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Stem Cells As A Pathway To Neuro Regeneration

Thomas Jefferson University Research Magazine

Bioscientists' ability to create induced pluripotent stem cells—which can be differentiated into many kinds of cells has opened new pathways for research and treatment of many medical conditions. One of the most notable areas of advancement by stem cell researchers at Jefferson is in treatment for conditions affecting the central nervous system.

For more than 20 years, Lorraine Iacovitti, PhD, professor of neuroscience, neurology and neurological surgery, has been making major research contributions in stem cell biology and the use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to pursue therapies for stroke and neurodegenerative disease. Her breakthrough discovery for prompting stem …

Jefferson Institute For Bioprocessing: Advancing Biologies R&D

Thomas Jefferson University Research Magazine

Biologics represent about 40 percent of drugs in the therapeutics development pipeline, and currently account for more than $200 billion in annual global revenue. It is an area primed for extraordinary growth. But research and development by pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers— and academic research centers—are limited by the lack of trained professionals in this field.

To meet these critical workforce needs, Jefferson established Jefferson Institute for Bioprocessing (JIB). It is the first—and only—specialized education and training institute for biopharmaceutical processing in North America that combines commercial single-use processing equipment with a curriculum created in collaboration with the Ireland-based National Institute …

A New Look At Cancer Care Disparities

Thomas Jefferson University Research Magazine

The death rate from cancer is notably higher for African Americans than Caucasians, which derives from disparities in screening, diagnosis, engagement in clinical trials and therapeutic efficacy and less use of hospice and palliative care among African Americans.

“The causes of these complex disparities reflect social, cultural and economic inequalities more than biological differences,” says Lisa Whitfield- Harris, PhD, MSN, MBA, assistant professor of nursing. “Addressing them effectively will require interventions that are developed in full partnership with the African American community.”

She and two Jefferson colleagues—Clara Granda- Cameron, DrNP, MSN, assistant professor of nursing, and Jeannette Kates, PhD, CRNP, …

Can A Primrose Compoud Fight Uveal Melanoma?

Thomas Jefferson University Research Magazine

Uveal melanoma is the most common eye cancer in adults. It metastasizes to the liver in 50 percent of patients, and there are no effective therapies to treat those metastases. Yet.

Jeffrey L. Benovic, PhD, Thomas Eakins Endowed Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, is globally recognized for research uncovering the mechanisms of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling and how GPCR dysregulation contributes to disease. GPCRs regulate a variety of biological functions—from neurotransmission and sensory perception to the movement of cells in response to chemical stimuli. They have also been implicated in diseases ranging from cancer to neurological disorders.

How To Re-Stress Pancreatic Cancer

Thomas Jefferson University Research Magazine

What is the molecular basis for pancreatic cancer's aggressive nature and resistance to treatment? Elda Grabocka, PhD, assistant professor of cancer biology and surgery, is working to find out. Last year, she received both a Margaret Q. Landenberger Research Foundation grant—which supports promising early-stage medical researchers—and her first NIH/NCI R01 grant. She has also received a V Foundation Scholar Research Award and a W.W. Smith Charitable Foundation grant. Her research investigates pancreatic cancer’s ability to hijack the mechanisms by which normal cells adapt stressors. Ratcheting up that mechanism allows tumors to grow under adverse conditions and it enhances their resistance …

Advancing Cellular And Immune-Based Cancer Therapies

Thomas Jefferson University Research Magazine

The NCI-designated Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC) is the heart of Jefferson’s broad-based cancer research program. SKCC investigators are currently pursuing hundreds of basic science, translational and clinical studies on cancer cell biology and signaling, molecular biology and genetics, and specific diseases ranging from brain cancer to uveal melanoma. Among the most exciting efforts are partnerships between SKCC basic scientists and clinician-researchers to both advance new immune-based therapies and continuously improve current approaches.

