Life Sciences Commons^™

Proteomic Characterization And Cytotoxic Potential Of Proteins From Cuscuta (Cuscuta Epithymum (L.) Crude Herbal Product Against Mcf-7 Human Breast Cancer Cell Line, Umaima Akhtar, Yamna Khurshid, Bishoy El-Aarag, Basir Syed, Ishtiaq A. Khan, Keykavous Parang, Aftab Ahmed

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background

The burden of breast cancer, the second leading cause of death worldwide, is increasing at an alarming rate. Cuscuta, used in traditional medicine for different ailments, including cancer, is known for containing phytochemicals that exhibit anticancer activity; however, the bioactivities of proteins from this plant remain unexplored. This study aimed to screen the cytotoxic potential of proteins from the crude herbal product of Cuscuta epithymum(L.) (CE) harvested from the host plants Alhagi maurorum and Medicago sativa.

Methods

The proteins from CE were extracted using a salting-out method, followed by fractionation with a gel filtration chromatography column. Gel-free shotgun …

Il-2-Free Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Therapy With Pd-1 Blockade Demonstrates Potent Efficacy In Advanced Gynecologic Cancer, Jing Guo, Chunyan Wang, Ning Luo, Yuliang Wu, Wei Huang, Weihui Shi, Yao Ge, Chunhong Liu, Zhen Lu, Robert C Bast, Guihai Ai, Weihong Yang, Rui Wang, Caixia Li, Rong Chen, Shupeng Liu, Huajun Jin, Binghui Zhao, Zhongping Cheng

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy has been restricted by intensive lymphodepletion and high-dose intravenous interleukin-2 (IL-2) administration. To address these limitations, we conducted preclinical and clinical studies to evaluate the safety, antitumor activity, and pharmacokinetics of an innovative modified regimen in patients with advanced gynecologic cancer.

METHODS: Patient-derived xenografts (PDX) were established from a local recurrent cervical cancer patient. TILs were expanded ex vivo from minced tumors without feeder cells in the modified TIL therapy regimen. Patients underwent low-dose cyclophosphamide lymphodepletion followed by TIL infusion without intravenous IL-2. The primary endpoint was safety; the secondary endpoints included objective response rate, …

Developing A Membrane-Proximal Cd33-Targeting Car T Cell, Ruby Freeman, Sanam Shahid, Abdul G Khan, Serena C Mathew, Sydney Souness, Jasmine S Um, Winson Cai, Sarah Yoo, Andrew Dunbar, Young Park, Devin Mcavoy, Kinga K Hosszu, Ross L Levine, Jaap Jan Boelens, Ivo C Lorenz, Renier J Brentjens, Anthony F Daniyan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: CD33 is a tractable target in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, but clinical success is lacking.

METHODS: We developed 3P14HLh28Z, a novel CD33-directed CD28/CD3Z-based CAR T cell derived from a high-affinity binder obtained through membrane-proximal fragment immunization in humanized mice.

RESULTS: We found that immunization exclusively with the membrane-proximal domain of CD33 is necessary for identification of membrane-proximal binders in humanized mice. Compared with clinically validated lintuzumab-based CAR T cells targeting distal CD33 epitopes, 3P14HLh28Z showed enhanced in vitro functionality as well as superior tumor control and increased overall survival in both …

Analysing An Imbalanced Stroke Prediction Dataset Using Machine Learning Techniques, Viswapriya Subramaniyam Elangovan, Rajeswari Devarajan, Osamah I. Khalaf, Mhd Saeed Sharif, Wael Elmedany

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

A stroke is a medical condition characterized by the rupture of blood vessels within the brain which can lead to brain damage. various symptoms may be exhibited when the brain's supply of blood and essential nutrients is disrupted. To forecast the possibility of brain stroke occurring at an early stage using Machine Learning and Deep Learning is the main objective of this study. Timely detection of the various warning signs of a stroke can significantly reduce its severity. This paper performed a comprehensive analysis of features to enhance stroke prediction effectiveness. A reliable dataset for stroke prediction is taken from …

Potential Enhancement Of Microbial Disinfection Using Oxygen Enriched Cold Atmospheric-Pressure Argon (Ar/O2) Plasma Jet, Waleed O. Younis, Mahmoud M. Berekaa, Mostafa A. Ellbban, Abdel-Sattar S. Gadallah, Jamal Q. Almarashi, Abdel-Aleam H. Mohamed

