Medical Microbiology Commons^™

Antibiotic-Induced Changes In Efflux Transporter Expression: A Key Factor In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilm Resistance, Zara Imtiaz, Avinash Chatoo, Will Wang, Weiqi Li, Paramita Basu

Touro College of Pharmacy (New York) Publications and Research

Listed by WHO as an antibiotic-resistant priority pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa(P.A.) is a serious threat in nosocomial infections. Its high antibiotic resistance is attributed to major mechanisms that can be categorized into intrinsic, acquired, and adaptive resistance. This study tests the ability of three commonly used antibiotics to inhibit new biofilm formation and eradicate mature biofilm growth, as well as investigate changes in the expression levels of selected genes coding for multidrug efflux pumps in P.A. planktonic cells and biofilms before and after treatment with antibiotics to provide a conceptual estimate of the activity of the efflux transporters that work to …

Jag1/2 Maintain Esophageal Homeostasis And Suppress Foregut Tumorigenesis By Restricting The Basal Progenitor Cell Pool, Haidi Huang, Yu Jiang, Jiangying Liu, Dan Luo, Jianghong Yuan, Rongzi Mu, Xiang Yu, Donglei Sun, Jihong Lin, Qiyue Chen, Xinjing Li, Ming Jiang, Jianming Xu, Bo Chu, Chengqian Yin, Lei Zhang, Youqiong Ye, Bo Cao, Qiong Wang, Yongchun Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Basal progenitor cells are crucial for maintaining foregut (the esophagus and forestomach) homeostasis. When their function is dysregulated, it can promote inflammation and tumorigenesis. However, the mechanisms underlying these processes remain largely unclear. Here, we employ genetic mouse models to reveal that Jag1/2 regulate esophageal homeostasis and foregut tumorigenesis by modulating the function of basal progenitor cells. Deletion of Jag1/2 in mice disrupts esophageal and forestomach epithelial homeostasis. Mechanistically, Jag1/2 deficiency impairs activation of Notch signaling, leading to reduced squamous epithelial differentiation and expansion of basal progenitor cells. Moreover, Jag1/2 deficiency exacerbates the deoxycholic acid (DCA)-induced squamous epithelial injury and …

Seasonality, Clinical Characteristics, And Outcomes Of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease By Subtype Among Children Aged <5 Years: New Vaccine Surveillance Network, United States, 2016-2020, Ariana P Toepfer, Justin Z Amarin, Andrew J Spieker, Laura S Stewart, Mary Allen Staat, Elizabeth P Schlaudecker, Geoffrey A Weinberg, Peter G Szilagyi, Janet A Englund, Eileen J Klein, Marian G Michaels, John V Williams, Rangaraj Selvarangan, Christopher J Harrison, Joana Y Lively, Pedro A Piedra, Vasanthi Avadhanula, Brian Rha, James Chappell, Meredith Mcmorrow, Heidi Moline, Natasha B Halasa

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute respiratory illnesses in children. RSV can be broadly categorized into 2 major subtypes: A and B. RSV subtypes have been known to cocirculate with variability in different regions of the world. Clinical associations with viral subtype have been studied among children with conflicting findings such that no conclusive relationships between RSV subtype and severity have been established.

METHODS: During 2016-2020, children aged/guardian interviews, chart reviews, and collection of midturbinate nasal plus/minus throat swabs for RSV (RSV-A, RSV-B, and untyped) using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS: Among 6398 RSV-positive …

Standard Rodent Diets Differentially Impact Alcohol Consumption, Preference, And Gut Microbiome Diversity, Aline Zaparte, Evan Dore, Selby White, Franciely Paliarin, Cameron Gabriel, Katherine Copenhaver, Samhita Basavanhalli, Emily Garcia, Rishith Vaddavalli, Meng Luo, Christopher M. Taylor, David Allen Welsh, Rajani Maiya

