibia Perpetua, and …

Women Play Football Too: Feminist Theory And Uk Football, Mikayla Kummer

Capstone Showcase

Women's Football in the UK has constantly overshadowed by Men's Football and with the popularity of social media it may have complicated the issue. The way women have been treated in the media has always been different to how men were treated. Gender can be considered a performance and how women are treated by the press demands a performance from them. Through Offside, a play by Hollie Poetry and Sabrina Mahfouz, this essay explores the relationship between feminist theory, women's football and social media. Women athletes have consistently been asked about their personal lives, bodies, relationships and anything besides the …

A Chromosome-Scale Genome Sequence Of Sudangrass (Sorghum Sudanense) Highlights The Genome Evolution And Regulation Of Dhurrin Biosynthesis, Paul W. Bible, Jieqin Li, Wenmiao Tu, Jian Zheng, Peng Jin, Yanlong Liu, Junli Du, Jiacheng Zheng, Yi-Hong Wang, Qiuwen Zhan

Computer Science Faculty publications

Sudangrass [ Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf] is a hybrid between grain sorghum and its wild relative S. bicolor ssp. verticilliflorum and is grown as a forage crop due to its high biomass production and low dhurrin content compared to sorghum. In this study, we sequenced the sudangrass genome and showed that the assembled genome was 715.95 Mb with 35,243 protein-coding genes. Phylogenetic analysis with whole genome proteomes demonstrated that the sudangrass genome was more similar to US commercial sorghums than to its wild relatives and cultivated sorghums from Africa. We confirmed that at seedling stage, sudangrass accessions contained significantly lower …

Optical Tweezers: Exerting Force With Light, Gabriella Seifert

Scripps Senior Theses

Photons carry momentum. When a tightly-focused beam of photons hit a particle, they transfer some of their momentum to the particle, exerting a force. Optical tweezers take advantage of this phenomenon to trap (or “tweeze”) a spherical bead just after the focus of a diverging laser beam, creating a potential well that pulls in beads. In this thesis, I predict the force exerted on trapped beads and measure the actual force using an optical tweezers setup that I built. To predict the force, I follow the path of all possible rays from a diverging beam incident on a spherical bead …

Crime, Illness, & Abolition: An Exploration Through The Connective Tissue Within The Pic/Mic Matrix, Laila Kent

Scripps Senior Theses

This two part zine illuminates the shared mechanisms that construct and respond to ‘crime’, also define and treat illness in the US. Part 1 uncovers the status quo of our prison and health care system via the emergence of the The Prison-Industrial Complex (PIC), and The Medical-Industrial Complex (MIC). Through an exploration of the respective and overlapping histories, logics, and realities underlying the function of these systems, the mechanisms of individualism, objectification, and profiteering become strikingly clear. Part 2 breaks free of the status quo outlined in Part 1 by introducing abolition as the vision and strategy to heal from …

Utilizing Amr Surveillance Data To Analyze Trends In Escherichia Coli Antibiotic Resistance Levels In The South African Provinces Of Gauteng And The Eastern Cape, Celia Maris

Scripps Senior Theses

Antimicrobial resistant bacterial pathogens pose an ongoing threat to universal public health by causing more severe manifestations of infectious diseases, leading to an increase in healthcare expenditures and higher global mortality rates. Therefore, developing strategies to combat bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is vital for the future of human health. One promising strategy is through the utilization of AMR surveillance programs. This study focused on using AMR surveillance data from South Africa to analyze changes in Escherichia coli resistance levels to numerous antibiotics between January 2012 and December 2022 in Gauteng Province and the Eastern Cape Province. The study aimed to …

Quantifying The Carbon Stored And Sequestered By The Trees On Pomona College’S Campus, Paola A. Giron-Carson

Scripps Senior Theses

We are experiencing a climate crisis that must be confronted with strategic mitigation. Pomona College contributes to the climate crisis through its emissions for which there is a baseline record. However there is no baseline record of the climate mitigation currently performed by the trees on Pomona’s campus through carbon storage. This study seeks to determine a current baseline quantity of carbon stored and sequestrated by Pomona’s trees as well as possible courses of climate mitigation for Pomona College to take. Initial information gathering was conducted through interviews with several stakeholders. This study was conducted using data collected prior to …