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Oxygen activated cold-atmospheric-pressure-argon plasma jet (APPJ) has gained prominence over the regular argon plasma especially in disinfection and decontamination. As an objective of the current research, an oxygen-enriched argon system was built, where plasma produced through a vessel metallic tube that is introduced into alumina one. A sinusoidal high voltage signal of 25 kHz was used to generate plasma jet. Potential impact of oxygen enriched APP jet (Ar/O₂) in decontamination of different microbial cells was observed. For examination, suspension of each tested microbe was placed in contact with plasma jet nearly 10 mm away from the jet nozzle …

A Potential Of Watercress Nasturtium Officinale Bioactive Compounds In Inhibiting Infectious Myonecrosis Virus (Imnv) By Targeting Rna-Dependent Rna Polymerase (Rdrp) Virus From Several Countries: In Silico Approach, Qurrota A’Yunin, Fatchiyah Fatchiyah, Maftuch Maftuch, Feri Eko Hermanto, Muhammad Hermawan Widyananda, Narendra Santika Hartana, Muhaimin Rifa’I, Yoga Dwi Jatmiko

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV) disease causes mass mortality and decreased shrimp production. The RdRp region projects to the interior, where it may function in transcription. The focus of this study was to determine the effect of amino acid polymorphisms from several countries on the structure of RdRp and identify the potential of watercress in inhibiting IMNV by targeting the RdRp protein of IMNV through an in silico approach. The results showed that the structure of the IMNV RdRp protein from Indonesia was similar to Mexico, and the protein structure from India_QDN was identical to India_QIL. Ligand binding affinity values showed …

Extraction Of Morphometric Features The Shape Of Mangrove Leaves Based On Digital Images And Classification Using The Support Vector Machine, Ishak Ariawan, Della Ayu Lestari, Luthfi Anzani, Tri Yanti, Cakra Rahardjo, M. Saleh, Sahril Angga Permana, Dea Aisyah Rusmawati

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

At present, several botanists still rely on the use of manual estimating methods to assess the carbon content in mangrove. However, these methods have been reported to be extremely time-consuming, showing the need to develop a system for prediction. An effective solution lies in the creation of an artificial intelligence application, which can provide rapid and cost-effective results. In constructing this application, careful consideration must be given to the selection of parameters or attributes. Species is an essential parameter for the assessment of carbon content, but its determination has proven to be challenging due to the similarities of mangrove. The …

Effects Of Alternative Hermetic Bag Storage On Fermented And Dried Cocoa Bean (Theobroma Cacao L.), Kenneth Foster, Lina M. Suarez-Guzman, Diana C. Meza-Sepulveda, Dieudonne Baributsa, Carlos A. Zurita

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Cocoa beans, derived from the Cacao Tree (Theobroma cacao L.), are a cash crop among smallholder farmers in tropical regions. After harvest and processing, maintaining cocoa bean quality is critical to access lucrative markets. This paper examines the impact of hermetic storage on insect damage, mold, moisture content, and water activity of fermented and dried cocoa beans under farm conditions in collaboration with a farmer association of Belén de Umbría in Colombia. Three types of hermetic storage systems were assessed for a period of 12 months: Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags, including both 2- and 3-layer variants, and Ecotact® …

Effects Of Fast And Slow-Wilting Soybean Genotypes On Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera Frugiperda) Growth And Development, Jessica Ayala, Alejandro Vasquez, Devi Balakrishnan, Evelyn Madrigal, Justin George, Rupesh Kariyat

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Soybean (Glycine max) is the most important plant protein source, and Fall Armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda) is considered a major pest. This study aimed to examine the impact of FAW feeding on soybean accessions that vary in their water use efficiency (WUE) traits, by examining FAW growth and life history parameters along with plant growth response to pest damage. Soybean accessions were grown in a greenhouse and exposed to FAW larval feeding for 48 h at three different soybean growth stages: V3, R3, and R6. The growth and development of the FAW and soybeans were monitored. Results showed that faster …

The Use Of Microbiome Sequencing To Identify Individuals In Forensic Science, Sophia Konieczny

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

The Human Genome Project's (HGP) completion in 2003 laid the groundwork for further research into the human body. This paved the way for microbiome sequencing, revealing the diverse microbial communities within the human body. These advancements led to the emergence of microbial forensics, leveraging Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies like Amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomics for individual identification. Unlike traditional genetic profiling, microbiome analysis provides insights beyond genetic profiling, offering information about an individual's lifestyle and environment. Microbial communities on the skin's surface and objects can serve as trace evidence, aiding in suspect identification and investigative leads. Despite its promise, …

