Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Exposure To Household Secondhand Smoke Among Adolescents In Kuwait: Results From Two School-Based Cross-Sectional Studies, Ali H. Ziyab, Mohammad Almari, Abdullah Al-Taiar

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Detrimental effects of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure are well established; however, data on SHS exposure among adolescents in Kuwait are lacking. Hence, this study sought to estimate the prevalence of household SHS exposure among two samples of adolescents in Kuwait and assess its variation by socioeconomic status and parental education level.

METHODS: Data from two large school-based cross-sectional studies were analyzed. Adolescents attending public middle (n=3864; aged 11-14 years) and high (n=1959; aged 14-19 years) schools throughout Kuwait were enrolled in 2016-2017, and parental self-reported household SHS exposure was ascertained. Associations were assessed using Poisson regression with robust variance …

Synthesis, Characterization, Dna Binding, Topoisomerase Inhibition, And Apoptosis Induction Studies Of A Novel Cobalt(Iii) Complex With A Thiosemicarbazone Ligand, Stephen J. Beebe, Michael J. Celestine, Jimmie L. Bullock, Shayna Sandhaus, Jessa Faye Arca, Donald M. Cropek, Tekettay A. Ludvig, Sydney R. Foster, Jasmine S. Clark, Floyd A. Beckford, Criszcele M. Tano, Elizabeth A. Tonsel-White, Raj K. Gurung, Courtney E. Stankavich, Yuk-Ching Tse-Dinh, William L. Jarrett, Alvin A. Holder

Bioelectrics Publications

In this study, 9-anthraldehyde-N(4)-methylthiosemicarbazone (MeATSC) 1 and [Co(phen)₂(O₂CO)]Cl·6H₂O 2 (where phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) were synthesized. [Co(phen)₂(O₂CO)]Cl·6H₂O 2 was used to produce anhydrous [Co(phen)₂(H₂O)₂(NO₃)₃ 3. Subsequently, anhydrous [Co(phen)₂(H₂O)₂] (NO₃)₃ 3 was reacted with MeATSC 1 to produce [Co(phen)₂(MeATSC)](NO₃)₃·1.5H₂O·C₂ H₅OH 4. The ligand, MeATSC 1 and all complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, FT IR, UV–visible, and multinuclear NMR …

Thermal Analysis Of Infrared Irradiation-Assisted Nanosecond-Pulsed Tumor Ablation, James Hornef, Chelsea M. Edelblute, Karl H. Schoenbach, Richard Heller, Siqi Guo, Chunqi Jiang

Bioelectrics Publications

Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields (nsPEF) have the potential to treat a variety of cancer types including melanoma, pancreatic and lung squamous cancers. Recent studies show that nsPEF-based cancer therapy may be improved further with the assistance of moderate heating of the target. A feedbacklooped heating system, utilizing a 980-nm fiber optic laser, was integrated into nsPEF electrodes for tumor ablation. The laser beam profile was determined to be Gaussian using a knife-edge technique. Thermal properties of the biological target were evaluated based on the treatment area, penetration depth and thermal distribution due to laser irradiation with or without nsPEF. Synergistic …

Hsp90 Inhibitors For Ipf/Covid-19, Ruben Manuel Luciano Colunga Biancatelli, Pavel A. Solopov, John Catravas

Bioelectrics Publications

Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is an important chaperone that assists the late stage folding of several proteins involved in cell survival in response to environmental stressors. The inhibition of HSP90 is followed by a complex modulation of the proteome and the kinome, that has proved beneficial in cancer and various neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, accumulating literature suggests that HSP90 may be a key target during the development of pulmonary fibrosis and that its inhibition could serve as a new and exciting therapeutic approach. We have summarized the current evidence about HSP90’s role in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), the results from …

Low Sensitivity Of The Carehpv™ Assay For Detection Of Oncogenic Human Papillomavirus In Cervical Samples From Hiv-Infected And Hiv-Uninfected Kenyan Women, Titus Maina, Aaron Ermel, A. Moormann, Susan Cu-Uvin, Elkanah Omenge, Philip Tonui, K Chelimo, B Rosen, Peter Itsura, K. Muthoka

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection causes cervical cancer (CC), a common malignancy among Kenyan women. New CC screening methods rely on oncogenic HPV (“highrisk”, or HR-HPV) detection, but most have not been evaluated in swabs from Kenyan women.

