Digital Commons Network^™

Microrna-145 Replacement As A Therapeutic Tool To Improve Trail Therapy, Sheema Khan, Saini Setua, Nirnoy Dan, Melida Flores Cantu, Ana Martinez Bulnes, Murali M. Yallapu, Stephen W. Behrman, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan

Research Symposium

Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is a third leading cause of cancer related deaths in US. Unlike other cancers, PanCa is highly resistant to TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) that emerges as one of the most-promising therapy in clinical trials. Our group has previously identified microRNA-145 (miR-145) is downregulated in PanCa, the restoration of which inhibits tumor growth and enhances gemcitabine sensitivity. In this study, we have observed that miR-145 restoration in PanCa cells renders them sensitive to TRAIL treatment. Therefore, we have engineered unique superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SPs) for co-delivering miR-145 and TRAIL in PanCa for improving their therapeutic response to TRAIL. The …

Long Non-Coding Rna (Lncrna) As A New Biomarker For Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Hcc) Drug Resistance, Areeb Masood, Kyle Doxtater, Anupam Dhasmana, Subhash C. Chuahan, Sanjaya Satapathy, Manish Tripathi

Research Symposium

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the 4^th leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and the 6^th most common cancer worldwide. When HCC progresses to advanced stages, drug resistance becomes a major hurdle and leaves clinicians with limited therapeutic options. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have shown to promote drug resistance in various cancers. The goal of our research is to explain the molecular role of lncRNAs in HCC drug resistance and compile a comprehensive list of studied lncRNAs involved in HCC drug resistance.

Methods: To compile a list of lncRNA involved in HCC drug resistance we performed an advanced …

Investigating Monodelphis Domestica As An Alternative To The Mus Musculus As An Animal Model, Cristian M. Botello, John L. Vandeberg, Mario Gil

Research Symposium

Background: Mus Musculus is one of the first and one of the most widely used animal models in current neuroscience literature (Phifer-Riley & Nachmann, 2015). However, the research community needs alternatives to rodent models to study the mammalian brain. Research is needed to see if antibodies that target tyrosine hydroxylase, which are well researched in mice, can also be used to study the Monodelphis domestica brain.

Methods: Following transcardial perfusions and brain extractions, mouse and opossum brains were processed and stained for tyrosine hydroxylase (and with Nissl). Opossum brains will then be sliced and processed using IHC methods to compare …

International Conference On Cancer Health Disparities, Juhi Rais, Asif Jafri, Neelam Shivnath, Habiba Khan, Md Arshad

Research Symposium

Background: Biochanin A, an isoflavone that is mainly present in red clover, has potent chemopreventive properties against many cancers. Ovarian carcinoma is fifth most common and deadliest gynaecological malignancy that causes the highest mortality in females worldwide. Hence a substantial need for new therapies for combating this gynaecological malignancy arises.

Methods: The present study aimed to investigate anti-cancerous potentials of biochanin A on cultured human ovarian carcinoma PA-1 cells through the cell viability assay, cellular apoptosis, disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), involvement of ROS, cell cycle kinetics, and expression of apoptosis-related genes namely, p53, Bax, Bcl-2, Noxa and Puma. …

Analysis Of Probiotics Being Administered To Colorectal Cancer Patients, Joely Gonzalez

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

The discovery of the human microbiome has led to an increased interest in its interactions with the immune system and disease. Emerging evidence suggests that there is a relationship between various types of cancers and the microbiome. More recently, the application of probiotics in conjunction with anticancer agents has been observed. This project aims to evaluate the importance of bioinformatic analysis in current studies that observe the effects and role of specific probiotics in various cancer studies. This analysis focuses specifically on colorectal cancer and the administration of specific probiotics to diminish side effects from cancer treatment.

Immunepotent Crp Enhances Cyclophosphamide-Induced Cytotoxicity Through A Caspase Independent But Ros Dependent Mechanism In Triple Negative-Breast Cancer Cells, Ana L. Rivera, A. C. Martínez-Torres, C. Rodríguez-Padilla

Research Symposium

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Cyclophosphamide (CYP) remains a mainstay in cancer therapy mainly in the triple negative breast cancer subtype (TNBC) in spite of harmful adverse effects and cell death-resistances. To face this, combination of chemotherapies and immunotherapies has been proposed. IMMUNEPOTENT CRP (ICRP) is an immunotherapy that has cytotoxic effects in several cancer cells without affecting peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and CD3+ cells, beside improving clinical parameters of chemotherapy-treated patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mechanism of cytotoxicity induced by ICRP in combination with …

