Digital Commons Network^™

Integrative Analysis Of The 3d Genome And Epigenome In Mouse Embryonic Tissues, Miao Yu, Yang E Li, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

While a rich set of putative cis-regulatory sequences involved in mouse fetal development have been annotated recently on the basis of chromatin accessibility and histone modification patterns, delineating their role in developmentally regulated gene expression continues to be challenging. To fill this gap, here we mapped chromatin contacts between gene promoters and distal sequences across the genome in seven mouse fetal tissues and across six developmental stages of the forebrain. We identified 248,620 long-range chromatin interactions centered at 14,138 protein-coding genes and characterized their tissue-to-tissue variations and developmental dynamics. Integrative analysis of the interactome with previous epigenome and transcriptome datasets …

Genetically Engineered Brain Organoids Recapitulate Spatial And Developmental States Of Glioblastoma Progression, Matthew Ishahak, Rowland H Han, Devi Annamalai, Timothy Woodiwiss, Colin Mccornack, Ryan T Cleary, Patrick A Desouza, Xuan Qu, Sonika Dahiya, Albert H Kim, Jeffrey R Millman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive form of brain cancer that is highly resistant to therapy due to significant intra-tumoral heterogeneity. The lack of robust in vitro models to study early tumor progression has hindered the development of effective therapies. Here, this study develops engineered GBM organoids (eGBOs) harboring GBM subtype-specific oncogenic mutations to investigate the underlying transcriptional regulation of tumor progression. Single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analyses revealed that these mutations disrupt normal neurodevelopment gene regulatory networks resulting in changes in cellular composition and spatial organization. Upon xenotransplantation into immunodeficient mice, eGBOs form tumors that recapitulate the transcriptional and spatial landscape …

Relationships Between Brain Glucose Metabolism Patterns And Impaired Glycemic Status: A Systematic Review Of Fdg-Pet Studies With A Focus On Alzheimer's Disease, Setareh Soltani, Mahsa Dolatshahi, Sara Soltani, Kian Khazaei, Maryam Rahmani, Cyrus A Raji

2020-Current year OA Pubs

It is well-established that individuals with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of developing cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it is not fully determined how insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are related to AD-related brain glucose metabolism abnormalities. For this aim, we performed a systematic review of the studies investigating the association between cerebral glucose metabolism and glycemic status, including diabetes, insulin resistance, or hyperglycemia. Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched (till February 2, 2025). All English full-text papers studying 18F-FDG-PET that investigated the association between cerebral FDG uptake or cerebral metabolism rate and glycemic …

Acute Hyperglycemia Induces Podocyte Apoptosis By Monocyte Tnf-Α Release, A Process Attenuated By Vitamin D And Glp-1 Receptor Agonists, Rong M Zhang, Jisu Oh, Burton M Wice, Adriana Dusso, Carlos Bernal-Mizrachi

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Targeting optimal glycemic control based on hemoglobin A1c (A1c) values reduces but does not abolish the onset of diabetic kidney disease and its progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD). This suggests that factors other than the average glucose contribute to the residual risk. Vitamin D deficiency and frequent episodes of acute hyperglycemia (AH) are associated with the onset of albuminuria and CKD progression in diabetes. This study aimed to determine if moderate levels of AH harm podocytes directly or promote a pro-inflammatory monocyte/macrophage phenotype that leads to podocyte apoptosis, and whether vitamin D deficiency accelerates these processes. We found that …

Biophysical Response Of A Coastal Woodland To Extreme Water Deficit During A Year Of Record-Breaking Heat, Caitlin E. Moore, Sally E. Thompson, Jason Beringer, Wesley Cooper, Simone Gelsinari, Hoang Long Nguyen, Huanhuan Wang, Qiaoyun Xie, Richard P. Silberstein

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Global terrestrial and ocean surface temperatures continue to reach record levels, resulting in heat waves, drought, and prolonged heat stress experienced by vegetation in many regions. In 2023-2024, coastal terrestrial ecosystems in Western Australia were particularly affected, experiencing their driest and hottest summer since observations began in the early 1900s. Banksia woodlands are a threatened ecological community in this region that are endangered by the cumulative impacts of climate change, clearing and changing groundwater regimes, the last of which is strongly influenced by the dual use of groundwater resources by the ecosystem and by the ∼2 million people in the …

