Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Improving Health Literacy Among Transgender/ Gender Non-Conforming People Using Social Media, Isha Mittal, Michelle Cordoba Kissee

Research Colloquium

Background: Health literacy has been elicited as a barrier to healthcare amongst LGBT individuals. Social media has become a popular force in transmitting health information, but often time lacks evidence-based information.

Aims/purpose: The TikTok channel GenderDefenders was created to address the lack of reliable evidence-based information for transgender and gender-non conforming (TGNC) individuals.

Methods: Data was collected from current TikTok videos that were tagged with TGNC terminology to identify gaps in knowledge and commonly asked questions. Themes were selected and educational video recordings were created using WPATH and UCSF guidelines for transgender healthcare. Some topics included what …

Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Of Sabizabulin (Veru-111) For Pancreatic Cancer Treatment, Vivek K. Kashyap, Godwin P. Darkwah, Neeraj Chauhan, Prashanth K.B. Nagesh, Qinghui Wang, Duane D. Miller, Wei Li, Murali M. Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chuahan

Research Colloquium

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality in the United States due to very limited therapeutic options. Thus, developing novel therapeutic strategies will help for the management of this disease. We recently identified VERU-111, a novel synthetic molecule which showed potent anti-cancer effect against PanCa via targeting clinically important βIII and βIV tubulin isoforms. In this study, we synthesized and characterized its novel nanoformulation (MNP-VERU) and evaluated its therapeutic effects in vitro and xenograft mouse model.

Methods: MNPs were prepared by chemical precipitation method and loaded with VERU-111 using diffusion method. This formulation was …

Sex Differences In Stress Reactivity, Brain Morphology, And Oxytocin In The Hypothalamus Of The Gray Short-Tailed Opossum (Monodelphis Domestica), Esperanza I. Zacarias, Daniela Rodriguez, Alexandra Chalons, Sasawan Heingraj, Nicole Altamirano, Joseph Rafac, John L. Vandeberg, Mario Gil

Research Colloquium

Understanding the effects of stress on behavior and cognition is important due to its impact on mental health and wellbeing (Schneiderman et al. 2005). Translational animal research can contribute to the development of new treatments that can improve therapeutic outcomes and our understanding of the neurobiology of stress. In the present study, we complement behavioral stress reactivity with immunohistochemical localization of oxytocin in the hypothalamus, a neuropeptide that regulates stress (Neumann & Slattery, 2016). Oxytocin has potential therapeutic use for mental health disorders (Neumann & Slattery, 2016), and the effects of oxytocin seem to be sexually dimorphic (Love, 2018). Using …

Autoimmune Encephalitis Of Unknown Etiology, Elizabeth Cook, Giselle Ricoy

Research Colloquium

Encephalitis is the inflammation of the brain which can come about through various etiologies. Autoimmune encephalitis is a rare form that is most common among women and children. The clinical presentation can vary between patients with a constellation of symptoms including deficits in memory, cognition, seizures, abnormal movement, psychosis, and coma. Because of the variation in clinical presentation and the lack of specificity in imaging and laboratory findings, diagnosis and intervention are often delayed for months to years. These delays in diagnosis can have long term ramifications on patients especially pediatric patients whose neural pathways are still developing. In pediatric …

Impact Of Academic Golden Weekend Initiative On Academic Success For An Internal Medicine Clerkship, Elif S. Duran, Maria A. Alvarenga, Stephanie Onyechi, Jose E. Campo Maldonado

Research Colloquium

Background: COVID-19 precautions led to a change in the number of protected weekends for the UTRGV Internal Medicine Clerkship, going from 2 protected weekends to none. The aim of Academic Golden Weekends during a fully inpatient clerkship has been to maximize the student experience by providing enough time to balance all the necessary components of the student experience. Starting April 26, 2021, all cohorts completing their Internal Medicine Clerkship as third-year medical students had 3 protected weekends.