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a complex and widespread disease with limited pharmacotherapies. Preclinical animal models of AUD use a variety of voluntary alcohol consumption procedures to recapitulate different phases of AUD, including binge alcohol consumption and dependence. However, voluntary alcohol consumption in mice is widely variable, making it difficult to reproduce results across labs. Accumulating evidence indicates that different brands of commercially available rodent chow can profoundly influence alcohol intake. In this study, we investigated the effects of three commercially available and widely used rodent diet formulations on alcohol consumption and preference in C57BL/6 J mice using the 24 …

Evaluation Of Fusobacterium Nucleatum Enoyl-Acp Reductase (Fabk) As A Narrow-Spectrum Drug Target, Jacob T Rutherford, Kristiana Avad, Chetna Dureja, Krissada Norseeda, Bibek Gc, Chenggang Wu, Dianqing Sun, Kirk E Hevener, Julian G Hurdle

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Fusobacterium nucleatum, a pathobiont inhabiting the oral cavity, contributes to opportunistic diseases, such as periodontal diseases and gastrointestinal cancers, which involve microbiota imbalance. Broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents, while effective against F. nucleatum infections, can exacerbate dysbiosis. This necessitates the discovery of more targeted narrow-spectrum antimicrobial agents. We therefore investigated the potential for the fusobacterial enoyl-ACP reductase II (ENR II) isoenzyme FnFabK (C4N14_ 04250) as a narrow-spectrum drug target. ENRs catalyze the rate-limiting step in the bacterial fatty acid synthesis pathway. Bioinformatics revealed that of the four distinct bacterial ENR isoforms, F. nucleatum specifically encodes FnFabK. Genetic studies revealed …

Mustang: Multi-Sample Spatial Transcriptomics Data Analysis With Cross-Sample Transcriptional Similarity Guidance, Seyednami Niyakan, Jianting Sheng, Yuliang Cao, Xiang Zhang, Zhan Xu, Ling Wu, Stephen T C Wong, Xiaoning Qian

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Spatially resolved transcriptomics has revolutionized genome-scale transcriptomic profiling by providing high-resolution characterization of transcriptional patterns. Here, we present our spatial transcriptomics analysis framework, MUSTANG (MUlti-sample Spatial Transcriptomics data ANalysis with cross-sample transcriptional similarity Guidance), which is capable of performing multi-sample spatial transcriptomics spot cellular deconvolution by allowing both cross-sample expression-based similarity information sharing as well as spatial correlation in gene expression patterns within samples. Experiments on a semi-synthetic spatial transcriptomics dataset and three real-world spatial transcriptomics datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of MUSTANG in revealing biological insights inherent in the cellular characterization of tissue samples under study.

A Bioinformatic Analysis Of T-Cell Epitope Diversity In Sars-Cov-2 Variants: Association With Covid-19 Clinical Severity In The United States Population, Grace J. Kim, Jacob H. Elnaggar, Mallory Varnado, Amy K. Feehan, Darlene Tauzier, Rebecca Rose, Susanna L. Lamers, Maya Sevalia, Najah Nicholas, Elizabeth Gravois, Daniel Fort, Judy S. Crabtree, Lucio Miele

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Long-term immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) requires the identification of T-cell epitopes affecting host immunogenicity. In this computational study, we explored the CD8+ epitope diversity estimated in 27 of the most common HLA-A and HLA-B alleles, representing most of the United States population. Analysis of 16 SARS-CoV-2 variants [B.1, Alpha (B.1.1.7), five Delta (AY.100, AY.25, AY.3, AY.3.1, AY.44), and nine Omicron (BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2, BA.4, BA.5, BQ.1, BQ.1.1, XBB.1, XBB.1.5)] in analyzed MHC class I alleles revealed that SARS-CoV-2 CD8+ epitope conservation was estimated at 87.6%–96.5% in spike (S), 92.5%–99.6% in membrane (M), and 94.6%–99% in …