Exposures Of Western Australian Wildland Firefighters: Insights From Real-Time Monitoring, Kiam Padamsey, Adelle Liebenberg, Ruth Wallace, Jacques Oosthuizen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Inhalation of bushfire smoke is a risk to the health of firefighters, particularly across Australia where bushfires are becoming more frequent and intense. This study aimed to use real-time monitoring devices to assess the particle and chemical exposures of Western Australian firefighters during prescribed burns and bushfires. Methods: Participants included volunteer bushfire firefighters and forestry firefighters. Real-time gas and particulate monitors were used across nine unique fire events to evaluate the occupational exposures of firefighters. Findings: Firefighters (n = 40) were exposed to high concentrations of particulate matter (PM), particularly PM10, with concentrations varying widely between individuals and events. …

Convergence On Camk4: A Key Modulator Of Autism-Associated Signaling Pathways In Neurons, Jacqueline Kaiser, Alana Risteska, Abbey G Muller, Haoxiong Sun, Bethany Lei, Kevin Nay, Anthony R Means, Margot A Cousin, David H Drewry, Jonathan S Oakhill, Bruce E Kemp, Anthony J Hannan, Michael Berk, Mark A Febbraio, Andrew L Gundlach, Elisa L Hill-Yardin, John W Scott

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Although the precise underlying cause(s) of autism spectrum disorder remain unclear, more than 1000 rare genetic variations are associated with the condition. For many people living with profound autism, this genetic heterogeneity has impeded the identification of common biological targets for therapy development for core and comorbid traits that include significant impairments in social communication and repetitive and restricted behaviors. A substantial number of genes associated with autism encode proteins involved in signal transduction and synaptic transmission that are critical for brain development and function. CAMK4 is an emerging risk gene for autism spectrum disorder that encodes the CaMK4 (calcium/calmodulin-dependent …

Microbial Communities Associated With Endangered West Texas Springsnails And Their Potential Roles In Conservation, Russell L. Minton, Kathryn E. Perez

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Desert springs are one of the most threatened ecosystems globally. Those in Southwestern North America support high numbers of threatened and endemic species. Human activities present the greatest threats to springs and the organisms they support. Freshwater snails in the genera Pyrgulopsis and Tryonia are two groups of such organisms, representing diverse and threatened groups of springsnails in the Southwestern United States. Desert springs also harbour unique microbial diversity that faces similar threats from water usage and freshwater habitat degradation. Understanding springsnails and the bacteria they host represent potential exemplars for interdisciplinary conservation efforts. We studied the bacterial communities associated …

Altered Thermal Preference By Preoptic Estrogen Receptor Alpha Neurons In Postpartum Females, Nan Zhang, Meng Yu, Qianru Zhao, Bing Feng, Yue Deng, Jonathan C Bean, Qingzhuo Liu, Benjamin P Eappen, Yang He, Kristine M Conde, Hailan Liu, Yongjie Yang, Longlong Tu, Mengjie Wang, Yongxiang Li, Na Yin, Hesong Liu, Junying Han, Darah Ave Threat, Nathan Xu, Taylor Smiley, Pingwen Xu, Lulu Chen, Tianshu Zeng, Yanlin He, Chunmei Wang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate how reproductive experience (RE) alters thermal preference and thermoregulation in female mice, with a focus on estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-expressing neurons in the preoptic area (POA).

METHODS: Thermal preference and body temperature were measured in female mice with and without RE, and virgin female mice with selective deletion of ERα from the POA (ERα

RESULTS: We showed that female mice prefer a cooler environment starting from late pregnancy and persisting long term postpartum. Female mice with RE (>4 weeks post-weaning) displayed lower body temperature and a lower thermal preferred temperature, and lost preference …

Use Of Robust Norming To Create A Sensitive Cognitive Summary Score In De Novo Parkinson's Disease: An Illustrative Example, Daniel Weintraub, Michael C Brumm, Ryan Kurth, Michele K York

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Cognitive impairment is common at all stages of Parkinson's disease (PD), but there is no consensus on which neuropsychological tests to use or how to interpret cognitive battery results. A cognitive summary score (CSS) combines the richness of a neuropsychological battery with the simplicity of a single score.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether a CSS created using robust norming can detect early cognitive deficits in de novo, untreated PD.

