Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Investigating Iron Metabolism In Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Patients, Alexander A. Maynard, Gardenia Pacheco

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a stroke characterized by bleeding into the subarachnoid space of the brain, typically resulting in high mortality rate.⁸ Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), characterized by vasospasms induced arterial constriction, occurs in roughly one third of the surviving patients.²⁰ The development of DCI and neurodegeneration could be linked to metabolic pathology that occurs after SAH, specifically iron induced changes in redox status. The oxidized environment induced by iron has the potential to functionally affect the ferroxidase ceruloplasmin (Cp), which is linked to neurodegeneration.¹⁵ Global LC-MS based metabolomics data revealed alterations in metabolism in the CSF …

Social Buffering By Unfamiliar Adult Males In Periadolescent Guinea Pigs: The Effects On Hpa Axis Activity And Fos Induction In The Medial Prefrontal Cortex, Alexander Bertke

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

In the guinea pig, the ability of the mother’s presence to buffer hypothalamic-pituitary- adrenal (HPA) axis activation in her young during exposure to stressful stimuli has been well documented. Under similar testing conditions, other conspecifics (littermates, other adult females) are less effective in doing so. The effect does seem to wane with age but is still present to a significant degree in offspring approaching adolescence. However, we recently observed that an unfamiliar adult male buffered HPA axis activation and increased Fos expression in the prefrontal cortex of preweaning infants exposed to a novel enclosure at both 60 and 120 minutes …

Evaluating Sex Related Differences In The Osteocyte Lacunar Canalicular Network Across The Lifespan: A Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy Approach, Gina Tubo

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Bone is a dynamic tissue with the ability to remodel itself. This capability is facilitated via communication mechanisms through the osteocyte-lacunar-canalicular (LCN) network. Osteocytes are bone cells housed in small, hollow spaces called lacunae. Lacunae are linked by canals called canaliculi. A diminished network can lead to the inability to form bone following breakdown. A decrease in osteocyte-LCN density has been shown to correlate with aging (Ashique et al. 2017). This decline leads to the development of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis preferentially affects women. Prior studies have shown that women older than 50 are four times more likely to be osteoporotic when …

Personality Disorder Traits: Testing Insight Regarding Presence Of Traits, Impairment, And Desire For Change, Chelsea E. Sleep, Joanna Lamkin, Donald R. Lynam, W. Keith Campbell, Joshua D. Miller

Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications

Mixed findings exist as to whether personality pathology involves a critical lack of awareness and insight. Research questions about insight and awareness in personality pathology are typically assessed via comparing self- and informant reports of traits. However, recent studies have measured insight by asking individuals to evaluate additional questions about impairment and desire to change. The present study uses a variety of approaches to examine these issues, including investigations of convergence between self- and informant reports (N = 197 dyads; correlations and comparisons of means) of personality psychopathology, desired trait levels, and perceptions of impairment. Convergence was observed between levels …

Management Of Congenital Missing In Bilateral Mandibular Incisors, Yun-Ting Huang, Chien-Wei Chao, Po-Yu Yang, Chia-Tze Kao

Taiwanese Journal of Orthodontics

This case report described the management of congenital missing bilateral mandibular central incisors in a 16 years-old female patient who was diagnosed as Angle’s Class I molar malocclusion, canine Class II relationship by a treatment plan of orthodontic space regain. The options of fixed bridge, removable partial denture or dental implants to replace the missing teeth were well explained to the patient by prosthodontic consultation. After the orthodontic alignment, the treatment results demonstrated that the initial profile of the patient was maintained, the missing teeth was later replaced by removable partial denture. The interdisciplinary therapy between orthodontics and prosthodontics should …

The Orthodontic Treatment Of Class Iii Malocclusion With Anterior Cross Bite And Severe Deep Bite, Chieh Yang, Yu-Chuan Tseng

Taiwanese Journal of Orthodontics

This 22-year-old female presents with skeletal Class III malocclusion, complicated by anterior cross bite, deep bite, and congenital missing of bilateral mandibular second premolars. The treatment modality was fullmouth fixed edgewise appliances. A favorable result of ideal overbite and overjet and closure of bilateral spaces of missing teeth were achieved. The patient was satisfied the improvement of function and esthetics after treatment.