Effects Of Fast And Slow-Wilting Soybean Genotypes On Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera Frugiperda) Growth And Development, Jessica Ayala, Alejandro Vasquez, Devi Balakrishnan, Evelyn Madrigal, Justin George, Rupesh R. Kariyat

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Soybean (Glycine max) is the most important plant protein source, and Fall Armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda) is considered a major pest. This study aimed to examine the impact of FAW feeding on soybean accessions that vary in their water use efficiency (WUE) traits, by examining FAW growth and life history parameters along with plant growth response to pest damage. Soybean accessions were grown in a greenhouse and exposed to FAW larval feeding for 48 h at three different soybean growth stages: V3, R3, and R6. The growth and development of the FAW and soybeans were monitored. Results showed …

Investigating The Impact Of Climate Change On Evapotranspiration Using Modeling, Faten Waheed

Theses and Dissertations

The available water resources are at risk due to climate change and the increasing water demand. Evapotranspiration is a very important element in water cycle. Evapotranspiration is perceived as a linking mechanism between the surface of the land and the atmosphere. Therefore, investing appropriate approaches to estimate evapotranspiration and the implication of climate change on evapotranspiration and available water resources are of great importance for better water management and food security. Penman-Monteith (PM) equation is considered as one of the most widely used equation for estimating ETo. It is also one of the most complex energy balance equations requiring detailed …

On The Importance Of Sequence Alignment Inspections In Plastid Phylogenomics – An Example From Revisiting The Relationships Of The Water-Lilies, Jessica A. Roestel, John H. Wiersema, Robert K. Jansen, Thomas Borsch, Michael Gruenstaeudl

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The water-lily clade represents the second earliest-diverging branch of angiosperms. Most of its species belong to Nymphaeaceae, of which the “core Nymphaeaceae”—comprising the genera Euryale, Nymphaea and Victoria—is the most diverse clade. Despite previous molecular phylogenetic studies on the core Nymphaeaceae, various aspects of their evolutionary relationships have remained unresolved. The length-variable introns and intergenic spacers are known to contain most of the sequence variability within the water-lily plastomes. Despite the challenges with multiple sequence alignment, any new molecular phylogenetic investigation on the core Nymphaeaceae should focus on these noncoding plastome regions. For example, a new plastid phylogenomic study on …

Pfas Exposure And Human Health Risk Management - A Policy Review, Callie Sierra Totaro

Master's Projects and Capstones

For centuries, new chemicals and compounds have been invented to improve material longevity or make a product cheaper to produce. Throughout this time, emerging chemicals have often gone through inadequate testing that may not consider all long term environmental and human health effects before they have gone to market in the United States. As a result, thousands of harmful chemicals have ended up in the food supply, water sources, and everyday items of people in the United States with the negative health effects often not being discovered for decades after the start of circulation. By this point, removal and assessment …

Assessing The Use Of Regenerative Agriculture In California Almonds As Climate Change Resilience, Skyler M. Seamons

Master's Projects and Capstones

The agriculture sector is responsible for 10% of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions. In turn, anthropogenic climate change threatens crops. With its Mediterranean climate, California is the country’s largest agricultural-producing state. Many California crops are at risk due to increasing temperatures and changed precipitation patterns. This paper investigates regenerative farming techniques as a tool to protect California crops from a changing climate. Almonds are used as a case study to analyze the soil management practices, finances, and policies underlying regenerative agriculture in California. A literature review and comparative analysis are used to compare regenerative and conventional soil management practices …

Lyme Disease In The Northeast: The Unintended Consequence Of Suburban Development, Hayden Neubert

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper addresses the role of suburban development in the suburbs of the Northeastern United States in increasing human Lyme disease infection. Over the past 50 years, Lyme disease has become the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. In 2021, the two states with the most Lyme disease cases were New York and New Jersey, with a collective 6,524 cases, with Connecticut still representing 541 total cases. It is not a coincidence that case numbers are concentrated in suburban areas with high forest fragmentation. Chapter 1 of this essay analyzes how human land development disrupts bioregulatory ecosystem actors …

From Pixels To Plants: Remote Sensing Of California Invasive Plants, Kenneth Rangel

Master's Projects and Capstones

Invasive plants cause significant impacts to ecosystems, the economy, and human health. California has experienced significant plant invasions and is well suited to future invasion because of its Mediterranean climate and human disturbance. Eradication or control of invasive plant species requires a detailed understanding of their spatial distribution, which typically involves on the ground surveys that can be expensive or inconsistent. Remote sensing offers a potential alternative or supplement to in-person invasive plant mapping. This study performed a comparative analysis of 41 remote sensing studies that mapped the distribution of California invasive plants. I found that while high spectral resolution …