Human Ipsc Derived Cardiomyocyte Model Reveals The Transcriptomic Bases Of Covid-19 Associated Myocardial Injury, Kashish Kumar, Satish Kumar, Erica De Leon, Joanne E. Curran, Sarah Williams-Blangero, John Blangero

Research Symposium

Background: Multi-organ complications have been the hallmark of severe COVID-19; cardiac injuries were reported in 20% to 30% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, although the disease etiology remains poorly understood. This study leveraged genome-wide RNA-sequence data generated using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) differentiated cardiomyocytes (CMs) and in vitro modeling of SARS-CoV-2 infection in CMs, to understand the molecular mechanisms of COVID-19 myocardial injuries for novel diagnostic and therapeutic development.

Methods: Raw RNA-sequence data sets, GSE165242 and GSE150392 were aligned to human genome assembly GRCh38 and gene expressions were quantified. Differentially expressed (DE) genes between experimental groups were identified using moderated …

Hpv Imprints In Western India: The Overlooked Criteria For Cancer Profiling, Ashi R. Thobias, Jayendra B. Patel, Prabhudas P. Patel

Research Symposium

Background: In India, HPV infection detection for cancer-typing has been largely evaded. Especially, data on prevalence of HPV types other than the highly prevalent HPV 16 and 18 are lacking, particularly from the western region. Thus, present study aimed to evaluate prevalence of HPV strains in three most prevailing cancers in India i.e. cervical, oral and oropharyngeal cancer.

Materials & methods: DNA was isolated from tissue samples of 400 cervical cancer cases, 127 oral cancer cases and 75 oropharyngeal cancer cases and endpoint PCR was performed using degenerative primers MY 09/11, GP 5+/6+ and CP I/II. TS-PCR was conducted to …

Engineered Exosomes For The Multimodal Imaging Directed Photo-Immunotherapy Of Colorectal Cancer, Deepak S. Chauhan, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Murali M. Yallapu

Research Symposium

Background: Rio Grande Valley experience severe cancer health disparity. A novel therapeutic modality may serve as better therapeutic option. Nanohybrids endowed with multifunctionality, longer circulation time, large surface area have emerged as an active preference for cancer research. However, rising concern of nanomaterials toxicity and scalability issues has slowed their translation to clinics. Exosomes (Exo) are endogenous endocytic origin 40-100 nm vesicles found in various body fluids, which in comparison to synthetic nanoparticles, are biodegradable, highly biocompatible as well as immunocompatible in nature. Although bulk isolation of exosomes from human body fluids is still a problem and engineering of exosomes …

Effect Of Igf-1 On Post-Translational Modifications (Ptms) On A Model Of Diabetes-Induced Cardiac Hypertrophy In H9c2 Cardiomyoblast Cell Line, Andres Medina, Lizbeth Trevino, Alejandra Salinas, Yadira Chaires, Erick Rodriguez

Research Symposium

Background: Diabetic cardiomyocytes alter their post-translational modification levels, especially in OGlcNAcylation and Phosphorylation. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is a peptide known to induce favorable cardiovascular effects in patients with heart failure. Here, we focus on the downstream effects of IGF-1 as a potential DCM treatment.

Methods: H9c2 cells were cultured in DMEM-10% FBS at 80% of confluence. As a cellular model of cardiac hypertrophy, we used a high-glucose medium (30 mM glucose) in the presence or absence of 10 µmol/L of IGF-1 (HG and HG+IGF-1). As control groups, we used cells cultured in low-glucose DMEM (glucose 5mM) in the …

Developing An Assay For Easy And Rapid Detection Of Als Biomarker(S): A Hypothesis, Swati Dhasmana, Anupam Dhasmana, Meena Jaggi, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan

Research Symposium

Background: Death of motor neurons is the key pathology underlying neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Biomarkers are chemical changes in the biological fluids. Biomarkers serving as a diagnostic tool should be specific to the concerned disease. Biomarkers indicating disease progression should be very sensitive to demonstrate changes during the disease process as well as therapeutics development. Biomarkers proposed for ALS include poly (GP) repeats in C9orf72, neurofilaments, miRNAs, glutathione and 4HNE in CSF, SOD1/TDP43 protein, poly (GP) repeats in C9orf72, neurofilaments, T regulatory cells, CRP, chitotriosidase, creatinine, creatinine kinase, miRNAs, glutamate, albumin, uric acid, glutathione, ferritin, …

Cyclophosphamide And Epirubicin Induce Apoptotic Cell Death In Microglia Cells, Rafael De La Hoz-Camacho

Research Symposium

Background. Chemotherapy Related Cognitive Impairment’s (CRCI), diminish patient’s quality life, being breast cancer (BC) patients the most affected. Microglia is described to play a major role in CRCI; hence, the aim of this research was to describe the cytotoxicity of cyclophosphamide (CTX) and Epirubicin (EPI), on microglia (SIM-A9), compared to BC cells (4T1).

