Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

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 …

The Influence Of Comorbid Gad On Er Utilization In Urban Youth With Asthma, David A. Karpe

Theses and Dissertations

Current literature indicates a strong association between asthma and the early onset of comorbid generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in minors and their primary caregivers. Studies show that asthma prevalence increases with certain demographic factors, such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and housing quality. Evidence also suggests that GAD influences decision-making, especially when deciding to utilize emergency room (ER) services for asthma-related concerns. This study analyzed the effect of comorbid GAD on minors with asthma and ER utilization. The data were provided by an earlier Stress & Justice Study (S&J) baseline survey, an investigation aimed at understanding the impact of parental criminal …

Formulation Of Coffee Extract As Polymeric Nanoparticles And Studying Their Potential Biological Activities, Nouran Sharaf

Theses and Dissertations

Coffee extract was prepared and optimized (by solvent extraction) and subsequently entrapped into PLGA nanoparticles using single emulsion-solvent evaporation method (using Design Expert software). Dynamic Light Scattering, Scanning Electron Microscope, Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy and Folin Ciocalteau assay were used to characterize the NPs and to aid in selecting the optimum formulation conditions. The optimized NPs were in-vitro evaluated for their antimicrobial (by agar-well diffusion method), antioxidant (by DPPH assay) and anticancer (by MTT assay) activities. Finally, the release rate study was conducted for the NP sample showing the highly promising results.

The succeeded NP sample, in terms of the most …

Analysis Of Single Cell Rna-Seq Data Revealed Interferon Gamma Signaling Alteration In Severe Covid Patients, Ahmed Elbaz

Theses and Dissertations

Background: SARS-COV2 virus detected in December 2019, and was considered a pandemic in March 2020 by the WHO. Symptoms range from asymptomatic to life threatening ones. Studying cell-cell interactions in patients' blood samples may lead to novel diagnosis and treatment approaches.

Aim: This study aims to analyze single-cell RNA sequencing data to identify differences in cell-cell communications between healthy and COVID patients and differentially expressed T-cells genes that contributed to immune system antiviral activity.

Materials and methods: Single-Cell RNA sequencing data from seven COVID patients and five healthy individuals were collected from (GEO accession GSE155673). Cell types were identified and …

Stat5a Regulation By Serine Phosphorylation In Breast Cancer, Alicia E. Woock

Theses and Dissertations

The neuroendocrine hormone prolactin (PRL) and its cognate receptor (PRLr) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. PRL signaling relies on activating kinases such as the tyrosine kinase Jak2 and serine/threonine kinases ERK1/2, NEK3, PI3K, and AKT. In the canonical pathway of PRL signaling, JAK2 phosphorylates the transcription factor STAT5a at tyrosine residue 694 (pY694-STAT5a), preceding STAT5a nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity. However, STAT5a exists with functional duality as a transcription factor, having both pro-differentiative and pro-proliferative target genes. Other STAT family members (STATs 1, 3, and 6) have been shown to have transcriptional activity in the un-tyrosine-phosphorylated …

Nebulizer-Based Systems To Improve Pharmaceutical Aerosol Delivery To The Lungs, Benjamin M. Spence

Theses and Dissertations

Combining vibrating mesh nebulizers with additional new technologies leads to substantial improvements in pharmaceutical aerosol delivery to the lungs across therapeutic administration methods. In this dissertation, streamlined components, aerosol administration synchronization, and/or Excipient Enhanced Growth (EEG) technologies were utilized to develop and test several novel devices and aerosol delivery systems. The first focus of this work was to improve the poor delivery efficiency, e.g., 3.6% of nominal dose (Dugernier et al. 2017), of aerosolized medication administration to adult human subjects concurrent with high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy, a form of continuous-flow non-invasive ventilation (NIV). The developed Low-Volume Mixer-Heater (LVMH) …

Molecular Basis Of Cross-Sensitization In Colonic Inflammation-Induced Somatic Hypersensitivity, Parshva K. Mehta

