Digital Commons Network^™

The Anthropology Of Life: An Interview With Perig Pitrou, Perig Pitrou, Tomas De Oliveira, Maddalena Canna

Transatlantic Forum

This interview focuses on the proposal for an "anthropology of life" developed by Perig Pitrou. The conversation traces the origins of this framework to fieldwork with the Mixe of Mexico, where rituals involving the metaperson "He Who Makes Being Alive" revealed a crucial distinction between "the living" (living beings) and "life" (the causes that make them alive). This separation underpins a comparative model examining how societies socialize two fundamental dimensions: the power to generate life and the fragility of individual existences. Methodologically, the approach draws on the anthropology of techniques, employing the concept of "agentive configurations" to analyze how humans …

Role Of Plants And Phytochemicals In Promoting Proliferation And Osteogenic Differentiation Of Dental Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Comprehensive Review, Hala El-Zahar, Essam Abdel-Sattar, Marwa Yousry Moustafa Issa, Shereen N. Raafat, Noha Swilam

Dentistry

Abstract Objectives Dental mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent a promising source for regenerative medicine due to their accessibility and capacity to differentiate into osteoblasts and other lineages. Osteogenic differentiation of dental MSCs is essential for bone formation and is regulated by multiple signaling pathways, cytokines, growth fac‑ tors, and transcription factors. This review aims to summarize the effects of plant-derived extracts and phytochemicals on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of dental MSCs. Methods In this review, an extensive literature search was conducted covering studies from the past 10 years, using different online databases (SCOPUS, Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, …

Latest Sightings Of The Striped Hyena In North Africa: Major Threats And Conservation Actions, Abderrazak El Alami, Abderrazzak Fattah, Ilyas El Alami, Ziad El Alami

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) is widely distributed across the northern half of Africa, the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula, and parts of Asia. However,  numerous studies indicate that this carnivore is in decline, and it is currently classified  as near threatened on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. In North  Africa, the Hyaena hyaena barbara subspecies has been extirpated from many  areas. This article summarizes data collected from observations of the striped hyena  in North Africa between 2004 and 2024. Among the 418 striped hyenas recorded in  North Africa between 2004 and 2024, 18.4% (n = 77) were …

Depressive Symptoms, Campus Connectedness, And Campus Climate Related To Sexual Violence And Misconduct, Stephanie A. Navarro Silvera, Amanda S. Birnbaum, Eva S. Goldfarb, Ranju Mainali, Lisa D. Lieberman

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Depression, although a consequence of sexual violence, has not been studied in the context of college students’ views of campus sexual violence climate. Depression is one of the most prevalent and impairing mental health concerns among college students and has well-established links to sexual violence victimization; therefore, it serves as a theoretically and clinically meaningful focal outcome. Therefore, we assessed perceptions of institutional climate in the context of self-reported depression. Undergraduates (n = 716) reported perceptions and experiences of campus sexual violence and misconduct, connectedness, attitude, and depressive symptoms in an online survey. More than a third of participants reported …

Closing The “Extreme Circumstances” Gap: The Legality Of Nuclear Weapons When The Survival Of A State Is In Question, Christopher J. Hart

International Law Studies

There is a gap at the heart of the law governing the use of nuclear weapons. Repeated threats by Russian leaders to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine highlight the urgency of closing this gap. This article reviews the central holding of the 1996 International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons. The article focuses on the controversial “extreme circumstances” clause, in which the ICJ stated that it could not determine the legality of using nuclear weapons when the survival of a State was in question. This left open the questions …

Laughing Doves Use Human Structures In Fragmented Habitats To Improve Breeding Success, Humphrey Tietaah Ankuor, Ziblim Abukari Imoro, Timothy Khan Aikins

Cities and the Environment (CATE)

The effects of urbanisation on our natural environment have led to a significant shift in ecosystem structure and processes, posing threats to many wildlife species. However other species adapts to urban settings exploiting food and nesting opportunities that humans provide. This study identified and mapped Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis nests in human structures and trees within in an urban setting. The study characterised the nesting site selection, nest materials choices, and breeding success in human structures and trees. The results show that majority (107 nests, 86%) of the Laughing Dove nests were in human structures with only 14% (16 nests) …

Using Spiderwebs To Capture Airborne Environmental Dna (Edna) To Detect Animal Biodiversity In An Urban Park, Sabriya Ann Seid, Leonardo Gonzalez-Smith, Josephine Campos, Demian A. Willette