Methods: Baseline cognitive data from PD participants and healthy control participants (HCs) in the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative were used to (1) create a robust …

Loncastuximab In High-Risk And Heavily Pretreated Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: A Real-World Analysis From 21 Us Centers, Viktoriya Zelikson, Behzad Amoozgar, Brad Kahl, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Outcomes in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are poor. Loncastuximab- teserine (Lonca) is an antibody-drug conjugate which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with R/R DLBCL who have received at least two prior lines of therapy, based on the results of the LOTIS-2 trial. However, there are limited data regarding its efficacy in the real-world setting. This retrospective study included 21 US centers and evaluated outcomes of patients with R/R DLBCL treated with Lonca. Our analysis comprises 187 patients with notably higher-risk baseline features compared to those of the …

Prognostic, Biological, And Structural Implications Of Flt3-Jmd Point Mutations In Acute Myeloid Leukemia: An Analysis Of Alliance Studies, Nadeen Anabtawi, Geoffrey L Uy, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The FLT3 gene frequently undergoes mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), with internal tandem duplications (ITD) and tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) point mutations (PMs) being most common. Recently, PMs and deletions in the FLT3 juxtamembrane domain (JMD) have been identified, but their biological and clinical significance remains poorly understood. We analyzed 1660 patients with de novo AML and found FLT3-JMD mutations, mostly PMs, in 2% of the patients. Patients with FLT3-JMD mutations had a higher relapse rate and shorter disease-free survival than those with FLT3-TKD, whereas their relapse rate, disease-free and overall survival were not significantly different from those of …

Impact Of Dietary Intake On Brain Choline Levels: A 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study, Halima Hawesa, Mayar Alghumaiz, Renad Alghamdi, Nourah Alrabiah, Bayader Alfaifi, Hind Allam, Mahasin Gamalalddin, Haya Alshegri, Mansour Shanawani

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between dietary choices and brain choline (Cho) levels using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Methods: A total of 88 female students from the radiology department at King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, participated in this study. Brain total choline (tCho) levels were estimated using MRS single volume sequence at a 3 Tesla field, with an echo time of 30 ms, repetition time of 2000 ms, voxel size of 15x15x15 mm, and water suppression bandwidth of 50 Hz. Participants’ food consumption habits were assessed using a dietary questionnaire to quantify the amount of protein …

Comprehensive Normalization And Binary Classification Methods For Enhanced Sensitivity And Reproducibility In Luminex Assay Quantitation, B A Burns, C A Shaw, M Chandra, C S Forconi, A M Moormann, V Konduri, V N Tubman, W K Decker

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The Luminex assay is a powerful tool for large-scale quantitation of antibody levels and cytokines, but its utility can be limited by issues of specificity, sensitivity, and reproducibility. The corrections for background fluorescence and machine drift are essential steps in the normalization process. However, traditional methods often oversimplify these steps, failing to account for the complexity of the data, leading to the introduction of error and decreasing the sensitivity and reproducibility of the analysis. Furthermore, conventional methods to determine cut-points in binary measures do not consider the true distribution of the data, leading to arbitrary cut-points that compromise the integrity …

Cerebrotendinous Xanthomatosis Occurs At High Frequency In Ashkenazi Jews, Jennifer Hanson, Penelope E Bonnen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Cerebrotendinous Xanthomatosis (CTX) is a treatable, inborn error of bile acids metabolism caused by pathogenic variants in CYP27A1. CTX is a multi-organ system disorder that progresses over decades. Clinical features include cerebellar dysfunction, pyramidal tract dysfunction, cognitive deficits and decline, peripheral neuropathy, chronic diarrhea, bilateral cataracts, and tendon xanthomas. Treatment is effective when started early, but diagnostic delays often result in individuals not being diagnosed until after the window of highest treatment efficacy. CTX is documented to occur in most global populations, however, no CTX-causing genetic variants have been reported in Ashkenazi Jews. We conducted a systematic review of every …

