Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Remodeling Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer's Aggressive Profile And Metabolic Signature By Natural Alkaloid Berberine, Tara Elizabeth Jarboe

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Anaplastic thyroid cancer is a rare, fatal cancer with a five-year survival of 4%. Universally diagnosed at stage IV, anaplastic thyroid cancer is characterized by its lack of differentiation, rapid proliferative rate, highly inflammatory tumor microenvironment, and metabolic dysregulation. Refractory to all established therapies, anaplastic thyroid cancer requires a novel therapeutic approach that targets all of these drivers of anaplastic thyroid cancer carcinogenesis. We propose natural alkaloid berberine as a therapeutic with multitarget efficacy to alter mitochondrial metabolism and reprogram anaplastic thyroid cancer’s aggressive phenotype. Our in vitro model uses monocyte cell line U937, anaplastic thyroid cancer cell lines T238 …

Novel Anti-Influenza Monoclonal Antibodies, Ozlem Gurses

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

There is a continual public threat of influenza virus infections. This is related to viruses evolving in multiple animal reservoirs, making infection prevention in humans difficult to achieve and leading to seasonal epidemics and the semi-regular emergence of pandemics. Novel antibody-based therapies are of great interest to researchers because of a dramatic increase in drug resistant strains of influenza viruses. The identification of cross-reactive and broadly protective monoclonal antibodies targeting the influenza proteins presents a promising prospect for the development of a universal therapy. Although the research related to the monoclonal antibodies targeting the viral internal proteins is limited, multiple …

Planners Vs. Non-Planners: Do Preterm Births Impact Future Contraceptive Use?, Jessie Moore

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Background: In the United States, 45% of all pregnancies are unintended and occur when contraception is not used or is used inconsistently. Among those pregnancies, 1 in 10 women will experience a preterm birth, which is defined as a birth occurring before 37 weeks gestation. Women who have delivered preterm are at an increased risk for preterm birth in future pregnancies and are encouraged to wait at least 18 months between giving birth and getting pregnant again. Among women who have experienced a preterm birth, the desire to delay future pregnancy or avoiding it all together often becomes a necessity …

Socio-Economic Determinants Of Gender-Based Violence [Gbv]: Sdg Analytics On The Global Gbv Scenario With Special Reference To Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence And Adolescent Birth Rates, Chandra P. Daniel

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a multifaceted problem. The most rapidly increasing modern form of violence is the intertwined epidemic of ‘Technology Facilitated GBV’ [TF GBV] and sexual violence against women and girls. It was critical to investigate the global impact of this epidemic during COVID-19 since a disproportionate impact of violence was observed among women and girls in low and middle-income countries. A retrospective cross-sectional research design was adopted using linear regression analysis (univariate and multivariate) on SDG 5.2, a set of global indicators, to elicit the socioeconomic determinants of GBV. Phase-I results exposed the top-four socio-economic determinants …

Novel Natural Compounds Derived From Tcm In The Treatment Of Food Induced Anaphylaxis, Ibrahim Musa

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Food allergy is a highly prevalent disease affecting about 30 million people in the U.S. It is managed primarily by food avoidance due to lack of promising treatment options. ASHMI (anti-asthma herbal intervention) which consists of three components, Sophorae flavescentis, Ganoderma lucidum, Glycyrrhiza uralensis has been shown to inhibit allergic lung inflammation in antigen sensitized and challenged mice. In this study we isolate and identify the active compound in Sophorae flavescentis, characterized the mechanism of IgE inhibitory effect, biomarkers and potential to prevent food anaphylaxis.