Methods: Two surveys were created to compare the pre-intervention and post-intervention cohorts. The surveys focused on student satisfaction regarding the time they had …

Redox-Responsive Nano-Self Assemblies For Targeted Cancer Therapeutics, Partha Laskar, Sudhir Kotnala, Elian Martin, Anupam Dhasmana, Vivek K. Kashyap, Meena Jaggi, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan

Research Colloquium

Background: Despite significant advances in cancer therapeutics, it remains one of the leading causes of deaths due to poor response to available treatment modalities and drug resistance. Combination therapy has shown the potential to provide a synergistic therapeutic effect and to overcome drug resistance. However, smart delivery systems that can improve the bioavailability and the delivery of multiple hydrophobic anti-cancer drugs simultaneously at the tumor site without normal organ toxicity could be an effective strategy for cancer treatment.

Methods: Here, a PEGylated drug-drug conjugate (CUR-PEG-S-S-CPT) have been successfully synthesized by conjugating two hydrophobic anti-cancer molecules, curcumin and camptothecin through …

Case Report: Congenital Myasthenia Gravis- A Case For Newborn Screening?, Dakota Bigham, Barbara Stewart

Research Colloquium

Background: Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune neuromuscular junction disorder which can result in involuntary muscle weakness. It commonly affects various muscular groups involving the eyes, face, arms, legs, and even muscles used for breathing. Most often Myasthenia Gravis affects adults, but it can occur in the pediatric population. Congenital Myasthenia Gravis (CMG) has a broad and variable presentation with many potential differential diagnoses. In rare cases, CMG can present in the first years of life with a fatigable weakness and a severe respiratory failure. In the more common, benign cases, presentation can occur later in life. Here, we present an …

Case Report: Covid-19 Pneumothorax, Dakota Bigham, Barbara Stewart

Research Colloquium

Background: As cases of Covid-19 continue to rise, more population subtypes become at risk. Although rare in past years, COVID-19 is becoming more prevalent in children. Last counts obtained show that there are 8,992 cases per 100,000 in children, state hospitalizations rates ranging from 1.7%- 4.0% of their total cumulated hospitalizations with 0.1%-1.9% of all their pediatric COVID-19 cases resulting in hospitalization. As these cases rise, we are still unsure of the immediate or long-term effects in children, and continual observation and documentation of all clinical courses is of the utmost importance. Here, we present an interesting case of a …

Interrupting The Axis: A Case Of Igg-4 Related Hypophysitis In A Young Hispanic Male, Christine E. Loftis, Emilia C. Dulgheru, Lina Pedraza Sanchez, Josenny L. Rodriguez-Paez

Research Colloquium

Background: Hypophysitis refers to inflammation of the pituitary gland that can lead to the disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Primary hypophysitis has five variants differentiated by histologic findings: lymphocytic, granulomatous, xanthomatous, IgG4-related, and necrotizing. IgG4-related hypophysitis is very rare and is commonly a manifestation of a multi-organ systemic disorder. We present a case of a 43-year-old man presenting with severe headache and symptomatic hyponatremia in the setting of isolated IgG-4 related hypophysitis.

Case Presentation: A 43-year-old male presented with a two-day history of severe posterior headache associated with several episodes of vomiting, photophobia, generalized weakness and fatigue. Patient had no …

Appropriateness Of Inpatient Transthoracic Echocardiography In A Community Hospital With A New Cardiology Fellowship Program, Christian D. Avalos, Y. Wady Aude

Research Colloquium

Background: The 2011 Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for echocardiography was developed to guide in the rational use of high quality cardiovascular imaging. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) orders with seemingly inappropriate indications were repeatedly identified at our hospital. Our goals were to identify the percentage of inappropriate TTEs, find a correlation between ordering physicians and appropriateness of TTEs, and reduce the inappropriate use of TTEs in the inpatient setting.

Methods: After implementing a required free-text indication for TTE orders, the indications of 100 random TTEs were retrospectively categorized as appropriate, inappropriate, and uncertain based on the AUC. TTEs for cardiac evaluation prior …

A Case Report On Autoimmune Encephalitis After Head Trauma, Chioma V. Uche, Ashley Ikwuezunma

Research Colloquium

Background: Autoimmune inflammatory encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain characterized by prominent neuropsychiatric symptoms and are associated with antibodies against neuronal cell-surface proteins, ion channels, or receptors. Most common causes of autoimmune encephalitis include Anti-NMDA antibodies, paraneoplastic syndromes, and in rare cases, seroconversion from an HSV infection. This report discusses a rare case of autoimmune encephalitis after a head trauma obtained from a ground level fall.

