Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Observations Of Trends And Successes Of Revascularization Therapy At Virginia Commonwealth University: A Retrospective Study, Richard W. Sedwick

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to determine the trends in protocol, success rates, and consistency in follow up of revascularization procedures in a controlled environment. Patients of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry were identified who were offered revascularization therapy as a treatment option on immature permanent teeth from January 1, 2010 to May 31, 2017. A total of 77 patients and 78 teeth were evaluated for revascularization therapy. For patients accepting treatment, records were reviewed for outcome assessment and consistency of follow up. A total of 30 patients (31 teeth) were treated following revascularization protocols, with only …

Biochemical Analysis Of Putative Rna-Binding Proteins In Porphyromonas Gingivalis, Jacob Mirpanah

Theses and Dissertations

BIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF PUTATIVE RNA-BINDING PROTEINS IN PORPHYROMONAS GINGIVALIS

By Jacob Mirpanah

Bachelor of Arts in Biology, University of Virginia, 2015

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

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2018

Major Director: Janina P. Lewis, Ph.D., Philips Institute for Oral Health Research

RNA-Binding Proteins (RBPs) play important regulatory roles in countless cellular processes. Often via the induction of a structural change in RNA’s secondary structure, RBPs are known to modulate protein expression through post-transcriptional regulation. In Escherichia coli, such RBPs have …

Bromodomain And Extraterminal Domain (Bet) Inhibitor Rvx-208 Ameliorates Periodontal Bone Loss, Nicholas J. Clayton

Theses and Dissertations

Periodontal disease affects 47% of Americans over 30 and is a growing global concern. Current treatments for periodontal disease focus on the mechanical elimination of periodontal biofilms. Very few treatments are available that target the rampant, unregulated host immune response that is ultimately responsible for tissue degradation. BET proteins have been shown to play critical roles in inflammatory gene regulation and are therefore potentially ideal therapeutic targets for treating periodontal disease. RVX-208 is a selective BET-inhibitor with a high affinity for Bromodomain 2 (BD2) as compared to BD1 in BET proteins. Our previous studies have shown that RVX-208 inhibits inflammatory …

The Role Of A Type Lamins In Regulating Myelination, Jacqueline M. Deloyht

Theses and Dissertations

Multiple sclerosis (MS), a demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system (CNS), affects approximately 400,000 individuals in the United States, and 2.5 million people worldwide. It is a leading cause of disability in young adults. Current treatments for MS target the inflammatory aspects of the disease, but do not aid in remyelination. To address remyelination as a therapeutic strategy, it is imperative to identify mechanisms that regulate myelin formation, including epigenetic targets. In this study, we investigate the role of the LMNA, a gene encoding Lamins A and C, intermediate filaments of the nuclear lamina, in regulating oligodendrocyte development and …

Effects Of The Na-Cl Co-Transporter (Ncc) In Western Diet Induced Metabolic And Cardiac Dysfunction, Zachary S. Cutter

Theses and Dissertations

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine known to be involved in maintaining metabolic homeostasis; however, also capable of inducing cardiac dysfunction. Additionally, IL-18, has been shown to bind to a novel receptor, the Na-Cl Co-transporter (NCC). We hypothesized that NCC mediates IL-18 metabolic and cardiac signaling in mice. Using male C57BL/6J mice, we compared the metabolic and cardiac function changes after at least 8 weeks of high-saturated fat high sugar diet (Western Diet) in NCC knockout (NCCKO), IL-18 knockout (IL-18KO), and wild-type mice. We show that NCCKO mice have significantly increased body weight gain from baseline, no difference in fasting …

Investigating Smoke Exposure And Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Copd) With A Calibrated Agent Based Model (Abm) Of In Vitro Fibroblast Wound Healing., James A. Ratti

Theses and Dissertations

COPD is characterized by tissue inflammation and impaired remodeling that suggests fibroblast maintenance of structural homeostasis is dysregulated. Thus, we performed in vitro wound healing experiments on normal and diseased human lung fibroblasts and developed an ABM of fibroblasts closing a scratched monolayer using NetLogo to evaluate differences due to COPD or cigarette smoke condensate exposure. This ABM consists of a rule-set governing the healing response, accounting for cell migration, proliferation, death, activation and senescence rates; along with the effects of heterogeneous activation, phenotypic changes, serum deprivation and exposure to cigarette smoke condensate or bFGF. Simulations were performed to calibrate …

Advances In Dual-Energy Computed Tomography Imaging Of Radiological Properties, Dong Han

Theses and Dissertations

Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) has shown great potential in the reduction of uncertainties of proton ranges and low energy photon cross section estimation used in radiation therapy planning. The work presented herein investigated three contributions for advancing DECT applications. 1) A linear and separable two-parameter DECT, the basis vector model (BVM) was used to estimate proton stopping power. Compared to other nonlinear two-parameter models in the literature, the BVM model shows a comparable accuracy achieved for typical human tissues. This model outperforms other nonlinear models in estimations of linear attenuation coefficients. This is the first study to clearly illustrate the …

