Diseases Commons^™

Investigating The Effects Of Prenatal E-Cigarette Exposure On Postnatal Liver Histology, Emma Mcclellan

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

The electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) entered the American market in the mid-2000s and quickly became popular. This product poses a significant threat to youth with 1.63 million students reporting use in 2024. Adverse health effects to different organs are well known. The liver is less studied, and despite its role in detoxification of e-cigarette chemicals, is a target of injury. Unlike the known effects of cigarettes and nicotine on the liver from adult or prenatal exposure, effects of prenatal exposure to e-cigarettes on liver remain to be defined. The current study investigated the effects of prenatal exposure of e-cigarettes on liver …

Assessing The Safety And Effectiveness Of Endovascular Treatment Vs. Surgical Repair Of Aortic Aneurysms In Patients With Marfan Syndrome: A Literature Review, Noor Baig, Zainab Mubasher, Nassos Tziviskos, Joseph Pernini, Marcus Fariello, Ryan Hickey

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: This review compares the safety and effectiveness of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) versus open surgical repair in patients with Marfan Syndrome (MFS) and thoracic aortic aneurysms. We assessed differences in mortality, length of hospital stay, renal impairment, and stroke incidence between the two techniques. Currently, open surgical repair is the gold standard treatment.

Hypothesis: As the gold standard treatment, we expect open surgical repair to have more favorable outcomes than TEVAR.

Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using studies from 2000-2024 across PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science. Studies were included if they involved adult …

Preliminary Assessment For Quality Improvement Of Hypertension Management In Kenya, Shubhangi Singh

Honors Theses

Hypertension is a leading contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality worldwide, with a disproportionate burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite relatively low rates of common behavioral risk factors, the Kasigau region of Kenya experiences high prevalence of hypertension and hypertension-related complications. This study explores self-efficacy, health beliefs, and management behaviors among adults in Kasigau to provide pilot quality improvement data for providers and future intervention planning. A cross-sectional, randomized survey of 45 adults was conducted at the Bughuta Clinic in southeastern Kenya. Participants completed a five-question hypertension-specific, self-efficacy assessment and a health belief model-based survey, with …

Navigating Insulin Access For Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes: Caregivers' Experiences And Challenges, Ella Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations

Between 2012 and 2018, the annual 14% increase in insulin prices made Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) the most expensive chronic health condition, significantly raising out-of-pocket costs for uninsured or underinsured individuals in the United States (Hayes & Farmer, 2020; Willner et al., 2020). This study utilized a qualitative content analysis methodology to explore the challenges and experiences of parents with children diagnosed with T1D with accessing insulin for their child. Five participants from various areas of the United States responded to open-ended questions both in person and via Zoom. The analysis revealed three main themes: pragmatics of managing diabetic care, …

‭Prevalence Of Potentially Pathogenic Bacteria In Showers At A Long-Term Nursing Care Facility, Joseph Caleb Kulon

Honors Theses

Pathogenic bacteria on environmental surfaces in nursing homes may contribute to the‬ growing burden of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), particularly as the U.S. population‬ ages and more individuals transition into long-term care. In this study, 70 swab samples were‬ collected from five community shower rooms at a nursing home over three sampling trips. Five‬ common shower surfaces were sampled: the floor drain, shower bench, faucet/valves, shower‬ curtain, and grab bars. Samples were processed in the UTC CIDC microbiology lab and‬ inoculated onto four selective and differential media: Hardy CHROM MRSA agar (for‬ methicillin-resistant‬‭ Staphylococcus aureus‬‭ [MRSA]‬‭ and‬‭ S. pseudintermedius‬‭ [SIM]), mannitol‬ …

Bacterial Contamination Of Wheelchairs In A Long-Term Rehabilitation Facility, Storm A. Welch

Honors Theses

The presence of bacterial contamination on wheelchair surfaces in long-term care facilities poses a significant risk to infection control and patient safety. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and diversity of bacterial species, including Staphylococcus aureus (SA), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Staphylococcus epidermidis (SE), Pseudomonas spp., and enteric bacteria on five key components of wheelchairs at a local long-term care facility. A total of 320 swabs were collected from wheelchair components, including handles for pushing, armrests, seats, wheel handles, and tires. Samples were analyzed using selective culture media, and bacterial species were identified based on colony morphology. The results …

Expanding Inducible Epithelial Resistance Against Pneumonia: Novel Virus, Novel Receptor, Michael Longmire