Case Presentation: Patient was a 55-year-old Hispanic man who presented to the emergency department with worsening confusion. Two months prior, the patient presented to an urgent care with a head laceration after a …

Developing A Chlorophyll-Based Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probe For Cancer Cell Imaging, Benilde E. Adriano, Nycol M. Cotto, Neeraj Chauhan, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Murali M. Yallapu

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Near-Infrared (NIR) fluorescence-based imaging is a noteworthy and safer strategy for cancer cells/tissues imaging compared to radiological imaging. NIR fluorescence offers deep tissue penetration and have minimal obstruction by autofluorescence and photon scattering [1]. There are several NIR dyes including indocyanine green (ICG) [2] and IR-1061 [3] that allow high-resolution tissue imaging. However, these dyes possess some low-quality characteristics which limit their use, namely photo instability, toxicity, poor water solubility, and short half-lives [4]. Therefore, more efficient and effective alternatives are urgently required to provide the desired clinical outcomes. Chlorophyll (Chl) is a natural dietary NIR fluorescence emitting …

Dieulafoy's Lesion As A Cause Of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding In A Hispanic Male With Alcoholic Liver Cirrhosis, Baron S. Ekeledo, Semenawit Burka, Fatimah Bello, Jose Rodriguez

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Dieulafoy's lesion is a rare and potentially life-threatening condition. It accounts for 1.5 to 2% of reported acute gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and has been linked to alcoholism and antiplatelet drug use. Unfortunately, the exact prevalence in the Hispanic population is unknown.

Case report: A 40-year-old man with a history of alcohol abuse and liver cirrhosis presented to the emergency room with complaints of frank hematemesis of 1 day duration. He was found to be diaphoretic, tachycardic (118), hypotensive (BP: 77/49), Hb - 6.2g/dl and with an INR of 1.92 (N: 0.8-1.2). Initial working diagnosis of esophageal varices …

Subacute Stroke In Young Hispanic Male With Vertebrobasilar Dolichoectasia, Ashika A. Chacko, Nevin A. Varghese

Research Colloquium

Background: Vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia (VBD) is a rare clinical entity characterized by dilatation, elongation, and tortuosity of the vertebrobasilar arteries. Patients with VBD can present varying symptoms from ischemia, compression of blood vessels, or rarely subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Case presentation: A 29-year-old Hispanic man with history of hypertension presented to emergency department with progressive left upper extremity weakness, dizziness, slurry speech, and diplopia of one-week duration. On arrival, the patient was afebrile, heart rate 75 bpm and blood pressure 193/107 mmHg. He was alert and oriented x3. Neurological exam demonstrated decreased strength (4/5) on left upper extremity and left arm pronator drift. …

Severe Hypercalcemia: Unusual Life-Threatening Presentation Of Addison’S Disease, Aramide Mikhail Tijani, Jonathan Yaw Gyebi-Agyepong, Nestor Gerardo Astorga, Niral G. Patel

Research Colloquium

Background: Addison’s Disease, also known as primary adrenal insufficiency, is a rare disorder of the adrenal gland typically characterized by the combination of cortisol and mineralocorticoid deficiencies in addition to electrolyte abnormalities including hyponatremia and hyperkalemia. Addison's disease is an uncommon cause of hypercalcemia. We present a rare case of hypercalcemia in the setting of primary adrenal insufficiency.

Case Presentation: Our patient is 43-year-old Hispanic lady with no reported medical history who presented to the Emergency Room for evaluation of intractable nausea and vomiting of about a month duration. Clinical examination revealed a lethargic, dehydrated, and hypotensive lady. Initial laboratory …

Igf-1 Reduce Protein O-Glcnacylation Via Ampk Activation In H9c2 Cardiomyoblast Cultured In High Glucose Media, Andres Medina, Lizbeth Trevino, Alejandra Salinas, Yadira Chaires, Erick Rodriguez, Genaro Antonio Ramirez-Correa

Research Colloquium

Background: Diabetes is a disease characterized by the increase in the serum glucose concentration. Therefore, this glucose excess shunts into the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway producing UDP-GlcNAc, which can be transfer to serine residues and modify the activity of different proteins, including contractile proteins in cardiomyocytes, decreasing their function. Here we show the effect of IGF-1 treatment on this posttranslational modification.