Bio-Membrane Internalization Mechanisms Of Arginine-Rich Cell-Penetrating Peptides In Various Species, Betty Revon Liu, Shiow Her Chiou, Yue-Wern Huang, Han Jung Lee

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Recently, membrane-active peptides or proteins that include antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), cytolytic proteins, and cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have attracted attention due to their potential applications in the biomedical field. Among them, CPPs have been regarded as a potent drug/molecules delivery system. Various cargoes, such as DNAs, RNAs, bioactive proteins/peptides, nanoparticles and drugs, can be carried by CPPs and delivered into cells in either covalent or non-covalent manners. Here, we focused on four arginine-rich CPPs and reviewed the mechanisms that these CPPs used for intracellular uptake across cellular plasma membranes. The varying trans-duction efficiencies of them alone or with cargoes were discussed, …

Exploring Old Data With New Tricks: Long-Term Monitoring Indicates Spatial And Temporal Changes In Populations Of Sympatric Prairie Grouse In The Nebraska Sandhills, Danielle J. Berger, Jeffrey J. Lusk, Larkin A. Powell, John P. Carroll

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The contiguous grasslands of the Sandhills region in Nebraska, USA, provide habitat for two sympatric, grassland-obligate species of grouse, the greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) and the plains sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus jamesi). Collectively referred to as prairie grouse, these birds are monitored and managed jointly by wildlife practitioners who face the novel challenge of conserving historically allopatric species in shared range. We reconstructed region-wide and route-specific prairie grouse population trends in the Sandhills, using a 63-year timeseries of breeding ground counts aggregated from old reports and paper archives. Our objective was to repurpose historical data …

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - January 13, 2022, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the January 13, 2022 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents include:

• Alumni couples: Keep sending us your stories
• Faculty, staff and alumni named to Mobile Bay's 40 Under 40
• Meet a Med Student: Renee Ivy
• USA scientists find novel mechanism underlying castration-resistant prostate cancer

Characterization Of Effective Diffusion Within Viscoelastic Fluids With Elastic Instabilities, Valerie Hietsch, Phillip Ligrani, Mengying Su

PRC-Affiliated Research

We considered effective diffusion, characterized by magnitudes of effective diffusion coefficients, in order to quantify mass transport due to the onset and development of elastic instabilities. Effective diffusion coefficient magnitudes were determined using different analytic approaches, as they were applied to tracked visualizations of fluorescein dye front variations, as circumferential advection was imposed upon a flow environment produced using a rotating Couette flow arrangement. Effective diffusion coefficient results were provided for a range of flow shear rates, which were produced using different Couette flow rotation speeds and two different flow environment fluid depths. To visualize the flow behavior within the …

The Indiana Statesman, January 13, 2022, Indiana State University

Student Newspaper

Graduate honors: Students awarded with Hines Memorial Medal; Dr. Olsen now Provost & VP of Academic Affairs; Bones of extinct whale headed to Smithsonian Institute

Chemistry Student Among Five Winning Awards In Three Minute Thesis® Competition, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

Reef Sediments Can Act As A Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Vector, Michael S. Studivan, Ashley M. Rossin, Ewelina Rubin, Nash Soderberg, Daniel M. Holstein, Ian C. Enochs

Faculty Publications

Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) was first observed in 2014 near Virginia Key in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Field sampling, lab experiments, and modeling approaches have suggested that reef sediments may play a role in SCTLD transmission, though a positive link has not been tested experimentally. We conducted an ex situ transmission assay using a statistically-independent disease apparatus to test whether reef sediments can transmit SCTLD in the absence of direct contact between diseased and healthy coral tissue. We evaluated two methods of sediment inoculation: batch inoculation of sediments collected from southeast Florida using whole colonies of diseased Montastraea cavernosa, …

Saving The Campus Farm: One Approach To Leveraging Institutional Support For A Campus Farm Space, Julia L. Angstmann

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

The number of university and college campus farms have increased 13-fold since 1992 to over 300 campuses (LaCharite, 2016). According to reporting by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) (2018), 80% of campus farm spaces are less than 5 acres in size and 86% are located on campuses with no agriculture school (AASHE, 2018). Campus farms provide a rich interdisciplinary social context of community based, sustainable agriculture that spans the entire suite of social and physical sciences as well as non-STEM fields such as business, religious studies, and communication. Yet, the majority of these farm …

Evolutionary Paths To Macrolide Resistance In A Neisseria Commensal Converge On Ribosomal Genes Through Short Sequence Duplications, Jordan C. Raisman, Michael A. Fiore, Lucille Tomin, Joseph K. O. Adjei, Virginia X. Aswad, Jonathan Chu, Christina J. Domondon, Ben A. Donahue, Claudia A. Masciotti, Connor G. Mcgrath, Jo Melita, Paul A. Podbielski, Madelyn R. Schreiner, Lauren J. Trumpore, Peter C. Wengert, Emalee A. Wrightstone, André O. Hudson, Crista B. Wadsworth