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Pneumonia is the leading infectious cause of death worldwide and presents a continuing risk among immunocompromised patients. Our work has been focused for many years on the phenomenon of inducible epithelial resistance, where activation of the innate immune response in the airway epithelium is necessary and sufficient to produce a pathogen-killing but self-protective environment to prevent severe disease. Inducible resistance is pathogen-agnostic and has been demonstrated against an array of respiratory infections. We achieve this using a combination of pattern recognition receptor agonists – Pam2CSK4 and ODN M362 being the current formulation – which produce synergistic levels of pathogen reduction …

Targeting Bard1 Suppresses A Myc-Dependent Transcriptional Program And Tumor Growth In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Sohum Patel, Eleanor Jenkins, Rutuj P. Kusurkar, Sherry Lee, Wei Jiang, Avinoam Nevler, Matthew Mccoy, Michael J. Pishvaian, Rosalie C. Sears, Jonathan R. Brody, Charles J. Yeo, Aditi Jain

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the deadliest cancers demanding better and more effective therapies. BARD1 or BRCA1-Associated -Ring Domain-1 plays a pivotal role in homologous recombination repair (HRR). However, its function and the underlying molecular mechanisms in PDAC are still not fully elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that BARD1 is overexpressed in PDAC and its genetic inhibition suppresses c-Myc and disrupts c-Myc dependent transcriptional program. Mechanistically, BARD1 stabilizes c-Myc through ubiquitin-proteasome system by regulating FBXW7. Importantly, targeting BARD1 using either siRNAs or CRISPR/Cas9 deletion blocks PDAC growth in vitro and in vivo, without any signs of toxicity to mice. …

Eating Behavior Differences Across Dementia Diagnoses: The Roles Of Behavioral Symptoms And Anticipatory Physiological Responses, Charlie J. Lorkovic

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Objective: To determine how behavioral symptoms and impairment of the preparatory physiological response contribute to disordered eating behaviors in dementia, particularly frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Methods: This secondary analysis utilizes data from 242 patients (191 FTD, 51 AD) who took part in a collaborative study between the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, San Francisco. Preparatory physiological responses were measured as heart rate increases from a baseline to an instruction period, when participants were informed that they were about to watch an emotional film. Behavioral symptoms, including eating behaviors, were assessed using the Neuropsychiatric …

Clinical Implications Of Mismatch Repair Deficiency In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Zachary Kaplan, Elizabeth Prezioso, Aditi Jain, Harish Lavu, Charles Yeo, Wilbur Bowne, Avinoam Nevler

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive and lethal disease, characterized by a limited response to chemotherapy and overall poor prognosis. Pancreatic cancers with a distinct mismatch repair deficiency, although relatively rare, have been shown to be associated with markedly better outcomes in comparison. Furthermore, whereas pancreatic cancers are generally unresponsive to current immunotherapy, this specific group of tumors has been shown to have a notable susceptibility to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

AIMS: In this review, we aim to summarize the relevant literature regarding mismatch-repair associated pancreatic cancers, the impacted biological mechanisms, and the resulting vulnerabilities for potential opportunistic immunotherapeutic treatment …

Serological Evaluation For Leptospirosis On Samples Received By The Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (Cvmdl), Hayden R. Samuels

Honors Scholar Theses

Leptospirosis is a globally distributed zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic species of Leptospira, motile spirochetes capable of infecting humans and animals. Transmission typically occurs through contact with water or soil contaminated by the urine of reservoirs or infected animals. Although leptospirosis is considered a neglected tropical disease, its geographic range is expanding due to climate change and urbanization. Surveillance remains limited in many regions, especially in the United States. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence and serovar diversity of Leptospira exposure in a variety of domestic and wild animals submitted to the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL). …

Exercise As An Intervention For Postpartum Depression (Ppd), Kylie P. Mistretta

Honors Scholar Theses

Objective: To illustrate the applications of exercise for preventing the development of postpartum depression (PPD) and addressing associated risk factors identified in the literature. Data Sources: PubMed and EBSCO: Academic Search Premier were accessed using the search terms exercise OR physical activity OR yoga AND postpartum depression OR postnatal depression. A secondary search of PubMed was conducted using the search terms exercise AND pregnancy AND depression OR gestational diabetes OR weight gain OR sleep quality.