Methods: H9c2 cell line were cultured in DMEM media, 10% FBS, at 80% of confluence. Cells were incubated in high-glucose (30 mM) in the presence or absence of 10 µmol/L of IGF-1 (HG and HG+IGF-1). As control groups, we used …

Novel Therapy Targeting Mutant-Krasg12d And Galectin-1 In Pancreatic Cancer, Ana I. Martinez Bulnes, Poornima Devi Shaji, Swathi Holla, Nirnoy Dan, Shabnam Malik, Murali M. Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Stephen W. Behrman, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan

Research Colloquium

Introduction: In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), low patient survival rate remains a problem. The activating point mutation of KRAS on codon-12 is present in 70–95% of PDAC cases and so far, no success has been achieved to inhibit KRAS. KRAS^G12D regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis; recent preliminary and published studies show high Galectin-1 (Gal-1) levels in both PDAC and stromal cells, which modulate tumor microenvironment and metastasis. Therefore, we have developed a novel combination therapy for PDAC by targeting mutated KRAS^G12D and Gal-1 to target both proliferation and metastasis in PDAC. This includes the delivery of KRAS^{G12D …}

Spinal Cord Injury: Tissue Bridge Influence On Neurophysiology And Functional Recovery, Alyssa I. Canales, Marylu Cabello

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Spinal cord injuries affect about 300,000 individuals in the United States and cause varying degrees of motor and sensory impairment. The standard of care for those with a spinal cord injury typically involves traditional rehabilitation. Unfortunately, over a year of rehabilitation is often required to achieve meaningful improvements in motor or sensory function. In order to improve rehabilitative efforts for those with spinal cord injury, it is critical to identify biomarkers that could serve as indicators for those who would respond to standard rehabilitation efforts.

Objective: Following spinal cord injury, edema forms around the area of injury in the …

Synthesis And Investigation Into The Estrogen Receptor Antagonist Activity Of Isoflavans And Their Synthetic Derivatives, Nikiwe N. Tsipa, Catherine H. Kaschula, Willem Van Otterlo, Amanda Swart

Research Symposium

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most invasive and prevalent cancer in women in South Africa, with numbers as high as 1 in 8 women in urban areas and with a large percentage being ER-positive (ER+). ER+ BC cells are reliant on the binding of the natural ligand 17β-estradiol (E2) to ERα and ERβ isoforms which drives tumor growth1. ER antagonists and inhibitors of estrogen synthesis are therefore widely used therapeutic agents in the treatment of BC. Isoflavans are natural products found in many dietary plants. They are phytoestrogens, able to act as natural anti-breast cancer agents, acting as ER …

Tox3 Rs3803662 Polymorphism Is Associated With Breast Cancer Protection In Northeastern Mexican Woman, Orlando D. Solis-Coronado, Hazyadee F. Rodríguez-Gutiérrez, Monica P. Villarreal-Vela, Ricardo M. Cerda-Flores, Juan F. González-Guerrero, Oscar Vidal-Gutiérrez, Diana C. Pérez-Ibave, Maria Lourdes Garza-Rodríguez

Research Symposium

Introduction: Low penetrance genes are involved in breast cancer (BC) and confer risk for the development of this neoplasia. Different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with BC have been identified, such as rs3803662 (TOX3), which is related to estrogen receptors in European and African-American women. The contribution of this variant in the Mexican population is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate, through a case-control design, the association of the SNP rs3803662 (TOX3), with the risk of BC in women from northeastern Mexico.