To separate and identify the compounds we used column chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, mass …

Shifting Gears: - The Expected Post-Transplant Survival (Epts) Usefulness In The Era Of Continuous Distribution- Examination Of The United Network Of Organ Sharing (Unos) Database 2000-2020, Vaughn Whittaker, Vaughn Easton Whittaker

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

The allocation of organs is a constantly evolving area of transplantation. The latest iteration of this process is a move toward continuous distribution of organs. This process considers dynamic factors instead of static constraints that box patients into certain categories. The expected post-transplant survival of patients is one of these dynamic factors that will be included in the assessment of patients' place in a continuous distribution allocation process. However, the predictive value of this construct is questionable, given that it uses only four factors (age, diabetes diagnosis, years on dialysis, and previous transplant) to represent complex patients who are on …

Gpr75 Deficiency Attenuates High Fat Diet-Driven Obesity And Glucose Intolerance, Sakib Hossain

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Recently, a collaboration between Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and the Schwartzman-Garcia labs at New York Medical College published an exome sequencing study of individuals across the United Kingdom, United States, and Mexico which concluded that individuals possessing non-functioning, truncated mutations to the orphan g protein coupled receptor (GPCR), GPR75, had lower BMI and 54% reduced likelihood of obesity. The present study was undertaken to fully characterize the metabolic phenotype of Gpr75 deficient mice when fed a high fat diet (HFD) and explore potential mechanisms by which GPR75 activation links to increased adiposity and decreased glucose tolerance. After 14 weeks of HFD-feeding we …

The Impact Of Chronic Morphine Exposure On The Intrinsic Electrical Properties Of Orexin Neurons, Elizabeth Berry

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Addiction to drugs of abuse is a growing problem in today’s society and current treatments often fail to adequately manage the negative withdrawal symptoms that drive relapse. Therefore, development of more effective therapies is a high priority. The orexin neuropeptide system is a key regulator of reward processes and is therefore an attractive therapeutic target. However, the precise impact of chronic drug exposure on orexin neuron function remains largely unknown. Data from a recent publication found that human post-mortem brains from opiate users have smaller but more numerous orexin immunoreactive neurons. Since decreased neuronal soma area suggests increased excitability, we …

Prevalence, Trends, And Predictors Of Domestic Violence Among Nigerian Women; An Analysis Using 2008, 2013 And 2018 Waves Of The Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (Ndhs), Nkemdilim Chukwueme

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Domestic violence (abbreviated DV for this study) among women in African settings is often considered a ‘family matter’ and requires limited external interference. This study aims to identify the national and regional prevalence, trend in prevalence rates, influencing factors in predicting domestic violence among Nigerian women, victims’ response in seeking help, and potential victim-centered digital solutions to addressing domestic violence. In Nigeria, little has been done to assess; a nationally representative prevalence of DV among Nigerian women in the last decade to see if there are changing trends in prevalence; extensively investigate the influence of socio-demographic factors in predicting DV …

Positive Parenting With Guyanese Children, Parthener Pinder

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

During the earliest years of life, a child has rapid neurological development. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as Guyana, there continues to be a struggle to educate all children, especially those in rural or isolated areas leading to concerns about young children's development, particularly those under five. LMICs have little research on how caregiver positive parenting in the household affects early childhood development as well as how other sociodemographic factors influence positive parenting. This study answers the question: Does positive parenting in the household improve learning development in Guyanese children? This study used Guyana’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey …

The Effects Of Traumatic Stress & Role Of The Neuropeptide Y System As A Therapeutic In Females, Roxanna J. Nahvi

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

The incidence of many stress-elicited disorders is markedly influenced by sex. Women are twice as likely as men to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety disorders, and social impairments following exposure to traumatic stress. However, most of the studies in animal models examining putative therapeutics for stress-triggered impairments, including single prolonged stress (SPS), were performed predominantly with males. Previous studies in males demonstrated that intranasal neuropeptide Y (NPY) can provide therapeutic relief of many SPS-triggered symptoms. Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of studies found that NPY levels in females in many brain regions are lower than in male rodents. NPY …

“High Spending, Poor Productivity Gains!” Assessing Public Health System (In)Efficiency And Hospital Performance In The State Of Kuwait: Would More Private Delivery Improve Healthcare?, Aljawhara Alsabah

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

The healthcare sector in the State of Kuwait has been nurtured for many decades by the government, where the majority of health services in the country are controlled by the Ministry of Health (MoH). Although healthcare services in public sector hospitals are at highly subsidized rates, causing private sector involvement in healthcare to be considerably low, the growing demands for private delivery of care burgeoned participation of private hospitals in Kuwait, and improving hospital efficiency and productivity is more critical and timelier than ever. This dissertation aims to analyze public health system efficiency and hospital performance in the State of …