Study Selection: Studies selected for inclusion were peer-reviewed, published after January 2012, written in English, and relevant to the PPD risk factors examined. Only clinical …

The Role Of Ucp2 In Pancreatic Cancer Metabolism And Its Potential As A Radiosensitizer, Emily Rieff

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) is a mitochondrial protein that regulates the flow of protons down the gradient established by the electron transport chain (ETC) without generating ATP, thus uncoupling the proton gradient from ATP generation. In tumors, specifically pancreatic cancer (PDAC), the ETC is highly stimulated to generate the copious ATP needed by the tumor to grow. However, extended ETC use increases reactive oxygen species (ROS), and if left unchecked, results in cell death. To evade this, PDAC employs antioxidant strategies, including upregulating UCP2 in tumor cells. In addition to its uncoupling function, UCP2 indirectly controls ROS levels by maintaining …

Explainable Ai (Xai) For A Machine Learning Heart Disease Prediction Model, Sai Abhishek Sanchula

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of mortality worldwide, necessitating the development of accurate and interpretable machine learning (ML) models for early diagnosis and risk assessment (World Health Organization, 2021). While ML algorithms such as logistic regression, decision trees, support vector machines (SVM) (Cortes & Vapnik, 1995), and deep learning models (LeCun et al., 2015) have demonstrated high predictive accuracy, their adoption in clinical practice is hindered by their black-box nature (Rudin, 2019). Explainable AI (XAI) techniques, including SHapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) (Lundberg & Lee, 2017), Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations (LIME) (Ribeiro et al., 2016), and feature importance analysis …

Thymosin Beta-4: A Novel Treatment For Acanthamoeba Keratitis, Victoria A. Murphey

All Theses

Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a severe corneal infection caused by the free-living amoeba, Acanthamoeba. Both stages of its life cycle (trophozoite and cyst) cause infection, primarily in contact lens wearers. It is often misdiagnosed, leading to delayed treatment and poor clinical outcomes. Current treatment options for AK rely on anti-amoebic agents that are toxic to corneal epithelial cells. Further, no single drug can eliminate both forms of the amoeba. Approximately 30% of all AK infections require a corneal transplant.

Thymosin beta-4 (Tβ4) is a G-actin binding protein synthesized in almost all human cells, including corneal epithelial cells. Tβ4 exhibits …

Normative Variability In Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness: Does It Matter Where The Peaks Are?, Sowjanya Gowrisankaran, Ashkan Abbasi, Xubo Song, Joel Schuman, Gadi Wollstein, Bhavna Antony, Hiroshi Ishikawa

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

PURPOSE: Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT), a glaucoma biomarker, has a wide normative range affecting its sensitivity and specificity for abnormality detection. The interindividual RNFLT peak location variability contribution to this wide normative range has not been directly evaluated. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of RNFLT peak normalization (PN) on normative variability.

METHODS: Circumpapillary RNFLT profiles at 1.7 mm radius from the optic nerve head (ONH) were re-sampled from optical coherence tomography (OCT) volumes (Cirrus HD-OCT, 200 × 200) obtained from one eye of 83 healthy individuals. Fovea-ONH axis (FOA) was calculated from corresponding …

Functional Vision Assessment Over 4 Years In Ush2a Using The Veteran Affairs Low-Vision Visual Functioning Questionnaire, Bela Parekh, Nicholas Peck-Dimit, Jacque L Duncan, Lassana Samarakoon, Maria Fernanda Abalem, Chris A Andrews, Isabelle Audo, Allison R Ayala, Chris Bradley, Janet K Cheetham, Gislin Dagnelie, Todd A Durham, Rachel M Huckfeldt, Gabrielle D Lacy, Brett Malbin, Michel Michaelides, David C Musch, Katarina Stingl, Christina Y Weng, Alex Z Zmejkoski, Michele Melia, K Thiran Jayasundera, Foundation Fighting Blindness Clinical Consortium Investigator Group

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of the Veterans Affairs Low Vision Visual Functioning Questionnaire (VALVVFQ-48) functional vision scores (FVS) in patients with USH2A-associated retinal degeneration. In addition, to correlate the change in the VALVVFQ-48 FVS with the change in visual function (VF) measurements.

Methods: The VALVVFQ-48 was administered verbally to participants ≥18 years of age at baseline, and after 2 and 4 years. Associations among changes in FVS and changes in VF measures were assessed using the Spearman correlation coefficients. Mixed effects regression models with a random intercept were used to estimate annual rates …

Glands Of Moll: History, Current Knowledge And Their Role In Ocular Surface Homeostasis And Disease, Michael Stopfer, Ingrid Zahn, Katharina Jüngert, Gerhard Aumüller, Frans L Moll, Martin Schicht, Helen P Makarenkova, Cintia S De Paiva, Friedrich P Paulsen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Over the last 20 years, research into the Meibomian glands of the eyelids has increased exponentially and is now widely recognized as a field of research. It is all the more astonishing that knowledge about another type of gland in the eyelids, the Moll glands or ciliary glands, has almost stagnated and there has been little to almost no progress, even though this type of gland as a whole takes up a relatively large volume in the upper and lower eyelids. There is not much information about the namesake Moll or the function of the glands although these are listed …