Methods: We included 434 cases and 228 controls. Genotyping was carried out using RFLPs. The …

Yb-1 Transcription Factor Promotes Sorafenib Resistance In Liver Cancer, Kristopher L. Ezell, Omar Karkoutly, Sophia M. Leslie, D. Sudershan, Kyle Doxtater, Sudhir Kotnala, S. Lopez, Adithya Anilkumar, Sanjaya Satapathy, Vijian Dhevan, Subhash C. Chuahan, Manish Tripathi

Research Symposium

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignant liver tumor that commonly occurs as a progression of chronic liver inflammation. Sorafenib is the standard first-line systemic drug for advanced HCC, but the acquired resistance to sorafenib results in limited benefits. The mechanism underlying sorafenib resistance in HCC remains unclear. Recently, we have identified a multifunctional oncoprotein Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) that dysregulates a wide range of genes involved in drug resistance in other cancers and is responsible for increasing the IC-50 of sorafenib in HCC cell lines. In this study we will analyze the signaling pathways and genes regulated by …

Unusual Case Of Disseminated Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis In A Young Male, A Case Report, Dayana Carreras, Rosa Guedez-White, Ayesha Khan, Lina Pedraza Sanchez, Marta Solis, Jorge Nadal, Ricardo Abreu

Research Symposium

Background: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), is an uncommon hematological disorder characterized by uncontrolled stimulation and proliferation of normal antigen presenting cells, Langerhans cells. It’s estimated incidence in adults is approximately one to two cases per million. The purpose of this report is to describe the case of LCH in a 21-year-old male with multiple organ involvement including the brain, liver, bone; also, to discuss clinical, radiological, and histopathological features of LCH, and the role of internist in diagnosing and managing such disease.

Case presentation: We describe the case of a 21-year-old Hispanic man with Langerhans cell histiocytosis involving his liver, …

Unraveling The Mechanisms By Which Smoking And Alcohol Alter Pancreatic Cancer Pathogenesis, Poornima Devi Shaji, Ana Martinez Bulnes, Vincent P. Diego, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan

Research Symposium

Pancreatic cancer is the 3^rd leading cause of cancer in United States with a 5-to-7-year relative survival rate. This can be attributed to the late onset of symptoms and diagnosis of the disease, which makes it unmanageable at its later stage. Ethnic differences in pancreatic cancer incidence have been reported, especially regarding higher incidence in African Americans. African Americans are more likely than Asian, Hispanic, or whites’ people to develop pancreatic cancer. They have highest incidence rate between 28% and 59% higher than other racial groups. The mortality rate for Blacks is 13.3 per 100,000 people, while for Whites …

Tuberculosis In Elderly Hispanics: Bcg Vaccination At Birth Is Protective Whereas Diabetes Is Not A Risk Factor, Julia M. Scordo, Genesis P. Aguillón-Durán, Doris Ayala, Ana P. Quirino-Cerrillo, Eminé Rodriguez-Reyna, Francisco Mora-Guzmán, Jose A. Caso, Eder Ledezma-Campos, Larry Schlesinger, Jordi B. Torrelles, Joanne Turner, Blanca I. Restrepo

Research Symposium

Background. Aging increases the risk of tuberculosis (TB) and its adverse outcomes, but most studies are based on secondary analyses, and few are in Hispanics. Diabetes is a risk factor for TB in adults, but its contribution in the elderly is unknown. We aimed to identify the role of diabetes and other risk factors for TB in elderly Hispanics.

Methods. Cross-sectional study among newly-diagnosed TB patients, recent contacts (ReC), or community controls (CoC) totaling 646 participants, including 183 elderly (>60 years; 43 TB, 80 ReC, 60 CoC) and 463 adults (18 to 50 years; 80 TB, 301 …

Understanding An Inflammatory Pathway In Diabetic Retinopathy, Reanna R. Rodriguez

Research Symposium

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of blindness in the U.S. However, not much is known of its molecular pathway and how it attributes to increases in inflammatory response in the eye. One avenue we will investigate is the transforming growth factor beta (TGFB) signaling pathway and its effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion and cell viability. VEGF is the hallmark that exacerbates DR progression in prolonged diabetes. Some major concern that have arisen are the underlying effects of oxidants and antioxidants in elevating VEGF secretion in diabetes. In attempt to learn more, we evaluated how an …

