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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Analysis Of Gene Transcription Changes Following Chlamydia Pneumoniae Infection Of Thpl Monocytes May Have Relevance To Alzheimer's Disease, Desiré Guthier Jan 2019

Analysis Of Gene Transcription Changes Following Chlamydia Pneumoniae Infection Of Thpl Monocytes May Have Relevance To Alzheimer's Disease, Desiré Guthier

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

There is increasing evidence that neuroinflammation caused by infectious agents is an important etiologic factor in neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD). One infectious agent that has been associated with AD is Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn). Cpn DNA can be detected within peripherally circulating mononuclear cells and there is evidence that infected mononuclear cells could be involved in chronic infection and contribute to inflammation at numerous anatomical sites, including the brain. Understanding Cpn genetic changes progressing from an acute to a chronic infection within monocytes may help to further elucidate. the role of Cpn infected monocytes with regard to …


The Effects Of Resveratrol On Dbc1 & Cadherin Expression In Prostate Cancer, Micah Bower-Kaiser Jan 2019

The Effects Of Resveratrol On Dbc1 & Cadherin Expression In Prostate Cancer, Micah Bower-Kaiser

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Prostate cancer (PCa) is an incredibly common disease in the United States, with approximately 170,000 new diagnoses and 30,000 deaths occurring on an annual basis. The current mainstay of treatment for PCa is known as androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), which has proven to be an effective short-term option in earlier stages of the disease. Unfortunately, longer periods of ADT risk accelerating progression of the cancer to the point where 25% of all treated patients relapse to an incurable, metastatic, and highly lethal form known as castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). In approximately 60% of CRPC cases, a splice variant of androgen …


Developing A Model System To Study The Mechanisms Of Resveratrol Inhibition Of Ar-V7 Transcriptional Activity, Sarah R. Wilson Aug 2016

Developing A Model System To Study The Mechanisms Of Resveratrol Inhibition Of Ar-V7 Transcriptional Activity, Sarah R. Wilson

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Prostate cancer is one of the biggest threats to men’s health in the western world and it accounts for the second largest number of male cancer-related deaths in the United States. It is well established that prostate cancer cells depend on the androgen/androgen receptor pathway. Therefore, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has become the primary treatment option for prostate cancer. Patients with metastatic prostate cancer who receive (ADT) have shown increased quality of life. However, survival benefit with ADT is reduced dramatically in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Androgen receptor (AR) continues to be functional in CRPC through various mechanisms. It is …


Effects Of Nox-1 Inhibition On Real-Time Blood Nitric Oxide And Hydrogen Peroxide In Acute Hyperglycemia, Ashley Mawhinney Jan 2016

Effects Of Nox-1 Inhibition On Real-Time Blood Nitric Oxide And Hydrogen Peroxide In Acute Hyperglycemia, Ashley Mawhinney

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Hyperglycemia has been associated with vascular endothelial dysfunction in part by a reduction in nitric oxide (NO) production and increased oxidative stress (e.g., increased superoxide (SO) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Endothelial-derived NO can be significantly reduced by increased SO/H2O2 in part by the activation of NADPH oxidase during hyperglycemia. Of the 7 NADPH oxidase isoforms, NADPH oxidase isoform 1 (NOX1) is mainly expressed in the vasculature and may play a major role in hyperglycemia induced oxidative stress and vascular endothelial dysfunction. This hypothesis was tested by measuring blood NO and H2O2 levels in …


Effects Of Hormonal Withdrawal On Prostate Cancer Progression, Jacqueline Chakrya So Jan 2016

Effects Of Hormonal Withdrawal On Prostate Cancer Progression, Jacqueline Chakrya So

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Prostate cancer, or prostatic carcinoma (PrCa), is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men in the Western world. One in seven men are expected to be diagnosed with the disease in the United States. Suppressing androgen/androgen receptor pathway is a first-line therapeutic treatment known as Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT). Most patients respond well to ADT, but an overwhelming majority of PrCa progress to an advanced stage of PrCa independent of hormone, known as Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC). There is currently no known cure for CRPC. In this study, the androgensensitive LNCaP cells served as an in vitro …


Cyclic Nucleotide-Dependent Phosphorylation Regulates Bk-Ca Channel Activity In Human Coronary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells, Raeonda Williams May 2014

Cyclic Nucleotide-Dependent Phosphorylation Regulates Bk-Ca Channel Activity In Human Coronary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells, Raeonda Williams