Rational Design Of Allosteric Modulators Of Hemoglobin As Dual Acting Antisickling Agents, Piyusha P. Pagare

Theses and Dissertations

Intracellular polymerization of deoxygenated sickle hemoglobin (Hb S) remains the principal cause of the pathophysiology associated with sickle cell disease (SCD). Naturally occurring and synthetic allosteric effectors of hemoglobin (AEH) have been investigated as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of SCD. Several aromatic aldehydes, including vanillin, have been studied previously as AEHs for their antisickling activities. Specifically, these compounds form Schiff- base adduct with Hb to stabilize the oxygenated (R) state, increase Hb affinity for O2 and concomitantly prevent the hypoxia-induced primary pathophysiology of Hb S polymerization and RBC sickling, in turn, ameliorating several of the cascading secondary adverse …

Heparan Sulfate, A New Target For Platinum In Metastatic Tnbc, Samantha J. Katner

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Heparan Sulfate, A New Target for Platinum in Metastatic TNBC

Author: Samantha J. Katner, Ph.D.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2018

Advisor: Dr. Nicholas Farrell, Professor, Chemistry Department

Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), composed of the linear polysaccharide heparan sulfate (HS) conjugated to a protein core, are located on the cell surface and extracellular matrix. The HS chains display varying degrees of sulfation, which constitutes the molecular recognition motif for many HS-protein interactions. HSPGs, associated growth factors, and heparanase promote tumor progression by facilitating invasion, angiogenesis, …

Development And Validation Of A Semi-Physiological Pharmacokinetic (Pbpk) Model To Predict Systemic And Pulmonary Exposures After Intravenous, Oral Administration And Pulmonary Inhalation Of Selected Drugs, Budesonide, Tobramycin And Ciprofloxacin, In Humans, Bishoy Hanna

Theses and Dissertations

Using a semi-PBPK modeling/quantitative meta-analysis approach, this project investigated what factors affect pulmonary and systemic exposures of Budesonide (BUD), Tobramycin (TOB), and Ciprofloxacin (CIP) after inhalation:

Three structurally different pulmonary disposition models were developed for each drug, including pulmonary absorption (all three), excretion (TOB and CIP) and sequestration (TOB) in a peripheral and central lung compartment. Systemic disposition parameters were estimated using available human mean plasma (c_p(t)) and sputum (c_s(t)) concentration profiles after IV administration, and GI absorption parameters were estimated from these profiles after oral administration. Pulmonary disposition parameters were estimated from c_p(t) …

Nuclear Rupture In Progeria Expressing Cells, Kranthidhar Bathula

Theses and Dissertations

Cells regularly take on various types of force in the body. They have structures that are able to mediate, transfer and respond to the forces. A mutation in force regulating proteins such as lamin in the nucleus or the KASH domain which connects the nucleus to the cytoskeleton of the cell can cause catastrophic events to occur. The aims of this study were to better understand the response of the nucleus when structural proteins are mutated or are not present while under force. Progeria, a rare disease where an additional farnesyl group is attached to lamin was used in this …

Enhancing Adherence To Prescribed Opioids Using A Mobile-Base Application: A Pilot Study Of Feasibility In Chronic Non-Cancer Pain, Daniel M. Sop

Theses and Dissertations

In this study we present feasibility of a mobile monitoring and reporting system that would provide an accurate unbiased screening tool to systematically analyze opioid adherence in Sickle cell disease patients. In addition, the software simultaneously measures pain. The Mobile Applications Rating Scale: a new and validated tool for assessing the quality of health mobile apps for engagement, functionality, aesthetics, information quality, subjective quality, relevance and overall impact was administered post usage to evaluate the application.

A total of 28 patients were recruited to review and test the software at one sitting. The majority of the population found the application …

Understanding The Role Of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase And Its Function As A Driving Force Behind The Er Stress Response In Fibrostenotic Crohn’S Disease-Affected Ileal Smooth Muscle Cells, Prashant Yadav

Theses and Dissertations

Crohn’s disease (CD) affects about 780,000 people in the United States alone, and it is estimated that 6-15 per 100,000 persons will receive a diagnosis of this disease each year. There currently is no cure for Crohn’s disease, and available medical therapies simply serve to alleviate the inflammation. This does not help treat fibrostenosis that Crohn’s disease patients may develop, which can only be treated surgically. Finding alternatives to treat CD requires an understanding of mechanisms at the biochemical level. In this thesis, we attempted to gain a better understanding of certain pathways found to be active in Crohn’s disease-affected …

Advanced Imaging Analysis For Predicting Tumor Response And Improving Contour Delineation Uncertainty, Rebecca N. Mahon

Theses and Dissertations

ADVANCED IMAGING ANALYSIS FOR PREDICTING TUMOR RESPONSE AND IMPROVING CONTOUR DELINEATION UNCERTAINTY

By Rebecca Nichole Mahon, MS

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2018

Major Director: Dr. Elisabeth Weiss,

Professor,

Department of Radiation Oncology

Radiomics, an advanced form of imaging analysis, is a growing field of interest in medicine. Radiomics seeks to extract quantitative information from images through use of computer vision techniques to assist in improving treatment. Early prediction of treatment response is one way of improving overall patient care. This work …