Methods: HPV typing was performed on 155 cervical swabs from Kenyan women using the Roche Linear Array® (LA) and careHPV™ (careHPV) assays. Detection of 14 oncogenic HPV types in careHPV assay was compared to LA results.

Results: Compared to LA, sensitivity and specifi city of careHPV assay was 53.0% and 80.9%, respectively. The sensitivity and specifi city of careHPV …

Effet De L’Expertise Et Du Sexe Sur Les Contraintes À L’Épaule En Manutention, Etienne Goubault, Romain Martinez, Najoua Assila, Jennifer Dowling-Medley, Élodie Monga-Dubreuil, Sophie-Anne Scherrer, André Plamondon, Mickaël Begon

Rapports de recherche scientifique

L’atteinte de troubles musculosquelettiques (TMS) parmi les travailleurs et travailleuses au Québec était récemment estimée à 732 000 cas (Stock et al., 2014). Ces TMS sont associés aux activités professionnelles impliquant des efforts physiques prolongés, intenses et/ou répétitifs, telles que des tâches d’assemblage, de manutention, d’aide à la personne ou encore de maintien de posture prolongée sur un poste de travail. Les membres supérieurs, qui représentaient 30,1 % des cas de TMS déclarés et acceptés au Québec de 1998 à 2007 (Michel et al., 2010), sont les plus touchés après le dos. Plus particulièrement, l’épaule figure comme l’articulation …

Ndrg1 And Myelin-Related Disease: Alcoholism And Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy, Guy Harris

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a prevalent neuropsychiatric disease with profound health, social, and economic consequences. With an estimated 50% heritability, identifying genes that engender risk and contribute to the underlying neurobiological mechanisms represents an important first step in developing effective treatments. Gene expression studies are an important source of candidate genes for studying AUD, providing windows into the molecular machinery engaged by the brain in response to ethanol. Our laboratory has implicated N-myc down-regulated gene 1 (Ndrg1) as a potential candidate gene that modulates ethanol-induced changes in myelin-related gene expression and acute sensitivity to ethanol. Analysis of …

The Effects Of An Inflammasome Inhibitor Olt1177 On The Development Of Ischemic Heart Failure, Joseph S. Aliaga

Theses and Dissertations

Thesis Abstract

THE EFFECTS OF AN INFLAMMASOME INHIBITOR OLT1177 ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISCHEMIC HEART FAILURE

By Joseph S. Aliaga, BS

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2020

Background: Evidence suggests that prolonged and enhanced pro-inflammatory signaling, modulated by the NLRP3 inflammasome, plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of several different types of cardiovascular diseases such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI), adverse ventricular remodeling, and heart failure (HF). Consequently, we hypothesize that attenuating the enhanced inflammatory response using a pharmacological NLRP3 …

Novel Strategies To Overcome Carboplatin Resistance In Triple Negative Breast Cancer Using Patient Derived Xenografts, Mohammad A. Al Zubi

Theses and Dissertations

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients have a poor prognosis and rely on chemotherapeutic treatment as standard of care. Often, they develop chemotherapy resistance, which leaves them without more therapeutic options, like targeted therapy. New models have been developed to test targeted inhibitors in human tumors, and they are known as patient-derived xenografts (PDX). These tumors are obtained from patients, then established and maintained in mice where they areused for tumor studies. In this work, we characterized 14 PDXs for their primary tumor growth rate and investigated metastatic propensity using spontaneous and experiment metastasis models. We utilized RNA-sequencing to characterize contributions …

The Role Of Interleukin-18 In Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion, Yogesh Dhakal

Theses and Dissertations

Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) is one of the leading causes of morbidity for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in the western world. While mortality rates for AMI has reduced in the last 20 years due to advancements in clinical interventions, patients who have an AMI are significantly more likely to develop heart failure (HF) in the following years. Reperfusion of the ischemic tissue is a necessary procedure to restore blood delivery to cardiomyocytes, minimize myocardial dysfunction, and reduce infarct size. Still, the step of reperfusion itself induces myocardial damage in a phenomenon known as reperfusion injury. Considering that the degree of myocardial …