Articles

Neisseria commensals are an indisputable source of resistance for their pathogenic relatives. However, the evolutionary paths commensal species take to reduced susceptibility in this genus have been relatively underexplored. Here, we leverage in vitro selection as a powerful screen to identify the genetic adaptations that produce azithromycin resistance (� 2 μg/mL) in the Neisseria commensal, N. elongata. Across multiple lineages (n = 7/16), we find mutations that reduce susceptibility to azithromycin converge on the locus encoding the 50S ribosomal L34 protein (rpmH) and the intergenic region proximal to the 30S ribosomal S3 protein (rpsC) through short tandem duplication events. Interestingly, …

Covid-19 Vaccine Brand Hesitancy And Other Challenges To Vaccination In The Philippines, Arianna Maever L. Amit, Veincent Christian F. Pepito, Lourdes S. Tanchanco, Manuel Dayrit

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

Effective and safe COVID-19 vaccines have been developed at a rapid and unprecedented pace to control the spread of the virus, and prevent hospitalisations and deaths. However, COVID-19 vaccine uptake is challenged by vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccination sentiments, a global shortage of vaccine supply, and inequitable vaccine distribution especially among low- and middle-income countries including the Philippines. In this paper, we explored vaccination narratives and challenges experienced and observed by Filipinos during the early vaccination period. We interviewed 35 individuals from a subsample of 1,599 survey respondents 18 years and older in the Philippines. The interviews were conducted in Filipino, …

Diversity And Time-Series Analyses Of Caribbean Deep-Sea Coral And Sponge Assemblages On The Tropical Island Slope Of Isla De Roatán, Honduras, Peter J. Etnoyer, Charles G. Messing, Karl A. Stanley, Tomasz K. Baumiller, Kate Lavelle, Thomas C. Shirley

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Shore-based submersible operations, from 2006 to 2020, have allowed us to examine megabenthic assemblages along the island margin of Isla de Roatán from depths of about 150 to 750 m, including repeated observations of the same organisms. These dives were used to photo-document a diverse benthic assemblage and observe the health and condition of the sessile fauna in a well-explored but relatively undocumented area of the Mesoamerican Reef. Samples were collected by dip net, and some dives profiled the water column chemistry in the year 2011. The deep-sea coral assemblage observed off Roatan exhibits high abundance and diversity. The sessile …

Long-Term Suppression Of Hardwood Regeneration By Chinese Privet (Ligustrum Sinense), Taylor N. Turner, Thomas J. Dean, Jeff S. Kuehny

Faculty Publications

Native hardwood regeneration in the southeast United States is hindered by repeat disturbance events and the presence of invasive species. Our study aimed to determine the ability of native species in an unmanaged urban forest fragment to persist following high winds from hurricane Gustav in 2008 and subsequent salvage logging. In 2009, researchers estimated the density and composition of the regeneration and overstory trees as well as percent crown cover of invasive Chinese privet. Percent Chinese privet cover was visibly high, leading them to believe it may be inhibiting native hardwood establishment. Ten years later in 2019, we returned to …

Influence Of Beef Carcass Chilling Rate On Steak Case Life And Quality Traits, Trevor Dehaan, Lydia Hite, Erin Gubbels, Christina Elaine Bakker, Amanda D. Blair, Judson Grubbs, Keith Underwood

SDSU Beef Day 2022 Summary Publication

Study Description:

Twelve head of fed beef cattle were harvested at the SDSU Meat Laboratory over two days. Carcasses were allotted into two weight groups based on hot carcass weight (HCW): Heavyweight (HW) and Lightweight (LW). Data logging thermometers were placed in the left side of each carcass within the round, loin, rib, and chuck primals to track temperature decline. Carcass measurements including 12th rib fat thickness, ribeye area and marbling score were collected approximately 48 hours postmortem. Steaks from each primal were collected to measure Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), objective and subjective color.