Theses and Dissertations

A major portion of pain experienced by patients with an Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD) or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) can be attributed to visceral hypersensitivity. Visceral stimuli transmitted through primary afferent neurons in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) induce a nociceptive response. Notably, a subset of patients has also experienced the development of somatic pain, such as leg pain, after diagnosis of a bowel disorder. The aim of this investigation is to ascertain which biochemical mediators are involved in the development of such viscerosomatic cross-sensitization. Initially, the Von Frey Test was used to find behavioral evidence of somatic referred pain; …

Cost-Effectiveness Of Interventions Targeting Hard-To-Reach Populations Living With Hiv In Eastern And Southern Africa, Deo Mujwara

Theses and Dissertations

In Eastern and Southern Africa, hard-to-reach populations (e.g., long distance truck drivers and female sex workers), defined as populations that are difficult to interact or engage with due to their unique behaviors and characteristics, are disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic and are at high-risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV. Further, these populations have substantially low uptake of HIV testing services, and those that have been diagnosed with HIV and on antiretroviral therapy experience high loss-to-follow-up from treatment programs.

Hard-to-reach populations face unique barriers in accessing and utilizing routine HIV care such as provider stigmatization towards sex workers and highly …

Investigating Cannabinoid Type-1 Receptor (Cb1r) Positive Allosteric Modulators (Pams) In Mouse Models Of Overt Cannabimimetic Activity, Subjective Drug Effects, And Neuropathic Pain, Jayden Elmer

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic pain affects between 20 and 30 percent of the adult population in western countries and represents a wide array of specific etiologies (Berge, 2011). Neuropathic pain secondary to traumatic nerve injury, chemotherapeutic toxicity, or diseases (e.g., diabetes mellitus) is often refractory to conventional analgesics, with patients receiving less than 50% pain relief compared to placebo (Finnerup et al. 2010). The endocannabinoid system has shown potential as a therapeutic target for neuropathic pain wherein CB1 agonism via administration of exogenous agonists or pharmacological blockade of endocannabinoid catabolic enzymes exhibits efficacy in reversing allodynia in the chronic constriction injury (CCI) model …

Health Outcomes And Utilization Associated With Renal Diseases In Patients With Cancer In The United States, Mitisha Dedhia

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Adverse events and impairments associated with cancer and its treatments causes worse outcomes. Increased incidence of renal diseases among cancer patients is of particular concern. Objective: To determine the risk factors for renal disease in cancer patients and compare healthcare costs, utilization and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of cancer patients with a renal disease and cancer patients without renal diseases. Methods: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey files from 2009 – 2018 for cancer patients was used for this study. Multiple logistic regression, generalized linear model, Poisson regression and multiple linear regression for analyses after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic and …

Cardiac Arrest And Global Ischemia Reperfusion Injury: Role Of Mitochondria And Cannabinoid Receptor 2 Signaling., Jennifer L. Bradley

Theses and Dissertations

We explored the effects of cardiac arrest on mitochondria populations and heart whole tissue lysate proteomics utilizing the Weil Institute’s in vivo rat model of cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. We have discovered that brain mitochondria are more sensitive to global ischemia compared to heart mitochondria. Additionally, complex I is the most sensitive electron transport chain complex to ischemic injury and is a major control point of the rate of oxidative phosphorylation following cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Preservation of brain mitochondrial activity and function during cardiac arrest may enhance outcomes and recovery.

A recent article focusing on acute myocardial …

The Effects Of Interleukin-1Β On Cardiac Reserve And Exercise Capacity In The Mouse, Habeebah Z. Vohra

Theses and Dissertations

Heart failure (HF) is characterized by dyspnea, fatigue, and exercise intolerance. Clinical evidence points to increased interleukin-1β (IL-1β) activity in patients with HF, with an IL-1 blockade improving the exercise capacity in HF patients. In healthy mice, recombinant-mouse IL-1β (rmIL-1β) induces acute systolic dysfunction, peaking 4 hours after administration. However, the direct effects of rmIL-1β on exercise capacity are unknown. We hypothesized that rmIL-1β diminishes the exercise capacity in the mouse. Adult mice were trained to run on a treadmill and exercise capacity was assessed before, 4 hours, and 96 hours after intraperitoneal administration of rmIL-1β (3 μg/kg) or vehicle …