Methods. We assessed cell viability (Resazurin) and cell death (AnnV), as well as nuclear damage with γ-H2AX, p53, p16 and cell cycle analysis (PI staining) by flow cytometry (FC). Furthermore, we evaluated ΔΨm (DIOC6), ROS (DCFDA) and NO (DAF-FM) production. Finally, caspase activation (TF2-VAD-FMK) and autophagy (CYTO-ID). …

Cucurbitacin D Ameliorates Benzo[A]Pyrene Induced Liver Injury Via Activation Of Nrf2 Antioxidant Pathway, Anyssa Rodriguez, Mohammed Sikander, Shabnam Malik, Fathi T. Halaweish, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan

Research Symposium

Background: Co-morbidity variables, such as smoking, are strongly linked to the development and progression of liver cancer. Further, benzo[a]pyrene, a major component of tobacco smoke, is highly carcinogenic and triggers liver damage. Cucurbitacin, a kind of triterpene, has a wide range of biological properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer effects. However, the precise mechanism of its hepatoprotective effects is obscure.

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the cytoprotective effects of novel analog of cucurbitacin, cucurbitacin D, against benzo[a]pyrene-induced liver injury in HepG2 cells. Method: The cytoprotective efficacy of cucurbitacin D against benzo[a]pyrene-induced liver damage was …

Correlation Between Ct-Values And Symptoms Of Covid-19 Patients, Luis E. Fernández-Garza, A. Huitrón-Carrizales, Hugo A. Barrera-Saldaña, Raúl Rodríguez-Palacios

Research Symposium

Background: Currently available RT-PCR methods for the diagnosis of COVID-19 can give an estimate of the viral load. The cycle threshold value (Ct-value) of the PCR correlates inversely with the viral load; low Ct-values indicate high viral loads and vice versa. Higher viral loads have been seen to correlate with disease severity and infectivity. Therefore, we studied the correlation of the Ct-value of RT-PCR and the most common symptoms of COVID-19 individually.

Methods: A prospective and descriptive study was carried out with the subjects that attended our laboratory for a COVID-19 test from September 14, 2020, to January 30, 2021. …

Comparison Of Five Commercial Kits For Sars Cov 2 Rt-Pcr Diagnosis., Carolina Rivera, Hugo A. Barrera-Saldaña, Marisol Ramirez

Research Symposium

Background: SARS-CoV-2 was identified as the causal agent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its rapid spread and huge health and economic impact prompted the development of diagnostic tests to opportunely identify affected individuals as a prerequisite to quarantine them and avoid further spreading the infection.

Methods: The following commercial RT-PCR kits, approved by our National Institute of Diagnostics and Epidemiological Reference of InDRE (from the Spanish name) were tested: Vircell (Granda, Spain), Light Mix Roche (Berlin, Germany), Logix Smart (Utah, USA), 1 Copy (Korea Republic), and RIDA GENE (Darmstadt, Germany). RNA was isolated either manually or automatically (QIAmp Viral RNA and …

Biobanking In Ne Mexico For Biomedical Research And Clinical Needs, Raúl Rodríguez-Palacios, Nathalia L. Walle-Gloria, Hugo A. Barrera-Saldaña

Research Symposium

Background: The advancement of biomedicine demands tools that translate its achievements into services to both the scientific community and the pharma/biotech industry. Biobanks are powerful tools that collect, process, store, manage, and distribute biospecimens and their associated clinical/demographic data to users carrying out studies aimed at causing a real public health impact.

For our laboratory to offer pharma/biotech companies support for their projects with the highest quality possible biospecimens we adopted the Best Biobanking Practices from ISBER (https://www.isber.org/).

Methods: As a result of the pandemics, great effort has been dedicated to help the health ecosystem through a diagnostic service for …

Automated Versus Manual Rna Isolation For The Laboratory Diagnosis Of Sars-Cov-2., Raúl Rodríguez-Palacios, Nathalia L. Walle-Gloria, Daniela Rodríguez-Casir, Hugo A. Barrera-Saldaña

Research Symposium

Background: The rapid spread and huge health and economic impact witnessed even from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the development of diagnostic tests to opportunely identify individuals infected by its causing agent, the SARS CoV-2 virus. This is a prerequisite to quarantine them to avoid further spreading the infection specially to their vulnerable co-workers and family contacts. The golden standard for pathogen detection is the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). To obtain an accurate result, it is important to carry out an optimal isolation of the viral RNA genome.

