Digital Commons Network^™

Quinoxaline 1,4-Di-N-Oxide Derivatives As New Antinocardial Agents, Isidro Palos, Alonzo Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Alma D. Paz-Gonzalez, José C. Espinoza-Hicks, Debasish Bandyopadhyay, Norma Paniagua-Castro, Marlene S. Galeana-Salazar, Jorge Ismael Castañeda-Sánchez, Julieta Luna-Herrera, Gildardo Rivera-Sanchez

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Mycetoma is currently considered as a neglected tropical disease. The incidence of mycetoma is unknown but most of the worldwide cases are present in the “mycetoma belt” including countries like Mexico, India, Senegal, and others. The treatment of mycetoma depends on the etiological agent responsible for the case. Treatment success reaches 60 to 90%; however, common treatment has been reported to be ineffective in some cases, due in part to resistance to the prescribed antibiotics. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new therapeutic options. In the past two decades, quinoxaline derivatives have shown relevance as antibacterial agents. Therefore, in this …

Self-Oxidation Of The Atmospheres Of Rocky Planets With Implications For The Origin Of Life, Anders Johansen, Eloi Camprubi, Elishevah Van Kooten, H. Jens Hoeijmakers

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Rocky planets may acquire a primordial atmosphere by the outgassing of volatiles from their magma ocean. The distribution of O between H2O, CO, and CO2 in chemical equilibrium subsequently changes significantly with decreasing temperature. We consider here two chemical models: one where CH4 and NH3 are assumed to be irrevocably destroyed by photolysis and second where these molecules persist. In the first case, we show that CO cannot coexist with H2O, since CO oxidizes at low temperatures to form CO2 and H2. In both cases, H escapes from the thermosphere within a few 10 million years by absorption of stellar …

Chimes: September 30, 2024, Calvin College

Chimes

Calvin's Wayfinder program provides access to continuing education in the humanities by Ethan Meyers

Music Department Expands Programming by Maya Oeverman

Class of 2028 leans in to the tradition of pranks on campus by Sarah Sparling

YoungLife Culture at Calvin by Graham Kort

Calvin Women's Soccer embraces "underdog" role while taking on top ten teams by Dillion Baumchen

Vienna Teng's Comeback Tour at Calvin by Natasha Jayaputra

Sleep: Why we need it, and why we don't often get it by Graham Kort

Tcf4 As A Potential Prognostic Biomarker And An Anticancer Target In Gastric Cancer, Michael Chuong

All Publications

Background: Lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF1)/T cell factor (TCF) family members are key transcription factors in malignant tumors. In this study, the role of T cell factor 4 (TCF4) in the progression of gastric cancer (GC) cell migration and invasion was investigated.

Methods: Fifty-five pairs of GC tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues were collected for evaluating the expression of LEF1/TCF family members, which were also evaluated by the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database, an online analysis platform based on The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression databases.

Results: Through GEPIA online analysis and our experimental specimens, we found …

Opportunities For Helicobacter Pylori Eradication Beyond Conventional Antibiotics, Camilia Metadea Aji Savitri, Kartika Afrida Fauzia, Ricky Indra Alfaray, Hafeza Aftab, Ari Fahrial Syam, Masrul Lubis, Yoshio Yamaoka, Muhammad Miftahussurur

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterium known to be associated with a significant risk of gastric cancer in addition to chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and MALT lymphoma. Although only a small percentage of patients infected with H. pylori develop gastric cancer, Gastric cancer causes more than 750,000 deaths worldwide, with 90% of cases being caused by H. pylori. The eradication of this bacterium rests on multiple drug regimens as guided by various consensus. However, the efficacy of empirical therapy is decreasing due to antimicrobial resistance. In addition, biofilm formation complicates eradication. As the search for new antibiotics …

Impact Of Essential Genes On The Success Of Genome Editing Experiments Generating 3313 New Genetically Engineered Mouse Lines, Hillary Elrick, Kevin A Peterson, Brandon J Willis, Denise G Lanza, Elif F Acar, Edward J Ryder, Lydia Teboul, Petr Kasparek, Marie-Christine Birling, David J Adams, Allan Bradley, Robert E Braun, Steve D Brown, Adam Caulder, Gemma F Codner, Francesco J Demayo, Mary E Dickinson, Brendan Doe, Graham Duddy, Marina Gertsenstein, Leslie O Goodwin, Yann Hérault, Lauri G Lintott, K C Kent Lloyd, Isabel Lorenzo, Matthew Mackenzie, Ann-Marie Mallon, Colin Mckerlie, Helen Parkinson, Ramiro Ramirez-Solis, John R Seavitt, Radislav Sedlacek, William C Skarnes, Damien Smedley, Sara Wells, Jacqueline K White, Joshua A Wood, International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium, Stephen A Murray, Jason D Heaney, Lauryl M J Nutter

