Digital Commons Network^™

New Treatment Modality For Metastatic Cancer By Targeting The Endothelin Type A Receptor (Etar), Elbara Fathelrahman Abdelmoula

Theses

Ambrisentan, an FDA-approved selective antagonist of the Endothelin Type A Receptor (ETAR) for pulmonary arterial hypertension, has shown potential in limiting cancer growth and metastasis. While effective treatment options for melanoma remain elusive, this study investigates the effects of Ambrisentan on invasive, metastatic B16F10 melanoma using a syngeneic mouse model, aiming to assess Ambrisentan’s impact on tumor growth, metastasis, and overall host survival in B16F10 melanoma, along with gaining mechanistic insights into ETAR antagonism. C57Bl/6 mice were divided into two groups, receiving either dH2O or Ambrisentan orally. Treatments commenced prior to tumor implantation and continued post-implantation. Luciferase-expressing B16F10 cells facilitated …

Sound Marks, Deborah R. Gerhardt, Jon J. Lee

Faculty Publications

A lion roars just before a film rolls. A doughboy giggles. A giant green man laughs a hearty, "Ho, Ho, Ho." These iconic sounds are all federally registered as trademarks. They identify specific brands and distinguish their products and services from the competition. Human brains treat sounds like these as categorization tools and cognitive shortcuts—ideal trademark symbols. But what about the sounds your favorite toys or electronic devices make? Or those made by a fictional character in the latest blockbuster?

This Article tackles these issues and others. We push back against the widely-held belief that all unconventional trademarks—product designs, colors, …

Does Alzheimer’S Disease Begin In Your Gut? A Review Of The Gut-Brain Axis Effect On Cognitive Impairment And The Potential For Therapeutic Targeted Interventions., Jane Greenberg

Theses

Objective: To summarize current data regarding the bidirectional communication of the gut microbiota and the brain, specifically in relation to cognitive improvement, microbiota diversity, and dietary interventions. Additionally, the mechanisms underlying these relationships will be explored. Evidence Acquisition: Using the key terms “gut-brain axis" and "Alzheimer’s disease” PubMed and Web of Science were searched for papers published between 2014 and 2023. This yielded 297 results, of which 23 were relevant to this topic. Articles that failed to address cognitive impairment or only studied animal subjects were excluded. After scanning each paper, nine review articles and 14 new studies were selected …

Meta-Analysis Of Postoperative Myocardial Injury As A Predictor Of Mortality After Living Donor Liver Transplantation, Krzysztof Jankowski, Frank W Peacock, Michal Pruc, Teresa Malecka-Massalska, Lukasz Szarpak

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate postoperative myocardial injury, as expressed by the postoperative concentration of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) as a predictor of mortality among living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) patients.

METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched through to September 1st 2022. The primary endpoint included in-hospital mortality. Secondary endpoints were 1-year mortality and re-transplantation occurrence. Estimates are expressed as risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Heterogeneity was assessed with the I² test.

RESULTS: During the search, 2 studies were found …

The Maternal Gut Microbiome In Pregnancy: Implications For The Developing Immune System, Omry Koren, Liza Konnikova, Petter Brodin, Indira U Mysorekar, Maria Carmen Collado

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The gut microbiome has important roles in host metabolism and immunity, and microbial dysbiosis affects human physiology and health. Maternal immunity and microbial metabolites during pregnancy, microbial transfer during birth, and transfer of immune factors, microorganisms and metabolites via breastfeeding provide critical sources of early-life microbial and immune training, with important consequences for human health. Only a few studies have directly examined the interactions between the gut microbiome and the immune system during pregnancy, and the subsequent effect on offspring development. In this Review, we aim to describe how the maternal microbiome shapes overall pregnancy-associated maternal, fetal and early neonatal …

Green Synthesis Of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles From Althaea Officinalis Flower Extract Coated With Chitosan For Potential Healing Effects On Diabetic Wounds By Inhibiting Tnf-Α And Il-6/Il-1Β Signaling Pathways, Sammar Fathy Elhabal, Nashwa Abdelaal, Saeed Abdul Kareem Saeed Al-Zuhairy, Mohamed Fathi Mohamed Elrefai, Ahmed Mohsen Elsaid Hamdan, Mohamed Mansour Khalifa, Sandra Hababeh, Mohammad Ahmad Khasawneh, Gehad M Khamis, Jakline Nelson, Passant M Mohie, Rania A Gad, Amira Rizk, Soad L Kabil, Mohamed Kandeel El-Ashery, Bhaskara R Jasti, Nahla A Elzohairy, Tayseer Elnawawy, Fatma E Hassan, Mohamed A El-Nabarawi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Diabetes Mellitus is a multisystem chronic pandemic, wound inflammation, and healing are still major issues for diabetic patients who may suffer from ulcers, gangrene, and other wounds from uncontrolled chronic hyperglycemia.

