Digital Commons Network^™

The Ethical Dilemma Of Social Media, Janet H. Southerland

New Orleans Dental Association News

Social media has transformed dentistry, enhancing communication, education, and patient engagement. However, ethical challenges, including privacy concerns and misinformation, pose risks. This article explores the benefits and challenges of social media in dentistry, emphasizing the need for ethical guidelines to uphold professional standards while leveraging digital advancements for improved care and education.

Atypical Dengue Fever With Severe Hematological Manifestations: A Case From The Rio Grande Valley, Elias Arellano Villanueva, Alhasan Asaad, Jose Campo Maldonado

Research Symposium

Background: Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral illness, is endemic in tropical regions, including border regions like the Rio Grande Valley while often self-limited, severe presentations such as dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome highlight its challenges and complexities. This report describes an atypical dengue case with severe hematological manifestations, underscoring the diagnostic challenges and the importance of early recognition, multidisciplinary evaluation, and evidence-based management.

Case Presentation: A 22-year-old Hispanic female with no significant past medical history presented to the ED with hematemesis and fever following her travel to Monterrey, Mexico. Initial symptoms included high fever (107.6°F), chills, diarrhea, vomiting, …

Ybx1: A Promising Target For Enhancing Sorafenib Sensitivity In Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Dennis Kwabiah, Veerababu Nagati, Yamile Abuchard Anaya, Gabriella Ayala Pazzi, Sophia Leslie, Ricardo Pequeno Bracho, Manish Tripathi

Research Symposium

Background: The emergence of drug resistance in cancer remains a significant challenge, despite significant progress in targeted therapies. Drug resistance is responsible for approximately 90% of cancer-related deaths. YBX1, an oncoprotein, has been implicated in cancer progression and resistance to treatment in several cancers, including breast and colorectal cancers. In our previous work, we demonstrated that overexpression of YBX1 contributes to increased cell survival and viability, promoting resistance to sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Sorafenib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is approved for the treatment of advanced HCC. Although it provides some survival benefit, its overall effect on survival is limited, with …

Synthesis Of Medicinally Privileged Spiro-Β-Lactams, Debasish Bandyopadhyay, Reinaldo Mendes, Subhash C. Chauhan

Research Symposium

Background: Four-membered cyclic amide, commonly known as β-lactam, has been playing a crucial role in drug discovery research since its discovery by Alexander Fleming in 1928 from Penicillium notatum. The β-lactam antibiotics are broadly effective against several bacterial infections through acylating the transpeptidase involved in cross-linking peptides to form peptidoglycan or periplasmic murein, which is a fundamental constituent of the bacterial cell wall for both the gram-positive (ten or more layers) and gram-negative (one or two layers) bacteria. Although for more than eight decades, β-lactams have been recognized as antibiotics, later, other medicinal activities of β-lactam derivatives have been …

Production And Characterization Of Muc13 Monoclonal Antibodies For Differential Expression In Cancers, Shabnam Malik, Daniel Zubieta, Mohammed Sikander

Research Symposium

Background: MUC13 is a transmembrane glycoprotein that plays a critical role in the progression of various cancers, including liver, pancreatic, colon, and ovarian cancer. While its presence and implications in these malignancies have been recognized, the development of specific antibodies targeting MUC13 is limited. This study aims to produce a monoclonal antibody against MUC13 and evaluate its utility in assessing differential expressions associated with cancers progression.

Methodology: We employed hybridoma technology to generate specific monoclonal antibodies against MUC13. Mouse splenocytes were immunized with recombinant MUC13 protein and subsequently fused with myeloma cells to create hybridomas. Positive clones were selected …

Community Pharmacy: The Foundation Of Public Health, Jessica Joi Gordon

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

The Athletes’ Plate: Understanding Influences Of Athletes’ Eating Attitudes, Exercise Behaviors, And Body Image Satisfaction, Delanie Patterson, Brooklynn Raacke, Ryssa Schlaefli

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Delanie Patterson¹, Brooklynn Raacke¹, and Ryssa Schlaefli²

¹Department of Psychology, Fort Hays State University

²Department of Health and Human Performance, Fort Hays State University

Faculty Sponsors: Brooke Mann¹, Ph.D. and Jessica Phelan², Ph.D.