Optimization Of The Antifungal Properties Of The Bacterial Peptide Entv By Variant Analysis, Shantanu Guha, Shane A Cristy, Giuseppe Buda De Cesare, Melissa R Cruz, Michael C Lorenz, Danielle A Garsin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Fungal resistance to commonly used medicines is a growing public health threat, and there is a dire need to develop new classes of antifungals. We previously described a peptide produced by Enterococcus faecalis, EntV, that restricts Candida albicans to a benign form rather than having direct fungicidal activity. Moreover, we showed that one 12-amino acid (aa) alpha helix of this peptide retained full activity, with partial activity down to the 10aa alpha helix. Using these peptides as a starting point, the current investigation sought to identify the critical features necessary for antifungal activity and to screen for new variants …

Progress Toward A Vaccine For Extraintestinal Pathogenic Coli (Expec) Ii: Efficacy Of A Toxin-Autotransporter Dual Antigen Approach, Yikun Xing, Justin R Clark, James D Chang, Jacob J Zulk, Dylan M Chirman, Felipe-Andres Piedra, Ellen E Vaughan, Haroldo J Hernandez Santos, Kathryn A Patras, Anthony W Maresso

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) is a leading cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality, the top cause of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections, and the most frequent cause of life-threatening sepsis and urinary tract infections (UTI) in adults. The development of an effective and universal vaccine is complicated by this pathogen’s pan-genome, its ability to mix and match virulence factors and AMR genes via horizontal gene transfer, an inability to decipher commensal from pathogens, and its intimate association and co-evolution with mammals. Using a pan virulome analysis of >20,000 sequenced E. coli strains, we identified the secreted cytolysin α-hemolysin (HlyA) as a …

Serine Deamination By Human Serine Racemase Synergizes With Antibiotics To Curtail The Replication Of Chlamydia Trachomatis, Patricia D. Mott, Arnold H. Zea, Jamiya Lewis, Oygul Mirzalieva, Ashok A. Aiyar

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

The obligate intracellular bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis, has evolved to depend on its human host for many metabolites, including most amino acids and three of the four nucleotides. Given this, it is not surprising that depletion of a single amino acid in the host cell growth medium blocks chlamydial replication. Paradoxically, supra-normal levels of some amino acids also block productive replication of Chlamydia. Here, we have determined how elevated serine levels, generated by exogenous supplementation, impede chlamydial inclusion development and reduce the generation of infectious progeny. Our findings reveal that human serine racemase, which is broadly expressed in multiple tissues, potentiates …

Autologous Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cells To Treat Severe Traumatic Brain Injury In Children, Charles S Cox, David M Notrica, Jenifer Juranek, Jeffrey H Miller, Fabio Triolo, Steven Kosmach, Sean I Savitz, P David Adelson, Claudia Pedroza, Scott D Olson, Michael C Scott, Akshita Kumar, Benjamin M Aertker, Henry W Caplan, Margaret L Jackson, Brijesh S Gill, Robert A Hetz, Michael S Lavoie, Linda Ewing-Cobbs

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNCs) infused after severe traumatic brain injury have shown promise for treating the injury. We evaluated their impact in children, particularly their hypothesized ability to preserve the blood–brain barrier and diminish neuroinflammation, leading to structural CNS preservation with improved outcomes.

We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-sham-controlled Bayesian dose-escalation clinical trial at two children's hospitals in Houston, TX and Phoenix, AZ, USA (NCT01851083). Patients 5–17 years of age with severe traumatic brain injury (Glasgow Coma Scale score ≤ 8) were randomized to BMMNC or placebo (3:2). Bone marrow harvest, cell isolation and infusion were …

Sialic Acid-Siglec-E Interactions Regulate The Response Of Neonatal Macrophages To Group B Streptococcus, Sean J Lund, Pamela G B Del Rosario, Asami Honda, Kaitlin J Caoili, Marten A Hoeksema, Victor Nizet, Kathryn A Patras, Lawrence S Prince

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The mammalian Siglec receptor sialoadhesin (Siglec1, CD169) confers innate immunity against the encapsulated pathogen group B Streptococcus (GBS). Newborn lung macrophages have lower expression levels of sialoadhesin at birth compared with the postnatal period, increasing their susceptibility to GBS infection. In this study, we investigate the mechanisms regulating sialoadhesin expression in the newborn mouse lung. In both neonatal and adult mice, GBS lung infection reduced Siglec1 expression, potentially delaying acquisition of immunity in neonates. Suppression of Siglec1 expression required interactions between sialic acid on the GBS capsule and the inhibitory host receptor Siglec-E. The Siglec1 gene contains multiple STAT binding …