METHOD AND RESULTS: First, develop eco-friendly green Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) and incorporate them into a 2% chitosan (CS) gel. In-vitro study performed by UV-visible spectrum analysis showed a sharp peak at 390 nm, and Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometry showed a peak of zinc and oxygen. Besides, Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) was used to qualitatively validate biosynthesized ZnO-NPs, and transmission electron microscope (TEM) showed spherical nanoparticles with mean …

Revolutionizing Psoriasis Topical Treatment: Enhanced Efficacy Through Ceramide/Phospholipid Composite Cerosomes Co-Delivery Of Cyclosporine And Dithranol: In-Vitro, Ex-Vivo, And In-Vivo Studies, Sammar Fathy Elhabal, Nashwa Abdelaal, Saeed A S Al-Zuhairy, Mohamed Fathi Mohamed Elrefai, Mohamed Mansour Khalifa, Mohammad Ahmad Khasawneh, Ahmed Mohsen Elsaid Hamdan, Passant M Mohie, Rania A Gad, Soad L Kabil, Mohamed Kandeel El-Ashery, Bhaskara R Jasti, Nahla A Elzohairy, Nehal Elfar, Tayseer Elnawawy, Fatma E Hassan, Mohamed Ahmed El-Nabarawi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: Improving the treatment of psoriasis is a serious challenge today. Psoriasis is an immune-mediated skin condition affecting 125 million people worldwide. It is commonly treated with cyclosporine-A (CsA) and dithranol (DTH). CsA suppresses the activation of T-cells, immune cells involved in forming psoriatic lesions. Meanwhile, DTH is a potent anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative drug that effectively reduces the severity of psoriasis symptoms such as redness, scaling, and skin thickness. CsA and DTH belong to BCS class II with limited oral bioavailability. We aim to develop a drug delivery system for topical co-delivery of CsA and DTH, exploring its therapeutic potential. …

Drosophila Parasitoids Go To Space: Unexpected Effects Of Spaceflight On Hosts And Their Parasitoids, Jennifer Chou, Johnny R. Ramroop, Amanda M. Saravia-Butler, Brian Wey, Matthew P. Lera, Medaya L. Torres, Mary Ellen Heavner, Janani Iyer, Siddhita D. Mhatre, Sharmila Bhattacharya, Shubha Govind

Publications and Research

While fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and humans exhibit immune system dysfunction in space, studies examining their immune systems’ interactions with natural parasites in space are lacking. Drosophila parasitoid wasps modify blood cell function to suppress host immunity. In this study, naive and parasitized ground and space flies from a tumor-free control and a blood tumor-bearing mutant strain were examined. Inflammation-related genes were activated in space in both fly strains. Whereas control flies did not develop tumors, tumor burden increased in the space-returned tumor-bearing mutants. Surprisingly, control flies were more sensitive to spaceflight than mutant flies; many of their …

Traf4-Mediated Nonproteolytic Ubiquitination Of Androgen Receptor Promotes Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer, Yosi Gilad, Ortal Shimon, Sang Jun Han, David M Lonard, Bert W O'Malley

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Steroid receptor coactivators (SRCs) are master regulators of transcription that play key roles in human physiology and pathology. SRCs are particularly important for the regulation of the immune system with major roles in lymphocyte fate determination and function, macrophage activity, regulation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) transcriptional activity and other immune system biology. The three members of the p160 SRC family comprise a network of immune-regulatory proteins that can function independently or act in synergy with each other, and compensate for - or moderate - the activity of other SRCs. Recent evidence indicates that the SRCs are key participants in …

Steroid Receptor Coactivators In Treg And Th17 Cell Biology And Function, Yosi Gilad, Ortal Shimon, Sang Jun Han, David M Lonard, Bert W O'Malley

