Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

”To Be Or Not To Be – It’S Good”: Actor And Student Experiences In A Drama Club For People With Aphasia, Jade K. Hannan

Senior Theses

Individuals with aphasia, a disorder caused by damage to the brain’s language network, confront a variety of social and emotional struggles. While leaving their cognition largely intact, aphasia tremendously impacts a person’s ability to communicate confidently, fracturing their social network and contributing to feelings of loneliness and frustration. To address this persistent need in the chronic aphasia population, the Play on Words drama club at the University of South Carolina provides a forum for people with aphasia (PWA) to engage in dramatic exercises focused on non-verbal communication of emotions, ideas, and stories, culminating the production of an original devised play. …

Elucidating The Role Of Protease-Activated Receptor 2 In Elastase-Induced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, John Pitstick

Senior Theses

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of mortality in the world despite extensive research. As a type of CVD, abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) represents a critical medical condition characterized by the localized dilation of the abdominal aorta. Complications from aneurysm development results in catastrophic aortic rupture, which leads to mortality more than 80% of the time. As aneurysm development is typically asymptomatic, many AAAs remain untreated until they present a serious risk of rupture. Additionally, no pharmaceutical treatment exists for AAAs, with the only option being surgical intervention. Despite advancements in diagnostic methods and surgical techniques, the pathogenesis of …

Accuracy Of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring In Vancomycin And The Pharmacist Role: A Retrospective Case-Series, Kateryna Parkhomenko

Senior Theses

Vancomycin is a mainstay of therapy for treating virulent and resistant infections, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). However, vancomycin requires therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for optimal dosing and treatment. This requires pharmacists to calculate a dosing regimen that correlates to appropriate goal vancomycin concentrations in the blood. Dosing vancomycin can be difficult, as it varies on a patient’s weight, renal function, age, etc. Doses may have to be adjusted in response to out-of-range concentrations, which requires further pharmacy calculations. Inaccurate dosing poses a risk to patient safety and places a resource and time burden on pharmacists. If vancomycin dosing methods …

Uh-02 A Case Report Of The Potential Link Between Pulmonary Fibrosis And Diabetes Mellitus, Bryson T. Rose, Isabella Nielson, Nnenna Igwe

SC Upstate Research Symposium

Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic lung disease that is characterized by the progressive and irreversible scarring of the lung tissue. This scarring greatly diminishes the efficiency of pulmonary function. After being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, patients live, on average, only three to five years. Diabetes mellitus is known to damage the tissue and blood vessels in organs such as the heart and kidneys due to increased intravascular pressure.

According to recent research, diabetes mellitus has also been linked to similar damage in the lungs. Additionally, a 2021 meta-analysis and systematic review of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis suggests an association between diabetes …

Progression Of Peripheral Arterial Disease, Shuvangee Dhar

Senior Theses

Amputation due to complications related to vascular diseases such as peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is rising across the nation, especially in South Carolina. PAD can not only lead to severe outcomes such as gangrene and death but sometimes also leave patients with the sole option of amputation, which can decrease quality of life and increase the financial burden on the patient. In light of the growing amputation trend and the increasing prevalence of PAD, this research project aimed to assess the utility of calcification scores and plasma protein biomarkers such as thrombospondin-1 and osteoactivin as potential indicators of PAD progression. …

“Pandemias Políticas: The Effects Of Political And Social Instability On Infectious Disease Epidemiology In Latin America"”, Sarah H. Noonan

Senior Theses

This paper seeks to analyze the relationship between political and social unrest and conflict and infectious disease epidemiology in Latin America. An analysis of published literature regarding epidemiological, biomedical, political, and historical content was conducted to highlight potential connections between infectious disease epidemics and sociopolitical conflict in the region. Specific analyses of Smallpox, Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis, Chagas disease, Cholera, Dengue, and COVID-19 were conducted, in an effort to uncover potential causations and context of epidemics of these conditions. Results of this analysis depict a necessity for further research into public health and disease control mechanisms during times of conflict and …

