Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Therapeutic Advances In The Management Of Type Ii Diabetes, Ashfod Mukula

Senior Honors Theses

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by persistent hyperglycemia. This condition occurs due to two main factors: β-cell dysfunction and reduced response to insulin by cells and tissues with insulin receptors (insulin resistance). Insulin resistance occurs when the body fails to respond to insulin; therefore, cells and tissues are impaired in transporting glucose, leading to abnormally high glucose levels in circulation. Insulin resistance is a multifactorial condition; thus, the eminent cause is not fully known. Individual health conditions and genetic predisposition have been postulated to cause it. Molecularly, insulin resistance has been associated with complications in …

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: Pathophysiology And The Effects Of The Microbiome, Anjali Jacob

Senior Honors Theses

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic neonatal lung disease that occurs in over 50% of premature infants. BPD is characterized by damage to the alveoli and bronchioles and improper vasculature formation. It is primarily caused by overexposure to oxygen through mechanical ventilation, but there are other risk factors that make infants more susceptible to BPD. Microbial composition impacts risk for developing BPD, and research is ongoing about the effects of the microbiome on BPD pathogenesis; this information is also valuable for preventative treatment. This paper reviews the normal function of the lungs, pathogenesis of BPD and how it affects normal …

Potential Adverse Cardiovascular Side Effects Following Mrna Covid-19 Vaccination, Abigayle Strohmeier

Senior Honors Theses

The COVID-19 vaccine, regarded as a triumph by some and a danger by others, has been studied due to the presence of adverse cardiovascular side effects experienced by some individuals following vaccination. Incidence and prevalence rates of these effects are examined by various demographic factors, primarily age and sex. The most prevalent adverse cardiovascular effects noted are myocarditis, pericarditis, cardiovascular disease, tachycardia, hypertension, palpitation, and acute myocardial infarction. Due to the novelty of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, many health studies have focused their data analysis on age or sex characteristics, however many excellent opportunities for future research are necessary to …

The Molecular Basis Of Maple Syrup Urine Disease, Chloe Jensen

Senior Honors Theses

Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is a rare metabolic disorder that is caused by mutations in the branched chain alpha keto acid dehydrogenase enzyme complex (BCKDC). There are three main genes, the BCKDHA, BCKDHB, and DBT, that affect the BCKDC, all contributing to the onset of the disease. MSUD causes encephalopathy, neural deficits, maple syrup scented urine, coma, and even death if not treated due to the aggregation of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). There is currently no known cure for patients with MSUD, but the condition can be managed to improve quality of life. This review serves to examine MSUD …

Detection And Extraction Of Pfoa And Pfos Via Mips, Joseph Redding

Senior Honors Theses

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) are utilized as surfactants in many different materials. With an immensely stable structure due to the presence of carbon-fluorine bonds, PFOA and PFOS are resistant to degradation. Known to persist in water resources, these compounds tend to bioaccumulate and impute toxic effects on human health, such as decreased fertility and immune function. To date, there exists no effective approach to the removal of these lingering compounds. Because of the health risks, there is increasing urgency to devise a means by which to detect and withdraw PFOA and PFOS from the environment. In …

An Analysis Of Strength Training Implementation In Ballet, Claire Hoover

Senior Honors Theses

Ballet, a style of dance that is known for its 180-degree external rotation, extreme precision, discipline, and aesthetics, is an athletic activity that is undertaken by many young people, particularly females. Although ballet has many athletic components, recent studies have shown there are a variety of weaknesses that impact its participants, including the female athlete triad, lack of lower extremity muscular strength, risk of injury, and overtraining. According to recent research, strength training, although not historically paired with ballet, could minimize ballet dancers’ deficiencies by increasing muscular strength and reducing risk of injury and incidence of the female athlete triad. …

The Alexander Technique Applied To Dance And The Choreographic Process: Freeing Physical Expression From Trauma-Based Tension, Julia Johnston

Senior Honors Theses

Ballet, contemporary, and modern dancers have expressed incurring trauma during their training and professional dance experiences; in a 2020 survey, 41% of professional dancers and 30% of ballet students reported experiencing or witnessing sexually inappropriate behavior in their respective workplaces and schools (DDP). This is just one example of a potential source of trauma for dancers. The physiological effects of trauma cause physical effects, creating tension in a dancer’s body. Dance relies on physical expression, the expression of thought and feeling through movement, to connect with the audience. Trauma-based tension inhibits a dancer’s range of physical expression and connection to …

The Purification And Thermal Stability Of The Peroxidase Enzyme In Cucurbita Moschata, Garen Hamner