Posttraumatic Growth In Women With A Long-Standing Experience Of Involuntary Childlessness In The Czech Republic, Gabriela Ďurašková, Brennan Peterson

Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

This qualitative research study aimed to examine aspects of posttraumatic growth (PTG) in women with a long-standing experience of involuntary childlessness. In-depth semi-structured interviews, lasting an average of 53 min, were conducted in the Czech Republic. Twenty-four women, averaging 38.8 years old with an average of 6.2 years of infertility experience, participated. They were asked how involuntary childlessness affected/changed their partnerships, sexual life, job, future plans, attitude to children/values/faith, and leisure time. Participants shared both positive and negative aspects of the infertility experience. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Five main themes of PTG were identified: strengthening of partnership, greater …

Spatial Personalities: A Meta-Analysis Of Consistent Individual Differences In Spatial Behavior, Erica F. Stuber, Ben S. Carlson, Brett R. Jesmer

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Individual variation in behavior, particularly consistent among-individual differences (i.e., personality), has important ecological and evolutionary implications for population and community dynamics, trait divergence, and patterns of speciation. Nevertheless, individual variation in spatial behaviors, such as home range behavior, movement characteristics, or habitat use has yet to be incorporated into the concepts or methodologies of ecology and evolutionary biology. To evaluate evidence for the existence of consistent among-individual differences in spatial behavior – which we refer to as “spatial personality” – we performed a meta-analysis of 200 repeatability estimates of home range size, movement metrics, and habitat use. We found that …

Connecting The Dots: Relation Mapping Using Literature Connector And Network Visualization, Shaveta Azad, Priyanka ., Atasi Sinhababu, Rupak Chakravarty

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Inciteful consists of two different tools for developing our understanding and establishing connection between different research domains. In the present study, Literature Connector (LC) has been used portraying relationship and association between areas of research including subject/topical domains. It provides an interactive visualization showing how they are connected by the literature facilitating interdisciplinary research (IDR). LC identifies the shortest paths between the papers selected for the study by generating an interactive graph, along with search and filters. The study utilized Literature Connector (LC) to assess the association between Sustainable Development Growth 4 (SDG4) with Library and Information Science (LIS). These …

Assessing Leachable Cytotoxicity Of 3d-Printed Polymers And Facile Detoxification Methods, Venkatakrishnan Rengarajan, Angela Clyde, Jefferson Pontsler, Jonathan Valiente, Adreann Peel, Yu Huang

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Additive manufacturing of polymers is gaining momentum in health care industries by providing rapid 3D printing of customizable designs. Yet, little is explored about the cytotoxicity of leachable toxins that the 3D printing process introduced into the final product. We studied three printable materials, which have various mechanical properties and are widely used in stereolithography 3D printing. We evaluated the cytotoxicity of these materials through exposing two fibroblast cell lines (human and mouse derived) to the 3D-printed parts, using overlay indirect contact assays. All the 3D-printed parts were measured toxic to the cells in a leachable manner, with flexible materials …

Dansr: A Tool For The Detection Of Annotated And Novel Small Rnas, Jin Zhang, Abdallah M Eteleeb, Emily B Rozycki, Matthew J Inkman, Amy Ly, Russell E Scharf, Kay Jayachandran, Bradley A Krasnick, Thomas Mazur, Nicole M White, Ryan C Fields, Christopher A Maher

Open Access Publications

Existing small noncoding RNA analysis tools are optimized for processing short sequencing reads (17-35 nucleotides) to monitor microRNA expression. However, these strategies under-represent many biologically relevant classes of small noncoding RNAs in the 36-200 nucleotides length range (tRNAs, snoRNAs, etc.). To address this, we developed DANSR, a tool for the detection of annotated and novel small RNAs using sequencing reads with variable lengths (ranging from 17-200 nt). While DANSR is broadly applicable to any small RNA dataset, we applied it to a cohort of matched normal, primary, and distant metastatic colorectal cancer specimens to demonstrate its ability to quantify annotated …

Glynac (Glycine And N-Acetylcysteine) Supplementation Improves Impaired Mitochondrial Fuel Oxidation And Lowers Insulin Resistance In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: Results Of A Pilot Study, Rajagopal V Sekhar

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are known to have mitochondrial dysfunction and increased insulin resistance (IR), but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. We reported previously that (a) adequacy of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) is necessary for optimal mitochondrial fatty-acid oxidation (MFO); (b) supplementing the GSH precursors glycine and N-acetylcysteine (GlyNAC) in mice corrected GSH deficiency, reversed impaired MFO, and lowered oxidative stress (OxS) and IR; and (c) supplementing GlyNAC in patients with T2D improved GSH synthesis and concentrations, and lowered OxS. However, the effect of GlyNAC on MFO, MGO (mitochondrial glucose oxidation), IR and plasma FFA …