Managing The Environmental And Socio-Economic Impacts Of Rohingya Refugees In Bangladesh, Mousume Azad

Master's Projects and Capstones

In August 2017, nearly 1 million Rohingya people fled to Bangladesh to save their lives from the genocide inflicted by the military of Myanmar. At present, over 1.3 million Rohingyas are staying at Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, in 34 overcrowded refugee camps. This research examined the environmental impacts especially the change in vegetation cover and land surface temperature as well as the socioeconomic alteration of the host country after the refugee influx. The research found a 5488 ha or 9.58% decrease in forest area, accompanied by an 8.25% increase in refugee settlement areas, an increase in average land surface temperature within …

How Sensory Exploration Using Expressive Arts Provides A Cohesive Experience For Children With Multiple Diagnoses, Chanelle Goguen

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis looks at the potential benefits and cohesive experience of sensory exploration for children with multiple diagnoses through a trauma informed lens. The researcher was inspired by Prendiville’s (2021) idea of how interactive sensory exploration and art making can help foster and develop reciprocal communication and socio-affective relationships influenced the researcher to design a method that would be used to collect data about potential similar findings. In the method, the interaction of the sensory-specific art mediums were reflected through the expressive therapies continuum (ETC) framework. The research of this thesis acknowledges and explores how trauma and adverse childhood experiences …

The Effect Of Novel Microtubule Modulators On Experimental Lewy Body Disease, Anuj S. Jamenis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Lewy body disorders, α-synuclein aggregates are believed to destabilize the microtubular framework. However, microtubules are a challenging therapeutic target, as excessive rigidity or flexibility afforded by microtubule modulators may be neurotoxic. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate dual-acting microtubule- stabilizing/destabilizing agents in cellular and animal models of early-stage Lewy body disease.

In Aim 1 we tested the dual-acting tricylic pyrimido[4,5-b]indole analogs AG161-47 and AG161-41 in an in vitro preformed fibril induced model of Lewy body disease. We found that both compounds reduced preformed fibril-seeded α-synucleinopathy without toxicity in primary hippocampal cultures. AG161-47 subtly impacted microtubule …

Exploring The Design Space Of Antifungal Peptides, Miryam Kikhwa

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of antifungal activity of peptides FQ15 and FG10 will be conducted to address the hypothesis. The hypothesis of this thesis is that a peptide with similar properties to AS15 would have similar activity against Cryptococcus neoformans. This study addresses the challenge of drug- resistant microbes by developing inhibitors targeting lipid flippase and exploring their potential as antimicrobial agents against Cryptococcus neoformans. Chapter 1 provides a historical context of the background on the development of antimicrobials and common antifungal treatments, as well as an introduction about C. neoformans and its resistance mechanism. Chapter 2 introduces the …

The Multipurpose Dna Repair/Redox Protein Ape1 In Rodent And Human Lewy Body Disease, Kristin Marie Miner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lewy body disorders are a family of neurodegenerative conditions characterized by proteostatic and redox disequilibrium, leading to deposition of the abundant protein α-synuclein in hallmark inclusions and oxidative damage to DNA. Sublethal oxidative DNA damage in neurons is repaired predominantly by the base excision repair pathway, which involves the coordinated activity of several enzymes, including apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1). Despite emerging connections between α-synuclein, oxidative stress, and DNA damage/repair, along with evidence demonstrating the multifunctional nature of APE1, the link between APE1 and α-synuclein has not yet been explored.

Here, we conducted a broad investigation of APE1 in the context …

Bioinformatic Analysis Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis G-12-005, Natalie Bianchi

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Infection, a ubiquitous biological phenomenon, involves the invasion and multiplication of pathogens within a host organism, instigating a complex interplay between the infectious agent and the host's immune defenses. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a bacterium that is naturally found in soil and water; however it also infects humans and can survive without detection by the host’s immune system (Chai et. al 2018). The profound impact of tuberculosis infection on history is reflected in its continued prevalence as a major global health threat. Despite advancements in healthcare, the persistence of tuberculosis infections continues to pose significant challenges worldwide. Mycobacterium tuberculosis G-12-005 gene …

A Functional Comparison Of Raw 264.7 Murine Macrophages Grown In Dmem And Rpmi 1640, Allison Bobst