Cities and the Environment (CATE)

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is the genetic material shed by organisms in the environment. It has emerged as a powerful resource for assessing biodiversity, particularly in aquatic settings. The application of eDNA methods in terrestrial environments is less developed, with researchers still exploring collection methods of eDNA from the air. One novel approach recently trialed is the use of spiderwebs, a passive, natural material whose sticky silk threads can capture tiny airborne particles, including eDNA. Here, we investigated the use of spiderwebs for airborne eDNA collection as part of a broader survey of biodiversity at the urban Ascot Hills Park in …

Assessment Of Residents’ Knowledge, Attitude And Perception Of Climate Change Issues In Ibadan South West Local Government, Oyo State, Nigeria, Samson Olanrewaju, Samuel Oyeniyi, Sola Atoyebi, Modupeola Okubena, Chinedu Abazu, Emeka Adibe

Cities and the Environment (CATE)

This study examines residents’ knowledge, attitude, and behavioural responses to the impacts of climate change in Ibadan South West Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria. It evaluates residents’ awareness of climate change, analyses their behavioural responses to climate change impact, and identifies household characteristics that influence knowledge, attitude, and perception of climate change in the area. The study utilised a mixed-methods research approach, using such instruments as questionnaire administration and interviews. The study employed a multistage sampling technique where a total of seven (7) Enumeration Areas (EAs) were selected, and 206 questionnaires were administered to residents of the area. These …

Psychologists’ And Psychiatrists’ Views On Criminal Behavior, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, And Federally Sentenced Indigenous Women In The Prairie Region And British Columbia, Rina Asghar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The overrepresentation of federally sentenced Indigenous women in Canada reflects longstanding structural and systemic injustices within the criminal justice system. Constituting approximately 5% of the female population, Indigenous female offenders are disproportionately represented, especially in maximum security facilities and structured intervention units. This qualitative study examined psychologists’ and psychiatrists’ perspectives on the potential role of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) related neurocognitive impairments in increasing justice system involvement among Indigenous women in Western Canada. Guided by the multidimensional Indigenous developmental framework, which integrates historical trauma theory and attachment theory, nine psychologists and one psychiatrist were interviewed in semi-structured interviews. The …

Culvert Retrofit With Green Filter Media For The Removal Of Phosphorus From Stormwater Runoff, Somdipta Bagchi, Zhiming Zhang, Olayinka Olayiwola, Bharadwaj Mandala, Rupali Datta, Subhasis Giri, Richard Lathrop, Dibyendu Sarkar

Michigan Tech Publications

Phosphorus is a ubiquitous contaminant in urban and agricultural landscapes. A retention basin located in the southern part of Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, was identified as receiving stormwater runoff with elevated phosphorus concentrations. The basin is surrounded by expanding urban development, contributing to the progressive degradation of water quality in the bay, which is already highly eutrophic. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a culvert retrofit with a green filter media composed of granulated-aluminum-based drinking water-treatment residuals (Al-WTR) and granular carbon (5:1 ratio, w/w) for the removal of phosphorus and suspended sediments from stormwater runoff. The performance of the filter …

Western Conifer Seed Bug (Leptoglossus Occidentalis), Emilie Demard

All Current Publications

This fact sheet provides information on the western conifer seed bug, including native range, life cycle, plant hosts, symptoms and damage, and management options.

Evidence Of Emperor Penguins’ Sensitivity To Sea Ice Fluctuations, Rose T.N. Foster-Dyer, David Iles, Leo Salas, David G. Ainley, Birgitte Mcdonald, Sharon Stammerjohn, Lise Viollat, David Ortega, Annie E. Schmidt, Grant Ballard, Carolynne Hultquist, Jonathan D. Tonkin, Michelle Larue

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Using satellite-derived abundance indices over 20 years, we investigated population change among the seven Ross Sea emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) colonies. We found a 90% probability that the Ross Sea metapopulation had lower springtime attendance between 2005 and 2024 (mean change = -23%; 95% CI: -46 to +20%). We identified two distinct phases of change: slightly increasing 2005 to 2019/2020, followed by a steep decline 2020-2024, resulting in a decrease of approximately 23 000 birds in 5 years or approximately 32% of the regional population. Over the 20 years, the two southernmost colonies, Cape Crozier and Cape Colbeck, increased in …