Methods: This study aimed to compare manual (kits of Qiagen …

Knowing The Unknowable: Visions Of Troubled Lands, Estella C. Kuchta

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

This paper describes the author’s clairvoyant visions of war and personal experiences of transrational knowledges. It is an account of one Westerner coming to know outside of and despite Western episteme. Transrational knowing was modelled by companion dogs in the author’s childhood and literary figures in early adulthood, and was experienced as a means of self-protection. Western culture fosters skepticism about transrational knowledges, such as psychic visions and telepathic connections. This paper asserts that transrational knowing—whether between humans, other species, or humans and other species—is a valid and readily available form of knowing that exists outside of and in spite …

Antp Transcriptional Activity Is Modulated By The Formation Of The Trimeric Antp-Tbp Complexes With Tfiieβ, Exd And Bip2, Norma C. Hernández Bautista, Gustavo Jiménez Mejía, Claudia Altamirano Torres, Diana Reséndez Pérez

Research Symposium

Homeoproteins are transcriptional factors that bind to DNA through a highly conserved binding domain known as the homeodomain (HD) which recognizes short regions rich in AT to control the development of the body appendages of organisms. However, their structural and recognition similarities make it difficult to explain how homeoproteins are capable of carrying out their function. Previous results have shown that Antp homeoprotein can establish dimeric interactions with TBP, TFIIEβ, Exd, BIP2 and more recently through BiFC-FRET we confirmed that Antp and TBP can form trimeric complexes with TFIIEβ/Exd/BIP2. Therefore, is important to show how these trimeric complexes modulate Antp …

Antibody Mediated Targeted Drug Delivery System To Improve Immunotherapy In Pancreatic Cancer, Poornima Devi Shaji, Meena Jaggi, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan

Research Symposium

About 95% of tumor arises from epithelial cell lining ducts known to be pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, with less than 5-7% survival rate. Unfortunately, little progress has been seen in the outcomes of patients with PDAC as tumor develops high desmoplasia and chemo-resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs, such as gemcitabine (Gem). Immunotherapy has shown promising results in cancers, except pancreatic cancer due to their characteristic fibrotic tumor microenvironment. The therapies are unable to penetrate to the fibrotic tumors leading to insufficient availability of the therapeutic drugs at the tumor site. A recently identified mucin, MUC13 is aberrantly expressed in pancreatic tumors but …

Soaps And Shampoos: Proposals To Reform Regulation In The United States Personal Care Market To Decrease Deforestation From Palm Oil Imports, Kelsey Weston

Environmental and Earth Law Journal (EELJ)

Palm oil is the world's most highly sought-after vegetable oil due to its multifaceted uses and cheap cost of production. However, producing this versatile oil comes at a high cost to one of the largest biodiversity on the planet. Over the last two centuries, Indonesia and Malaysia have become the main producers and exporters of palm oil but they are also home to the largest number of mammal species in the world that have seen a staggering decline in populations. Furthermore, palm oil production has caused excessive release of greenhouse gases, increased disruption of forestland, and economic poverty for smallholders …

Reversing Quiet Destruction: Florida's Attempt To Regulate Pfas Known As Forever Chemicals, A. Colleen Donald

Environmental and Earth Law Journal (EELJ)

Introduced by manufacturing companies in the 1940s, Per-and polyfluorinated substances (“PFAS”) which consist of a group of over 6,000 chemicals, have insidiously made their way into the bloodstream of humans and into the environment. These nearly indestructible, “forever chemicals” that were once thought to be safe for use in firefighting foams, cosmetics, food packaging, non-stick cookware, and water-resistant clothing, are now found to be toxic. PFAS have been found in animals, aquatic life, and natural resources, and are associated with illnesses in humans: PFAS have been linked to various cancers, reproductive issues in women, and birth defects in children. As …

A Natural Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probe For Cancer Cell Imaging, Benilde E. Adriano, Nycol M. Cotto, Neeraj Chauhan, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Murali M. Yallapu

Research Symposium

Background: Rio Grande Valley (RGV) suffers from a high prevalence of certain cancers and lack the resources for accurate early diagnosis. Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence-based imaging is a noteworthy and safer strategy for cancer detection compared to radiological imaging. There are several NIR dyes including indocyanine green (ICG) and its analogues that allow high-resolution and deep tissue imaging. However, these dyes possess some drawbacks, namely photo instability, toxicity, poor water solubility, and short half-lives. Chlorophyll (Chl) is a natural dietary and biocompatible NIR fluorescent substance which has the potential to serve as a cancer NIR imaging candidate. Hence, we aim to …