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) systematically produces and phenotypes mouse lines with presumptive null mutations to provide insight into gene function. The IMPC now uses the programmable RNA-guided nuclease Cas9 for its increased capacity and flexibility to efficiently generate null alleles in the C57BL/6N strain. In addition to being a valuable novel and accessible research resource, the production of 3313 knockout mouse lines using comparable protocols provides a rich dataset to analyze experimental and biological variables affecting in vivo gene engineering with Cas9. Mouse line production has two critical steps - generation of founders with the desired allele and …

Nitric Oxide Levels In Primary Hypertension Patients Receiving Wet Cupping Therapy, Nurhayani Nurhayani, Dwi Pudjanarko, Nurahmi Nurahmi, Misriyani Misriyani

Media Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia

Wet cupping has been shown in several studies to lower blood pressure in hypertensive patients. However, the mechanism of action remains unknown, limiting its use as a complementary non-pharmacological treatment. This study aims to examine the effect of wet cupping on systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and nitric oxide levels in hypertensive patients. The study employed a quasi-experimental method with a pretest and post-test design, including a control group. The sample consisted of 40 individuals, they were diagnosed with primary grade I hypertension. The participants were divided into two groups (treatment and control). The intervention group received wet cupping …

Foodborne Outbreak Investigation In Elementary School Students In Bantul, Yogyakarta, 2023, Soraya Isfandiary Iskandar, Miftakhul Janah, Samsu Aryanto, Bayu Satria Wiratama

Media Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia

Bantul District Health Office received notification that 75 students in elementary school were sick with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and dizziness after they consumed snacks from the school canteen. An epidemiological investigation was conducted to confirm the outbreak, identify additional cases, determine risk factors and causes, and recommend preventive measures. This investigation conducted active case finding followed by a retrospective cohort study. Individuals who experience one or more symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, dizziness, fever, and malaise after consuming snacks were defined as cases. Data was collected through direct interviews with students, teachers, staff, and food sellers. …

Risk Factors Of Chronic Kidney Disease In Indonesian Patients With Diabetes Mellitus, Asy Syifa Anwari Zahra, Chandrayani Simanjorang

Media Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a public health problem with increasing prevalence and incidence. About 1 in 3 adults with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) has CKD. This study aims to determine the risk factors for Chronic Kidney Disease in Diabetes Mellitus (CKD-DM) patients in Indonesia. A cross-sectional study was conducted with secondary data, Indonesia Basic Health Research 2018. Data analysis was carried out univariate, bivariate, and multivariate. Also, spatial analysis was carried out to map the prevalence of cases. Among 14.932 samples, the prevalence of CKD-DM in Indonesia was 1.8%. Multivariate analysis results found that gender (aPR=3.24; 95%CI 3.182-3.306), every day …

The Impact Of Model Pose On Consumer Perceptions Of Price: A Perceived-Power Perspective, Jeonggyu Lee, Dong Hoo Kim

Asia Marketing Journal

This study examines how a model's pose that signals power influences consumers' recall ability of price information in advertisements. To extend prior findings on social judgments, we suggest that the direction of consumers' gaze and willingness to pay attention to the model vary depending on the model's pose. Study 1 explores how consumers' perception of the power of the model affects their price recall ability. In particular, consumers demonstrate better price recall for items displayed at the bottom of the ad when the model adopts a powerful pose and items displayed at the top when the model in the ad …

50 Universities Working On Research In Public Health Technologies, Angie Holzer, Erica Bassett

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Covid-19 And Health Equity: Lessons Learned From The Pandemic, Sumaya Ali, Lakell Archer, Erica L. Jensen

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Health inequities refer to avoidable, unjust differences in health outcomes caused by systemic disadvantages rooted in social, economic, and environmental contexts (Braveman, 2014). Health disparities refer to differences in health outcomes between groups, often measured by prevalence, morbidity, or mortality (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020). Health inequalities are measurable differences in health status that may arise from biological, social, or environmental factors (World Health Organization [WHO], 2019). Health inequities, however, are specifically preventable and unjust differences.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted these inequities, intensifying pre-existing structural disparities within healthcare and societal systems. The pandemic underscored the urgency of …