Analysis Of Genetic Structure And Pathogen Dynamics Of Ixodes Scapularis In Southwestern Virginia, Leemu Jackson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Ixodes scapularis, or the blacklegged tick, is the primary vector of Borrelia burgdorferi. This pathogen is the causative agent of Lyme disease, the most common vector-transmitted disease in the United States. Although I. scapularis is distributed throughout the eastern U.S., Lyme disease is only considered endemic in the northeastern region of the country. Prior to 2007, Lyme disease was uncommon in Virginia, but since then cases of Lyme disease have increased dramatically with a hotspot forming in the Roanoke-Blacksburg area. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether B. burgdorferi prevalence and the genetic structure of I. …

Review Of The Scientific Literature On Young Adults Related To Cardiovascular Disease Intervention, Dieu-My T. Tran, Angela Sojobi

Nursing Faculty Research

Many young adults are at risk for cardiovascular disease related to their behavioral choices. Irresponsible alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, sedentary lifestyle, poor dietary habits, and excessive weight gain are some of the behaviors that put young adults at risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified that 15% of young adults are diagnosed with chronic illnesses related to their behavioral choices. The purpose of this review is to identify, in the literature, interventions that are currently available to young adults and evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of those interventions. An extensive electronic search was conducted using CINAHL, EBSCOhost, Cochrane, …

A Rare Case Of Trichilemmal Carcinoma: Histology And Management, Lisa F. Fronek, Allyson Brahs, Maheera Farsi, Richard Miller

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2020

Trichilemmal carcinoma (TC) is a rare, malignant, adnexal neoplasm that is derived from the outer root sheath (ORS) of the hair follicle. These tumors predominantly occur in elderly patients on sun-exposed areas, specifically on the head and neck with the face defined as the most common location. The mean age of diagnosis is 70 years old with a slight male predominance. These lesions are commonly identified as a papular, nodular, and sometimes, exophytic. They generally arise de-novo, but may also derivate from an underlying proliferating trichilemmal cyst with a loss of p53, a seborrheic keratosis, a nevus sebaceous, or a …

Biopsychosocial Risk Factors And Knowledge Of Cervical Cancer Among Young Women: A Case Study From Kenya To Inform Hpv Prevention In Sub-Saharan Africa, Irene Ngune, Fatch Kalembo, Barbara Loessl, Lucy W. Kivuti-Bitok

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background Cervical cancer is the second most common female reproductive cancer after breast cancer with 84% of the cases in developing countries. A high uptake of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination and screening, and early diagnosis leads to a reduction of incidence and mortality rates. Yet uptake of screening is low in Sub-Saharan Africa and there is an increasing number of women presenting for treatment with advanced disease. Nine women in their twenties die from cervical cancer in Kenya every day. This paper presents the biopsychosocial risk factors that impact on cervical cancer knowledge among Kenyan women aged 15 to …

Effects Of A Single Mutation In Chikungunya Virus Non-Structural Protein On Virus Infection In Aedes Albopictus And Mammalian Cell Lines, Yin Ling Jolene Fu

Student Works (2020-2029)

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has caused large-scale epidemics of fever, rash and arthritis since 2004. This unprecedented re-emergence has been mainly associated with mutations in genes encoding structural envelope proteins, providing increased fitness in the secondary vector Aedes (Ae.) albopictus. In the 2008-2013 CHIKV outbreaks across Southeast Asia, an R82S mutation in non-structural protein 4 (nsP4) emerged early in Malaysia or Singapore and quickly became predominant. To determine whether this nsP4-R82S mutation provides a selective advantage in host cells which may have contributed to the epidemic, the fitness of infectious clone-derived CHIKV with nsP4- 82R and nsP4-82S were compared in Ae. …

Functional Characterisation Of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts From Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Wee Lin Wong

Student Works (2020-2029)

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains a major health issue in Southern China and Southeast Asia where the disease is endemic. Whilst the cure rate for early stage NPC is high, patients often present with late stage diseases and have a 5-year survival rate of less than 50%. NPC patients often suffer from severe treatment side effects because of the location of the tumours that is in proximity to various important organs in the head and neck region. Therefore, alternative therapeutic approaches are needed to improve the treatment outcomes and reduce patient morbidity. Targeted therapies are not in routine use to treat …