The Infected Diabetic Foot: Bacteraemia And Endocarditis Complicating Moderate And Severe Foot Infections, Mario C Reyes, Arthur N Tarricone, Mathew J Sideman, Michael C Siah, Bijan Najafi, Edgar J G Peters, Lawrence A Lavery

Center on Aging Staff Publications

To identify the incidence of blood stream infections (BSIs) and endocarditis in patients with diabetic foot infections (DFIs), risk factors and clinical outcomes. A post hoc analysis of 280 patients using pooled patient level data from three RTCs. Blood cultures were drawn at time of admission for DFI. Deep intraoperative cultures were obtained from infected foot wounds. Data from the 12-month follow-up were used to determine clinical outcomes. 77.1% (N = 216) had blood cultures of which 15.7% (n = 34) had BSI. One patient (3.3%) had endocarditis. Risk factors for BSI included Charcot Neuroarthropathy history (20.6% vs. 7.1%, p …

Managing Cardiovascular Health In The Hispanic Community: Implementing The Share Approach At A Primary Care Clinic, Jacqueline Molina

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to determine the effectiveness of the Seek, Help, Assess, Reach, and Evaluate (SHARE) approach in the management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in the Hispanic population at a primary care clinic while improving health literacy. The aim was that by February 2025, Hispanic patients at the clinic would achieve a 10% reduction in CVD risk factors.

Background: The project was implemented at a small private primary care clinic in Texas. CVD risk factors prevalent include hypertension, mixed hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus.

Methodology: Before implementation provider and staff were educated on the SHARE …

Advancing Research On Retinitis Pigmentosa: An Investigation Of Natural History, Visual System Plasticity, And Mutation-Independent Treatment., Cecilia A. Attaway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited retinal disease characterized by rod and then cone photoreceptor degeneration. ~25% of cases are caused by a genetic mutation that results in autosomal dominant RP (adRP). There has been a lack of exploration of the progression of degeneration in adRP models. In Chapter Two, I examined visual acuity (VA) changes, retinal structure, and function from early to late-stage disease in a murine P23H Rho ‘knock-in’ mouse model (Rho^P23H/+), the most common form of adRP in North America. To establish a natural history, I evaluated behavioral VA, using the visual water task, …

The Dynamic Role Of Hyaluronan In Acute Cardiac Wound Healing., Danielle T. Little

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During acute myocardial infarction (MI), the composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) undergoes significant changes. While collagen accumulation is one of the most well-documented ECM alterations, hyaluronan (HA) is equally abundant. However, the cellular sources, enzymatic regulation, and functional significance of HA accumulation remain largely unexplored. Here, we hypothesized that activated cardiac fibroblasts produce HA via hyaluronan synthase 2 (HAS2), facilitating scar formation and stability. Our findings demonstrate that HA accumulates post-MI and persists for at least four weeks. Through HA sizing techniques, we determined the molecular weight of this persistent HA. Additionally, RNA sequencing analysis of failing human hearts …

The Role Of Tgfβ-Activated Kinase 1 In Fibroblast Differentiation And Cardiac Remodeling After Injury., Daniel Chien Nguyen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Immediately following myocardial injury, a robust reparative response is orchestrated through intercellular communication. While various cell populations play critical roles in this process, cardiac fibroblasts have long been recognized as essential mediators of collagen synthesis and scar maturation; however, recent investigations have uncovered significant heterogeneity within the cardiac fibroblast population, revealing distinct subpopulations with roles that extend beyond their traditional functions. Notably, after tissue injury, fibroblasts exposed to damage signals can transition to an inflammatory phenotype, utilizing paracrine and autocrine signaling to coordinate immune cell recruitment and activation. Yet, the mechanisms underlying inflammatory cardiac fibroblast differentiation and their influence on …

Rod Photoreceptor Regeneration In A Zebrafish Model With Retinitis Pigmentosa, Eyad Shihabeddin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

A cellular hallmark of inherited retinal degenerative diseases is progressive loss of photoreceptors until one is completely blind. Unlike mammalian models, Zebrafish have the ability to naturally regenerate their neurons after injury or disease is detected. We have generated a zebrafish model with the most common autosomal dominant form of the inherited retinal degenerative disease known as Retinitis Pigmentosa. We utilize immunohistochemistry, single-cell RNA sequencing, several analysis tools, behavioral assays and oligonucleotides to characterize our zebrafish model and identify the transcription factors necessary for rod photoreceptor regeneration. We show that our zebrafish model has continuous degeneration and regeneration of rod …