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Steroid receptor coactivators (SRCs) are master regulators of transcription that play key roles in human physiology and pathology. SRCs are particularly important for the regulation of the immune system with major roles in lymphocyte fate determination and function, macrophage activity, regulation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) transcriptional activity and other immune system biology. The three members of the p160 SRC family comprise a network of immune-regulatory proteins that can function independently or act in synergy with each other, and compensate for - or moderate - the activity of other SRCs. Recent evidence indicates that the SRCs are key participants in …

Taking Environmental Responsibility Seriously: Academic Libraries, Ai, And Climate Impacts, Frank Houghton, Jennifer Moran Stritch, Lisa O'Rourke Scott

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Generative AI is a disruptive technology that offers significant potential across many fields including healthcare, health education and academic libraries. However, although many concerns are routinely cited in relation to AI, very few of these address the issue of the increased power requirements inherent in AI training and inference. Climate change resulting from human factors has already resulted in increased global warming and climate variability. In this Anthropocene era the question must be asked how libraries and other organisations will mitigate the impacts of their increased AI use? To date assessments of sustainability and energy use in libraries have not …

Risk Burden Of Heat-Related Morbidity Due To Urban Heat Island Effect In Tamalanrea District, Makassar, Angelia Khairunnisa, Ihsan Ihsan, Marly Patandianan

Media Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia

One of the problems in the urban environment is the rise in land surface temperature and heat buildup (Urban Heat Island) around built-up areas. People living in UHI areas will experience an increased risk of health burdens. Therefore, early identification for disaster mitigation is needed to achieve a sustainable city. This study aims to provide an overview of the risk of the spread of heat-related diseases based on the relative risk value in Tamalanrea District. This study considers the relationship between Land Surface Temperature (LST) values in 2019, 2020, and 2021 with the incidence of heat-related diseases obtained from the …

Investigating Power In Golding's 'Lord Of The Flies': A Stylistic Consideration, Salam Abbas Mahmood, Zamaan Tawfeeq Abdul-Hassan

Uruk Journal of Human Sciences

"Lord of the files" is considered one of the famous fictions that treated the topics of psychology, power, and social relations. The current study, by adopting an aspect of Halliday's "Systemic Functional Linguistics" theory, investigates the ideological conception of different groups in relation to the notions of power, powerlessness, and fear. This is done by showing how power is represented in what each group feels and thinks towards the other. The analysis contributes to the character’s full understanding. The study also includes an analysis procedure namely the verb process elements of analysis, which the characters simplify about strength (power) and …

Mir-142: A Master Regulator In Hematological Malignancies And Therapeutic Opportunities, Wilson Huang, Doru Paul, George A Calin, Recep Bayraktar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a type of non-coding RNA whose dysregulation is frequently associated with the onset and progression of human cancers. miR-142, an ultra-conserved miRNA with both active -3p and -5p mature strands and wide-ranging physiological targets, has been the subject of countless studies over the years. Due to its preferential expression in hematopoietic cells, miR-142 has been found to be associated with numerous types of lymphomas and leukemias. This review elucidates the multifaceted role of miR-142 in human physiology, its influence on hematopoiesis and hematopoietic cells, and its intriguing involvement in exosome-mediated miR-142 transport. Moreover, we offer a comprehensive …

The Development And Validation Of Novel Imaging Biomarkers For Uterine Contraction, Cervix And Placenta In Pregnancy, Wenjie Wu

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Annually, nearly half a million neonates in the United States and 15 million globally are born preterm, defined as prior to 37 completed weeks of gestation. These births present elevated risks of neonatal mortality and long-term neurological deficits. The predominant obstetric precursors of preterm birth (PTB) include spontaneous preterm labor (45%), medically-indicated deliveries (30%), and preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM, 25%). Each precursor is associated with distinct physiological or structural alterations such as uterine contractions, placental dysfunction, or cervical insufficiency. Current methodologies for monitoring uterine contractions, such as intrauterine pressure catheters and electrohysterography, possess limitations in spatial resolution, coverage, …