Senior Honors Theses

Peroxidases are enzymes that catalyze the reduction of hydrogen peroxide to water while oxidizing organic substrates and are valuable in spheres like industrial and medical applications and histochemistry. Limitations still exist in the use of the well-studied horseradish peroxidase for certain activities due to limitations like poor thermal stability, thus the search for novel peroxidases that can overcome these limitations is an active area of research. Butternut squash peroxidase (Cucurbita moschata) (BSP) shows promise due to significant activity being found in the skin and apparent enhanced thermal stability, but an efficient purification scheme for it is lacking, as well as …

Fad Diets And How They Work In The Human Body, Isabella Huner

Senior Honors Theses

Diets are often viewed as a quick fix to obtaining a goal weight or achieving a dream body. What people fail to understand are the processes that take place within the body while undergoing a particular diet. While some diets may aid in weight reduction, the harm put on the body is easily overlooked.

Through an in-depth analysis on three of the most popular fad diets—the ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting, and the Paleolithic diet—shows how the diet came about, how it works in the body from a basic to a cellular level, and the risks posed by these diets. Knowledge …

Overview Of The Health Impacts Of Oral Contraceptives On The Female Body, Christi Fertich

Senior Honors Theses

Oral hormonal birth control is frequently used by women for the regulation of medical conditions or as a contraceptive method. However, many women are dissatisfied with the side effects they experience while taking birth control, such as mood changes or oligomenorrhea. The primary objective of this paper is to conduct a scholarly literature review of the side effects caused by oral hormonal birth control, including an explanation of the mechanism of action of these contraceptives on the female reproductive system. The results of this review showed that some perceived side effects, such as weight gain, have little scientific basis, while …

Modern Approaches To Treating Hospital Acquired Infections: An Overview Of Current Treatments Using Antibiotics And New Therapies Centered Around Photo-Activated Porphyrins, Meghan Johns

Senior Honors Theses

Annually, hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) affect hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. and impose a great economic burden. The current problem is further exacerbated due to the failure of traditional treatment strategies considering the rise in antimicrobial resistance rates. Besides the fact that antimicrobial resistances complicates clinical treatment strategies, patients are also more vulnerable to secondary infections and complications from prolonged antibiotic use. As a result, research investigating novel treatment strategies for bacterial infections has recently increased. A strategy using porphyrin-based compounds is showing promise. Porphyrins and their derivatives have exhibited bactericidal effects against Gram-positive bacteria by the destruction …

Blood Flow Restriction Therapy: A Review Of Physiology, Clinical Application, And Guidelines For Implementation, Nathan Schuliger

Senior Honors Theses

Blood flow restriction (BFR) therapy is an emerging clinical modality utilizing the metabolic stress of a hypoxic state to induce hypertrophic and strength adaptations in a manner allowing for reduced external loading. BFR has a variety of applications in rehabilitation settings, showing great potential for patients seeking the benefits of high intensity training without the associated degrees of mechanical stress. This literature review details the proposed mechanisms of BFR, along with various clinical applications of BFR including active and aerobic BFR. Concerns and contraindications for BFR usage are discussed regarding certain clinical populations, with risk stratification recommendations provided. Current BFR …

Crispr, Omega, And Fanzor: Mixed Blessings Of Genome Editing Technology, Haeun Tae

Senior Honors Theses

A little more than a decade ago, CRISPR-Cas system was identified as a potential gene editing tool. This RNA-guided DNA cleavage system, which naturally provides immunity to the prokaryotic host cell, has been engineered since for its application in agriculture, genomic screening, and hereditary genetic disorder treatment and cures. Recently, a eukaryotic CRISPR-Cas-like system, Fanzor, was reported, under a new class of the RNA-guided system (termed OMEGA). The discovery has increased the potentials of genetic modification more than ever, while simultaneously increasing the need for ethical considerations and guidelines. The history, structure, and functions of the two RNA-guided systems, as …

The Role Of Pfkfb3 In Ampk-Activated Glut4 Translocation, Katherine Renee Bosch

Senior Honors Theses

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic, potentially deadly disease that impacts millions of Americans’ lives. Type 2 diabetes is characterized by increased blood glucose levels caused by insulin resistance. The normal insulin signaling pathway leads to glucose uptake by GLUT4 through activation of the IRS-1-PI3K-Akt pathway, as well as the insulin-independent pathway that utilizes AMPK. Additionally, PFKFB3 may play a role in insulin signaling and glucose uptake. PFKFB3 is an enzyme that plays an important role in activating PFK-1, which is a rate-limiting enzyme in glycolysis. PFKFB3 is frequently studied for its role in cancer due to its role in …