Digital Commons Network^™

Discovery And Characterization Of A Novel Pseudomonas Phage Of A New Genus, Paul Nicholls, Justin R Clark, Anthony Maresso

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Bacteriophages exhibit great diversity and are classically divided into lytic and temperate lifestyles. Commonly, bioinformatics is used to predict the temperate lifestyle. As the nosocomial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is common in freshwater, this biome represents an ideal location for the discovery of Pseudomonas phages.

Materials and methods: We characterized a genetically distinct species of Pseudomonas phage using next-generation sequencing and conventional microbiological methods. We characterized its lifestyle by purifying infected colonies and identifying persistent phage production.

Results: Genetics revealed a phage of a novel genus. Characterization showed a narrow host range and bioinformatics suggested a lytic lifestyle. Experimental data …

Bridging The Evidence Gap: A Retrospective Lens On Survival And Treatment Patterns In Older Patients With Colorectal Cancer, Emad M. Tashkandi

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To advise evidence-based strategies and healthcare policies to optimize the management of older adults with colorectal cancer (CRC) in the region. Older adults are disproportionately affected by CRC but are underrepresented in clinical trials. Hence, real-world data are crucial in guiding treatment in this population.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving patients aged ≥65 years diagnosed with CRC between 2015 and 2021 at King Abdullah Medical City, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Clinical data, treatment patterns, and survival outcomes were analyzed.

Results: Among 256 patients (mean age 74.7; 61.7% male), 75% had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status …

Anatomical Distribution And Extent Of Carotid Plaque In Early Inflammatory Polyarthritis, Fahad F. Almutairi

Saudi Medical Journal

Objective: To compare the extent and anatomical distribution of carotid atherosclerotic plaques in the carotid artery segments between patients with early Inflammatory Polyarthritis (IP) and age- and sex-matched controls, and to assess associated cardiovascular and disease-specific risk factors.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (June 2022 to April 2023), 349 patients (70% female; age 50.74 years; 41.81-58.34) and 115 matched controls (66% female; age 52.28 years; 42.29-58.42) underwent carotid ultrasound examination. Associations between plaques and cardiovascular were assessed.

Results: Plaques were significantly more common among patients than controls (46.1% vs. 27.8%, p = 0.0006), particularly …

Biomarkers Of Multiorgan Failure In Covid-19: A Predictive Framework For Disease Severity And Clinical Outcomes, Wesam A. Nasif, Mohammed H. Mukhtar, Mohammad Althubiti, Abeer Shaker El Moursy Ali

Saudi Medical Journal

Objective: To investigate the predictive value of inflammatory, liver, renal, and cardiac biomarkers in relation to the progression of multiorgan failure (MOF) in COVID-19 patients. A primary goal was to identify which of these markers served as the most discriminative predictors of disease severity.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was carried out between December 2020 and February 2023 to collect data from 1,803 COVID-19 patients from data records in different hospitals in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The ROC curve analysis evaluated the diagnostic and predictive performance of selected biomarkers.

Results: Inflammatory markers such as CRP and D-dimer were evaluated, but ferritin …

Role Of Artificial Intelligence In Infectious Diseases And Antimicrobial Resistance: A Comprehensive Review On Diagnostic, Treatment, And Prevention Aspects, Naveed Ahmed, Mansoor Alghamdi

Saudi Medical Journal

Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a significant role in managing infectious diseases by enhancing diagnosis, treatment, and preventive measures. AI-assisted tools have predictive analysis ability for incoming outbreaks, including the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AI-assisted tools facilitate the treatment methods by tailoring personalized medicine according to the specific disease history of the patient, immune response, and genetics. Advanced vaccine development by various AI-assisted in silico tools is becoming easy, leading to faster vaccine discovery and more efficient vaccine design with a more immunogenic response. Despite huge benefits, a few limitations are also encountered, including biases in algorithms, data privacy, and …

Childhood Obesity: Global Burden, Multifactorial Etiologies, Biological Mechanisms, And Emerging Interventions For Prevention And Management, Fahad H. Baali