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

The RAW 264.7 murine macrophage is a prevalent cell line in mammalian cell culture and is commonly used for the study of inflammation The standard medium for its growth and maintenance is Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM), but in a portion of published work, RPMI 1640 is substituted. RPMI 1640 lacks the high level of glucose present in DMEM (4.5 g/L). The purpose of this work is to compare the function of RAW 264.7 cells grown and maintained in DMEM versus RPMI 1640. Both media are supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, sodium bicarbonate, and 100 IU Penicillin Streptomycin 100μg. …

Bioinformatic Analysis Of Hypothetical Genes In Lactococcus Lactis Ssp. Il1403:, Jennifer Tangires

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

The human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) contains various microbial organisms involved in many processes of physiological homeostasis. Among these resident microbes are lactic acid bacteria (LAB). These bacteria, almost all of which belong to the order Lactobacillales, are able to produce lactic acid and play an important role in food preservation because they produce bacteriocins. Bacteriocins are antimicrobial proteins that are used to fight off related bacteria in their environment that are competing for the same resources. This study focuses on exploring a specific LAB strain, Lactococcus lactis ssp. IL1403 where 21.9% of its predicted genes have not yet been assigned …

Impact Of Temperature On Children’S Nutrition: A Comparative Study Of Three Ecological Regions Of Nepal, Prakriti Shakya

Master's Theses

Nutrition obtained during the growth period of childhood significantly influences long-term well-being and overall productivity, ultimately contributing to the economy of a society. However, weather shocks can wreak havoc by damaging crops, changing yields of important crops and disrupting market access, which directly impacts the food intake of both adults and children. When these adverse events occur during childhood, short term and long term inadequacy in nutrition as well as disease incidence can cause malnutrition leading to stunted growth and cognitive impairment that may persist into adulthood, affecting the labor market and increasing health expenditure. To address this issue, we …

Downregulation Of Dax-1 Expression Via Mirna Overexpression As A Mechanism To Potentiate Breast Cancer, Nicholas C. Devito

Master's Theses

The orphan nuclear receptor DAX-1 (Dosage Sensitive Sex Reversal, Adrenal Hypoplasia Congenita, critical region on the X chromosome, gene 1) plays a key role in mammalian sex determination and steroidogenesis. In addition to these canonical examples, DAX-1 has been shown to play a contradictory role in cancer development. While DAX-1 is overexpressed in lung and prostate cancer, it is downregulated in breast cancer. One of the explanations for the paradoxical role of DAX-1 in cancer development could be microRNA (miRNA) dysregulation. After broadly surveying over 96 miRNAs historically upregulated in MCF7 breast cancer cells, we compared the expression of DAX-1 …

The Impact Of Index Based Livestock Insurance (Ibli) On Child Nutrition In Marsabit County, Kenya, Jackson Kadyampakeni

Master's Theses

The study uses six rounds of Index-Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI) panel surveys (2009 – 2015) for Northern Kenya’s Marsabit county to investigate the impact of IBLI on child nutrition and household food security. We employ Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Instrumental Variable (IV) regressions to account for potential endogeneity in IBLI uptake. The results indicate that while IBLI uptake significantly improves the intake of key nutrients such as Vitamin A, protein, iron, and fruits and vegetables, it does not translate into significant improvements in child nutrition status, as measured by Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) z-scores. Significant negative effects of age …

Impact Of Toll-Like Receptor 10 Mutations On Tuberculosis Infections, Adriana Nicole Rafael, Sangman Kim

Master's Theses

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb), is a leading global health crisis causing millions of cases and deaths each year. Though it affects individuals of any race, ethnicity, or cultural group, research shows the disease disproportionately affects individuals with Asian ancestry. Immunity to M. tb starts with its recognition by pattern recognition receptors such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs), which are key players in immune responses. TLR-10, an understudied toll-like receptor due to its inability to be studied through mouse models, is thought to play a key role in the clearance of inflammatory diseases. SNP I775V, …

Towards A New Role Of Mitochondrial Hydrogen Peroxide In Synaptic Function, Cliyahnelle Z. Alexander

Student Theses and Dissertations

Aerobic metabolism is known to generate damaging ROS, particularly hydrogen peroxide. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly reactive molecules containing oxygen that have the potential to cause damage to cells and tissues in the body. ROS are highly reactive atoms or molecules that rapidly interact with other molecules within a cell. Intracellular accumulation can result in oxidative damage, dysfunction, and cell death. Due to the limitations of H₂O₂ (hydrogen peroxide) detectors, other impacts of ROS exposure may have been missed. HyPer7, a genetically encoded sensor, measures hydrogen peroxide emissions precisely and sensitively, even at sublethal levels, during …