Mortaparibplus- A Novel Anticancer Small Molecule Abrogating Mortalin-P53 Interaction In Cancer Cells, Anissa N. Sari, Ahmed Elwakeel, Jaspreet K. Dhanjal, Vipul Kumar, Durai Sundar, Sunil C. Kaul, Renu Wadhwa

Research Symposium

Background. The cessation of tumor cell growth through cell cycle arrest and apoptosis is determined by p53, a tumor suppressor protein. However, the interaction between mortalin-p53 within cytoplasm/nucleus leads to the inactivation of p53 transcriptional activation function. The disruption of mortalin-p53 complex has been suggested as an approach for developing a potential anticancer drug.

Methods. A screening of a high-content chemical library was performed to determine a molecule with mortalin-p53-interaction disrupting characteristics. After four-rounds of visual assays, we discovered a triazole derivative (4-[(1E)-2-(2-phenylindol-3-yl)-1-azavinyl]-1,2,4-triazole, named Mortaparib^Plus) with a potential ability of disrupting mortalin-p53-complex. In this study, we recruited …

Systems Network Analysis Of Protein Interaction Network (Pin) For Deducing Molecular Mechanistic Action Of Bap Induced Carcinogenesis, Anukriti ., Anupam Dhasmana, Uma Bhardwaj

Research Symposium

Background: Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, has been placed in group 1 by IARC which indicates that it is a potential carcinogen to human beings. It has shown tumorigenic properties in approximately all animal model systems. In the current study, we have tried to identify the most probable biomolecular targets of BaP using systems biology approach.

Method: All the proteins that interact with BaP were extracted from T3DB. STRING-db was used to generate the Protein- protein interaction network (PPIN). Various apps of cytoscape software were used for network analysis, modulation and GO enrichment analysis. By developing biokinetic …

2023 15th Annual Student Center For Science Engagement Research Symposium, Student Center For Science Engagement

Student Center for Science Engagement Research Symposium

Student presentations in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Computer Science, Mathematics, & Psychology

The Student Movement Volume 108 Issue 3: Todos Unidos: Andrews Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, Grace No, Nehemiah Sitler, Savannah Tyler, Nathaniel Miller, Katrina Johnson, Nailea Soto, Amelia Stefanescu, Reagan Mccain, Melissa Moore, Andrew Francis, Robert Zhang, Charisse Lapuebla, Katherine Pierre, Caitlin Adap, Rodney Bell Ii, Wambui Karanja

The Student Movement v. 108 (2023-2024)

HUMANS

Hispanic Heritage Month, Grace No

Bigger and Better! Hailey and AUSA Coming With New Events for This Year!, Nehemiah Sitler

Say Hello to Professor Harris, Grace No

Welcome to the Writing Center, Savannah Tyler

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

An Evening with Ada Limón, Nathaniel Miller

AU Architecture Program Part I, Katrina Johnson (senior, architecture)

Makarios: Hispanic Expression through Ministry, Nailea Soto

Stitch by Stitch We Cross-Stitch, Amelia Stefanescu

This Semester at HPAC: The Power of Live Music, Reagan McCain

NEWS

AULA Goes Back-to-School, Melissa Moore

International Students Share Thoughts on International Basketball, Andrew Francis

Science Complex Hosts Panel on Faith …

The Beacon, September 29, 2023, Beacon Staff

The Beacon, 2023-2024

Husband and Wife Join NW Faculty; Multicultural Church in Sioux Center; Mitski's melancholic reflection on love; Stereotypical, sappy, sports story falls short; Crafternoon: Creating beauty out of love; Students' candid conversations at The Table; Student Government Association Election Success; Medenwalds enjoy the NW welcome; Dr. Wacker's office stands out, students love it; Multiple cultures, one church; Have people lost all hope?; Social ministry and Jesus; Golf teams playing great season so par; New PRs for NW cross country at Wayne; All NW varsity teams receive NAIA award; Students stirred by communal worship; Celebration of culture, cuisine and contributions;

Volume 1, Issue 5, Bryant University

Bryant Bulldog Bulletin (2023-2024)

No abstract provided.

"The Rat Trap" By Pandora Pound, Andrew Rowan

Tales of WellBeing

The book critically analyzes animal research and argues for greater emphasis on human cell technologies and clinical research.