Life Sciences Commons^™

Association Of Suppressive Myeloid Cell Enrichment With Aggressive Oropharynx Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Changlin Yang, Rekha Garg, Kristanna Fredenburg, Frances Weidert, Hector Mendez-Gomez, Robert Amdur, Ji-Hyun Lee, Jamie Ku, Jesse Kresak, Stephanie Staras, Andrew G Sikora, Lily Wang, Daniel Mcgrail, Duane Mitchell, Elias Sayour, Natalie Silver

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: While immune-cell infiltrated tumors, such as human papillomavirus positive (HPV+) ororpharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCC) have been associated with an improved clinical prognosis, there is evidence to suggest that OPSCCs are also subjected to increased immunoregulatory influence. The objective of this study was to assess whether patients with clinically aggressive OPSCC have a distinct immunosuppressive immune signature in the primary tumor.

METHODS: This retrospective case-control study analyzed 37 pre-treatment tissue samples from HPV+ and HPV-negative OPSCC patients treated at a single institution. The cases were patients with known disease recurrence and the controls were patients without disease recurrence. An …

Interrogating Bromodomain Inhibitor Resistance In Kmt2a-Rearranged Leukemia Through Combinatorial Crispr Screens, Shaela Wright, Jianzhong Hu, Hong Wang, Judith Hyle, Yang Zhang, Guoqing Du, Marina Y Konopleva, Steven M Kornblau, Mohamed Nadhir Djekidel, Wojciech Rosikiewicz, Beisi Xu, Rui Lu, Jun J Yang, Chunliang Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Bromo- and extra-terminal domain inhibitors (BETi) have exhibited therapeutic activities in many cancers. However, the mechanisms controlling BETi response and resistance are not well understood. We conducted genome-wide loss-of-function CRISPR screens using BETi-treated KMT2A-rearranged (KMT2A-r) cell lines. We revealed that Speckle-type POZ protein (SPOP) gene (Speckle Type BTB/POZ Protein) deficiency caused significant BETi resistance, which was further validated in cell lines and xenograft models. Proteomics analysis and a kinase-vulnerability CRISPR screen indicated that cells treated with BETi are sensitive to GSK3 perturbation. Pharmaceutical inhibition of GSK3 reversed the BETi-resistance phenotype. Based on this observation, a combination therapy regimen inhibiting both …

The "Great Debate" At Melanoma Bridge 2022, Naples, December 1st-3rd, 2022, Paolo A Ascierto, Christian Blank, Alexander M Eggermont, Claus Garbe, Jeffrey E Gershenwald, Omid Hamid, Axel Hauschild, Jason J Luke, Janice M Mehnert, Jeffrey A Sosman, Hussein A Tawbi, Mario Mandalà, Alessandro Testori, Corrado Caracò, Iman Osman, Igor Puzanov

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The Great Debate session at the 2022 Melanoma Bridge congress (December 1-3) featured counterpoint views from leading experts on five contemporary topics of debate in the management of melanoma. The debates considered the choice of anti-lymphocyte-activation gene (LAG)-3 therapy or ipilimumab in combination with anti-programmed death (PD)-1 therapy, whether anti-PD-1 monotherapy is still acceptable as a comparator arm in clinical trials, whether adjuvant treatment of melanoma is still a useful treatment option, the role of adjuvant therapy in stage II melanoma, what role surgery will continue to have in the treatment of melanoma. As is customary in the Melanoma Bridge …

Detection Of A Diverse Endophyte Assemblage Within Fungal Communities Associated With The Arundo Leaf Miner, Lasioptera Donacis (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), Marie-Claude Bon, John A. Goolsby, Guy Mercadier, Fatiha Guermache, Javid Kashef, Massimo Cristofaro, Ann T. Vacek, Alan Kirk

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The larvae of Lasioptera donacis Coutin feed on fungal communities lining galleries within the mesophyll of leaf sheaths of Arundo donax in an aggregative manner. It has been stated that L. donacis could have established a fundamental symbiotic relationship with one fungus, although the fungal composition of these communities remains unsettled. Using a culture-dependent approach and ITS sequencing, the present work characterizes and compares the fungal communities associated with L. donacis in Eurasia with the endophytes of A. donax in Texas where L. donacis is absent. The 65 cultivable isolates obtained from L. donacis fungal communities were sorted into 15 …