Personalized Digital Phenotype Score, Healthcare Management And Intervention Strategies Using Knowledge Enabled Digital Health Framework For Pediatric Asthma, Utkarshani Jaimini, Amit Sheth

Publications

Asthma is a personalized, and multi-trigger respiratory condition which requires continuous monitoring and management of symptoms and medication adherence. We developed kHealth: Knowledge-enabled Digital Healthcare Framework to monitor and manage the asthma symptoms, medication adherence, lung function, daily activity, sleep quality, indoor, and outdoor environmental triggers of pediatric asthma patients. The kHealth framework collects up to 1852 data points per patient per day. It is practically impossible for the clinicians, parents, and the patient to analyze this vast amount of multimodal data collected from the kHealth framework. In this chapter, we describe the personalized scores, clinically relevant asthma categorization using …

The Benefits Of A More Physically Active Workforce In The Corporate World, Dillon M. Billingham-Hemminger, Jacob D. Locke

Senior Theses

With the ever-expanding knowledge of the benefits of physical activity and good general health for all aspects of our lives, it should be quite surprising that activity levels are declining at accelerating rates. After taking a deeper look into the probable cause for this phenomenon, it becomes clearer that the increasing pressures of workplace culture are leading to more sedentary lifestyles.

This paper looks at the benefits of physical activity on people and on corporations, specifically workplace disease prevention and wellness programs, to see if there exists a mutualistic relationship between the two. For people, physical activity was consistently found …

Defining Septicemia Incidence And Mortality In South Carolina Through Access To Health Care, Behavioral Health, And Low Socio-Economic Status, Raeann Vossberg

Senior Theses

This study aims to provide an in-depth view of septicemia mortality and incidence in the state of South Carolina through the lenses of socio-economic factors, access to healthcare, and behavioral health factors. This study was conducted using data from the South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office, utilizing their Hospitalization, Inpatient, Emergency Department, and Outpatient data both separately and combined depending on the data point, along with additional data sources for support (see works cited). We hypothesize that the higher rates of septicemia mortality and incidence in the southeastern United States, as well as in South Carolina in particular, could …

Purification And Functional Characterization Of The Iron-Responsive Transcription Factor Aft1 From C. Glabrata, Jade Ikahihifo-Bender

Senior Theses

Due to its unique ability to serve as both an electron donor and acceptor, iron is utilized as a co-factor for many biological processes, including electron transfer, oxygen binding, and vitamin synthesis. Iron is also a key factor during fungal infections as the human host and invading pathogens battle over limited iron pools. The primary iron-responsive transcription factor Aft1 in the opportunistic pathogenic yeast Candida glabrata responds to iron deficiency by activating expression of iron acquisition genes. However, the mechanisms for sensing intracellular iron levels and regulating Aft1 activity in response to iron are unknown. The C. glabrata iron regulation …

Is It Safe For My Child’S Asthma?, Utkarshani Jaimini, Amit Sheth, Krishnaprasad Thirunarayan, Maninder Kalra, Marco Valtorta

Publications

kHealth-Asthma, a personalised digital healthcare framework is developed to address the above shortcomings by continuous monitoring of the child’s digital phenotype, indoor, and outdoor environmental data. The kHealth-Asthma study has recruited 140 children (ongoing) with an aim to complete recruitment of 150 children. The study period is either 1 month or 3 month depending on the choice of the study participant. kHealth-Asthma collects 29 multi-modal parameters leading to 1852 data points per patient per day (i.e. deployment: 1 month:1852*30=55,560 data points per patient and 3 month:1852*90=166,680 data points per patient). The digital phenotype collected using the kHealth-Asthma generates a Digital …

Relation Of Flt-1 And Endothelial Function In Women Soon After Delivery: Effect Of Physical Activity And Sedentary Behavior, Chloe W. Caudell