Mixed Features Specifier In Mood Disorder: The Prevalence And Associated Factors, M. Paramannantha Veloo Tesini

Student Works (2020-2029)

Introduction: Mixed episode has been an unrelieved source of discussion in the field of psychiatry over the course of two decades as the DSM-IV criteria for both a depressive and manic episode had to be fulfilled to make this diagnosis. Nevertheless, in practice, this threshold was demonstrated to be too high. Therefore, the DSM-5 introduced a less stringent ‘specifier’ in which three symptoms of the opposite pole suffice thereby creating depression and mania with mixed features, respectively. Literatures points out that approximately 40% of patients have mixed episodes, but this figure may be much higher within the context of DSM-5. …

Association Between Stigma, Psychological Distress, And Quality Of Life Among People Living With Hiv In Federal Territory Of Kuala Lumpur, Ibrahim Khairiah

Student Works (2020-2029)

Quality of life is an important component in the evaluation of the well-being of PLHIV. However, HIV stigma and psychological distress (depression, anxiety and stress) continue to be a barrier to obtain a good quality of life among PLHIV globally. This study assesses the level of QOL, stigma and psychological distress among PLHIV in Kuala Lumpur by determining the association between QOL, stigma and psychological distress. A cross-sectional study was conducted, involving 305 PLHIV attendees of the infectious disease clinic in a teaching hospital, primary health clinic and three Community-Based Organisations (CBOs). The sampled respondents completed face to face interviews …

Antifungal Defense Molecules From Bacterial Symbionts Of North American Trachymyrmex Ants, Georgia Scherer

CMC Senior Theses

Defensive symbioses, in which microbes provide molecular defenses for an animal host, hold great potential as untapped sources of therapeutically useful antibiotics. Fungus-growing ants use antifungal defenses from bacterial symbionts to suppress pathogenic fungi in their nests. Preliminary chemical investigations of symbiotic bacteria from this large family of ants have uncovered novel antifungal molecules with therapeutic potential, such as dentigerumycin and selvamicin.

In this study, the bacterial symbionts of North American Trachymyrmex fungus-growing ants are investigated for antifungal molecules. Plate-based bioassays using ecologically-relevant fungal pathogens confirmed that these bacteria have antifungal activity. In order to purify and identify the antifungal …

Observing The Effects Of Antimalarial Drug Availability On Women’S Work Absenteeism, Rei Imada

CMC Senior Theses

This study aims to provide insight on how availability of antimalarial drugs can help alleviate the economic burden of malaria. Much of the existing literature that looks into the effects of antimalarial drug availability focuses on the associated health benefits, but fails to draw a link to the economic benefits that may also be incurred. Using data from the 2015-2016 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey and Malaria Indicator Survey, this study performs a series of multiple regressions to observe how increased availability of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), a front-line antimalarial drug in most African countries, affects likelihood of work absenteeism …

Determining The Antibacterial Activity And Mode Of Action Of Tirandamycin, Hailey Bouchard

CMC Senior Theses

Tirandamycin is a small molecule natural product that has been isolated from various species of marine and terrestrial Streptomyces. The natural product has shown antibacterial activity against an array of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, showing promise as a pharmaceutical drug. Tirandamycin has 14 known derivatives, many of which have been created synthetically. Some of its derivatives are particularly potent against the high-risk bacteria vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. However, the antibacterial potency of these derivatives has not been tested systematically leading to the possibility of discovering more potent …

Search For The Cause Of Vaping Associated Lung Injury In Adolescents, Alexandra E. Krueger

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In August 2019 an unexplained, exponential rise in severe respiratory illnesses in previously healthy young adults, swept across America catching the attention of medical providers. Hospital admissions for lung injury increased 10-fold over two months’ time leaving practitioners scrambling for answers. All affected patients were found to have used e-cigarettes prior to symptoms and endorsed using nicotine and marijuana vape pens. The medical community quickly began to search for the cause of these vaping associated lung injuries. Understanding the mechanism of injury is important in order to assist in educating the public about the risks associated with e-cigarettes. The aim …

Impact Of Non-Pharmacological Treatment Methods And Lifestyle Modification On Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms And Progression, Emily Moret