Managing Menopause: The Evolving Role Of Estrogens, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, And Phytoestrogens In Balancing Hormonal Fluctuations, Cassande Besong, Sandy Philippeaux, Ansa Bham, Naicha Gustinvil, Abigayle Castine, Giustino Varrassi, Patricia Sutker, Benjamin C. Miller, Caroline R. Burroughs, Sonja Gennuso, Sahar Shekoohi, Alan D. Kaye

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Menopause is characterized by the cessation of menstruation for 12 consecutive months. In this narrative review, we describe the transitional stages of menopause, clinical presentation, pharmacological management of symptoms, and effects on fluctuating hormone levels. To standardize the stages of menopause, the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop + 10 (STRAW+10) system was designed with five distinct categories corresponding to symptom presentation and numerical years. Common clinical presentations consist of vasomotor hot flashes, mood changes, decreased libido, osteoporosis, and genitourinary changes, all of which are associated with changes in hormone levels. Because hormones play a major role in the mechanism of …

Addressing Adolescent Suicide In South Korea, Alyssa Kang

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Suicide is a prevalent issue that widely affects all demographics in South Korea. Among adolescents, it is the leading cause of mortality with an average rate of 7 deaths per 100,000 people. Some of the most significant factors that influence the risk of suicidal ideation and attempts are cultural stigma and academic stress. Other factors, such as bullying and family structure, also increase the likelihood of suicide, while specific characteristics including internet addiction, socioeconomic status, and substance abuse have been found to be predictors of suicide. Adolescent suicide attempts in Korea also increase the individual's risk for future attempts, and …

Negative Effect Of Treatment With Mglur5 Negative Allosteric Modulator Afq056 On Blood Biomarkers In Young Individuals With Fragile X Syndrome, Dragana Protic, Stephanie Morris, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Fragile X syndrome, with an approximate incidence rate of 1 in 4000 males to 1 in 8000 females, is the most prevalent genetic cause of heritable intellectual disability and the most common monogenic cause of autism spectrum disorder. The full mutation of the Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein-1 gene, characterized by an expansion of CGG trinucleotide repeats (>200 CGG repeats), leads to fragile X syndrome. Currently, there are no targeted treatments available for fragile X syndrome. In a recent large multi-site trial, FXLEARN, the effects of the mGluR5 negative allosteric modulator, AFQ056 (mavoglurant), were investigated, but did not show …

Improved Monitoring Of Forest Disturbance And Succession Using An Optimized Satellite Image Index, Matthew Klotzbach, Jonathan Thayn

The Geographical Bulletin

Landscape- to continental-scale studies of forest disturbance and recovery typically rely on satellite image-based indices of vegetation condition. A recently proposed disturbance index that accentuates patches of disturbed forest has been used to detect fire and insect defoliation scars, but until now it has not been used to assess recovery over time. We used a weighted version of the index to emphasize canopy differences caused by fire while minimizing other differences that may exist in the imagery to monitor succession following the 1988 fires in Yellowstone National Park. Spectral estimates of moisture levels were the most important difference between burned …

Computational Immune Synapse Analysis Reveals T-Cell Interactions In Distinct Tumor Microenvironments., Victor G Wang, Zichao Liu, Jan Martinek, Ali Foroughi Pour, Jie Zhou, Hannah Boruchov, Kelly Ray, Karolina Palucka, Jeffrey Chuang

Faculty Research 2024

The tumor microenvironment (TME) and the cellular interactions within it can be critical to tumor progression and treatment response. Although technologies to generate multiplex images of the TME are advancing, the many ways in which TME imaging data can be mined to elucidate cellular interactions are only beginning to be realized. Here, we present a novel approach for multipronged computational immune synapse analysis (CISA) that reveals T-cell synaptic interactions from multiplex images. CISA enables automated discovery and quantification of immune synapse interactions based on the localization of proteins on cell membranes. We first demonstrate the ability of CISA to detect …

Trophic Niche Of A Nonnative Invader And Environmental Drivers Of Its Increasing Populations In The Coastal Everglades, Grace Kahmann, Jennifer S. Rehage, Jordan A. Massie, James A. Nelson, Rolando O. Santos, Natasha M. Viadero, W. Ryan James, Ross E. Boucek, Derek P. Crane, Ryan J. Rezek

Marine Science

The Florida Everglades is a critically important, but highly threatened ecosystem that is becoming increasingly susceptible to the invasion of non-native species. This study investigated the ecological role of the invasive peacock eel (Macrognathus siamensis) within this ecosystem using 15 years of electrofishing data and stable isotope analysis. We investigated the population trends of peacock eels at the marsh-mangrove ecotone of the Shark River Estuary, the environmental factors contributing to their abundance, and the potential interactions they may have with native fish assemblages and coastal food webs. We used stable isotope analysis to provide insights into the basal resource contribution …