Genetic Variants And Molecular Components Associated With Metabolic Dysfunctional-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease And Depression: Shared Association Of Adamts7 And Thrap3, Eron G. Manusov, Vincent P. Diego, Marcio A. Almeida, Jacob A. Galan, Kathryn Herklotz, Edwardo Abrego Ii, Habiba Sultana, Luis A. Peña Marquez, Marco Arriaga, Marcelo Leandro, Juan M. Peralta, Ana C. Leandro, Tom Howard, Joanne Curran, Sandra Laston, John Blangero, Sarah Williams-Blangero

Human Genetics Publications

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and depression frequently occur together. Identifying the genes that influence both MASLD and depression may facilitate the discovery of biological pathways associated with disease risk.

Methods: We recruited 525 participants from Mexican American families living in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas. We collected clinical data, biometric measurements, hepatic health assessments using Vibration-Controlled Transient Elastography (VCTE), and depression evaluations determined with the Beck Depression Inventory-II. We estimated the heritability (h2) of MASLD-related measures, depression status, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), the AST/ALT ratio, and Vibration-Controlled Transient Elastography measurements. For each gene, …

Primary Vaginal Epithelioid Haemangioendothelioma With Pulmonary Metastasis: A Case Report And Review Of The Literature, Anwar Al Shuaili, Huda Kashoob, Zahida Niaz, Nausheen Yaqoob, Khadhra Ahmed J. Galaal, Reem Ahmed Al Mazrouai

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Epithelioid haemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare vascular sarcoma of intermediate malignancy. In 2023, a 31-year-old female presented to a tertiary care hospital in Muscat, Oman, with symptoms later diagnosed as primary vaginal EHE. The patient had primary, locally invasive vaginal EHE that subsequently metastasised to the lungs. The patient experienced progression of systemic disease despite chemotherapy and was therefore transitioned to palliative chemotherapy. The clinical, radiological and histopathological findings as well as the diagnostic features that distinguish EHE from its aggressive mimic, epithelioid angiosarcoma, are described in this report. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges, the importance of molecular confirmation …

The Agreement Between Pulse Oximetry And Measured Arterial Oxygen Saturations In Postoperative Functionally Univentricular Patients, Fabio Savorgnan, Sebastian Acosta, Joshua Prabhu, Pranathi Pilla, Vikram Shah, Saul Flores, Rohit S Loomba

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Pulse oximetry is widely used to estimate arterial oxygen saturation, yet accuracy may vary for a number of reasons. Data on children with functionally univentricular circulation are limited. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the agreement between arterial oxygen saturation measured by blood gas and pulse oximetry in children with functionally univentricular circulations. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of paired arterial blood gas and pulse oximetry oxygen saturation measurements following Norwood, Glenn, or Fontan procedures. Signed difference was defined as arterial oxygen saturation by blood gas-arterial oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry. Bland-Altman analyses, …

On-Resin Diamsar-Conjugated Cd38-Targeted Peptides And Their Inverso And Dimeric-Inverso Analogs For Pet Imaging Of Multiple Myeloma, Amit Kumar Sharma, Rui Tang, Alexander Zheleznyak, Brad Manion, Erin Teubner, Julie L Prior, Tommy Bauer, Michael Riley Dyer, Stephen Lees, Kimberly Kelly, Monica Shokeen

2020-Current year OA Pubs

CD38 is an established biomarker of multiple myeloma (MM), and peptide-based radiopharmaceuticals targeted to this receptor offer a route to molecularly specific imaging. In this work, we identified a novel CD38-targeted peptide sequence (HAPWFRGGGGS) through phage display and synthesized it using automated solid-phase peptide synthesis. The peptide was modified by introducing a PEG

Beyond Borders: Exploring The Diversity, Practices, And Influences Of Feminism In Baguio City’S Contemporary Society, Patricia Josh Fate Alcantara, Asher Luis Cunan Badecao Iv, Clint Yuan Vista Castro, Alyza Faye Balbas Cutit, Naedaly Balagot David, Francesco Riane Bareng Pineda