Assessing The Predicted Impact Of Single Amino Acid Substitutions In Calmodulin For Cagi6 Challenges, Paola Turina, Giuditta Dal Cortivo, Carlos A Enriquez Sandoval, Emil Alexov, David B Ascher, Giulia Babbi, Constantina Bakolitsa, Rita Casadio, Piero Fariselli, Lukas Folkman, Akash Kamandula, Panagiotis Katsonis, Dong Li, Olivier Lichtarge, Pier Luigi Martelli, Shailesh Kumar Panday, Douglas E V Pires, Stephanie Portelli, Fabrizio Pucci, Carlos H M Rodrigues, Marianne Rooman, Castrense Savojardo, Martin Schwersensky, Yang Shen, Alexey V Strokach, Yuanfei Sun, Junwoo Woo, Predrag Radivojac, Steven E Brenner, Daniele Dell'orco, Emidio Capriotti

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Recent thermodynamic and functional studies have been conducted to evaluate the impact of amino acid substitutions on Calmodulin (CaM). The Critical Assessment of Genome Interpretation (CAGI) data provider at University of Verona (Italy) measured the melting temperature (Tm) and the percentage of unfolding (%unfold) of a set of CaM variants (CaM challenge dataset). Thermodynamic measurements for the equilibrium unfolding of CaM were obtained by monitoring far-UV Circular Dichroism as a function of temperature. These measurements were used to determine the Tm and the percentage of protein remaining unfolded at the highest temperature.

The CaM challenge dataset, comprising a total of …

Assessing The Predicted Impact Of Single Amino Acid Substitutions In Mapk Proteins For Cagi6 Challenges, Paola Turina, Maria Petrosino, Carlos A Enriquez Sandoval, Leonore Novak, Alessandra Pasquo, Emil Alexov, Muttaqi Ahmad Alladin, David B Ascher, Giulia Babbi, Constantina Bakolitsa, Rita Casadio, Jianlin Cheng, Piero Fariselli, Lukas Folkman, Akash Kamandula, Panagiotis Katsonis, Minghui Li, Dong Li, Olivier Lichtarge, Sajid Mahmud, Pier Luigi Martelli, Debnath Pal, Shailesh Kumar Panday, Douglas E V Pires, Stephanie Portelli, Fabrizio Pucci, Carlos H M Rodrigues, Marianne Rooman, Castrense Savojardo, Martin Schwersensky, Yang Shen, Alexey V Strokach, Yuanfei Sun, Junwoo Woo, Predrag Radivojac, Steven E Brenner, Roberta Chiaraluce, Valerio Consalvi, Emidio Capriotti

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

New thermodynamic and functional studies have been recently conducted to evaluate the impact of amino acid substitutions on the Mitogen Activated Protein Kinases 1 and 3 (MAPK1/3). The Critical Assessment of Genome Interpretation (CAGI) data provider, at Sapienza University of Rome, measured the unfolding free energy and the enzymatic activity of a set of variants (MAPK challenge dataset). Thermodynamic measurements for the denaturant-induced equilibrium unfolding of the phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms of the MAPKs were obtained by monitoring the far-UV circular dichroism and intrinsic fluorescence changes as a function of denaturant concentration. These values have been used to calculate the …

Pilot Screening For Prodromal Parkinson’S Disease In Post-9/11 Veterans With Probable Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder, Melissa B Jones, Dakota Broadway, Taryn White, George R Jackson, Supriya Singh, Ruosha Li, Erik K St Louis, Laura E Marsh, Ricardo E Jorge

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

This pilot examined prodromal markers in post-9/11 Veterans with TBI and probable REM sleep behavior disorder (N = 12). RBD was confirmed in 5 of 10 (50 %) participants with polysomnography. Veterans with subthreshold parkinsonism had lower olfactory scores. Future studies should quantify REM sleep without atonia and include broader markers.

Current Nanocomposite Advances For Biomedical And Environmental Application Diversity, Narsimha Mamidi, Ramiro M. V. Delgadillo, Alan O. Sustaita, Karen Lozano, Murali M. Yallapu

School of Medicine Publications

Nanocomposite materials are emerging as key players in addressing critical challenges in healthcare, energy storage, and environmental remediation. These innovative systems hold great promise in engineering effective solutions for complex problems. Nanocomposites have demonstrated various advantages such as simplicity, versatility, lightweight, and potential cost-effectiveness. By reinforcing synthetic and natural polymers with nanomaterials, a range of nanocomposites have exhibited unique physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Current research on nanocomposites has demonstrated promising clinical and translational applications. Over the past decade, the production of nanocomposites has emerged as a critical nano-structuring methodology due to their adaptability and controllable surface structure. This comprehensive …

Inappropriate Laboratory Testing: Significant Waste Quantified By A Large-Scale Year-Long Study Of Medicare And Commercial Payer Reimbursement, Dave Smart, Jeff Schreier, Ila R Singh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Context.—: Laboratory testing, beyond what is essential for managing health, is considered low-value care, posing patient risks and wasting resources. Measuring excess testing on a national level is crucial to identify waste and optimize healthcare resource allocation for maximum impact.