Saudi Medical Journal

Childhood obesity, characterized by excessive accumulation of body fat that adversely affects health, is a global public health challenge. It affects approximately 8.2% of children and adolescents globally and contributes significantly to the burden of chronic diseases in later life. Obese children are at increased risk of developing metabolic disorder cluster, type 2 diabetes (T2D), coronary artery disease (CAD), and psychosocial complications. Increasing prevalence of childhood obesity imposes substantial economic costs and highlights the urgent need for effective prevention and management strategies. The causes of childhood obesity are multifactorial including genetic predispositions, environmental influences, dietary habits, and physical inactivity. Early …

The Structure, Pathogenesis, And Inhibition Of The P53-Mdm2 Pathway, Amanda L. Brown, Xiaoying Lian, Qian Wang

Faculty Publications

The p53 tumor suppressor protein plays a central role in maintaining genomic stability by regulating cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and DNA repair under cellular stress. Mouse double minute 2 (MDM2), an E3 ubiquitin ligase, negatively regulates p53 via direct binding and proteasomal degradation. Overexpression or amplification of MDM2 can disrupt this pathway and promote tumorigenesis, even in cancers with wild-type p53. This review outlines the structural features of MDM2, particularly its N-terminal hydrophobic pocket and C-terminal RING domain, and their roles in p53 regulation. We further examine the pathological effects of MDM2 dysregulation and SNPs linked to increased cancer risk. …

Selective Reversal Of Cu-Amyloid Aggregation Monitored In Real Time By Fluorescence Anisotropy: Ni-Bme-Dach Vs Edta Benchmarks, Alyssa N. Schroeder, Eleanor K. Adams, Dane C. Frost, Erica Lopez, Jennie R. Giacomini, Marilyn R. Mackiewicz

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Metal dyshomeostasis, particularly involving Cu2+, is increasingly recognized as a key contributor to amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation and neurotoxicity in Alzheimer’s disease, motivating the development of chelators capable of selectively disrupting pathogenic metal-Aβ interactions without perturbing essential biological metals. Here, we employ steady-state fluorescence anisotropy as a real-time probe of TAMRA-Aβ1–42 rotational mobility to quantify metal-induced aggregation and its reversibility by two chelators with distinct selectivities: EDTA, a broad-spectrum benchmark, and Ni-bme-dach, a sulfur-rich metallodithiolate with high Cu affinity. Cu2+ induces the most significant increases in anisotropy, consistent with rapid formation of large nanoscale aggregates, while Fe3+ produces moderate aggregation and …

Impaired Arginine, Citrulline And Glutamine Metabolism In Type 2 Diabetes: Insights From A Stable Isotope Study, Mustafa Tosur, Raven A Wierzchowska-Mcnew, Nicolaas E P Deutz, Mariëlle P K J Engelen

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Context: Arginine (Arg) is an important amino acid in T2D as a potent insulin secretagogue and precursor for nitric oxide (NO). Citrulline (Cit), the substrate for de novo Arg synthesis, is mostly produced from glutamine (Gln).

Objective: We aimed to investigate their metabolism in T2D using novel stable isotope tracer approach.

Methods: We studied 42 individuals (21 with T2D, 21 controls). After overnight fasting, blood samples were collected following pulse administration of stable amino acid tracers. Plasma concentrations and isotopic enrichments were measured by LC-MS/MS, and compartmental analyses were performed to calculate their whole-body production (WBP) rates and kinetics.

Results: …

Schwannomatosis Tumor Modeling: Progress And Prospects For Translational Research, Mackenzie S Madison, Huazhen Xu, Yarelis Gonzalez-Vargas, Marybeth G Yonk, Charee M Thompson, Hurley Haney, Danielle Babbitt, Yuhong Du, Angela C Hirbe, Nicholas M Boulis, Ren-Yuan Bai, Kecheng Lei