An Evaluation Of Dsm–5 Section Iii Personality Disorder Criterion A (Impairment) In Accounting For Psychopathology., Chelsea E. Sleep, Donald R. Lynam, Thomas A. Widiger, Michael L. Crowe, Joshua D. Miller

Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications

An alternative diagnostic model of personality disorders (AMPD) was introduced in DSM–5 that diagnoses PDs based on the presence of personality impairment (Criterion A) and pathological personality traits (Criterion B). Research examining Criterion A has been limited to date, due to the lack of a specific measure to assess it; this changed, however, with the recent publication of a self-report assessment of personality dysfunction as defined by Criterion A (Levels of Personality Functioning Scale—Self-report; LPFS-SR; Morey, 2017). The aim of the current study was to test several key propositions regarding the role of Criterion A in the AMPD including the …

Strategies To Enhance The Anti-Leukemic Activity Of Venetoclax (Abt-199) In Aml Through Targeting Of Mcl-1, Daniel Luedtke

Wayne State University Dissertations

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a frustratingly difficult to treat disease (67% 5 year survival for children and 24% for adults). The standard of care, similar to outcomes, has seen few improvements over the last several decades. The Bcl-2 family, which controls cell survival and apoptosis, is dysregulated in AML. Bcl-2, which is overexpressed in AML and associated with chemoresistance, is a promising therapeutic target. The now FDA approved venetoclax (ABT-199) is a BH3 mimetic that is able to bind to anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and prevent it from sequestering pro-apoptotic Bim. While overall response rates are promising, our lab and others …

Sprouty4 Is A Negative Regulator Of Erk/Mapk Signaling In Breast Cancer And Plays A Role In The Transition From In Situ To Invasive Disease, Ethan Brock

Wayne State University Dissertations

Breast ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a non-obligate precursor of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). It is still unclear which DCIS will become invasive and which will remain indolent. Previous data by our group found that Sprouty4 transcript was differentially expressed between three DCIS cell lines and a non-transformed breast epithelial cell line. Sprouty proteins are important regulators of ERK/MAPK signaling, and have been studied in various cancers. We hypothesized that Sprouty4 is an endogenous inhibitor of ERK/MAPK signaling and that its loss/reduced expression is a mechanism by which DCIS lesions progress toward IDC, including triple-negative disease. Using immunohistochemistry we …

Development Of More Light Sensitive And Red-Shifted Channelrhodopsin Variants For Optogenetic Vision Restoration, Tushar Harishkumar Ganjawala

Wayne State University Dissertations

Discovery of channelrhodopsin (ChR), a light sensitive protein from green algae, has revolutionized the field of neuroscience research by empowering scientist to control neuron through the light, the technology popularly known as optogenetics. The ChR based optogenetics is one of the promising approaches for treating blindness caused by photoreceptor degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Fundamentally, the approach is about imparting light sensitivity to surviving inner retinal cells by ectopic expression of genetically encoded light sensitive proteins, such as ChR2. Although the concept of optogenetic approach has been proved by using ChR2, a major …

Understanding The Utilization Of Community-Based Services In Late Old Age: A Participatory Approach For Connecting Through The Communication Ecology, Carrie Leach

Wayne State University Dissertations

As the pool of eligible recipients continues to grow, understanding service system utilization and barriers can help ensure very old adults can access support from their communities when needed. Mounting research demonstrates that investment in community-based services to ensure seniors remain independent translates to saved government dollars. As a contributing researcher of a multi-year county-wide older adult needs assessment in Monroe County, Michigan, data collected from 1,870 people revealed a communication disjuncture between seniors and service providers. In response, officials convened a post assessment working group that focused on communication and outreach. Along with members of the Community Advisory Group …

Reporting Number Needed To Treat In Clinical Trials Published In Physical Therapy Specific Literature 1989 - 2018, Susan Ann Talley

Wayne State University Dissertations

Evidence-based practice requires physical therapists to make clinical decisions about the best intervention to use when providing services to patients/clients. Although null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) is frequently used to interpret the outcome of a clinical trial investigating the comparative effectiveness of an intervention, statistical significance does not directly translate into clinical importance. Number needed to treat (NNT) is a measure of effect size (ES) that may be particularly useful when translating the results from clinical trials to PT clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to conduct a bibliometric content analysis of the methods of reporting research results …

Stress-Dependent Regulation Of A Major Node Of The Insulin-Like Peptide Network That Modulates Survival, Rashmi Chandra

Wayne State University Dissertations

Chronic stress disrupts insulin signaling, predisposing human populations to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, and other metabolic and neurological disorders, including post-traumatic disorders (PTSD). Thus, efficient recovery from stress optimizes survival. However, stress recovery in humans is difficult to study, but is much easier to dissect in model organisms. The worm genetic model Caenorhabditis elegans can switch between stressed and non-stressed states, and this switch is largely regulated by insulin signaling. Previously, the Alcedo lab proposed that insulin-like peptides (ILPs), which exist as multiple members of a protein family in both C. elegans and humans, implements a combinatorial coding strategy …

Investigation Of The Role For Methyl-Cpg Binding Protein 2 Variant Mbd2_V2 In Cancer Stem Cells And Obesity-Associated Cancers, Emily A. Teslow