Phase I Study Of Sapanisertib With Carboplatin And Paclitaxel In Mtor Pathway Altered Solid Malignancies, Omar Alhalabi, Roman Groisberg, Ralph Zinner, Andrew W Hahn, Aung Naing, Shizhen Zhang, Apostolia M Tsimberidou, Jordi Rodon, Siqing Fu, Timothy A Yap, David S Hong, Ming Sun, Yunfang Jiang, Shubham Pant, Amishi Y Shah, Amado Zurita, Nizar M Tannir, Raghunandan Vikram, Jason Roszik, Funda Meric-Bernstam, Vivek Subbiah

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pre-clinically, the mTORC1/2 inhibitor sapanisertib restored sensitivity to platinums and enhanced paclitaxel-induced cancer cell killing. NCT03430882 enrolled patients with mTOR pathway aberrant tumors to receive sapanisertib, carboplatin and paclitaxel. Primary objective was safety and secondary objectives were clinical response and survival. One patient had a dose-limiting toxicity at dose level 4. There were no unanticipated toxicities. Grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse events included anemia (21%), neutropenia (21%), thrombocytopenia (10.5%), and transaminitis (5%). Of 17 patients evaluable for response, 2 and 11 patients achieved partial response and stable disease, respectively. Responders included a patient with unclassified renal cell carcinoma harboring EWSR1-POU5F1 fusion …

Unusual Bird Reports From The Trans-Pecos District Of Chihuahua, Mexico, Including Five New Additions To The State Of Chihuahua, Israel Moreno-Contreras, Fernando Mondaca-Fernández, Daniel Enrique Pérez-Carrillo, José Manuel Jurado-Ruiz, María Cristina Pérez-Amezola, Marisa Tirado-Madrid, William H. Howe

Western North American Naturalist

We present new distributional information on 21 species of birds from the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, 5 of which represent the first documented records for this state. Several observations are of birds normally associated with the Sierra Madre Occidental province, suggesting that these species may be regular wanderers to the Trans-Pecos district of Chihuahua.


Presentamos nueva información sobre 21 especies de aves del estado de Chihuahua, México. Cinco de ellas representan el primer registro documentado para Chihuahua. Nuestras observaciones adicionales son de aves asoci­adas con la provincia de la Sierra Madre Occidental, sin embargo, estos registros sugieren que estas especies …

Real-Time Mapping With Global Positioning Systems Devices In A Mixed Methods Toolkit For Studying Social And Environmental Change, Cynthia Twyford Fowler

Faculty Scholarship

To explore the process through which people develop knowledge about socioecological change, this article describes a mixed-methods toolkit containing a technique for making maps in real time while moving through landscapes. The quantitative component of the toolkit is grounded in ethnobiologists’ embeddedness in place-based communities and harnesses the power of global positioning systems (GPS). As GPS-wielding ethnobiologists engage in participatory mapping by moving through landscapes with their research collaborators, we can use handheld devices and simultaneously communicate with satellites in outer space to produce maps in real time. Within the existing, large inventory of ethnobiological methods, using handheld GPS devices …

Evaluation Of Enterolactone For The Treatment And Prevention Of Type-2 Diabetes, Megan Bones

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Identification Of Small Bioactive Molecules For The Treatment And Prevention Of Type-2 Diabetes, Shelby Jampole, Hannah Violette

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Effect Of Tetracycline Derivatives On Metastasis In A Murine Mammary Tumor Model, Anna King, John Pryor, Serratt Nong

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

The Use Of Molecular Beacon Sirna To Induce Degradation Of Sars Cov-2 Mrna In Infected Cells, Kathryn Brookhart, Hanna Dutt, Katelynn Sepke

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Novel Plant Peroxidase Investigation For Use In Various Biochemical And Practical Applications, Sally Hess

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Molecular Data Confirm That All Modern Loons Are Part Of The Same Created Kind, Mary-Clark Matthews, Alexis Ramerth, Mckayla Guillory, Timothy R. Brophy

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

New Morphological Data Reveal That Fossil Loons Are Included In The Loon Kind, Mckayla Guillory, Alexis Ramerth, Mary-Clark Matthews, Timothy R. Brophy

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Assessment Of Queensnakes And Northern Watersnakes Living In A Trashy Creek, Noah Kurtz

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

An In-Vitro Examination Of The Effects Of Enterodiole On Glucose Disposal In Human Adipocytes, Abigail Mclaughlin

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

The Role Of The Tail Domain Of The Yeast Cell Surface Receptors Rgt2 And Snf3 In Glucose Signaling, Haeun Tae, Jaqueline Padilla, Morgan Mcdowell

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Activation Of Nrf2 Pathway By Natural Products, Genesis Schat, Madelyn Sedlachek