¹Department of Psychology, Fort Hays State University

²Department of Health and Human Performance, Fort Hays State University

Hays, Kansas

Introduction: Disordered eating (DE), compulsive exercise (CE), and body image satisfaction (BIS) negatively affect male and female athletes. These variables each have a core symptomology but continue to evolve with the increased usage of social …

Disruption Of G3bp1 Granules Promotes Mammalian Cns And Pns Axon Regeneration, Pabitra K. Sahoo, Manasi Agrawal, Nicholas Hanovice, Patricia J. Ward, Meghal Desai, Terika P. Smith, Hao Min Sima, Jennifer N. Dulin, Lauren S. Vaughn, Mark H. Tuszynski, Kristy Welshhans, Larry I. Benowitz, Arthur W. English, John D. Houle, Jeffery L. Twiss

Faculty Publications

Depletion or inhibition of core stress granule proteins, G3BP1 in mammals and TIAR-2 in Caenorhabditis elegans, increases the growth of spontaneously regenerating axons. Inhibition of G3BP1 by expression of its acidic or “B-domain” accelerates axon regeneration after nerve injury, bringing a potential therapeutic strategy for peripheral nerve repair. Here, we asked whether G3BP1 inhibition is a viable strategy to promote regeneration in injured mammalian central nervous system (CNS) where axons do not regenerate spontaneously. G3BP1 B-domain expression was found to promote axon regeneration in the transected spinal cord provided with a permissive peripheral nerve graft (PNG) as well as in …

Disruption Of G3bp1 Granules Promotes Mammalian Cns And Pns Axon Regeneration, Pabitra K. Sahoo, Manasi Agrawal, Nicholas Hanovice, Patricia J. Ward, Meghal Desai, Terika P. Smith, Haomin Sima, Jennifer N. Dulin, Lauren S. Vaughn, Mark H. Tuszynski, Kristy Welshhans, Larry I. Benowitz, Arthur W. English, John D. Houle, Jeffery L. Twiss

Faculty Publications

Depletion or inhibition of core stress granule proteins, G3BP1 in mammals and TIAR-2 in Caenorhabditis elegans, increases the growth of spontaneously regenerating axons. Inhibition of G3BP1 by expression of its acidic or “B-domain” accelerates axon regeneration after nerve injury, bringing a potential therapeutic strategy for peripheral nerve repair. Here, we asked whether G3BP1 inhibition is a viable strategy to promote regeneration in injured mammalian central nervous system (CNS) where axons do not regenerate spontaneously. G3BP1 B-domain expression was found to promote axon regeneration in the transected spinal cord provided with a permissive peripheral nerve graft (PNG) as well as …

The Hepatocellular Model Of Fatty Liver Disease: From Current Imaging Diagnostics To Innovative Proteomics Technologies, Renee Hernandez, Natasha Garcia-Rodriguez, Marco A. Arriaga, Ricardo Perez, Auwal A. Bala, Ana C. Leandro, Vincent P. Diego, Marcio A. Almeida, Jason Parsons, Eron G. Manusov, Jacob Galan

School of Medicine Publications

Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) is a prevalent chronic liver condition characterized by lipid accumulation and inflammation, often progressing to severe liver damage. We aim to review the pathophysiology, diagnostics, and clinical care of MASLD, and review highlights of advances in proteomic technologies. Recent advances in proteomics technologies have improved the identification of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets, offering insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying MASLD progression. We focus on the application of mass spectrometry-based proteomics including single cell proteomics, proteogenomics, extracellular vesicle (EV-omics), and exposomics for biomarker discovery, emphasizing the potential of blood-based panels for noninvasive diagnosis and …

Proteomics Of Extracellular Vesicles: Recent Updates, Challenges And Limitations, Mohini Singh, Prashant Kumar Tiwari, Vivek Kumar Kashyap, Sanjay Kumar

School of Medicine Publications

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid-bound vesicles secreted by cells, including exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies. Proteomic analyses of EVs, particularly in relation to cancer, reveal specific biomarkers crucial for diagnosis and therapy. However, isolation techniques such as ultracentrifugation, size-exclusion chromatography, and ultrafiltration face challenges regarding purity, contamination, and yield. Contamination from other proteins complicates downstream processing, leading to difficulties in identifying biomarkers and interpreting results. Future research will focus on refining EV characterization for diagnostic and therapeutic applications, improving proteomics tools for greater accuracy, and exploring the use of EVs in drug delivery and regenerative medicine. In this review, we …

March 2025 Faculty Senate Packet, University Of Nebraska At Kearney Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Packets

No abstract provided.