Geographic And Environmental Patterns In Infection By Oyster Macroparasites Along The Georgia Coast, Sofia Markiewicz

Scripps Senior Theses

The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) is a keystone species that stabilizes sediments, cycles nutrients, filters water, and provides habitats and food for estuarine fauna. Oysters are prone to several macroparasites, including oyster pea crabs (Zaops ostreum), mud blister worms (Polydora websteri), and boring sponges (Cliona sp.). Prior research has shown that shellfish infected with blister worms and boring sponges exhibit weaker shells, are more vulnerable to damage and predation, and potentially experience reduced condition. Pea crabs may cause reduced condition, growth, and fertility in their hosts. However, the extent to which these parasites harm their hosts is still unclear. We …

Extending Lifespan With Metformin: A Comprehensive Review And Proposed Study, Caroline Delvecchio

Scripps Senior Theses

Aging is a non-adaptive epiphenomenon that characterizes the terminal phase of life. Aging leads to the dysregulation of metabolic processes that subsequently drive the downregulation of critical nutrient sensing pathways and autophagy, while increasing inflammation, cellular senescence, stem cell depletion, reactive oxygen species, and DNA damage; the gestalt of which is the aging phenotype. Age-induced subcellular alterations impact the whole organism, from cosmetic factors, such as grey hair and wrinkles, to the development of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. Fortunately, humans may have discovered a means of delaying aging through treatment with metformin. Metformin is an FDA-approved drug that …

Nitrogen Isotopes In Deep Sea Corals; A Potential Tracer Of Paleoceanographic Conditions, Sylvia Bergerud

Scripps Senior Theses

Abstract

In the face of anthropogenic climate change, increasing pressure is being mounted on contextualizing current climate altercations compared to those of the past. One key tracer of climate variation is the isotopic ratio of 15N compared to 14N, which tracks biological and chemical reactions throughout the N cycle. However, it is difficult to find accurate palaeoceanographic records of N isotope fractionation, as most sedimentary and organic samples are subject to extensive diagenesis, degradation, and erosive processes. Scleractinian corals present a potential solution to this lack of accurate data. Multiple studies indicate that, due to their protective aragonite skeletons and …

Heaven? Is It Worth It?: The Effect Of Belief On Religious Participation And Signaling, Claudia R. Chin

Scripps Senior Theses

Religion has long been a subject that baffles economists because of its seemingly inefficient requirements. It is hard to get one's mind around why an individual would be willing to give up secular commodities for religion, or face the strict entry costs and stigma society associates with the religion. Although many reasons have been suggested, the most widely accepted solution to why we engage in these behaviors is Religious Signaling Theory (RST). RST argues that people engage in these ineffective costs as a way to signal their commitment to the religion, and religions were utilized by society to enforce these …

Interpersonal Emotions As Emergent Phenomena: Social Neuroscience Beyond Western Cultural Constructions, Kaitlyn Penchina

Scripps Senior Theses

Because science as it exists today is a cultural construction of the West, studies of neuroscience have often been limited by Western perspectives. In particular, the Western proclivity towards individualism has led to a field of neuroscience which has historically focused on studying single individuals, as opposed to social or collective neuroscience. For the most part, it has just been assumed that collective phenomena such as interpersonal emotions must be able to be reduced in terms of individual phenomena such as individual emotions. However, closer review reveals that interpersonal emotions have emergent properties that individual emotions alone do not account …

Advancing Nutritional Psychiatry: Cultivating Knowledge And Confidence In Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners, Anne Marie Patterson

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Research on the relationship between nutrition and mental health is growing. Mental health professionals, including Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs), may lack the knowledge and confidence to endorse nutrition to benefit mental health outcomes. This quality improvement project sought to increase PMHNPs’ knowledge of nutritional psychiatry, build confidence in discussing nutritional interventions, and increase the nutritional education of patients. The project aims were to evaluate PMHNPs’ current knowledge and attitudes about nutritional psychiatry; assess if PMHNPs’ current practice includes nutritional psychiatry; analyze the effect of a training tool to increase knowledge of nutritional psychiatry and confidence in nutritional counseling; …