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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

My Experience Exploring The Effects Of Lead (Pb +2) Toxicity In Drosophila Melanogaster Using Sociability Interaction Testing And Microarrays At The University Of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras In San Juan, Puerto Rico, Charlton Diaz Jan 2013

My Experience Exploring The Effects Of Lead (Pb +2) Toxicity In Drosophila Melanogaster Using Sociability Interaction Testing And Microarrays At The University Of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras In San Juan, Puerto Rico, Charlton Diaz

Honors Theses

Lead is an environmental contaminant widely dispersed throughout the world. Exposure to lead causes neurological damage in humans and may be linked to neurodevelopmental pathologies such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, antisocial behavior, and autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) have been used to understand the behavioral, synaptic, and molecular changes that occur after developmental exposure to lead and to study ASD-associated pathology. Flies were exposed through the mother and until eclosion to either a lead-laced medium or a control corn-based medium and were isolated until the beginning for the behavioral studies. Sociability testing was done using a …


Neuroplasticity And Speech-Language Pathology: What It Means For Language Development And How To Apply It To Therapy, Kiley Gamble Jan 2013

Neuroplasticity And Speech-Language Pathology: What It Means For Language Development And How To Apply It To Therapy, Kiley Gamble

Honors Theses

Research about the brain's ability to adapt and change is important for speech-language pathologists working with children with language disorders. It offers the possibility to go beyond teaching a simple skill or concept and address the brain itself. Teaching the brain new ways to process information would allow speech-language pathologists to reach the root of the problem, rather than just stopping at the surface symptoms. Research findings in neuroplasticity have important implications for how speech-language pathologists work with language disorders in preschool and school-age children, and techniques based on these findings, such as attention and music training, may produce greater …


The Influence Of A Coiled-Coil Isoleucine Zipper On The Trimerization And Endosomolytic Activity Of The E5-Tat-Mcherry Protein, Valerie Nickel Jan 2013

The Influence Of A Coiled-Coil Isoleucine Zipper On The Trimerization And Endosomolytic Activity Of The E5-Tat-Mcherry Protein, Valerie Nickel

Honors Theses

The E5-TAT-mCherry protein is designed to initiate cellular uptake through endocytosis and react to the acidification of the endosomes by causing membrane lysis and cytosolic delivery. The cell penetrating peptide TAT from the HIV transcription activator binds to the cellular membrane and transports attached or coincubated cargo into the cell through endocytosis. E5 is a derivative of the fusogenic peptide HA2 from the influenza hemagglutinin protein and reacts to the acidification of the endosomal lumen by inserting into the membrane and increasing membrane permeability. The attached red fluorescent protein mCherry serves as a convenient biological probe for cell based assays. …


Effects Of Antidepressant Metabolites On The Fresh Water Algae, Pseudokirchneriella Subcapitata, Adam Curlin Jan 2013

Effects Of Antidepressant Metabolites On The Fresh Water Algae, Pseudokirchneriella Subcapitata, Adam Curlin

Honors Theses

Quantities of antidepressant metabolites are known to be released through our wastewater facilities into the environment. The effects of many of these metabolites on the environment are unknown. To understand more fully the effect of these metabolites, an assay was conducted using the green alga, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata. Antidepressants are the number one prescribed pharmaceutical in the United States. For this work, Zoloft was utilized as representative antidepressant in the aquatic environment. It was found that Zoloft significantly impacted the growth of the algae in controlled laboratory experiments.