Periumbilical Perforating Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum, Ana L. Duarte-Summers, Anna Chen, Morgan E. Sussman-Mccrea, Shayan Waseh, Jason B. Lee, Sylvia Hsu

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

5-Hydroxymethylcytosine Sequencing Of Plasma Cell-Free Dna Identifies Epigenomic Features In Prostate Cancer Patients Receiving Androgen Deprivation Therapies, Qianxia Li, Chiang-Ching Huang, Shane Huang, Yijun Tian, Jinyong Huang, Amirreza Bitaraf, Xiaowei Dong, Marja T. Nevalainen, Manishkumar Patel, Jodie Wong, Jingsong Zhang, Brandon J Manley, Jong Y. Park, Manish Kohli, Elizabeth M. Gore, Deepak Kilari, Liang Wang

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: We evaluated whether 5hmC signatures in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) are associated with treatment failure to androgen-deprivation therapies (ADT) among men with hormone-naive prostate cancer.

METHODS: We collected a total of 139 serial plasma samples from 55 prostate cancer patients receiving ADT at 3 time points including baseline (before initiating ADT, n = 55); 3 months (after initiating ADT, n = 55); and disease progression (n = 15) within 24 months or 24 months if no progression was detected (n = 14). We used selective chemical labeling sequencing to quantify 5hmC abundance across the genome and Kaplan-Meier analysis to assess …

Culturable Microbial Communities In Root Nodules Of Red Alder (Alnus Rubra Bong.) And Scotch Broom (Cytisus Scoparius L.): Patterns Of Diversity And Composition, Felisha (Fay) Rene Pooler

Dissertations and Theses

Endophytes are a hyper diverse group of bacterial or fungal organisms residing within plant tissues without causing visible symptoms of disease. While their overall diversity and ecological functions are not well-understood, some endophytes can provide a range of important benefits to their host such as enhanced growth and increased tolerance to environmental stress. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria residing within nodules--specialized structures on the roots of legumes and actinorhizal plants--play an integral role in the plant microbiome by facilitating nitrogen availability in nutrient-poor environments. Remarkably, the patterns of diversity including both bacterial and fungal endophytes in root nodules are virtually known, except in …

Spartan Daily, March 4, 2025, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2025

Volume 164, Issue 17

Privacy-Preserving Framework For Genomic Computations Via Multi-Key Homomorphic Encryption, Mina Namazi, Mohammadali Farahpoor, Erman Ayday, Fernando Pérez-González

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Motivation: The affordability of genome sequencing and the widespread availability of genomic data have opened up new medical possibilities. Nevertheless, they also raise significant concerns regarding privacy due to the sensitive information they encompass. These privacy implications act as barriers to medical research and data availability. Researchers have proposed privacy-preserving techniques to address this, with cryptography-based methods showing the most promise. However, existing cryptography-based designs lack (i) interoperability, (ii) scalability, (iii) a high degree of privacy (i.e. compromise one to have the other), or (iv) multiparty analyses support (as most existing schemes process genomic information of each party individually). Overcoming …

Towards Greater Standardisation In Benthic Trait Research To Support Application To Environmental Management, Irene Susini, Heidi M. Tillin, Louise Anderson, Craig M. Robertson, Sian Rees, Kerry L. Howell

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Functional trait-based approaches have enriched our understanding of key ecological processes such as species assembly and biodiversity loss. This focus on traits, rather than taxonomy, promotes comparability across spatial and organisational scales, further enabling the application of trait-based methodologies to systems where species identity is difficult to recognise. Among other issues, however, the lack of standardisation is preventing trait-based approaches from unlocking their true potential. Here, 407 published articles (peer-reviewed and grey literature) are reviewed alongside the Biological Traits Information Catalogue (BIOTIC) to document inconsistencies in the understanding and use of trait terminology in the context of marine benthic ecosystems. …

Learning Directed Acyclic Graphs For Ligands And Receptors Based On Spatially Resolved Transcriptomic Data Of Ovarian Cancer, Shrabanti Chowdhury, Sammy Ferri-Borgogno, Peng Yang, Wenyi Wang, Jie Peng, Samuel C Mok, Pei Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