Wayne State University Dissertations

Obesity is a risk factor for both TNBC and PCa, and pro-inflammatory features associated with obesity, including upregulated production of ROS, promote CSCs. Previously published work from the Bollig-Fischer laboratory established that TNBC CSCs could be inhibited by neutralizing ROS in culture with H2O2 targeted antioxidants. In this report, antioxidant treatment resulted in the downregulation of mRNA splicing variant MBD2_v2. MBD2_v2 was highly expressed in CSCs versus bulk TNBC cells and supported self-renewal in vitro. As obesity is coupled with increased ROS, we hypothesized that obesity could drive CSCs via MBD2_v2 expression. The work presented in this thesis addressed this …

Novel Insights Into The Use Of Ercc1 As A Biomarker For Response To Platinum-Based Chemotherapy In Lung Cancer, Joshua Ryan Heyza

Wayne State University Dissertations

ERCC1/XPF is a DNA endonuclease with variable expression in primary tumor specimens, and has been investigated as a predictive biomarker for efficacy of platinum-based chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancers where up to 30-60% of tumors harbor low to undetectable ERCC1 expression. The failure of an international, randomized Phase III clinical trial utilizing ERCC1 expression to predict response to platinum-based chemotherapy suggests additional mechanisms underlying the basic biology of ERCC1 in the response to platinum-DNA damage remain unknown. In this work, we aimed to characterize a panel of ERCC1 knockout cell lines generated via CRISPR-Cas9 where we identified a synthetic …

Spinal Matrix Metalloproteinase 8 Regulates Pain After Peripheral Trauma, Maral Tajerian, J. David Clark

Publications and Research

It is well documented that pain chronification requires a host of plastic mechanisms at the spinal cord (SC) level, including alterations in neuronal and glial structure and function. Such cellular plasticity necessitates the existence of a plastic extracellular matrix(ECM). Here, we describe a key role for ECM remodeling in the regulation of chronic pain following peripheral injury. Three weeks following tibia fracture in mice, we show increased levels of MMP8 in the SC. Furthermore, we show that the pharmacological or genetic downregulation of MMP8 ameliorates the pain phenotype observed after injury. These results delineate an extracellular mechanism for pain chronification, …

Nanosuspension Based Electrolyte Sensitive In Situ Gel For Topical Ocular Delivery Of Natamycin, Poorva H. Joshi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Natamycin (NT) is a commercially available antifungal drug used for the treatment of fungal keratitis, an infection which affects the clear corneal surface and its associated layers. Currently, NT is available commercially as a 5% w/v ophthalmic suspension, to be administered topically. The main objective of the present investigation was to develop and evaluate the natamycin loaded nanosuspension (NT-NS), as well as it’s corresponding in-situ gel (NT-NS-GG), for the treatment of fungal keratitis. NT-NS was prepared using homogenization technique and optimized based on size, PDI, zeta potential (ZP), assay and process stability. Further, optimized NT-NS was modified into an in-situ …

Formulation Development Of Natamycin Loaded Nanoemulsion For Ocular Drug Delivery, Kanika Goel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Natamycin (NT), also known as Pimaricin, is predominantly used as an anti-fungal medication for the treatment of fungal infections around the eye. The goal of the present study was to formulate and optimize NT loaded nanoemulsion (NT-NE) and examine its potential application in ophthalmic drug delivery. Placebos were evaluated with respect to particle size, PDI and ZP to identify the aqueous phase and lipid phase concentrations to be carried forward with NT-NE development. NT-NE were prepared by hot homogenization and ultra-probe sonication method, using Castor oil (CO) and Miglyol 812 as liquid lipids, Tween®80 and Poloxomer 188 as surfactants. NT-NE …

Formulation Strategies To Address Physiological And Anatomical Constraints For Improved Topical Ocular Drug Delivery, Karthik Yadav Janga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Delivery of therapeutic molecules to the eye has been a complicated task owing to its anatomical and physiological barriers. This dissertation delineates several formulation strategies to circumvent dynamic and static constraints hampering the ocular drug delivery. Advanced vesicular systems, bilosomes and transfersomes, were prepared to improve the ocular pharmacotherapy of natamycin (NT). NT bilosomes and transfersomes were further loaded into in situ gel systems which transformed immediately to hydrogel, in the simulated tear fluid, with good viscoelastic and mucoadhesive properties.In vitro corneal transport studies confirmed the superior permeability characteristics of NT from the optimized bilosome and transfersome in situ gel …

Development Of Continuous Manufacturing Process Of Acyclovir Ointment Using Hot-Melt Extrusion, Rui Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hot-melt extrusion is a viable technology in preparing the pharmaceutical delivery system and has been considered as an attractive alternative to conventional processing methods. The objective of this study was to utilize the advantage of continuous manufacturing in HME to design and evaluate a formulation of topical semisolid ointment. Melt fusion ointments containing 5% of acyclovir (ACV) in water-soluble base with PEG 400, PEG 1500, and PEG 3350 polymers at various ratio were prepared. A design of experiment using I-optimal design was conducted. This design was used to study the influence of polymer ratio on the physicochemical properties of the …