The Role Of G-Protein Coupled Receptor 75 In Pulmonary Hypertension, Catherine D'Addario

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) is a cardiopulmonary disease estimated to affect between 20 million to 70 million individuals globally, with poor prognosis and inadequate treatment. Recent studies show the orphan G Protein Coupled Receptor 75 (GPR75) is upregulated in the pulmonary vessels of PH patients, especially in females. Therefore, we hypothesized that Gpr75 knock down (Gpr75^-/-) mice will be protected from developing PH. To test our hypothesis, we challenged isolated intra-lobar pulmonary artery (IPA) from wild-type (WT; N=40) and Gpr75^-/- (N=19) mice with hypoxia to examine their hypoxic vasoconstrictive (HPV) response, which is a physiological response of …

Development Of Improved Diagnostic Tests For Lyme Disease, Ezdehar Ghazal

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Laboratory diagnosis is very critical for early treatment of Lyme disease, as Lyme disease could be difficult to diagnose because of vague symptoms or the confusion with symptoms from other illnesses. Previously, the standard two tiered-testing (STTT) was the traditional testing for Lyme disease with two different lab testing methods, Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA) as the first-tier test and immunoblot as the second-tier test to confirm the diagnosis. However, western immunoblotting had a poor sensitivity of <50% for early Lyme disease and high costs. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the use of a modified two tiered-testing (MTTT) which was cleared by The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in which EIA can be used instead of western immunoblotting.

In this study we followed a recent multiplexed paper-based immunoassay study for early Lyme disease serodiagnostic testing by using an Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) …

Heterologous Expression Of Babesia Microti Secreted Antigen (Bmsa1) In A Pichia Pastoris Expression System For The Development Of An Antigen Specific Elisa, Anthony Centone

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Babesia microti is a tick born, intraerythrocytic parasite that is endemic to many North American regions. B. microti infection causes a disease called babesiosis, a disease whose clinical manifestation causes a wide range of symptoms, from asymptomatic infection to fulminant disease and possible death. Transfusion transmitted babesiosis is becoming an increasing concern as B. microti prevalence continues to grow and donor screening methods are ineffective. Transfusion transmitted babesiosis can be extremely dangerous, with as many as one in five cases resulting in death. Babesia microti secreted antigen (BmSA1) is an immunogen and reliable biomarker for B. microti infection. The aim …

Ion Channel Candidates Mediating Orexin Neuropeptide Actions On Brainstem Serotonergic Neurons, Saqlain Javed

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

A loss of neurons that synthesize the neuropeptide orexin produces the sleep disorder narcolepsy with cataplexy in humans and other animals. How symptoms of this disorder arise is not well understood, but selectively restoring orexin actions at 5-HT DR neurons rescues key symptoms (cataplexy), suggesting normal orexin signaling is important at these neurons. To better understand how orexin acts on these neurons, our lab identified a set of novel orexin actions that appear mediated by unidentified cation- permeable ion channels. To narrow down the list of possible channels, we used a bioinformatics approach to compare published gene expression profiles of …

Pharmacological Blockade Of The 20-Hete Receptor Lowers Blood Pressure And Alters Vascular Function In Mice With Vascular Smooth Muscle- Specific Overexpression Of Cyp4a12-20-Hete Synthase, Kevin Agostinucci

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) is the ω-hydroxylation product of arachidonic acid catalyzed by CYP4A and 4F enzymes. 20-HETE is a vasoactive eicosanoid of the microcirculation exhibiting effects on both vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and endothelial cells (EC). In VSMCs, 20-HETE’s bioactions include the stimulation of contraction, migration, and growth. In ECs, elevated 20-HETE is associated with reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, increased angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) expression, and the promotion of inflammation. Recently in our laboratory, we identified GPR75 as a novel target of 20-HETE that promotes changes in blood pressure and vascular function. The aim of this study is …

A Novel Mucosal Vaccine Platform For Immunization Against Plague, Christina D'Arco

