Biotechnology Commons^™

Selective Gsk3Β Inhibition Mediates An Nrf2-Independent Anti-Inflammatory Microglial Response, Mohamed H. Yousef

Theses and Dissertations

Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 (GSK3) is associated with the proinflammatory phenotype of microglia and has been shown to act in concert with Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). . GSK3 is also a suppressor of Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), the principal regulator of redox homeostasis. Agreeing with the oxidative paradigm of aging, Nrf2 is often deregulated in parainflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we aimed to explore a multimodal disease-modifying utility of GSK3 inhibition, beyond neuronal proteopathologies, Furthermore, we aimed to underscore the difference in therapeutic value between the two GSK3 paralogs by isoform-selective chemical inhibition.

The …

A Predictive Model For Geographical Location Using Microbiome Composition And Covid-19 Based Analysis, Ahmed Adel Aboushanab

Theses and Dissertations

The human microbiome is a main contributor for the health and welfare of the human body. It is affected by many factors like diet and hygiene. These factors differ between different populations. Testing the population-microbiome differences using healthy samples from different countries is the first objective of this study. This data was then used in training and testing machine learning models (Random Forest and L2-logistic Regression Classifiers) for the prediction of the geographical location based on the microbiome data. Random Forest Classifier had the highest accuracy. Feature importance analysis showed that the data for Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes improved the …

Identifying Micrornas Panel Associated With Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Serum Of Chronic Hepatitis C Patients, Areeg Dabbish

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) will reduce morbidity and mortality rates of this poorly diagnosed widely-spread disease. Dysregulation in microRNA (miRNAs) expression is associated with HCC progression. Objective: Is to identify a panel of differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) to enhance HCC early prediction in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected patients. Methodology: Candidate miRNAs were selected using bioinformatic analysis of microarray and RNA-sequencing datasets, resulting in nine DE- miRNAs (miR-142, miR-150, miR-183, miR-199a, miR-215, miR-217, miR-224, miR-424 and miR-3607). Their expressions were validated in the serum of 44 healthy individuals, 62 non-cirrhotic HCV patients, 67 cirrhotic-HCV and 72 HCV-associated …

Herbal Extracts As Neuroprotective Agents In An In-Vitro Model Of Aluminum Neurotoxicity, Nada Ezzelarab

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Aluminum toxicity due to environmental or industrial exposure, medical applications, or from cooking utensils is a serious medical problem. The current study aims to investigate three herbal extracts: pomegranate peel extract, Achillea fragrantissima extract, and papaya fruit extract to combat this neurotoxicity.

Methods: Chemical characterization of the three extracts were evaluated using HPLC MS while their neuroprotective activity was assayed using MTT assay on SHSY5Y cells and nitric oxide levels.

Results: Using HPLC-MS chromatography, we have identified twenty-one compounds in the hydro-alcoholic Achillea fragrantissima, seventeen were determined in the pomegranate peel, eleven were assessed in the Carica papaya …

Evaluation Of The Anticancer Potential Of Alchemilla Vulgaris Extract Against Human Neuroblastoma Cells, Yomna Moqidem

Theses and Dissertations

Neuroblastoma is one of the most challenging pediatric tumors that present heterogeneity in prognosis and survival despite intensive treatment protocols. Therefore, there is an urge to develop novel and more potent anticancer drugs. Medicinal plants have recently gained worldwide attention due to their variable activities, wide availability, and cost-efficiency. Accordingly, this study attempted to identify novel plant extracts that could show potential anticancer properties against neuroblastoma. In this study, Alchemilla vulgaris (A.vulgaris) ethyl acetate extract was prepared and evaluated for its anticancer potential against SH-SY5Y Human neuroblastoma cell line. The Phenolic content of the prepared extract was characterized …

Mining For Specialized Metabolism Genes In Red Sea Brine Pool Prokaryotic Metagenomes For Antibacterial And Anticancer Activities, Laila Ziko

Theses and Dissertations

Antibiotic and anticancer drug resistance are current global health threats, thus new antibiotics and anticancer agents are required to treat the strains and cancers that are currently untreatable with the available drug spectrum. One way to search for new chemotherapeutics is to search nature, particularly metagenomes of un-cultured microbial communities. A subset of specialized metabolites (SMs) produced by microbes confer activities of pharmaceutical importance, such as antibacterial and anticancer effects, and are coded by specialized metabolism gene clusters (SMGCs) in the organisms’ genomes. We aimed to search for SMGCs in the metagenomes of Red Sea brine microbial communities by employing …