Objective.—: To measure inappropriate laboratory testing and its cost across Medicare and many US commercial payers.

Design.—: A retrospective analysis on 2019 claims data measured the frequency of 4 commonly used laboratory tests among 64 million individuals with Medicare and 168 million with commercial insurance. Tests included 25-hydroxy vitamin D, prostate-specific antigen, lipid panel, and hemoglobin A1c. Clinical guidelines, medical …

Can Targeting The Fgf23-Αklotho Signaling System Delay Phosphate-Driven Organ Damage?, Mohammed S. Razzaque, Moosa Mohammadi

School of Medicine Publications

Introduction: Inexorable high serum phosphate levels in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients deteriorate the functionality of the musculoskeletal, renal, and cardiovascular systems, thereby contributing to increased morbidity and mortality. Higher phosphate balance has also been correlated with increased mortality rates in individuals with normal renal function, independent of other comorbidities. Clinical and epidemiological studies of CKD patients and healthy subjects, alongside evidence of accelerated aging in murine models induced by excessive phosphate loading, indicate that phosphate toxicity is a driver of premature aging and age-related organ damage.

Area covered: This article briefly discusses the causes and consequences of phosphate toxicity …

Advances In Targeted And Chemotherapeutic Strategies For Colorectal Cancer: Current Insights And Future Directions, Salique Hassan Shaham, Puneet Vij, Manish Tripathi

School of Medicine Publications

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, necessitating the continuous evolution of therapeutic approaches. Despite advancements in early detection and localized treatments, metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) poses significant challenges due to low survival rates and resistance to conventional therapies. This review highlights the current landscape of CRC treatment, focusing on chemotherapy and targeted therapies. Chemotherapeutic agents, including 5-fluorouracil, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin, have significantly improved survival but face limitations such as systemic toxicity and resistance. Targeted therapies, leveraging mechanisms like VEGF, EGFR, and Hedgehog pathway inhibition, offer promising alternatives, minimizing damage to healthy tissues while …

Liability Considerations For Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Projects In U.S. Waters, Korey Silverman-Roati, Martin Lockman, Romany M. Webb

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

Scientists have identified a number of land- and ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (“CDR”) approaches. Ocean-based approaches, also known as marine CDR, hold great potential for uptake and sequestration of carbon dioxide. However, controlled field trials in the ocean are needed to better understand the efficacy and impacts of several marine CDR approaches. Legal considerations will have a major bearing on whether, when, where, and how such field research goes forward. Previous studies have analyzed the potential international and domestic legal framework applicable to marine CDR research and subsequent deployment (if that is ultimately deemed appropriate). However, relatively little research has …

Conference Report: Attribution Science And Climate Law, Jessica A. Wentz

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

This report provides a summary of proceedings from the Attribution Science and Climate Law conference hosted at Columbia University on January 9-10, 2025. The conference brought together a diverse group of researchers and practitioners to share insights on the status of climate change attribution research and its relevance to climate law and policy. Participants included physical scientists, public health researchers, economists, social scientists, legal scholars, and legal practitioners. The core goals of the event were to facilitate interdisciplinary discussion, advance substantive knowledge in this field, and promote ongoing collaboration between the scientific, legal, and policy-making communities.