S6k1 Controls Dna Damage Signaling Modulated By The Mrn Complex To Induce Radioresistance In Lung Cancer, Ali Calderon-Aparicio, Jun He, Nicole L. Simone

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

Radiation is a mainstay of lung cancer treatment; however, resistance frequently develops. Identifying novel therapeutic targets to increase radiation sensitivity is crucial. S6K1 is a serine/threonine kinase known to regulate protein translation which is associated with radioresistance, but the mechanisms involved are unknown. We proposed to determine whether S6K1 promotes radioresistance by regulating DNA repair in lung cancer. Colony formation, protein expression and proliferation were assessed. S6K1 was modulated pharmacologically by either PF-4708671 or genetically by Crispr-Cas9. Higher radioresistance levels in lung cancer cells were associated with lower phosphoactivation of MRN complex members, a key activator of radiation-induced DNA repair …

The Importance Of Humanities In A Career-Focused Educational Environment, Geoff Zylstra, Jill Belli, Candido Cabo, Sean Macdonald, Robin Michals, Ann Marie Sowder, Christopher B. Swift

Publications and Research

The humanities have the potential to enhance STEM curriculum in career-oriented professional degree programs. As part of a larger college-wide initiative to develop interdisciplinary curricula, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) awarded a grant to New York City College of Technology to explore the relationship between the humanities and career-focused degree programs in STEM departments. This article describes the design and implementation of coursework that bridges the curricular divides between humanities disciplines and technical or career-focused disciplines by bringing the humanities to bear on science and technology-oriented courses. Specifically, the humanities served to improve technical skills for students in …

Immunomodulation Of Macrophages In Diabetic Wound Individuals By Structurally Diverse Bioactive Phytochemicals, Krishnendu Adhikary, Riya Sarkar, Sriparna Maity, Ishani Sadhukhan, Riya Sarkar, Krishnendu Ganguly, Saurav Barman, Rajkumar Maiti, Sanjoy Chakraborty, Tandra R. Chakraborty, Debasis Bagchi, Pradipta Banerjee

Publications and Research

Diabetes-related ulcers and slow-healing wounds pose a significant health risk to individuals due to their uncertain causes. Mortality rates for diabetes foot ulcers (DFUs) range from 10% after 16 months to 24% after five years. The use of bioactive phytochemicals can play a key role in healing wounds in a predictable time. Recent literature has demonstrated that various natural substances, including flavonoids, saponins, phenolic compounds, and polysaccharides, play key roles at different stages of the wound-healing process through diverse mechanisms. These studies have categorized the compounds according to their characteristics, bioactivities, and modes of action. In this study, we evaluated …

In Vitro Profiling Of The Antiviral Peptide Tat-I24, Theodhora Ziu, Ezgi Sambur, Zsolt Ruzsics, Hartmut Hengel, Reingard Grabherr, Siegfried Hofinger, Hanna Harant

Michigan Tech Publications

The synthetic peptide TAT-I24 (GRKKRRQRRRPPQCLAFYACFC) exerts antiviral activity against several double-stranded (ds) DNA viruses, including herpes simplex viruses, cytomegalovirus, some adenoviruses, vaccinia virus and SV40 polyomavirus. In the present study, in vitro profiling of this peptide was performed with the aim of characterizing and improving its properties for further development. As TAT-I24 contains three free cysteine residues, a potential disadvantageous feature, peptide variants with replacements or deletions of specific residues were generated and tested in various cell systems and by biochemical analyses. Some cysteine replacements had no impact on the antiviral activity, such as the deletion of cysteine 14, which …

Inorganic Polyphosphate Promotes Colorectal Cancer Growth Via Trpm8 Receptor Signaling Pathway, Valentina Arrè, Chen Shen, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is characterized by a pro-inflammatory microenvironment and features high-energy-supply molecules that assure tumor growth. A still less studied macromolecule is inorganic polyphosphate (iPolyP), a high-energy linear polymer that is ubiquitous in all forms of life. Made up of hundreds of repeated orthophosphate units, iPolyP is essential for a wide variety of functions in mammalian cells, including the regulation of proliferative signaling pathways. Some evidence has suggested its involvement in carcinogenesis, although more studies need to be pursued. Moreover, iPolyP regulates several homeostatic processes in animals, spanning from energy metabolism to blood coagulation and tissue regeneration.

