Medical Immunology Commons^™

When Nutrition Fails: Modeling Protein Malnutrition-Driven Vulnerability In Hepatic Drug Metabolism And Inflammatory Stress, Vijitha D. Kantety, Victor Jiminez Jr.

Annual Research Symposium

Background

Protein malnutrition remains a major global health problem and frequently co-occurs with alcohol use, opioid exposure, and infectious disease, particularly in low- and middle-income settings. The liver is central to both metabolism and inflammatory regulation, yet the effects of a malnutrition-like nutrient environment on hepatic responses to combined metabolic and inflammatory insults are not well defined. Cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4), a key enzyme involved in opioid metabolism, is highly sensitive to inflammatory signaling and may be especially vulnerable under conditions of nutritional deficiency. This project aims to 1) develop an in vitro model of nutritionally competent versus amino acid–restricted …

Skin Manifestations In People With Hepatitis C, Erjola Toska, Cameron Minars, Suzanne Riskin

HCA-NSU MD Research Day

Skin Manifestations in People with Hepatitis C Authors: Erjola Toska, OMS-III, Cameron Minars, OMS-II, Suzanne Riskin, M.D. Objectives: This study is aimed to summarize the association between hepatitis C infection and dermatological manifestations from the past decade. Background: Hepatitis C is a growing global health concern, with rising incidence rates and an increased likelihood of extrahepatic manifestations, including dermatological conditions. Despite research into the connection between hepatitis C and skin disorders, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews on this subject. Methods: Four databases—PubMed (NLM), EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science—were searched for peer-reviewed articles written in English, focusing on …

Nosebleed No More: Recognizing And Diagnosing Factor Viii Inhibitor, Salam Harb, Leidy Huie Martinez Md, Jose Alvarado Md, Ajit Koli Do, Hazem Nasef Ms4

HCA-NSU MD Research Day

Acquired hemophilia is a condition characterized by the unexpected onset of severe bleeding due to an issue with coagulation factors. Typically, this disorder results from the production of autoantibodies against the Factor VIII coagulation factor. Although acquired hemophilia is an extremely rare condition, with an annual incidence of just 1.5 cases per million, it is crucial to recognize and understand it. This is because diagnosing this disorder is intricate, and if left undiagnosed and untreated, it can lead to high levels of morbidity and mortality. This case stands out as the condition typically targets older adults, with around 80% of …

Chromatin Pattern Quantification For The Differentiation Of White Blood Cells, Paul Young, Ryan Cordner, Abigail Gordhamer

Annual Research Symposium

Nuclear chromatin patterns have been used historically to distinguish between different developmental stages and lineages of white blood cells. While it is common to characterize cells based on arbitrary ‘open’ or ‘closed’ chromatin patterns, quantification of chromatin data is lacking. By extracting nuclei from a database of white blood cells and running fractal analyses using TWOMBLI, we were able to produce meaningful data quantifying chromatin patterns. Our data were put through a random forest algorithm which grouped each point based on relationship probability. The algorithm compared immature and mature cell types as well as cells of similar maturity and differing …

Emerging Unconventional Therapies For Glioblastoma Multiforme, Danielle Morang

Capstone Showcase

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most prevalent and aggressive primary malignant brain tumor occurring in adults with a median survival of less than two years. It is a highly invasive tumor characterized by genetic heterogeneity, angiogenesis, and rapid proliferation. Patients undergo a multimodal treatment regimen consisting of surgical resection and chemoradiation therapy, yet GBM tumors almost always recur with a worsening prognosis. The molecular and genetic complexities of GBM pose a significant challenge for developing effective therapeutics. Thus, it is imperative to identify new therapeutic targets and explore novel treatment strategies to improve patients’ overall survival time and quality of …

Investigating Differences In Iga Antibody Response Against Aspergillus Fumigatus In Wild Type And Tlr7 Protein Deficient Mice, Courtney Folk

Student Academic Conference

Aspergillus fumigatus is a commonly inhaled, respiratory fungal pathogen and an allergen found in flooded indoor environments, household dust, soil, and plant matter. While a competent immune system effectively clears the inhaled fungus, this same fungus poses a significant threat to weakened immune systems due to its potential to invade the lungs, bloodstream and brain tissue. The mouse genome is 99% similar to the human genome and can serve effectively model the effects of inhaled A. fumigatus (Guénet, 2005). Antibodies play a crucial role in neutralizing pathogens and in mediating an allergic response. In this study, we will investigate the …

Development Of A Pd-L1 Pet Imaging Biomarker, Caleb Jack Bridgwater

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Immunotherapy strategies are very promising treatments for cancer patients. Specifically, Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy focusing on the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway shows long-lasting positive results in many cancer patients. Unfortunately, not all the patients can benefit from this highly effective treatment. Hence, there is a great need for predictive biomarkers. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining has been used as a way of predicting patient response, yet shows many problems. For example, IHC utilizes an invasive biopsy and sample fixing, which creates an incomplete and delayed picture of the patient’s biochemistry and the tumor microenvironment, consequently ignoring metastases.

The purpose of this study is to …