Genomics And Multiomics In The Age Of Precision Medicine, Srinivasan Mani, Seema R Lalani, Mohan Pammi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Precision medicine is a transformative healthcare model that utilizes an understanding of a person's genome, environment, lifestyle, and interplay to deliver customized healthcare. Precision medicine has the potential to improve the health and productivity of the population, enhance patient trust and satisfaction in healthcare, and accrue health cost-benefits both at an individual and population level. Through faster and cost-effective genomics data, next-generation sequencing has provided us the impetus to understand the nuances of complex interactions between genes, diet, and lifestyle that are heterogeneous across the population. The emergence of multiomics technologies, including transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenomics, metabolomics, and microbiomics, has enhanced …

Visible Light Polarization-Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography With Balanced Detection, Bahar Baradaran, Adam J Black, Sarah R Heilbronner, Taner Akkin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Significance: We introduce a visible-light polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) system that operates in the spectral domain with balanced detection (BD) capability. While the BD improves the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the use of shorter wavelengths improves spatial resolution and birefringence sensitivity.

Aim: We aim to implement a new optical design, characterize its performance, and investigate the imaging potential for biological tissues.

Approach: The design utilizes a unique interferometer and a custom spectrometer that captures four highly aligned spectra with a single area/multi-line camera. Each pair of spectral lines is highly aligned, and their subtraction yields balanced detected spectra of the …

Cascades, A Novel Sox2 Super-Enhancer-Associated Long Noncoding Rna, Regulates Cancer Stem Cell Specification And Differentiation In Glioblastoma, Uswa Shahzad, Marina Nikolopoulos, Christopher Li, Michael Johnston, Jenny J Wang, Nesrin Sabha, Frederick S Varn, Alexandra Riemenschneider, Stacey Krumholtz, Pranathi Meda Krishnamurthy, Christian A Smith, Jason Karamchandani, Jonathan K Watts, Roel G W Verhaak, Marco Gallo, James T Rutka, Sunit Das

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Glioblastoma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults, with a median survival of just over 1 year. The failure of available treatments to achieve remission in patients with glioblastoma (GBM) has been attributed to the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are thought to play a central role in tumor development and progression and serve as a treatment-resistant cell repository capable of driving tumor recurrence. In fact, the property of "stemness" itself may be responsible for treatment resistance. In this study, we identify a novel long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), cancer stem cell-associated distal enhancer of SOX2 …

Overexpression And Biophysical And Functional Characterization Of A Recombinant Fgf21, Phuc Phan, Jason Hoang, Thallapuranam Krishnaswamy Suresh Kumar

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is an endocrine FGF that plays a vital role in regulating essential metabolic pathways. FGF21 increases glucose uptake by cells, promotes fatty acid oxidation, reduces blood glucose levels, and alleviates metabolic diseases. However, detailed studies on its stability and biophysical characteristics have not been reported. Herein, we present the overexpression, biophysical characterization, and metabolic activity of a soluble recombinant FGF21 (rFGF21). The far-UV circular dichroism spectra of rFGF21 show a negative trough at 215 nm, indicating that the protein’s backbone predominantly adopts a β sheet conformation. rFGF21 shows intrinsic tyrosine fluorescence at 305 nm. Thermal …

Increasing A-Type Co32− Substitution Decreases The Modulus Of Apatite Nanocrystals, Stephanie Wong, Abigail Eaton, Christina Krywka, Arun Nair, Christophe Drouet, Alix Deymier

Faculty Publications

Biological apatite mineral is highly substituted with carbonate (CO₃²⁻). CO₃²⁻ can exchange for either phosphate, known as B-type, or hydroxyl groups, known as A-type. Although the former has been extensively studied, A-type CO₃²⁻ substituted apatites are poorly understood. Therefore, A-type CO₃²⁻ apatites with biologically relevant levels of CO32− (1.7–5.8 wt%) were prepared and characterized. The addition of A-type CO₃²⁻ into the apatite structure caused the predicted expansion of the a-axis and contraction of the c-axis in the unit cell. This was accompanied by a significant modification in the atomic …

Mainstreaming Parafamily, Elizabeth F. Emens

Faculty Scholarship

In Parafamily, Chen and Mulligan have managed to cover vast terrain, to catalogue important developments in law, to canvass insights from generations of thinkers, and to propose an ambitious yet pragmatic approach to the laws that govern human relationships, directly and indirectly. They do all this in a relatively short article composed of unusually readable prose. Quite a feat.

The focus of the piece is Chen and Mulligan’s contribution to the field of legal scholarship dedicated to relationships that go beyond the traditional nuclear family. As their title reveals, the authors contribute a new term and concept to this …