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress Conference Proceedings

Historical research documents feminism's evolution from 19th-century suffrage movements to modern intersectional approaches. Though there are gaps in understanding how personal experiences and contexts, such as cultural and socio-economic, influence current feminist practice. This study investigates how lived experiences shape contemporary feminist engagement in Baguio City, Philippines. Using a descriptive phenomenological analysis of face-to-face interviews with a total of nine participants, the study identifies the following: results reveal generational divides, with younger participants developing progressive, digitally-informed feminist consciousness, while economic realities constrain activist participation for marginalized groups. Practical manifestations of feminism emerge through four daily practices: (1) conscious use of …

Reshaping Library Programming For Graduate Students Through Strategic Partnerships And Adaptation, Brian Vetruba, Caroyn Bishoff, Kate Peterson

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

In the wake of Covid-19, support structures dedicated to graduate student success at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMN) underwent dramatic shifts. Centralized in-person events for graduate students were discontinued, departmental identities strengthened, and library outreach responsibilities were reshaped by institutional changes, including a reduction of library staff. This panel examines how academic libraries can adapt and innovate with decreased capacity to meet the diverse needs of graduate students. Panelists will share strategies for expanding campus partnerships and sustaining and scaling initiatives that equip graduate students – especially first-year, international, and BIPOC students – with essential research skills and …

Ancestral Rites And Tablets As A Site Of Contestation Between Confucian Filial Piety And Catholicism: The Cases Of Chinese Confucian Yan Mo And Korean Catholic Yun Ji-Chung, Mideum Hong

Journal of Global Catholicism

This essay examines how the Confucian practice of filial piety, particularly as expressed through ancestral rites and tablets, became a focal point of contention in the encounters between Confucianism and Catholicism. Focusing on the cases of the Chinese Catholic Yan Mo and the Korean Catholic martyr Yun Ji-chung, I argue that the different historical and cultural contexts in China and Korea significantly shaped how each figure understood and responded to the practice of ancestral rites. While Catholicism spread globally, local converts developed distinct theological interpretations rooted in their respective cultural traditions. Although Yan Mo and Yun Ji-chung reached divergent conclusions …

The Level Of Physical Activity And The Feeling Of Stress In Difficult Life Situations Among Refugees From Ukraine, Bartosz Gondek, Iwona Bonisławska, Milena Lachowicz

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: Russia's attack on Ukraine in February 2022 started the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II. In the face of danger, crowds of civilians decided to leave their homes and escape, among others, to Poland in search of shelter. Materials and methods: The research was conducted on groups of refugees from Ukraine who registered in the first days of the war in Sopot and Pruszcz Gdanski. The refugees came from Kharkov, Mariupol, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and western Ukraine (not involved in hostilities). People from the war zone areas mostly came with only hand luggage. The respondents were divided …

Rare Complications Of Chronic Rhinosinusitis Associated With Nasal Polyps And Osseous Metaplasia, Michael Ritz, Alaina Rubenacker-O’Dell, Faith Olson, Ilya Fonarov

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is typically a benign condition; however, osseous metaplasia (OM), skull base erosion, and intracranial extension are rare complications, especially in young patients. Reporting such cases is important to increase awareness of unusual presentations of CRSwNP and guide management. We report the case of an 18-year-old male with a history of asthma and prior polypectomy who presented with worsening frontal headaches, subtle visual changes, and right eye proptosis. Imaging revealed extensive pansinusitis with complete frontal sinus opacification, bony erosion of the anterior skull base, and evidence of intracranial and orbital extension. The patient underwent endoscopic …

Alk-Negative Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma Presenting As Back Pain, Khalid Javed, Mariah Malak Bilalaga, Sareema Adnan, Ramya Vasireddy, David Blackwood, Christopher Haas

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a distinct subtype of mature T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma characterized by large, strongly positive CD30 lymphoid cells that lack expression and rearrangement of the ALK gene. Here, we present a unique case of ALK-negative ALCL in a 34-year-old male patient who presented with acute on chronic back pain. Initial emergent MRI spine demonstrated lytic changes of L3 and L4 with probable psoas fluid collection, with high suspicion for Pott’s disease. However, subsequent work-up including a CT-guided bone biopsy revealed ALK-negative ALCL.  Patient underwent radiation to his lumbar spine and psoas muscle, …

The Impact Of Social Determinants Of Health On Chronic Diseases: A Narrative Review, Farooq Hyder, Laraib Naeem Arain, Abdullah Ashraf, Abida Perveen, Hina Pervaiz