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, neurological, autoimmune condition that is characterized by unpredictable demyelination of the central nervous system. Multiple sclerosis remains one of the most debilitating neurological diseases for young adults, affecting an average of 2.5 per 100,000 people worldwide. The objective of this research was to further assess the efficacy of non-pharmacological treatment methods for symptom management and disease progression for multiple sclerosis. A systemic literature review was conducted using 4 research databases: American Search Premier, Medline, Cochrane, and CINAHL. Studies were included if they addressed nonpharmacological treatment approaches to multiple sclerosis. A total of 21 research articles …

The Oral Microbiome And Its Effects On Human Systemic Diseases, Hee Chang Shin

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

In the past decade, scientists and healthcare professionals have gained interest in the microbiome and its function as part of the human body. The two most diverse microbiome environments are found in the gut and the oral cavity. While the gut microbiome has been investigated more deeply and continues to be a great interest, the oral microbiome is in comparison a more recent subject with fewer reports on the topic. The purpose of this review paper is to highlight the main human systemic diseases associated with the oral microbiome and to discuss how our understanding of the oral microbiome’s effect …

Parkinson’S Disease: Current Treatment Options, Luke Kovaleski

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disease that is caused by a lack of dopamine. This lack of dopamine has many effects on a person’s body who has Parkinson’s Disease including loss of motor control, slowed movement (bradykinesia), changes in speech, impaired posture and balance, and muscle rigidity. The object of this paper is to explore some of the many different options for treatment of symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease that are currently available. There is not one over-arching treatment that can alleviate the symptoms that are caused by Parkinson’s Disease. However, if multiple treatments are used together, a patient who is …

Age, Gender, And Racial Differences Between Acute Myocardial Infarction, Type 2 Diabetes, And Their Comortality, Steven Borchers

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Acute myocardial infarction and type two diabetes are within the top seven causes of death in the United States and their impact on society is costly. Although there are many studies conducted about these diseases, some of the research is aged and requires more recent datasets. The objective of this research is to revel trends in these diseases, as well as in their comorbidity, relating to age, gender, and race. To conduct this research, data has been collected from the CDC Wonder dataset using their comorbidity database. This comorbidity data uses USA death certificates from 1999-2017 to retrieve the medical …

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury-Induced Alterations In Inflammation And Muscle Physiology, Emily R. Hunt

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Long term weakness and atrophy of the quadriceps muscle are a direct result of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and persist for up to 10 years post injury. Muscle atrophy ensues regardless of ligamentous reconstruction surgery, indicating that muscle atrophy following injury is a function of the ligament rupture and not reconstruction surgery. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying quadriceps atrophy following ACL rupture is crucial for developing interventions to restore proper quadriceps size and mitigate weakness thereby allowing for improved patient function. In addition to understanding the specific mechanisms that contribute to quadriceps atrophy following ACL rupture, the timing of atrophic …

Organic Compound Farnesol Reduces Disease Severity And Onset In Mouse Model Of Multiple Sclerosis, Lacey B. Sell

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Morgagni Hernia, Wendy Jo Svetanoff, Rebecca M. Rentea

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

A Morgagni hernia is one of four types of diaphragmatic hernias; the other types include a Bochdalek hernia, where the defect is posterolateral, a hiatal hernia, where the defect is at the esophageal hiatus, and a paraesophageal hernia, where the defect is located adjacent to the esophageal hiatus. The Morgagni hernia, in which the defect is found in an anterior and retrosternal location, was first described by Morgagni in 1769. It is rarer than the other type of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (Bochdalek hernia) and comprises only 2% to 5% of all congenital diaphragmatic hernias. Morgagni hernias tend to be less …

Ileal Atresia, Obiyo O. Osuchukwu, Rebecca M. Rentea

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Ileal and jejunal atresias are usually described together as jejunoileal atresia (JIA). JIA is a common cause of intestinal obstruction in neonates. It is seen in 1 in 5000 to 1 in 14000 live births. Intestinal atresia can occur in any location on the small bowel as a solitary or even multiple lesions. Distally located atresia usually presents with delayed symptoms compared to proximal ones. Occasionally, JIA is associated with other malformations such as cardiac anomalies, gastroschisis, and cystic fibrosis. Evaluation can be initiated before birth with prenatal diagnosis using ultrasound findings of evidence of intestinal obstruction reported in 29% …