Speech Recognition Technology: Improving Speed And Accuracy Of Emergency Medical Services Documentation To Protect Patients, Tan T. Tran

Undergraduate Research Posters

Because hospital errors, such as mistakes in documentation, cause one sixth of the deaths each year in the United States, the accuracy of health records in the emergency medical services (EMS) must be improved. One possible solution is to incorporate speech recognition (SR) software into current tools used by EMS first responders. The purpose of this research was to determine if SR software could increase the efficiency and accuracy of EMS documentation to improve the safety for patients of EMS. An initial review of the literature on the performance of current SR software demonstrated that this software was not 99% …

The Effect Of Dna Methylation On Tp73 Expression In Tumorgenesis, Nujuma A. Moussa

Undergraduate Research Posters

Abstract: The Effect of DNA Methylation on TP73 Expression in Tumorgenesis

Nujuma Moussa, Zhixing Yao, Zaki A. Sherif

Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Howard University College of Medicine

TP73 is a member of the TP53 family of proteins that acts as a transcription factor to help regulate cellular distress. This tumor protein may play a dual role as a tumor suppressor and tumor promoter. The TP73 gene is mapped to chromosome 1p36, a frequently deleted region in neuroblastoma and other types of tumors. While mutations in the TP53 gene are commonly known to cause noxious cancers, 30% of cancers …

The Evaluation Of Mefloquine Drug Repurposing On Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Jessica L. Phan, Bhavuk Garg, Hrishikesh Mehta, Seth Corey

Undergraduate Research Posters

The aim of this study is to observe cell proliferation, cell viability, apoptosis, and autophagy on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines, NB4 and U937, with the drug repurposing of mefloquine (MQ). Methods such as the 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-Yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT) assay and trypan blue staining have shown a decrease in live cells with high concentrations of mefloquine. Using their average perspective IC50 values of MQ concentration, Western blotting was applied by means of apoptosis and autophagy markers to determine if the induction of apoptosis and inhibition of autophagy was present in MQ-treated AML cells. The experiment will be continued with more …

Effect Of Energy Metabolism On Nf-Kb Activity In Ovarian Cancer, Simren K. Bagri

Undergraduate Research Posters

NF-kB is a transcription factor involved in cancer cell growth and survival. The activation of NF-kB can be assessed by monitoring phosphorylation of RelA p65 at Ser-536, which is a surrogate of the NF-kB transcription factor activation. The objective of this study was to determine if the loss of ATP leads to NF-kB deficiency and thus, apoptotic cell death of “bad” cells in ovarian cancer cells. The independent variables were metformin (Met), an anti-diabetic medicine, another compound MinB functionally similar to Met and a glucose transporter inhibitor BAY-876. The dependent variables were the resulting effect of Met and MinB on …

The Forensic Characterization Of Bacterial And Fungal Organisms In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Julia Grzymkowski, Christopher J. Ehrhardt, Justin L. Poklis, Michelle R. Peace

Undergraduate Research Posters

There has been an increase in use of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in the United States because they are less expensive and believed to be more effective with less adverse effects in comparison to traditional pharmaceutics. Therefore, sales have increased in the US, despite articles and case studies demonstrating the dangers, such as injury and death, related to TCM, stemming from improper labelling, toxic contaminants, and, in some cases, the presence of pathogenic bacteria. The aim of this study was to perform a survival experiment to demonstrate the importance of proper herbal brewing technique and to conduct a molecular and …

Detection And Quantification Of Glucuronidation Of Ursolic Acid (Ua) In Human Liver Microsomes (Hlms)., Kamola Tolliboeva, Philip M. Gerk

Undergraduate Research Posters

No abstract provided.

Uncovering Functional Relationships In Leukemia, Reginald Mcgee

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Exploring An Autoimmune Hair Loss Condition Through Mathematical Modeling And Sensitivity Analysis, Atanaska Dobreva, Ralf Paus, Nick Cogan

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

A Deterministic Model Of The Effect Of Electric Field On Chemotherapeutics Delivery Into A Tumor, Maryam Moarefian, Luke Achenie

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Modeling Hiv Dynamics Following 3bnc117 Antibody Infusion, Samantha Erwin

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

A Mathematical Model Of The Effects Of Resistance Training On Body Composition, Marcella Torres, Angela Reynolds, Eric Trexler, Abbie Smith-Ryan

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Simulating The Evolution Of Skin Melanoma Using Heat Transfer, Ephraim Agyingi

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Modeling Original Antigenic Sin In Dengue Viral Infection, Ryan Nikin-Beers

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Interaction Of The Tear Film With The Ocular Surface, Richard J. Braun, Amy Janett, Nicholas Gewecke, Spencer Walker

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Capacitive Memory Alters Alternans And Spontaneous Activity In A Minimal Cardiomyocyte Model, Tien Comlekoglu, Seth H. Weinberg

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Adaptive Therapy: Modeling Evolutionary Principles In Anticancer Therapy, Jeffrey B. West

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.