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) can induce dysfunction in organ systems by attenuating normal blood flow. Gonadal steroids are vasoactive hormones, but their role in contributing to cardiovascular function remains controversial. We have demonstrated that gonadal steroids can relax coronary arteries by opening the large-conductance, calcium- and voltage-activated potassium (BKca) channel in smooth muscle cells by increasing cyclic nucleotide levels; however, the signaling pathways involved remain to be elucidated. The purpose of this study was to identify how phosphorylation (via cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinases) I dephosphorylation (via phosphoprotein phosphatase 2A, PP2A) regulates BKca channel activity in human coronary artery smooth muscle …


The Effects Of Dihydrobiopterin And Tetrahydrobiopterin On Hydrogen Peroxide And Nitric Oxide Release During Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy (Eswl), Brittany Deiling Jan 2014

The Effects Of Dihydrobiopterin And Tetrahydrobiopterin On Hydrogen Peroxide And Nitric Oxide Release During Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy (Eswl), Brittany Deiling

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

ESWL is an effective, non-invasive therapy utilized to fragment stones in the kidney and subsequently be cleared in the urinary tract. Although lithotripsy provides a safer alternative to invasive treatments for removing stones, ESWL may cause vasoconstriction after ESWL treatment, reducing renal blood flow, which can cause kidney damage leading to acute to chronic hypertension clinically. This may be due to kidney vascular endothelial dysfunction, which is characterized as increased oxidative stress and decreased endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)-derived nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. We hypothesized that ESWL would decrease NO and increase hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in …


Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (Omm) And Reduction Of Nsaid Use In Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study, Kristopher Kelly Jan 2014

Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (Omm) And Reduction Of Nsaid Use In Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study, Kristopher Kelly

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

This randomized controlled pilot study is to determine if a combination of muscle energy and soft tissue techniques can reduce the amount of daily NSAID use in patients suffering from chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP). Osteopathic manipulative treatment has been shown to be useful in treating low back pain. However, its role in reducing daily NSAID use in CNSLBP patients is unclear. This study was conducted at PCOM from January 2014 to April 2014. By design, patients were to be randomized into either a treatment group consisting of OMT or a control group consisting of a sham OMT. Of …


Clinical Research Challenges: Insight From A Pilot Study At An Academic Healthcare Center, Gretchen E. Maurer Dec 2013

Clinical Research Challenges: Insight From A Pilot Study At An Academic Healthcare Center, Gretchen E. Maurer

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

An investigational clinical research study was conducted at an academic healthcare center evaluating memantine as an adjunct to opioid therapy for treatment of chronic low back pain. The N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor is located in pain signaling neuronal synapses of the central nervous system. The receptor binds the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate in addition to NMDA, to increase the magnitude of the perception of pain. Memantine (Namenda©) is a highly tolerated NMDA receptor antagonist which is currently prescribed in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The purpose of the non-randomized pilot study without placebo was to evaluate the use of adding memantine as …


Comparison Of Electrogustometrically Determined Taste Threshold And Phenylthiocarbamide Sensitivity Between Non-Diabetic Subjects With First Degree Relatives With Type 2 Diabetes And Non-Diabetic Subjects Without Type 2 Diabetic First Degree Relatives, Matthew E. Joseph Do Nov 2013

Comparison Of Electrogustometrically Determined Taste Threshold And Phenylthiocarbamide Sensitivity Between Non-Diabetic Subjects With First Degree Relatives With Type 2 Diabetes And Non-Diabetic Subjects Without Type 2 Diabetic First Degree Relatives, Matthew E. Joseph Do

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Diabetes is a systemic degenerative disease, having adverse effects on many different organ systems. Nerve conduction specifically related to taste is one of the affected functions and can lead to altered taste perceptions and taste thresholds. Electrogustometry was used in this study to evaluate taste thresholds, and taste sensitivity was tested using phenylthiocarbamide-impregnated testing strips. Healthy non-diabetic subjects were divided into two experimental groups: One with a first degree relative with Type 2 diabetes and the other matched controls having no family history of Type 2 diabetes. The hypotheses: 1). There is a significant difference in taste threshold values and …


Nutri One-On-One: The Assessment And Evaluation Of A Single One-On-One Nutritional Coaching In Patients Affected By Metabolic Syndrome, Jennifer L. King Aug 2013

Nutri One-On-One: The Assessment And Evaluation Of A Single One-On-One Nutritional Coaching In Patients Affected By Metabolic Syndrome, Jennifer L. King

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

The Nutri One-on-One Program's aim was to positively modify participants' nutritional habits and lifestyles through a brief one-on-one health coaching session, which was conducted within a primary healthcare setting at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine's Clinics. It is documented that 70% of deaths in the U.S. result from complications secondary to chronic diseases of metabolic syndrome. The participants were selected by physicians and classified as suffering from one or more of the five indicators of metabolic syndrome: abdominal obesity, elevated serum triglycerides, low HDL-cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, and insulin resistance. Evidence shows that health coaching positively assists individuals in …