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, has killed millions throughout human history. Today, it remains a significant threat for use as a bioweapon. Naturally occurring antibiotic resistance has been observed in Y. pestis isolates, and resistant strains have been engineered for use in biological warfare. Vaccines remain our best means of protection against plague, as well as countless other global contagions. We have developed a vaccine consisting of two Y. pestis virulence proteins, LcrV (V) and F1, conjugated to Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV), a safe, non-replicating plant virus that can be administered mucosally, providing complete protection against pneumonic plague, …

Preclinical Studies On Intranasal Npy And Selective Npy Receptor Agonists In Rodent Ptsd Model: Focus On Locus Coeruleus Noradrenergic System, Chiso Nwokafor

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychological disorder that develops in a subset of individuals after exposure to a traumatic stress. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) an endogenous 36 amino acid neuropeptide expressed in many areas of the brain and periphery especially those involved in stress may confer resilience to the harmful effect of stress. We demonstrated changes in the Single Prolonged Stress (SPS) PTSD model and potential for their modulation by delivery of intranasal NPY to the brain. There was a progressive worsening of anxiety symptoms at two weeks compared to one week after SPS. Previously we showed that 150µg …

The Apicomplexan-Specific Fikk Kinase Is Crucial For Cyst Formation In Toxoplasma Gondii, Corey Gaylets

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular pathogen. It is considered the second deadliest foodborne pathogen in the world with up to 1/3 of the human population estimated to be currently infected. The majority of immune competent people may exhibit mild symptoms following T gondii infection. The acute stage of infection is often well controlled by cellular immunity in healthy individuals. However sterilizing immunity does not occur as the tachyzoite stage of the parasite responsible for acute infection differentiates to a slow growing bradyzoite stage contained in tissues cysts that can persist for the life of the host. However, if the …

Intranasal Administration Of Pcrv Conjugated To A Tobacco Mosaic Virus Delivery Platform Protects Against P. Aeruginosa In A Murine Model Of Acute Pneumonia, Eman Barahim

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a facultative anaerobic bacterium that is the most common type of Gram-negative bacteria causing nosocomial pneumonia in the United States. P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen ubiquitously found in the atmosphere that can colonize both plants and animals. It is known to cause a wide range of severe, persistent, and fatal infections ranging from acute and chronic pneumonia, skin and soft tissue infections to urinary tract infections, especially in immune-compromised individuals. Patients with cystic fibrosis are at high risk because of deficiencies in mucosal immunity and phagocytosis. Ultimately, Pseudomonas infections can be lethal. There is a very …

Endothelial Progenitor Cell-Breast Cancer Interaction, Ghada Ben Rahoma

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the U.S. Although organ-confined disease is curable, metastatic disease remains incurable and an unmet clinical need. Hence, the development of new therapeutic targets and further understanding of the genesis of malignant progression is needed and to this end analysis of the tumor microenvironment is imperative for novel therapeutic targets in breast cancer. We and others have demonstrated that bone marrow derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) incorporate in the neovasculature around implanted tumors supporting their growth and metastasis. The incorporation of EPCs from the marrow to the tumor …

Cell Surface Regulatory Immune Targets In Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer, Sanjukta Chakraborty

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Thyroid cancer incidence is increasing at an alarming rate almost trebling every decade. 52,070 new cases of thyroid cancer (14,260 in men and 37,810 in women) were diagnosed in 2019 with an estimated death toll of 2170. Although most thyroid tumors are treatable and has good prognosis, anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is extremely aggressive with a grim poor prognosis of 6-9 months post diagnosis. ATC is completely refractory to mainstream therapies. In our study, immunohistochemical analyses of ATC tissues confirmed a T cell inflamed “hot” tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) as evidenced by presence of CD3+ and CD8+ T cells. This …

Evaluating Preventative Care And Post-Hospitalization Primary Care Follow-Up In Adults With Intellectual And/Or Developmental Disabilities, Jason Xenakis

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Post-Hospitalization Primary Care Follow-Up Abstract

Title: Characteristics that are associated with primary care follow-up and discharge summary receipt post-hospitalization in adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.

Background: Transition from an inpatient to an outpatient setting is a high risk time for patients. Studies in the general population find that poor post-hospitalization primary care follow-up results in higher rates of readmissions – a widely used indicator of healthcare quality. There is no research that evaluates post-hospitalization primary care follow-up or discharge summary receipt in the IDD population.