Senior Theses

Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) are believed to be caused by poor placental formation. APOs can be characterized by elevated levels of a circulating Fms-like tyrosine kinase biomarker called Flt-1, produced by the placenta when its blood vessels are shallow or inadequately formed. Flt-1 acts directly on the maternal endothelium to impair vascular function during pregnancy and contributes to maternal features of APOs. This study aimed to evaluate the relation of Flt-1 and endothelial function in women soon after delivery. This study also aimed to evaluate the relation of Flt-1 and physical activity and sedentary behavior in women during and soon …

The Usefulness Of The Left Atrial Dilation Rate In Determining Severity Of Heart Failure, Laura B. Snyder

Senior Theses

Hypertension and vascular stiffness are two physiological conditions that strain the left ventricle (LV) and cause it to gain muscle mass. Eventually, the LV is unable to fill correctly and the patient develops Heart Failure with a preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF). Clinically, a patient’s left atrium (LA) area is measured as a diagnostic parameter of HFpEF severity. However, this doesn’t offer a prognosis or threshold of LA size necessitating hospitalization because of variation in patient demographics, genetics, and lifestyle which affect rates of HFpEF progression.

Since there are no medications or effective treatment options for HFpEF patients, there is a …

Potential Role Of The Large Protein Titin In The Development Of Heart Failure, Mary M. Prickett

Senior Theses

I will be exploring the impact of the large protein Titin on heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). It was hypothesized that myocardial Titin plays a significant role in the progression of HFpEF through isoform, N2BA and N2B, changes. It was hypothesized that an increase in the quantity of N2B Titin, less compliant, and a decrease in N2BA Titin, more compliant, will be observed as HF progresses, contributing to an increase in passive stiffness involved in heart contraction. I will cover a detailed report on the role of Titin in HFpEF and propose research methods to explore further.

Chronic Kidney Disease From Non-Traditional Causes Throughout Central America, Abigail K. Watson

Senior Theses

Throughout many Central American countries, incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been on the rise. The disease mainly affects agricultural workers and differs from typical CKD. Patients in these countries often do not have preexisting conditions such as diabetes or hypertension known to be traditional causes of CKD. They also experience increased damage to the kidney tubules, rather than the glomeruli generally more heavily impacted. There has been speculation regarding the causes of CKDnT (chronic kidney disease of nontraditional causes), but no consensus has been reached. Two major hypotheses to explain the high prevalence among Central American sugarcane workers …

Characterizing Aft1/2-Grx3/4 Interaction And The Role Of Bol2 During Iron Regulation In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, William Rivers

Senior Theses

Iron dysregulation has been linked to a variety of human diseases, such as anemia, Friedreich’s ataxia, X-linked sideroblastic anemia, sideroblastic-like microcytic anemia, and myopathy. Thus, it is vitally important to understand the mechanisms for regulating intracellular iron. Here, we use fluorescence microscopy techniques in live cells to study interactions of the yeast proteins Grx3/4, Aft1/2, and Bol2, which have been shown to be involved in turning off iron import when the cell has adequate iron. Modified versions of genes encoding these proteins have been incorporated into several yeast backgrounds to use fluorescence to monitor interactions under varying iron levels.

The Pharmabiotic For Phenylketonuria: Development Of A Novel Therapeutic, Chloé Elizabeth Lebegue

Senior Theses

Phenylketonuria, now known as phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) deficiency, is a genetic disorder of metabolism affecting approximately one in every 15,000 infants born in the United States. Patients have nonfunctional PAH enzyme secondary to one or more genetic mutations. The enzyme deficit results in destructive supraphysiologic blood phenylalanine levels upon consumption of the essential dietary amino acid phenylalanine. Current standards of care mitigate signs and symptoms of the disorder, but do not approach a cure. The methods for creating a prototype pharmabiotic as an innovative treatment strategy for PAH deficiency are described herein.