Performance Of A Stool-Based Quantitative Pcr Assay For The Diagnosis Of Tuberculosis In Adolescents And Adults: A Multinational, Prospective Diagnostic Accuracy Study, Alexander Kay, Anca Vasiliu, Lucia Carratala-Castro, Bariki Mtafya, Jose Euberto Mendez Reyes, Nontobeko Maphalala, Shilzia Munguambe, Durbbin Mulengwa, Tara Ness, Belen Saavedra, Jason Bacha, Gugu Maphalala, Rojelio Mejia, Godwin Mtetwa, Sozinho Acacio, Patricia Manjate, Edson Mambuque, Nosisa Shiba, Nokwanda Kota, Mangaliso Ziyane, Nyanda Elias Ntinginya, Christoph Lange, H Lester Kirchner, Andrew R Dinardo, Alberto L Garcia-Basteiro, Anna Maria Mandalakas, Stool4tb Global Partnership

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Despite increasing availability of rapid molecular tests for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in high-burden settings, many people with tuberculosis are undiagnosed. Reliance on sputum as the primary specimen for tuberculosis diagnostics contributes to this diagnostic gap. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy and additive yield of a novel stool quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in three countries in Africa with high tuberculosis burdens.

METHODS: We undertook a prospective diagnostic accuracy study in Eswatini, Mozambique, and Tanzania from Sept 21, 2020, to Feb 2, 2023, to compare the diagnostic accuracy for tuberculosis of a novel stool qPCR …

Investigating The Role Of The Gut Microbiota On Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Mediated Colitis, Taylor Halsey, Robert Jenq

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been revolutionary in the fight against cancer by recruiting the host immune system as an agent for attack on malignant cells. Unfortunately, immune-related adverse events (irAEs), including ICI-mediated colitis (IMC), are common side effects that result from immune cell mediated damage on healthy tissues. Recent studies have highlighted a role for the gut microbiota in modulating ICI-mediated anti-tumor responses, but less is known regarding how the gut microbiota may impact on irAEs. Considering that the gastrointestinal tract harbors thousands of unique microbial species, many of which are known to modulate the immune system, microbes and …

Molecular Basis Of Cell Membrane Adaption Against Daptomycin In Enterococcus Faecalis, April Nguyen

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Daptomycin is a last-resort lipopeptide antibiotic that disrupts cell membrane (CM) and peptidoglycan homeostasis (Grein et al., 2020a; Müller et al., 2016a). Enterococcus faecalis has developed a sophisticated mechanism to avoid daptomycin killing by redistributing CM anionic phospholipids away from the septum. The CM changes are orchestrated by a three-component regulatory system, designated LiaFSR, with a possible contribution of cardiolipin synthase (Cls) (Cesar A Arias et al., 2011a; Khan et al., 2019b; Palmer et al., 2011a; Panesso et al., 2015a; Reyes et al., 2015a). However, the mechanism by which LiaFSR controls the cell membrane response and the role of Cls …

Study On A Strong Polymer Gel By The Addition Of Micron Graphite Oxide Powder And Its Plugging Of Fracture, Bin Shi, Guangming Zhang, Lei Zhang, Chengjun Wang, Zhonghui Li, Fangping Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

It is difficult to plug the fracture water channeling of a fractured low-permeability reservoir during water flooding by using the conventional acrylamide polymer gel due to its weak mechanical properties. For this problem, micron graphite powder is added to enhance the comprehensive properties of the acrylamide polymer gel, which can improve the plugging effect of fracture water channeling. The chemical principle of this process is that the hydroxyl and carboxyl groups of the layered micron graphite powder can undergo physicochemical interactions with the amide groups of the polyacrylamide molecule chain. As a rigid structure, the graphite powder can support the …