A Patterned Human Primitive Heart Organoid Model Generated By Pluripotent Stem Cell Self-Organization, Brett Volmert, Chao Zhou, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Pluripotent stem cell-derived organoids can recapitulate significant features of organ development in vitro. We hypothesized that creating human heart organoids by mimicking aspects of in utero gestation (e.g., addition of metabolic and hormonal factors) would lead to higher physiological and anatomical relevance. We find that heart organoids produced using this self-organization-driven developmental induction strategy are remarkably similar transcriptionally and morphologically to age-matched human embryonic hearts. We also show that they recapitulate several aspects of cardiac development, including large atrial and ventricular chambers, proepicardial organ formation, and retinoic acid-mediated anterior-posterior patterning, mimicking the developmental processes found in the post-heart tube stage …

Twitch Chat Advertising: How Live Chat Valence Affects Consumer Advertising Perceptions, Austin W. Camper

Theses and Dissertations

The streaming platform Twitch.tv, is a popular video streaming website where users can watch, communicate, and chat with streamers and other viewers live. Twitch and other live streaming websites typically offer viewers a chat window where the viewer can chat (in real-time) with the streamer and other viewers who are currently watching the stream. Research in live streaming platforms like Twitch and the effects of their various features are novel. The purpose of this study is to analyze how the sentiment of a live chat (positive or negative) and the stated or not stated disclosure of an advertisement posted in …

Summit Report: The Future And Ethics Of Uncrewed And Autonomous Warfare, Arman Mahmoudian

GNSI Summit Reports

On September 27-28, 2023, the Global and National Security Institute (GNSI) held the 8th Great Power Competition Conference titled “The Future and Ethics of Uncrewed and Autonomous Warfare” at the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus. As a featured event of the 2nd GNSI Tampa Summit, the conference included three major panels: “Foreign Defense Partnership in a Global Competitive Market,” “Ethical Use of Uncrewed Warfare,” and “Future of Uncrewed Systems: The Benefits and Dangers of Advancing Technology.” These panels brought together experts to discuss the evolving role of uncrewed and autonomous systems in warfare, their ethical implications, and the impact …

Benefits Of Sharing Neurophysiology Data From The Brain Initiative Research Opportunities In Humans Consortium, Vasiliki Rahimzadeh, Kathryn Maxson Jones, Mary A Majumder, Michael J Kahana, Ueli Rutishauser, Ziv M Williams, Sydney S Cash, Angelique C Paulk, Jie Zheng, Michael S Beauchamp, Jennifer L Collinger, Nader Pouratian, Amy L Mcguire, Sameer A Sheth

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Sharing human brain data can yield scientific benefits, but because of various disincentives, only a fraction of these data is currently shared. We profile three successful data-sharing experiences from the NIH BRAIN Initiative Research Opportunities in Humans (ROH) Consortium and demonstrate benefits to data producers and to users.

Strategies Managers Use To Motivate Millennials, Talena Lynn Edwards

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Echo: December 4, 2023, Taylor University

2023-2024 (Volume 111)

No abstract provided.

Chapman Early Music Ensemble, Chapman Early Music Ensemble

Printed Performance Programs (PDF Format)

No abstract provided.

Perturbation Based Decomposition For Motor Unit Number Estimation, Anna T. Pham

Master's Theses

Motor unit number estimation (MUNE) is of clinical significance because information associated with motor unit populations and the loss of motor units over time are crucial to the diagnosis and monitoring of neuromuscular disorders. The responses of individual motor units can be extracted through incremental stimulation of a muscle group of interest and further analyzed through various methods to compute the MUNE. In this work, the utility of the perturbation-based decomposition by Szlavik will be investigated for this application and compared to the original MUNE approach developed by McComas. Successful decomposition may suggest an alternative method for motor unit number …

Investigating The Effects Of Subchronic Dietary Zinc Supplementation On Diet-Induced Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease., Oluwanifemi Esther Bolatimi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Zinc deficiency is associated with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Previous studies show zinc supplementation improves steatosis, but its therapeutic effects in established MASLD remain unclear. We developed a model to characterize the effects of zinc supplementation on high-fat diet (HFD) induced MASLD and hypothesized established MASLD would be attenuated. Mice were fed control diet or HFD for 12 weeks and then grouped into normal or zinc-supplemented diets for 8 additional weeks. At euthanasia, plasma and liver tissues were collected for phenotypic analysis. Twelve weeks of HFD altered glucose clearance and body composition. Eight weeks of subsequent zinc supplementation …

Pulmonary & Critical Care Insider: Issue 4, Bharat Bajantri Md, Sarah Ellsworth-Hoffman Mls

Critical Care & Pulmonary

Pulmonary & Critical Care Insider Issue 4

Compiled by Bharat Bajantri, MD, and librarian Sarah Ellsworth, MLS for the clinicians of the Pulmonary and Critical Care team of Parkview.