Thymoquinone Inhibits Prostate Cancer Progression By Modulating Cytochrome P450 (Cyps), Santosh K. Singh, Rajesh Singh

Research Symposium

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) incidence and mortality remain high in African American (AA) than Caucasian American (CA) men. Multiple factors contribute to this critical disease disparity, androgen receptors (AR), and differences among variants of the genes such as Cytochrome P450 (CYP) are involved in androgen biosynthesis and metabolism that may switch to gene regulation for prostate growth. However, inhibitors have been approved for CYP genes, the major pitfall, undesirable side effects, and quality of life in those patients. Therefore, targeting CYPs with a natural compound, Thymoquinone (TQ), a constituent of Nigella sativa (black seed), potentially safe and curative option for …

Thermal Dose Inactivation Of Escherichia Coli By Magnetic Induced Hyperthermia, Silverio A. Lopez, Carlos Trevino De Leo, Ivan Davila, Karen S. Martirosyan

Research Symposium

Background: Apoptosis of mutated cells via magnetic hyperthermia has gained advocacy as technology capable of being used in lieu of chemotherapy for targeting cancer tumors. Progress of nanotechnology offers effective remote heating of magnetic fluid via hyperthermia. The heating and specific power absorption of these nanoparticles use in the magnetic fluid are dependent on particle properties and treatment locations.

Methods: Nanoparticles were fabricated using microfluidic system by interaction of two solutions containing 2Fe(NO3)3+FeSO4 and NaOH+2%Dextran to create nanostructured media with a biocompatible dextran coating and a Fe3O4 core. The nanoparticles, of a concentration of 5mg/ml, were placed in a vile …

Therapeutic Intervention Using Autologous Exosomes For Treatment Of Early-Stage Pancreatic Cancer, Saini Setua, Poornima Devi Shaji, Swathi Holla, Vincent P. Diego, Stephen W. Behrman, Murali M. Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan

Research Symposium

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is the third deadliest cancer in United States with a poor survival rate. Despite extensive research efforts, there is not any substantial progress in cancer therapeutics; major challenges lie with inherent drug toxicity, ineffectiveness, and resistance due to impediments against intracellular drug delivery. From a therapeutic delivery standpoint, novel delivery vehicles are required that are both biocompatible and non-immunogenic for a patient in order to maximize the chances of cure. This is possible by utilizing an autologous biological material, which can be applied as a personalized medicine to match the individual circumstances and molecular profile …

Therapeutic Efficacy Of Ormeloxifene Against Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Mohammed Sikander, M. Vela, Shabnam Malik, A. Rodriguez, A. Lopez, Daniel Zubieta, Fathi T. Halaweish, Subhash C. Chauhan

Research Symposium

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer and leading cause of cancer related deaths worldwide. Severe toxicity and drug resistance to available chemotherapeutic agents display ineffective clinical response. Therefore, drug repurposing is gaining attention owing to their known biological activities and excellent safety profiles. Ormeloxifene (ORM), non-steroidal, selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), and exhibit diverse pharmacological activities. The aim of this study is to assess the therapeutic activity of ORM and to investigate the underlying molecular mechanism against hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic activity of ormeloxifene in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Methodology: MTT and …

The Role Of Zinc In Psd-95 Palmitoyl Modification, Luis F. Acosta, Lili Guerra, Safiya Syed, Ivonn Ruvalcaba, Yonghong Zhang, Xiaoqian Fang

Research Symposium

Postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95) is a membrane-associated guanylate kinase that mediates localization of receptors in the excitatory postsynaptic density. It has been reported that PSD-95 mediates postsynaptic localization of NMDA receptors and anchors postsynaptic AMPAR receptors mainly through its postsynaptic membrane targeting by its N-terminal palmitoylation. Recent studies have shown that Ca2+/calmodulin blocks palmitoylation of PSD-95 by binding at the N-terminus of PSD-95, which promotes dissociation of PSD-95 from the postsynaptic membrane and causes loss of surface AMPARs in cultured neurons. Another metal ion zinc is found in various areas of the brain. As an endogenous neuromodulator, zinc plays a role …