RESULTS: …

Nanopore Signal Deviations From Pseudouridine Modifications In Rna Are Sequence-Specific: Quantification Requires Dedicated Synthetic Controls, Amr Makhamreh, Sepideh Tavakoli, Ali Fallahi, Xinqi Kang, Howard Gamper, Mohammad Nabizadehmashhadtoroghi, Miten Jain, Ya-Ming Hou, Sara H Rouhanifard, Meni Wanunu

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Chemical modifications to mRNA respond dynamically to environmental cues and are important modulators of gene expression. Nanopore direct RNA sequencing has been applied for assessing the presence of pseudouridine (ψ) modifications through basecalling errors and signal analysis. These approaches strongly depend on the sequence context around the modification, and the occupancies derived from these measurements are not quantitative. In this work, we combine direct RNA sequencing of synthetic RNAs bearing site-specific modifications and supervised machine learning models (ModQuant) to achieve near-analytical, site-specific ψ quantification. Our models demonstrate that the ionic current signal features important for accurate ψ classification are sequence …

Broad Applicability Of The Goldspire™ Platform For The Treatment Of Solid Tumors, Jenny Zilberberg, Christopher Uhl, Charles B Scott, David W. Andrews, Mark A Exley

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Goldspire™ is a personalized immunotherapy platform that combines whole tumor-derived cells with antisense oligonucleotide (IMV-001) against Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Receptor (IGF-1R) in biodiffusion chambers (BDCs; 0.1 μm pore). BDCs are exposed to 5-6 Gy and implanted at abdominal sites for ∼48 h to deliver an antigenic payload and immunostimulatory factors to train the immune system. Lead product IGV-001 was evaluated in newly diagnosed glioblastoma (ndGBM) patients in Phase 1a and 1b trials (NCT02507583). A Phase 2b study (NCT04485949) recently completed enrollment. Preventative treatment with tumor-specific products manufactured with Goldspire limited tumor progression and extended overall survival in mice challenged with …

Volume 55-1 Complete Issue, Steven M. Schnell

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 55-1 Complete Issue

Assessing Land Use Changes Due To Natural Gas Drilling Operations In The Marcellus Shale In Bradford County, Pa, Claire A. Jantz, Hannah K. Kubach, Jacob R. Ward, Shawn Wiley, Dana Heston

The Geographical Bulletin

Extraction of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation began in the mid-2000s, and well pads and their associated infrastructure are now prominent fixtures throughout the Appalachian region. However, there is currently little research available to provide insight into its implications for land use and land cover change. In this case study of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, we used high-resolution aerial photography, land cover data, and well point data to quantify current and potential land use change as a result of gas drilling, as well as the types of land cover to be converted. Based on the number of permits held …

Local Regulatory Protection For Ecosystem Services: A Case Study From The Karst Region Of Southeast Minnesota, Usa, Mary A. Williams, Susy Svatek Ziegler

The Geographical Bulletin

Human communities depend upon a myriad of ecosystem goods and services, which are produced by and depend on natural environmental processes occurring at multiple temporal and spatial scales. Land-use policy seldom recognizes the importance of these services or the environmental processes generating these services. This study examined the degree to which ecosystem services and supporting environmental processes are regulated at two United States municipal levels: city and county. Several ecosystem services but few environmental processes are regulated to some extent. We identified policy needs for environmentally sensitive karst features, aquifer recharge, groundwater quality, plant and animal populations, and flood mitigation. …

Geography And The Emergence Of Sustainability Science: Missed Opportunities And Enduring Possibilities, Drew E. Bennett

The Geographical Bulletin

The dawn of the 21st century saw the emergence of the newly declared field of “sustainability science.” The new field’s research agenda focuses on meeting human needs while simultaneously sustaining the life support systems of the planet. The field works to merge the natural and social sciences with analyses conducted from global to local scales. Sustainability science resembles the long-standing human-environment tradition in geography, yet geography was not widely recognized as a fundamental discipline during the emergence of sustainability science. The failure of geography to exert itself in the birth of sustainability science is the latest failure by geography to …

Facebook As A Way Oflife: Louis Wirth In Thesocial Network, Larissa Zip, Rebekah Parker, Elvin Wyly

The Geographical Bulletin

The rise of social networking practices has inspired widespread public debate and scholarly attention: a growing share of social relations began to take place online in the virtual worlds of social media sites at the same time that the ‘real’ world became majority-urban. What are the implications of these trends for how we understand the geography of urban society? In this paper, we re-engage one of the foundational contributions of twentieth-century Chicago School sociology, Louis Wirth’s article “Urbanism as a Way of Life,” (1938) to understand the socio-spatial implications of social media in an era of planetary urbanization. A growing …