The goal of this newsletter is to give a brief summary of the most pertinent articles to everyday practice and an attempt to keep up with literature as best as possible. Newsletters go out every 1-2 months.

Summaries/Topics in this issue:

• Inside Medicine- Ozempic

• Inhaled Amikacin for VAP (AMIKINHAL Trial)

• 2023 GOLD Guidelines for COPD

• SAGA of Antibiotics in the ICU

• The MANDALA trial

• The DENALI trial

• RESCUE IHCA – Not …

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New Insights In The Mechanisms Of Weight-Loss Maintenance: Summary From A Pennington Symposium, Emily W. Flanagan, Redin Spann, Sarah E. Berry, Hans Rudolf Berthoud, Stephanie Broyles, Gary D. Foster, Jonathan Krakoff, Ruth J.F. Loos, Michael R. Lowe, Danielle M. Ostendorf, Tiffany M. Powell-Wiley, Leanne M. Redman, Michael Rosenbaum, Philip R. Schauer, Randy J. Seeley, Boyd A. Swinburn, Kevin Hall, Eric Ravussin

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Obesity is a chronic disease that affects more than 650 million adults worldwide. Obesity not only is a significant health concern on its own, but predisposes to cardiometabolic comorbidities, including coronary heart disease, dyslipidemia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Lifestyle interventions effectively promote weight loss of 5% to 10%, and pharmacological and surgical interventions even more, with some novel approved drugs inducing up to an average of 25% weight loss. Yet, maintaining weight loss over the long-term remains extremely challenging, and subsequent weight gain is typical. The mechanisms underlying weight regain remain to be fully elucidated. The purpose …

Body Shape Perception In Men And Women Without Obesity During Caloric Restriction: A Secondary Analysis From The Calerie Study, Maci M. Jacobson, Alexis M. Gardner, Camilla E. Handley, Michael W. Smith, William F. Christensen, Chad R. Hancock, Paule V. Joseph, Michael J. Larson, Corby K. Martin, James D. Lecheminant

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Objective: To examine body shape perception in 218 adults without obesity or history of eating disorders during caloric restriction (CR). Methods: Comprehensive Assessment of Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy (CALERIE) is a 2-year, randomized clinical trial using a 2:1 assignment (CR, 25% reduction in calories; Control, typical diet). For this secondary analysis, we examined perceived body shape using the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ). Analyses of BSQ scores are reported by group, over time, by sex, and by BMI. Data for body fat percentage, symptoms of depression, food cravings, maximal oxygen consumption, and stress were analyzed for their association …

Cancer Risk In Human Spaceflight And Directions For Space Nursing: A Rapid Scoping Review, Brighton Blaze Krejci

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Using Noninvasive Calibrated Cuff Plethysmography To Observe The Effects Of Cold-Water Immersion On Arterial Compliance, Rita M. Grigorian

Biomedical Engineering: Graduate Reports and Projects

As the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases continues to exponentially grow in populations across the globe, the necessity of determining underlying factors, effective methods of diagnoses, and universally available preventive measures also grows. Early detection of endothelial dysfunction, a proven precursor of cardiovascular diseases, can be extremely impactful in encouraging preventative measures and early intervention before medical conditions become chronic. In recent years, ice plunging, a form of cryotherapy involving full body immersion in cold water, has gained popularity within circles of fitness and health practitioners, gaining the interest of people of all backgrounds. Certain parallels observed between the human physiological …

(R2055) Magnetic Effects On Unsteady Non-Newtonian Blood Flow Through A Tapered And Overlapping Stenotic Artery, Abiodun J. Babatunde, Moses S. Dada

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

This study aims to investigating the effect of magnetic field and porosity on non-Newtonian flow of blood through a tapered, and overlapping stenosed artery. The Casson fluid model represents the rheological character of blood. A tapered and overlapping stenosed artery influences the hemodynamic behavior of the blood flow. The problem is solved by using analytical techniques with the help of boundary conditions, and results are displayed graphically for different flow characteristics like pressure drop, shear stress, velocity profile and stream function. It is realized that rises in Darcy number and Womersley number accelerates the velocity profile and reduces the radial …