To unravel the mechanism of immune activation and suppression within tumors, a critical step is to identify transcriptional signals governing cell-cell communication between tumor and immune/stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment. Central to this communication are interactions between secreted ligands and cell-surface receptors, creating a highly connected signaling network among cells. Recent advancements in in situ-omics profiling, particularly spatial transcriptomic (ST) technology, provide unique opportunities to directly characterize ligand-receptor signaling networks that power cell-cell communication. In this paper, we propose a novel statistical method, LRnetST, to characterize the ligand-receptor interaction networks between adjacent tumor and immune/stroma cells based on ST …

Scupa: Single-Cell Unified Polarization Assessment Of Immune Cells Using The Single-Cell Foundation Model, Wendao Liu, Zhongming Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

MOTIVATION: Immune cells undergo cytokine-driven polarization in response to diverse stimuli, altering their transcriptional profiles and functional states. This dynamic process is central to immune responses in health and diseases, yet a systematic approach to assess cytokine-driven polarization in single-cell RNA sequencing data has been lacking.

RESULTS: To address this gap, we developed single-cell unified polarization assessment (Scupa), the first computational method for comprehensive immune cell polarization assessment. Scupa leverages data from the Immune Dictionary, which characterizes cytokine-driven polarization states across 14 immune cell types. By integrating cell embeddings from the single-cell foundation model Universal Cell Embeddings, Scupa effectively identifies …

Fusionpub, A Therapeutic Landscape Of Human Fusion Genes, Himansu Kumar, Abayomi Adegunlehin, Zikang Chen, Pora Kim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

To advance the development of fusion protein-targeting therapeutics, it is crucial to understand how patients with fusion oncoproteins have been treated and what small molecules have been studied. To fill this gap, we developed FusionPub, a knowledgebase of the therapeutic landscape of human fusion genes. We searched PubMed abstracts for 107K human fusion genes with 14K drugs. We also searched PubMed abstracts for 18K human fusion proteins, considering all gene synonyms of individual partner genes with 14K drugs. After manual curation, we found 17 342 records from 9623 PubMed abstracts. For these fusion genes and drugs, we provide a summary …

Addressing Health Disparities In Hematologic Malignancies: From Genes To Outreach, Christopher R Flowers, Rachel W Anantha, Veronica Leautaud, Pinkal Desai, Chancellor E Donald, Michelle A T Hildebrandt, Jean L Koff, Rulla M Tamimi, Wendy Cozen, Chijioke Nze, Ari M Melnick

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This review underscores our shared responsibility to champion multidimensional strategies rooted in basic and translational science, community involvement, and societal responsiveness for a meaningful impact. Unifying themes include the need to enhance collaborative infrastructure to engage laboratory researchers, epidemiologists, data scientists, clinicians, patients, community leaders, and policymakers; patient-level support services; outreach, education, and navigation for patients at the community level; recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups in the healthcare and research workforce; and funding for these efforts.

Consortium For Intracranial Metastasis Academic Research (Cimara): Global Interdisciplinary Collaborations To Improve Outcomes Of Patient With Brain Metastases, Manmeet Ahluwalia

All Publications

Brain metastases (BrM) arising from solid tumors is an ever-increasing and often devastating clinical challenge impacting hundreds of thousands of patients annually worldwide. As systemic anticancer therapies, and thus survival, improve, the risk for central nervous system (CNS) recurrence has increased. Historically, patients with BrM were excluded from clinical trials; however, there has been a shift toward increasing inclusion over the past decade. To most effectively design the next generation of clinical trials for patients with BrM, a multidisciplinary team spanning local and systemic therapies is imperative. CIMARa (Consortium for Intracranial Metastasis Academic Research), formalized in June 2021, is an …

Historical Perspective And Contribution Of Aquaculture To The Amr Global Pandemic, Miriam Reverter, Sarahi Vega-Heredía, Philip Warburton

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The global rise in the emergence and spread of pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites) that have developed or acquired new resistance mechanisms to drugs, commonly referred as antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is alarming. The emergence and spread of AMR, which is mostly attributed to the use (often overuse and misuse) of antimicrobial substances such as antibiotics, is not a new phenomenon. In fact, AMR was discovered several decades ago. However, exponential increases in global antimicrobial use have led to a rise in the emergence and spread of AMR, which is nowadays considered as one of the top ten global public …