Allelic Variants Within The Abo Blood Group Phenotype Confer Protection Against Critical Covid-19 Hospital Presentation, Herbert F. Jelinek, Mira Mousa, Nawal Alkaabi, Eman Alefishat, Gihan Daw Elbait, Hussein Kannout, Hiba Alhumaidan, Francis Amirtharaj Selvaraj, Hala Imambaccus, Stefan Weber, Maimunah Uddin, Fatema Abdulkarim, Bassam Mahboub, Guan Tay, Habiba Alsafar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease severity differs widely due to numerous factors including ABO gene-derived susceptibility or resistance. The objective of this study was to investigate the association of the ABO blood group and genetic variations of the ABO gene with COVID-19 severity in a heterogeneous hospital population sample from the United Arab Emirates, with the use of an epidemiological and candidate gene approach from a genome-wide association study (GWAS). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 646 participants who tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were recruited from multiple hospitals and population-based (quarantine …

Determination Of Metallic Nanoparticles In Biological Samples By Single Particle Icp-Ms: A Systematic Review From Sample Collection To Analysis, Adam Laycock, Nathaniel J. Clark, Robert Clough, Rachel Smith, Richard D. Handy

School of Health Professions

A systematic review of the use of single particle ICP-MS to analyse engineered nanomaterials in biological samples has highlighted that efforts have focused on a select few compositions and there is a lack of information for some important tissues.

Non‐Lethal Sampling For The Stable Isotope Analysis Of The Critically Endangered European Eel Anguilla Anguilla : How Fin And Mucus Compare To Dorsal Muscle, Rm Boardman, Ac Pinder, At Piper, Catherine Gutmann Roberts, Rm Wright, Jr Britton

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Ecological studies on the critically endangered European eel Anguilla anguilla often incorporate stable isotope analysis that typically uses dorsal muscle sampled from euthanised eels. To minimise the lethal sampling of imperilled populations, fin tissue and/or epidermal mucus can provide non-lethal alternatives to muscle. The results here indicate that δ13 C and δ15 N values of both eel fin and mucus are not significantly different from those of muscle and can be applied directly in comparative SI studies.

Habitat, Phenology, And Seed Studies Of Citrullus Colocynthis In Lut Desert, Iran, Nastaran Kahrom, Mohammad Farzam, Mansour Mesdaghi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Colocynth is one of the major medicinal plants that naturally grows in deserts of Middle East and North Africa. Extending cultivation of this species is useful for sand dune fixation and for making incomes for the needy inhabitants. Despite of numerous studies on seed germination, there are still debates on best method of seed dormancy breaking for colocynth. Moreover, seed morphology, phonological stages, and habitat conditions of this species are not fully studied. In a flat plain of Gonabad, located at the edge Lut desert, we established line transects of 200 m and plots of 4×4 m, where vegetation parameters, …

Effect Of Winter Grazing Management Of Stockpiled Native Pastures Of Basaltic Soils Of Uruguay On Daily Gains Of Heifers, G. Pigurina, R. Castells, G. Reyes, E. J. Berretta

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The effect of three grazing systems of fall stockpiled native pastures on the winter gains of 66 Hereford heifers (135 kg) was studied. Treatments were: continuos grazing (CG); (C7) the plot was divided in 12 and each was grazed for 7 days and (C28), the plot was divided in 3 and each were grazed for 28 days. Heifers were weighed every 14 days and grazing behaviour was recorded. Stockpiled HM was greater (P< 0.05) in C7 and C28 than in CG (988, 912, and 604 kg DM/ha, respectively). Herbage allowance (HA) was greater (P< 0.01) in CG followed by C28 and C7 (11.7, 6.6 and 5.9 kg DM/100 kg LW, respectively). Post-grazing HM was greater (P0.05) in all pastures (CP 10.2%, NDF 71.2%, ADF 41.3% and ash 14.4%). Final LW of heifers were similar (P> 0.05) (167, 162 and 160 kg for CG, C7 and C28, respectively). A very mild winter favoured exceptional gains which tended to be higher in CG (0.353 …