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Determining The Influence Of Diet And Ers On The Structure-Function Of Relationship In The Kidney, Efosa Osayamwen, Nathaniel Spears

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

New Analyses Substantiate Previous Claims That All Horses Form A Unique Created Kind, Jack Gregory, Timothy R. Brophy

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

The Effect Of Bisphenol C On Dania Rerio Immune Development, Asia Eskaros, David Kicinski, Daniel Leionard, Anna Osborn, Hannah Thomas

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Characterization Of A Sas3 Homolog In The Human Pathogenic Yeast Cryptococcus Neoformans, Lillianne Bartone

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Cafestol And Quinic Acid As Novel Agents For The Attenuation Of Type-2 Diabetes, Sierra Hall, Alexis Ramerth

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Examination Of Putative Histone Acetyltransferases In Cryptococcus Neoformans, Felice Kho, Phoebe Bridy, Yuqi Wang

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Cort Level Comparisons Between Allopatric And Sympatric Habitats In Plethodon Hubrichti, Cheyenne Brooks

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

The Feasibility Of Autoclave-Assisted Water Soluble Carbohydrate Extraction To Distinguish Annual Ryegrass Genotypes At The Seedling Stage, L. P. Passos, F. B. De Sousa, A. Mittelmann, M. C. Vidigal, I. G. Perry, L. O. Cruz, J. A. Magalhães

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) swards are being used increasingly in Southern Brazil as animal forage (Carvalho et al., 2001). As observed elsewhere, reduced forage availability and quality during dry or cold seasons often limits the efficacy of pasture utilisation. As reported by Meissner et al. (1992), this demands breeding efforts to improve forage nutritive value. However, lack of concurrent examination of large number of samples for important nutritional parameters, like water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) levels, which could lead to more precise selection strategies, is a common constraint of those programs. This study aimed to verify the suitability …

A Quantitative Trait Locus Analysis Of Root Distribution In Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium Perenne L.), Marty J. Faville, James R. Crush, H. S. Easton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Root system architecture impacts perennial ryegrass performance, with deeper roots potentially contributing to drought tolerance, nutrient interception, and anchoring of plants. Root mass in a perennial ryegrass sward is typically shallow, concentrated in the top 10 cm of soil (Troughton 1957). Phenotypic selection for deeper root systems in breeding programmes is limited by the inaccessibility of underground plant components. We aim to use quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis to discover genetic factors influencing root architecture traits, including vertical root distribution, in perennial ryegrass. Ultimately, markers linked to root architecture QTL may be used in a marker-assisted selection strategy that would …

Variability And Correlations Of Some Investigated Traits Of Perennial Ryegrass Populations, D. Sokolovic, S. Ignjatovic, Z. Tomic

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is one of the most important perennial forage grasses for temperate climates. It is a highly productive grass with the highest nutritive value (Sokolovi et al., 2002). In Serbia, breeders have developed perennial ryegrass cultivars with high stabile yield and quality with different times of maturity and resistance to drought and frost. The initial breeding material were usually wild populations (Charmet et. al., 1996) with high variability and adaptability. These characteristics lend themselves for selection of superior genotypes. But breeding for some important agronomic traits may influence others. This relationship between traits …

Cattle Production From Native Pastures In The Semi-Humid Grasslands Of Uganda, S. Okello, Elly N. Sabiiti

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The cattle population of Uganda, estimated at 6 million, consists of more than 95% indigenous stock, raised on the semi-arid and semi-humid grasslands that make up 48% of the total land area and which supply over 85% of the marketed milk and meat. Native grassland pastures, which vary seasonal in quantity and quality due to rainfall and temperature variations, are the sole feed resource for cattle (Mbuza et al., 1992). This study examined the effects of seasonal herbage mass (HM), dietary crude protein (CP_d), detergent lignin (ADL_d) and digestibility (DiG) on body condition scores of …

The Seasonal Dry Matter Production And Carrying Capacity Of Kikuyu Oversown With Ryegrass And Clover, Philip R. Botha, Robin Meeske, Hennie A. Snyman

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In the main milk producing areas of the Southern Cape, kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) is considered an important summer and autumn pasture which is climatologically well adapted. The main problem experienced with kikuyu is that winter and spring production is low and the exclusion of legumes make it dependent of nitrogen fertiliser and that increases the input cost. The aim of the study was to quantify the seasonal dry matter (DM) yield and carrying capacity of kikuyu (K) through treatments involving kikuyu oversown with annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum spp.) (KR), kikuyu oversown with a mixture of perennial ryegrass …