Objective: To explore the demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical characteristics that are associated with whether …

Characterization Of The Role Of Transcriptional Regulator Of Arac/Xyls Family In Tularemia Pathogenesis, Dina Marghani

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

The Tier 1 Select Agent, Francisella tularensis causes an acute and fatal disease known as tularemia. Many studies have devoted enormous efforts to understand how F. tularensis avoids host defense mechanisms, replicates within an extremely secure immune system, and eventually causes the deadly disease tularemia. The extremely high virulence of Francisella depends on its ability to manipulate gene expression according to the surrounding environment. This process requires the involvement of unique transcriptional regulators. Francisella possesses very few transcriptional regulators, and a majority of them characterized to-date have been shown to regulate genes involved in virulence and cellular functions. The role …

A Role Of Ubiquitin Regulatory X-Domain Containing Proteins (Ubxn6) In Antiviral Immunity, Harshada Ketkar, Harshada Ketkar

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

The roles of UBXNs in the regulation of antiviral immune responses have not been much explored. Previous work in our lab identified UBXN1 as a negative regulator of the retinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I) like receptors (RLR) pathway and UBXN3B as a positive regulator of stimulator-of-interferon Genes (STING) -mediated immune responses. In this study, I aimed to determine the member of UBXNs as a positive regulator of ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus infection-induced innate immune responses. By using an interferon stimulated response element (ISRE)-driven luciferase reporter assay that monitors the activity of type I/III interferon (IFN)-induced janus kinase (JAK) - signal transducer …

The Effects Of Autophagy On The Replication Of Zika Virus, Mohammed Marghani

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Zika virus is an enveloped virus with a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome. The Zika virus is a member of the Flaviviridae family of viruses that was discovered to infect humans in 1952. The Flavivirus envelope is decorated by many copies of two membrane proteins that facilitate viral entry. The virus is primarily transmitted through mosquito bites. Another method by which Zika virus could be transmitted is through sexual contact with Zika infected partners or from an infected pregnant woman to fetus known as congenital transmission. Infected patients suffer from self-limiting febrile illness including headaches, skin rash myalgia, and conjunctivitis. Zika …

Stalking Flu: Development And Characterization Of A Broadly Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibody Targeting The Influenza Hemagglutinin Stem, Elizabeth Newman

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Seasonal epidemics caused by influenza A viruses (IAV) result in an estimated 290,000- 650,000 deaths worldwide each year (17). While antivirals targeted to influenza exist, resistance to these drugs is increasing and regular vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent infection (26, 73, 99). However due to the persistence of antigenic drift and shift, influenza vaccines must be updated each season and antigenic mismatches can reduce efficacy (24, 118). Immunity to influenza either from vaccination or infection is principally mediated by antibodies generated to one of its major surface proteins, Hemagglutinin (HA). HA is a homotrimer, each monomer HA0 …

Alternative Water Supplies For Arid Areas, Jumaan Alghamdi

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Water is an essential component of growth and life; unfortunately, many countries face growing challenges in providing safe water. This has created a need for alternatives in the ways water can be treated, saved, or reused. In this paper, four alternative water supplies are reviewed: desalination, grey water reuse, harvesting of rainwater, and harvesting of stormwater. These alternatives are examined in terms of their advantages and disadvantages, the waste by-products, other pollution that can be produced by them, and how to handle each one. To accomplish this, brief information about each alternative, what technologies are used for water treatment, and …

Deploying Care Managers From Care Management Agencies Into Primary Care: A Pilot Study, Lauren Klein Levine

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Background: As the nation shifts to value based payment programs (VBP), financial incentives drive primary care providers (PCPs) to improve outcomes and reduce costs. One method to drive physicians to focus their practices and to increase time working at the top of their licenses is the use of care management (CM) services to meet these goals but the resources needed to implement CM are a barrier. In the Hudson Valley, PCPs embedded local CM staff to provide CM services. This study assesses the provider and care manager perceived patient outcomes from CM, barriers to successful implementation, resources required, total cost …