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disorders, and certain cancers are leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. While biological and behavioral factors contribute to their development, growing evidence indicates that social determinants of health (SDOH) play a fundamental role in influencing chronic disease outcomes. SDOH include socioeconomic status, education, employment, housing conditions, neighborhood environment, access to nutritious food, and availability of healthcare services. These factors not only shape individual health behaviors but also determine access to preventive care, disease management resources, and overall quality of life. Individuals and communities facing socioeconomic disadvantage are disproportionately affected by …

Food Insecurity’S Influence On Obesity, Hypertension, And Diabetes In Rural Vermont And Adirondack New York, Lindsay Morse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Food insecurity (FI) is a persistent public health challenge in the United States and disproportionately affects rural communities. Guided by syndemic theory, this quantitative cross-sectional study examined associations between FI and chronic disease outcomes among rural residents of Vermont and the Adirondack region of New York. Social determinants of health screenings and electronic medical records from 35 rural primary care sites were analyzed. Secondary data from n = 72,505 adults were used to evaluate these relationships. Binary logistic regression models assessed obesity, hypertension (HTN), and diabetes (DM), and a multinomial logistic regression model evaluated the combined presence of obesity and …

Polθ Activity Modulates Sensitivity To Standard Therapies In Dnmt3a-Deficient Leukemia, Bac Viet Le, Umeshkumar Vekariya, Monika M. Toma, Margaret Nieborowska-Skorska, Marie-Christine Caron, Malgorzata Gozdecka, Zayd Haydar, Martin Walsh, Jayashri Ghosh, Elaine Vaughan-Williams, Paulina Podszywalow-Bartnicka, Anna-Mariya Kukuyan, Sylwia Ziolkowska, Jessica Atkins, Emir Hadzijusufovic, Gurushankar Chandramouly, Reza Nejati, Katarzyna Piwocka, Richard T. Pomerantz, George S. Vassiliou, Brian J.P. Huntly, Peter Valent, Mariusz Wasik, Alfonso Bellacosa, Jean-Yves Masson, Gaorav P. Gupta, Grant A. Challen, Tomasz Skorski

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Myeloid malignancies carrying somatic DNMT3A mutations (DNMT3Amut) are refractory to standard therapy. DNMT3Amut leukemia cells accumulate toxic DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and stalled replication forks, rendering them dependent on DNA damage response (DDR). We report here that DNA polymerase theta (Polθ), a key element in DSB repair by end-joining (Polθ-mediated end-joining [TMEJ]) and in fork restarting, promotes survival and proliferation of DNMT3Amut leukemia cells. Polθ is overexpressed in DNMT3Amut leukemia cells due to abrogation of PARP1 PARylation-dependent UBE2O E3 ligase-mediated ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of Polθ. In addition, PARP1-mediated recruitment of the SMARCAD1-MSH2/MSH3 repressive complex to DSBs is diminished in …

Weakening The Reasonable Efforts Requirement In New Mexico Termination Of Parental Rights Cases, Monika Myers

New Mexico Law Review

Parents’ right to control the upbringing of their own children is long-established in the United States. However, in the case of child abuse, neglect, or abandonment, a state can terminate parental rights, permanently severing the legal relationship between a parent and a child. In New Mexico, to terminate parental rights for abuse or neglect the State must prove three elements by clear and convincing evidence: (1) the child is abused or neglected; (2) the conditions that brought the child into care are unlikely to change in the foreseeable future and (3) this is the case despite reasonable efforts by the …

Tet Cpg Sequence-Context-Specific Dna Demethylation Shapes Progression Of Idh-Mutant Gliomas., Youri Hoogstrate, Santoesha A Ghisai, Levi Van Hijfte, Rania Head, Iris De Heer, Marta Padovan, Maurice De Wit, Wies R Vallentgoed, Angelo Dipasquale, Maarten M J Wijnenga, Bas Weenink, Rosa Luning, Sybren L N Maas, Adela Brzobohata, Michael Weller, Tobias Weiss, Maximilian J Mair, Anna S Berghoff, Adelheid Wöhrer, Albert Jeltsch, Johan A F Koekkoek, Hans M Hazelbag, Mathilde C M Kouwenhoven, Yongsoo Kim, Bart A Westerman, Bauke Ylstra, Anneke M Niers, Kevin C Johnson, Frederick S Varn, Roel G W Verhaak, Mustafa Khasraw, Martin J Van Den Bent, Pieter Wesseling, Pim J French