Mir4435-2hg As A Possible Novel Predictive Biomarker Of Chemotherapy Response And Death In Pediatric B-Cell All, Yulieth Torres-Llanos, Jovanny Zabaleta, Nataly Cruz-Rodriguez, Sandra Quijano, Paula Carolina Guzmán, Iliana De Los Reyes, Nathaly Poveda-Garavito, Ana Infante, Liliana Lopez-Kleine, Alba Lucía Combita

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction: Although B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-cell ALL) survival rates have improved in recent years, Hispanic children continue to have poorer survival rates. There are few tools available to identify at the time of diagnosis whether the patient will respond to induction therapy. Our goal was to identify predictive biomarkers of treatment response, which could also serve as prognostic biomarkers of death, by identifying methylated and differentially expressed genes between patients with positive minimal residual disease (MRD+) and negative minimal residual disease (MRD-). Methods: DNA and RNA were extracted from tumor blasts separated by immunomagnetic columns. Illumina MethlationEPIC and mRNA …

Quorum-Sensing Agr System Of Staphylococcus Aureus Primes Gene Expression For Protection From Lethal Oxidative Stress, Magdalena Podkowik, Andrew I Perault, Gregory Putzel, Andrew Pountain, Jisun Kim, Ashley L Dumont, Erin E Zwack, Robert J Ulrich, Theodora K Karagounis, Chunyi Zhou, Andreas F Haag, Julia Shenderovich, Gregory A Wasserman, Junbeom Kwon, John Chen, Anthony R Richardson, Jeffrey N Weiser, Carla R Nowosad, Desmond S Lun, Dane Parker, Alejandro Pironti, Xilin Zhao, Karl Drlica, Itai Yanai, Victor J Torres, Bo Shopsin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The agr quorum-sensing system links Staphylococcus aureus metabolism to virulence, in part by increasing bacterial survival during exposure to lethal concentrations of H2O2, a crucial host defense against S. aureus. We now report that protection by agr surprisingly extends beyond post-exponential growth to the exit from stationary phase when the agr system is no longer turned on. Thus, agr can be considered a constitutive protective factor. Deletion of agr resulted in decreased ATP levels and growth, despite increased rates of respiration or fermentation at appropriate oxygen tensions, suggesting that Δagr cells undergo a shift towards a hyperactive metabolic …

Histone Proteoform Analysis Reveals Epigenetic Changes In Adult Mouse Brown Adipose Tissue In Response To Cold Stress, Bethany C Taylor, Loic H Steinthal, Michelle Dias, Hari Krishna Yalamanchili, Scott A Ochsner, Gladys E Zapata, Nitesh R Mehta, Neil J Mckenna, Nicolas L Young, Alli M Nuotio-Antar

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Regulation of the thermogenic response by brown adipose tissue (BAT) is an important component of energy homeostasis with implications for the treatment of obesity and diabetes. Our preliminary analyses of RNA-Seq data uncovered many nodes representing epigenetic modifiers that are altered in BAT in response to chronic thermogenic activation. Thus, we hypothesized that chronic thermogenic activation broadly alters epigenetic modifications of DNA and histones in BAT.

RESULTS: Motivated to understand how BAT function is regulated epigenetically, we developed a novel method for the first-ever unbiased top-down proteomic quantitation of histone modifications in BAT and validated our results with a …

Headache And Vision Loss As Initial Symptoms For An Acute Invasive Rhino-Orbital-Cerebral Mucormycosis, Thanh Le Od, Gregg Wentworth Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Background: Acute invasive rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) is a rare fungal infection commonly caused by Rhizopus species. It occurs in immune- compromised individuals who have acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), leukemia, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, or organ transplant patients who are on immunosuppressive therapy. Diagnosing invasive ROCM is challenging because its clinical presentation can be nonspecific, and it is not frequently observed in ophthalmic practices. Case Report: A 66-year-old Hispanic male with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus presented with the complaint of severe headache and retrobulbar pain in the right eye. An ophthalmic examination revealed normal ocular health in both eyes. Computerized tomography …