Molecular Mechanisms Related To Endotoxemia In Primary Human Cardiomyocytes In Culture, Atijah J. Collins Jan 2013

Molecular Mechanisms Related To Endotoxemia In Primary Human Cardiomyocytes In Culture, Atijah J. Collins

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States and has been for the past 80 years. Development of novel therapeutic agents to address the large number of CVD deaths requires an in depth understanding of the structural and functional properties of human cardiomyocytes. Over the last few years we have been developing an in vitro paradigm to assess molecular cardiodynamics in Primary Human Cardiomyocyte in culture (PHCC). We tested the hypothesis whether endotoxemia would exhibit a marked decrease in contractile proteins and cause apoptosis in PHCC. In the current series of experiments, we induced endotoxemia …


Characterization Of A Hyperthermophilic Redox Protein, Rubredoxin, As A Potential Targeted Cancer Therapeutic, Siri Lakshmi Chirumamilla Jan 2012

Characterization Of A Hyperthermophilic Redox Protein, Rubredoxin, As A Potential Targeted Cancer Therapeutic, Siri Lakshmi Chirumamilla

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Cancer is an elusive neoplastic disease that claims the lives of many people around the world every year. Though treatments have become more specific to the different types of cancer, the need remains for antineoplastic drugs that target cancer cells and leave normal cells unharmed, with little to no systemic toxicity. The search for a targeted cancer therapeutic is necessary and urgent, and Pyrococcus furiosus rubredoxin might be such a tool. Rubredoxin is a small (53 amino acids), water soluble, non-heme iron electron transfer protein that contains an iron atom cofactor bound by the sulfurs of four cysteine residues, which …


Analysis Of Chlamydia Pneumoniae And Ad-Like Pathology In The Brains Of Balb/C Mice Following Direct Intracranial Infection With Chlamydia Pneumoniae, Jessica Rachel Barton Aug 2011

Analysis Of Chlamydia Pneumoniae And Ad-Like Pathology In The Brains Of Balb/C Mice Following Direct Intracranial Infection With Chlamydia Pneumoniae, Jessica Rachel Barton

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the most common form of dementia. The pathology in the central nervous system (CNS) impairs memory and cognition, hindering the capabilities and the quality of life of the individual. This project continues studying the role of infection and Alzheimer’s disease and contributes to the overall understanding of the possible causes of this disease. In this study, BALB/c mice were infected, via direct intracranial injection, with a respiratory isolate (AR-39) of Chlamydia pneumoniae. Their brains were analyzed at 7 and 14 days post-infection, using immunohistochemistry, for the presence of C. …


The Role Of Protein Kinase C Epsilon In Hydrogen Peroxide And Nitric Oxide Release During Oxidative Stress Caused By Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy, Edward S. Iames Jun 2011

The Role Of Protein Kinase C Epsilon In Hydrogen Peroxide And Nitric Oxide Release During Oxidative Stress Caused By Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy, Edward S. Iames

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Clinical extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) treatment to ablate kidney stones can cause acute damage to the renal microvasculature. Accumulation of continued treatment with shockwave therapy can lead to chronic damage to the kidney, and lead to clinical hypertension. Shockwaves have been shown to stimulate endothelial cells to release superoxide (SO), which is converted to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and reacts with nitric oxide (NO) to produce peroxynitrite anion (OONO-), creating a powerful oxidant that increases oxidative stress while simultaneously reducing NO bioavailability. Increased oxidative stress during events such as ESWL, also uncouples NO production …


Does The Duration Of Type 2 Diabetes Correlate With Changes In Taste Deficits?, Ann T. Mclaughlan Jan 2009

Does The Duration Of Type 2 Diabetes Correlate With Changes In Taste Deficits?, Ann T. Mclaughlan

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

The loss of insulin sensitivity in Type 2 diabetes interferes with cellular utilization of glucose. The underlying down-regulation of insulin receptors and the resulting insulin resistance is wide-spread throughout the body. The cardiovascular consequences may be indirectly responsible for decreased taste sensitivity because of diminished perfusion of the taste buds in this patient population. This study utilized an inexpensive, non-invasive technique, electrogustometry, to directly stimulate the taste buds by applying a variable, direct-current stimulus to measure taste receptor thresholds in newly-diagnosed ( < 2 years) and long-standing diagnosed (> 6 years) male and female Type 2 diabetes mellitus subjects. Taste thresholds were elicited by application of an …