Non-Invasive Assessment Of Vascular Damage Through Pulse Wave Velocity And Superb Microvascular Imaging In Pre-Dialysis Patients, Julia Martín-Vírgala, Beatriz Martín-Carro, Sara Fernández-Villabrille, Belinda Fernández-Mariño, Elena Astudillo-Cortés, Minerva Rodríguez-García, Carmen Díaz-Corte, José Luis Fernández-Martín, Carlos Gómez-Alonso, Adriana S Dusso, Cristina Alonso-Montes, Manuel Naves-Díaz, Sara Panizo, Natalia Carrillo-López

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

N-Terminal Protein Binding And Disorder-To-Order Transition By A Synthetic Receptor, Niamh M. Mockler, Kiefer O. Ramberg, Ronan J. Flood, Peter B. Crowley

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

We describe the capture and structuring of disordered N-terminal regions by the macrocycle sulfonato-calix[4]arene (sclx₄). Using the trimeric β-propeller Ralstonia solanacearum lectin (RSL) as a scaffold, we generated a series of mutants with extended and dynamic N-termini. Three of the mutants feature an N-terminal methionine-lysine motif. The fourth mutant contains the disordered 8-residue N-terminus of Histone 3, a component of the nucleosome. X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy provide evidence for sclx₄ binding to the flexible N-terminal regions. Three crystal structures reveal that the calixarene recognizes the N-terminal Met-Lys motif, capturing either residue. We provide crystallographic proof for …

Mistaken About Mistakes: Error Analysis As An Untapped Tool For Law School Success, Elissa Jacob

Pace Law Review

Mistakes: everyone makes them, perhaps the new law student more than most. But why do our students continue to make the same errors despite our concerted efforts to prevent them? This article explores this question and provides ideas on how to utilize mistakes to fuel the learning process. Science has proven that the human brain is hardwired to benefit from errors. However, the psychological effects of failing, cultural systems, and the American educational system are frequent barriers to this biological process.

To overcome these obstacles and most effectively employ error analysis, I propose a three-step model. First, professors must lay …

Hemp And Marijuana: The Necessity Of Lab Testing For Fair Prosecutions, Jessica Aycock

Pace Law Review

This Article examines the evidentiary and ethical challenges prosecutors nationwide face in distinguishing between hemp and marijuana under current federal and state laws. Following the legalization of hemp under the federal 2018 Farm Bill, the legal distinction between hemp and marijuana now hinges on the concentration of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This distinction requires quantitative lab testing to be established. Without quantitative lab testing, prosecutors cannot accurately determine THC levels, making it challenging, if not impossible, to meet the burden of proof required for marijuana possession convictions. This Article argues that the absence of testing raises evidentiary and ethical concerns that …

Investigating The Relationship Among Environmental Factors, Reproductive Status, And Stress In A Preclinical Model Of Endocrine Function In Women’S Translational Health, Bianca A. Camacho, Laura Emma Garcia, Raquel Villarreal, Mario Gil

Research Symposium

Background: The average menstrual cycle of a healthy adult woman is a duration of approximately 28 days, during which in the follicular phase (first 14 days) the progesterone hormone is at a stable level while estrogen increases to its peak level on day 14. Day 14 is known as ovulation, during which progesterone increases during its Luteinizing Hormone (LH) surge while estrogen decreases. Menses, known colloquially as a woman’s “period,” begins approximately at day 14 after ovulation and lasts an average of 7 days. The luteal phase, otherwise known as the secretory phase, lasts for the remaining 14 days until …

Using Network Pharmacology To Systematically Deduce The Molecular Mechanism Of The Selective Perinucleolar Compartment Inhibitor Ml246, Bhuvnesh P. Sharma, Himanshu N. Singh, Bhupesh Singh, Deepak Parashar, Kuldeep K. Roy, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan, Vivek K. Kashyap

Research Symposium

Metarrestin (ML246) is an orally bioavailable synthetic molecule that selectively disrupts the perinucleolar compartment (PNC) structure, and it has showed promise in preclinical studies for metastatic cancer therapy. However, the precise molecular mechanism of ML246 remains poorly understood. We investigated the topological and protein interaction network (PIN) analyses of ML246 to determine the molecular mechanism of ML246. To determine the regulatory effect of ML246 on the rewired PIN of ML246, an intercom was constructed using 25 oncogenic key proteins. These proteins were selected using the reverse pharmacophore matching approach (based on a fit score > 0.502) using the STRING database and …