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Schwannomatosis (SWN) is a rare genetic condition characterized by the development of benign schwannomas along peripheral and spinal nerves, and this tumor development often results in chronic peripheral pain and significant neurological deficits. Despite surgical resection being the current standard of care for SWN-related pain, scientists are searching for accurate preclinical models that can be used for drug efficacy testing, but existing models often fail to fully recapitulate the complex genotypic diversity and tumor-nerve interface pathology seen in patients. MAIN TEXT: This review first summarizes the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of SWN subtypes resulting from key mutations in NF2, …

Attention Please, Diane Ackerman

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

This Island Earth, Diane Ackerman

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

On Being Text, Sallie Tisdale

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Creative Nonfiction In The Crosshairs, Lee Gutkind

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Interesting Case: Do Not Disturb, Natalie Smith Parra

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

A Merging Of Head And Heart, Judith Dancoff

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

The Agony And The Agony, Deborah Mcdonald

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Notes From A Difficult Case, Ruthann Robson

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

The Unexamined Life, Sam Anderson

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Fighting Fire With Fire, Ally Whitzel

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

A Forced Reintroduction, Zoey Dale

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

A Moral Dilemma: An Analysis Of Ethics And Human Genome Editing, Diana Owen

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

From Obispeño To English, Cailin Lorek

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

The Touch Felt Around The World, Melody Bastani

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

The Language That Had Escaped Me, Julia Johnson

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

The Power Of A Formative Experiment In An Inclusion Science Education Classroom, K. Lea Alexander, Marla K. Robinson

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Formative experiments offer a novel approach to research educational interventions

in inclusion science classrooms. This research examined whether using a formative experiment design with an intervention called Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) increased reading comprehension in grade-level biology text and science self-efficacy of students who had learning disabilities in reading in an inclusion biology classroom. Despite the small n, the results showed that there were statistically significant increases in the comprehension of grade-level biology text and science self-efficacy for the students with learning disabilities who participated in the study.

Taking Shelter From The Coming Storm: The Millenial Impulse Of The Church Universal And Triumphant's Royal Teton Ranch, Brad Whitsel

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

Early Prediction And Diagnosis Of Peripheral Neuropathy In Type 2 Diabetes Using Biochemical Parameters, Eman Naim Taher, Narjis Hadi Al – Saadi

Al-Ameed Journal for Medical Research and Health Sciences

Background: Type II diabetes mellitus is commonly related to diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPNP), which manifests as a gradual progression of damage to the peripheral nerves after excluding other causes. As initial alterations may lie hidden, focus has moved to easy crude markers. Neuron-specific Enolase (NSE) was chosen since it increases early after axonal injury, Whereas, Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) reflects neurotrophic activity. Material and Methods: A case control study was done on 45 cases of DPNP after diagnosing through a nerve conduction study (NCS), 48 diabetics without neuropathy DWNP and 45 healthy individuals. Ages ranged from 35 to 60. …

Technical Disclosure: Zero-Idle Asynchronous Hardware Architecture For Linear-Complexity State Space Models And Metabolic Gating, Samuel John Church

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure describes a semiconductor architecture designed to eliminate dynamic idle

power consumption in Edge AI applications by utilizing clockless, event-driven logic to execute

linear-complexity State Space Models (SSMs). The system replaces the global synchronous

clock with local handshake protocols (Muller C-elements) implementing Pulsed Static CMOS

logic. This hardware substrate is coupled with a "Metabolic Gating" software router that

dynamically switches between low-precision "reflex" networks and high-precision "reasoning"

networks based on real-time energy availability and input "surprise" (prediction error). The

disclosed invention enables "Zero-Idle" operation, where power consumption scales strictly

linearly with input token arrival, achieving near-zero leakage during inter-token …

The Stories Of African American Mothers Working Part-Time Without Mandated Job Protections, Chantelle Sharese Yancy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides unpaid, job‑protected leave only for eligible workers, and rules tied to hours, tenure, and employer size often exclude mothers working part-time. Research on U.S. family and medical leave has documented inequities in access to job protections. The lived experiences of African American/Black mothers navigating this gap remain underrepresented. The purpose of this narrative qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of African American/Black mothers who worked part-time without mandated job protections, with specific attention to FMLA. General systems theory provided the theoretical framework, and an Afrocentric paradigm centered African/African American/Black voice …