African American Students In Physical Therapy: Enhancing Diversity, Sherry T. Colson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

African Americans are motivated by early exposure to the profession and future expectations for their personal career path including stability work-life balance and helping others. The elimination of barriers such as finances lack of support and cultural microaggressions influences their career path. Following statistical analysis of admissions data conclusions were made that the current admissions criteria does not successfully predict first year success for any students including African American students. Lastly African American physical therapy graduates from UMMC reported excitement upon admission concerns over quotas lack of African American faculty students and physical therapists and the presence of microaggressions while …

African American Students In Physical Therapy: Enhancing Diversity, Melanie H. Lauderdale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

African Americans are motivated by early exposure to the profession and future expectations for their personal career path including stability work-life balance and helping others. The elimination of barriers such as finances lack of support and cultural microaggressions influences their career path. Following statistical analysis of admissions data conclusions were made that the current admissions criteria does not successfully predict first year success for any students including African American students. Lastly African American physical therapy graduates from UMMC reported excitement upon admission concerns over quotas lack of African American faculty students and physical therapists and the presence of microaggressions while …

Development Of Topical Oil/Peg Creams Of Voriconazole, Abhishek Shivashankar Shettar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Voriconazole (VRC) was selected as a model drug for preparation of Oil/PEG cream consisting of PEG 2000, PEG 400 and propylene glycol after performing drug-excipient compatibility studies. Twin screw processor with a 10 mm co-rotating twin screw configuration was used for preparation of oil/PEG creams. Creams prepared using twin-screw processor were characterized for the following: Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), pH, Solvent activity (as)), viscosity, drug content uniformity, in vitro drug release testing (IVRT) and in vitro permeation testing (IVPT) using human cadaver skin. Creams are heterogenous biphasic semi-solid preparations consisting of oil and aqueous phases, wherein one phase is dispersed …

Implementing Mass Spectrometry For The Structural And Compositional Analysis Of Proteins, Mohammad Riaz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lectins are sugar-binding proteins that perform various biological functions such as cellular recognition attachments etc. Pulses the dried edible seeds of certain plants are great sources of lectins and a proteomics approach directed at lectins identification would bring substantial improvement in the lectin identification process. Lectins from nine different plant species were analyzed through SDS-PAGE and proteomics analysis. After LC-MS/MS analysis proteins were identified with protein database searches using Uniprot. Functionally uncharacterized proteins were identified with database searches were annotated with the Pfam and NCBI-CCD databases. In-vitro pharmacological screening will be carried out to assess the pharmacological effects of these …

Does Widowhood Affect Cognitive Function Among Chinese Older Adults?, Zhenmei Zhang, Lydia W. Li, Hongwei Xu, Jinyu Liu

Publications and Research

There is growing evidence from Western countries that widowhood may affect cognitive health in later life. However, little is known about whether widowhood isassociated with cognitive health in Eastern Asian countries such as China and what factors may explain the association between widowhood and cognitive health. Weadd to this line of research by investigating the effect of widowhood on 2-year change in cognitive function among Chinese adults ages 55 and older from 2011 to2013, using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Cognitive function was measured by episodic memory and mental intactness (i.e.,attention and time orientation). Our results …

Assessment Of Presumed Sterility Of The Human Placenta And Maternal Bladder, Ali Alhousseini

Wayne State University Dissertations

Introduction

Preterm birth is the number one cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. A causal link has been established between infection and preterm birth. Urinary tract infection is the number one infection in pregnancy. Evaluating the existence of a placental and maternal bladder microbiome is a major scientific and clinical milestone in perinatal medicine.

Methodology and Results

Chapter 2: This is a prospective case control study. 69 placentas were collected in a sterile fashion from six groups of women without infection: Term cesarean not in labor (n=18), term cesarean in labor (n=9), term vaginal (n=21), preterm cesarean not in labor …

Classic Findings May Not Be Typical: A Rare Case Of Cutaneous Larva Migrans, Andrei Lojek, Erin Britt, Ali Hassoun

UAB Huntsville Research Day - All Presentations

2019 clinical vignette poster

Non-Operative Management Of Leaking Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms, Charles Reeder, Jeremy Johnson, Shivani Malhotra

UAB Huntsville Research Day - All Presentations

2019 clinical vignette poster

An Unusual Consequence Of Alcoholism And Recurrent Pancreatitis, Mrudula Thiriveedi, Suresh Karne, Parekha Yedla

UAB Huntsville Research Day - All Presentations

2019 clinical vignette poster

Headache: Not Just A Migraine Or Tension Headache, Sujatha Baddam, Sanjay Muttineni, Anjaneyulu Alapati

UAB Huntsville Research Day - All Presentations

2019 oral presentation