DNA molecular cloning techniques were utilized to engineer …

“How Is My Child’S Asthma?” Digital Phenotype And Actionable Insights For Pediatric Asthma, Utkarshani Jaimini, Krishnaprasad Thirunarayan, Maninder Kalra, Revathy Venkataramanan, Dipesh Kadariya, Amit Sheth

Publications

Background: In the traditional asthma management protocol, a child meets with a clinician infrequently, once in 3 to 6 months, and is assessed using the Asthma Control Test questionnaire. This information is inadequate for timely determination of asthma control, compliance, precise diagnosis of the cause, and assessing the effectiveness of the treatment plan. The continuous monitoring and improved tracking of the child’s symptoms, activities, sleep, and treatment adherence can allow precise determination of asthma triggers and a reliable assessment of medication compliance and effectiveness. Digital phenotyping refers to moment-by-moment quantification of the individual-level human phenotype in situ using data from …

Pilot Program To Provide Hiv Pep To Sexual Assault Survivors, Ellen Stahlman

Senior Theses

Currently, South Carolina has no standardized guidelines for the prescription and financial obligations for HIV prophylactic treatment post sexual assault. With South Carolina’s high rates of sexual assault and HIV/AIDS, there should be implementation of a program to address these issues. In 2014, South Carolina Office of Victim Assistance (SOVA) contacted the USC Immunology Clinic along with Palmetto Health Richland hospital in order to implement a pilot program in order to provide funding for sexual assault survivors’ treatment preventing HIV. Much communication had to take place in order for all aspects of the process to work efficiently. Emergency departments first …

Conformational Changes And Translocation Of Tissue-Transglutaminase To The Plasma Membranes: Role In Cancer Cell Migration, Ambrish Kumar, Jianjun Hu, Holly A. Lavoie, Kenneth B. Walsh, Donald J. Dipette, Ugra S. Singh

Faculty Publications

Background

Tissue-transglutaminase (TG2), a dual function G-protein, plays key roles in cell differentiation and migration. In our previous studies we reported the mechanism of TG2-induced cell differentiation. In present study, we explored the mechanism of how TG2 may be involved in cell migration.

Methods

To study the mechanism of TG2-mediated cell migration, we used neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) which do not express TG2, neuroblastoma cells expressing exogenous TG2 (SHY_TG2), and pancreatic cancer cells which express high levels of endogenous TG2. Resveratrol, a natural compound previously shown to inhibit neuroblastoma and pancreatic cancer in the animal models, was utilized to …

A Supramolecular Strategy To Assemble Multifunctional Viral Nanoparticles, Limin Chen, Xia Zhao, Yuan Lin, Yubin Huang, Qian Wang

Faculty Publications

Using a one-pot approach driven by the supramolecular interaction between β-cyclodextrin and adamantyl moieties, multifunctional viral nanoparticles can be facilely formulated for biomedical applications.

Expansion Of Breast Cancer Stem Cells With Fibrous Scaffolds, Sheng Feng, Pang-Kuo Lo, Shou Liu, Xinfeng Liu, Hexin Chen, Qian Wang

Faculty Publications

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are hypothesized as tumor-initiating cells within tumors and main contributors of tumor growth, metastasis and recurrence. Mammary cancer cells, MCF-7 cells, were cultured on 3D polycaprolactone (PCL) fibrous scaffolds, showing an increased proportion of CSCs. The expression of stem cell markers, including OCT3/4 and SOX2, and breast CSC-specific markers, SOX4 and CD49f, was significantly upregulated, and the mammosphere-forming capability in cells cultured on PCL fibrous scaffolds increased. The fibrous scaffolds also induced the elongation of MCF-7 cells and extended cell proliferation. The increase of CSC properties after being cultured on fibrous scaffolds was further confirmed with …

Discrimination Of Colon Cancer Stem Cells Using Noncanonical Amino Acid, Xinrui Duan, Honglin Li, Hexin Chen, Qian Wang

Faculty Publications

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) may be responsible for tumor recurrence. Metabolic labelling of newly synthesized proteins with non-canonical amino acids allows us to discriminate CSCs in mixed populations due to the quiescent nature of these cells.