Faculty Research 2026

Treatment decisions in IDH-mutant oligodendrogliomas are shaped by tumor aggressiveness, underscoring the need for objective grading of these malignant brain tumors. We collect 302 primary and recurrent resections from oligodendrogliomas and perform Ki-67 staining, proteomics, and DNA methylation profiling. During tumor progression, DNA methylation of oligodendrogliomas changes along a continuum. This continuum is linked to increased epigenetic aging, methylation of transcription factors and Ki-67+ cell density, and large-scale DNA demethylation. Demethylation correlates with CpG flanking sequences preferred by TET enzymes. We confirm these findings in previously profiled astrocytomas, indicating IDH-mutant gliomas progress along a shared epigenetic axis. We develop an …

Rethinking Ratio-Based Normalization Towards Model-Based Approaches In Heart Weight Analysis., Manuela A Oestereicher, Patricia Da Silva-Buttkus, Valérie Gailus-Durner, Susan Marschall, Helmut Fuchs, Impc Consortium, Martin Hrabě De Angelis, Elida Schneltzer, Nadine Spielmann

Faculty Research 2026

Heart weight (HW) is a critical parameter in cardiology and mouse research, commonly normalized to body weight (BW) or tibia length (TL) to account for size differences. Ratio-based normalization, however, assumes strict proportionality between variables, an assumption that is rarely tested and may bias group comparisons. We analysed HW, BW, and TL measurements from over 25,000 C57BL/6N wildtype mice generated by the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium. Sex- and age-stratified analyses were combined with simulation-based modelling to evaluate empirical scaling relationships and the statistical behaviour of ratio-based normalization. Across all age and sex groups, correlations between HW, BW, and TL were …

New Viability Assays For Acanthamoeba Castellanii Trophozoites And Cysts Allow Rapid Assessment Of Drug Activity., Carrie A Flynn, Rebecca I Colón-Ríos, Andrew Harmez, William F Flynn, Barbara I Kazmierczak

Faculty Research 2026

Pathogenic free-living amoebae such as Acanthamoeba castellanii are present in soil and water worldwide. A. castellanii causes systemic infections with very high mortality rates, yet drugs specifically targeting this pathogen are not available. Methods to reliably generate and assay cysts, which drive infection recurrence and drug resistance, are unavailable in a high-throughput format suitable for drug screening and testing. In this study, we developed a robust and reproducible protocol for encysting A. castellanii as well as a high-throughput, quantitative cyst viability assay using fluorescent live/dead staining coupled with microscopy and automated image analysis. These methods, coupled with optimized techniques for …

Tet Cpg Sequence-Context-Specific Dna Demethylation Shapes Progression Of Idh-Mutant Gliomas., Youri Hoogstrate, Santoesha A Ghisai, Levi Van Hijfte, Rania Head, Iris De Heer, Marta Padovan, Maurice De Wit, Wies R Vallentgoed, Angelo Dipasquale, Maarten M J Wijnenga, Bas Weenink, Rosa Luning, Sybren L N Maas, Adela Brzobohata, Michael Weller, Tobias Weiss, Maximilian J Mair, Anna S Berghoff, Adelheid Wöhrer, Albert Jeltsch, Johan A F Koekkoek, Hans M Hazelbag, Mathilde C M Kouwenhoven, Yongsoo Kim, Bart A Westerman, Bauke Ylstra, Anneke M Niers, Kevin C Johnson, Frederick S Varn, Roel G W Verhaak, Mustafa Khasraw, Martin J Van Den Bent, Pieter Wesseling, Pim J French

Faculty Research 2026

Treatment decisions in IDH-mutant oligodendrogliomas are shaped by tumor aggressiveness, underscoring the need for objective grading of these malignant brain tumors. We collect 302 primary and recurrent resections from oligodendrogliomas and perform Ki-67 staining, proteomics, and DNA methylation profiling. During tumor progression, DNA methylation of oligodendrogliomas changes along a continuum. This continuum is linked to increased epigenetic aging, methylation of transcription factors and Ki-67+ cell density, and large-scale DNA demethylation. Demethylation correlates with CpG flanking sequences preferred by TET enzymes. We confirm these findings in previously profiled astrocytomas, indicating IDH-mutant gliomas progress along a shared epigenetic axis. We develop an …