Uncovering A Fundamental Mechanism Underlying Female Oocyte Quality And Rasopathies Using C. Elegans As A Model System, Han Bit Baek

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Signaling pathways are molecular networks that allow cells to communicate between and within themselves. They are crucial for the coordination of diverse cellular processes and are the molecular mechanism in which cells sense and respond to their environment. RAS (Rat Sarcoma) is a small GTPase that transmits extracellular growth factor signals through a downstream kinase cascade and ERK (Extracellular-signal regulated kinase) is the terminal kinase, and it controls cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and survival by phosphorylating its downstream effectors. This post translational modification regulates the effector by modulating its activity, levels, and/or interaction with other molecules. Given the …

Exploring The Immunologic Consequences Of Atrx Deficiency In Glioma, Benjamin Whitfield

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

ATRX is a key chromatin regulator that is frequently mutated across multiple cancer types. One of the most common ATRX-mutated tumor types is the adult-type glioma, IDH-mutant, Astrocytoma. It is known that ATRX mutation leads to increases in DNA damage, replication stress, and global epigenetic regulation at a cell level; however, less is known about the impact of ATRX mutation on immune signaling. Furthermore, little is known about the interaction of ATRX loss with gain-of-function mutations in IDH. In this paper we set out to explore the impact of ATRX loss on immune signaling in gliomas, both in the context …

An Investigation Into The Potential Of Cell Therapies For Acute Myeloid Leukemia (Aml) Treatment, Amanda Eckstrom

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Despite recent advances in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment, curative rates remain poor with high rates of relapse and many patients are unable to tolerate the intensive chemotherapy standard of care regimen. Cell therapies have shown great success against hematologic malignancies but face several challenges including treatment-related toxicities and human-leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching. Natural killer (NK) cells and gamma delta (γδ) T cells offer alternative effector cell options for cell therapies that do not require HLA-matching and have shown low toxicity in previous studies. In this project, we sought to evaluate FT538 induced pluripotent stem cell-derived NK (iPSC-NK) and donor-derived …

In Vitro And In Vivo Evaluation Of The Effect Of A Commercial-Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product As Quorum Sensing Inhibitors Of Salmonella Enterica Typhimurium, Ileana Loeza

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present research was to evaluate Enterococcus faecium fermentation peptides (EFP) for antibacterial activity, inhibition of biofilm formation, and anti-quorum sensing properties against Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) in in vitro trials and individual body weight and ST organ colonization in therapeutic and prophylactic models in broiler chickens. Ninety-six day-of-hatch Cobb 500 broiler chickens were randomized and assigned to one of four treatments: NC) Negative Control, no EFP treatment and no ST challenge; NC+EFP) Negative Control, EFP treatment and no ST; PC) Positive Control, no EFP treatment and ST challenge, and PC+EFP) EFP treated and ST challenged. Independent trials …

Associations Between The Timing Of 24 H Physical Activity And Diabetes Mellitus: Results From A Nationally Representative Sample Of The Us Population, Qian Xiao, Qiuyu Feng, Martin K Rutter, Gali Albalak, Heming Wang, Raymond Noordam

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Aims/hypothesis: Growing evidence suggests that timing may be an important aspect of physical activity that influences cardiometabolic health. However, the current literature is inconclusive regarding the time of day that physical activity offers the greatest metabolic advantages. We investigated associations between hourly physical activity levels and diabetes mellitus and glycaemic biomarkers in a cross-sectional and nationally representative sample of US adults.

Methods: We studied 7074 adults (mean age 48 years; 52% women) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011-2014). Physical activity was measured by actigraphy. A monitor-independent movement summary (MIMS) unit was used to derive the total activity …

Assessing The Association Between Total Cholesterol And Hospitalized Myocardial Infarction In Women Ages 32-70: An Analysis Of The Framingham Heart Study, Jolene L. Stapleton Duree

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Objective

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women that may go undiagnosed due to unexpected symptoms. The purpose of this analysis was to assess the effect of total cholesterol on the odds of hospitalized myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods

This analysis used a sample of 2,445 women from the Framingham Heart Study, an observational prospective cohort study. The exposure was total cholesterol, and the outcome was hospitalized MI. Logistic regression was used to estimate crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR). The adjusted models controlled for age, blood pressure, and diabetes. Effect modification by diabetes status was evaluated in …