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 …

The Inflammatory Response Of Patients With Major Burns And Traumatic Injuries, Jared M. Robinson, Sophia Trinh, Jenna Dennis, Cameron Fontenot, Jeffrey Hobden, Jonathan E. Schoen, Herb A. Phelan Iii, Jeffrey E. Carter, Alison A. Smith

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

56th Annual Meeting of the American Burn Association, 2024; April 9 - April 12, 2024; Chicago, IL

Eye Infection Risks From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Via Hand Soap And Eye Drops, Anna Gitter, Kristina D Mena, Karla S Mendez, Fuqing Wu, Charles P Gerba

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Eye infections from bacterial contamination of bulk-refillable liquid soap dispensers and artificial tear eye drops continue to occur, resulting in adverse health outcomes that include impaired vision or eye enucleation. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), a common cause of eye infections, can grow in eye drop containers and refillable soap dispensers to high numbers. To assess the risk of eye infection, a quantitative microbial risk assessment for P. aeruginosa was conducted to predict the probability of an eye infection for two potential exposure scenarios: (i) individuals using bacteria-contaminated eye drops and (ii) contact lens wearers washing their hands with …

Syntaxin 3 Is Haplosufficient For Long-Term Photoreceptor Survival In The Mouse Retina, Tahira Jabeen, Muhammad Shahid Khan, Sana Javaid, Waqar Azeem, Rabia Ayoub, Martin Motola

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Here, synthesis and thorough characterization of β-NaFeO2 nanoparticles utilizing a co-precipitation technique is presented. XRD analysis confirmed a hexagonal-phase structure of β-NaFeO2. SEM revealed well-dispersed spherical nanoparticles with an average diameter of 45 nm. The FTIR spectrum analysis revealed weak adsorption bands at 1054 cm-1 suggested metal-metal bond stretching (Fe-Na). UV-Visible spectroscopy indicates a 4.4 eV optical band gap. Colloidal stability of β-NaFeO2 was evidenced via Zeta potential (-28.5 mV) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) measurements. BET analysis reveals a substantial 343.27 m2 g-1 surface area with mesoporous characteristics. Antioxidant analysis indicates efficacy comparable to standard antioxidants, while concentration-dependent antibacterial …

An Exploration Of The Effectiveness Of Xanthorrhiza Simplicissima And Its Secondary Alkaloids As Antibiotics Against Staphylococcus Aureus With The Use Of Reserpine, Donald Bothe, Savita Chaurasia

Undergraduate Theses

Xanthorhiza simplicissima is a plant that is steeped in medical history. It has been used for hundreds of years by the Native Americans, and later by the Europeans, of Appalachia for its medicinal properties. One of the most useful medical applications of this plant are its antibiotic properties, as typified by its use as a tea that was consumed to treat mouth sores. These antibiotic properties can be attributed to some of its secondary alkaloids such as berberine, liriodenine, oxyacanthine, and magnoflorine. These compounds have been studied in other systems; however, oxyacanthine and magnoflorine have not been researched in tandem …

Association Of F. Alocis And D. Pneumosintes With Periodontitis Disease Severity And Red Complex Bacteria, Hawaabi F.M. Shaikh, Pratima U. Oswal, Manohar Suresh Kugaji, Sandeep S. Katti, Kishore Gajanan Bhat, Eswar Kandaswamy, Vinayak M. Joshi

School of Dentistry Faculty Publications

Oral biofilms are considered the principal etiological agent in the development of periodontitis. Novel species that may contribute to periodontitis and dysbiosis have been identified recently. The study aims to evaluate the presence of F. alocis and D. pneumosintes in healthy and diseased patients and their association with clinical parameters and with red complex bacteria. The study included 60 subjects, with 30 patients each in the healthy and periodontitis groups. The clinical parameters were noted, and samples were subjected to DNA extraction followed by a polymerase chain reaction. Statistical analysis was performed using the Graph Pad Prism software. Results: F. …

Genomes Of Bacteroides Ovatus, B Cellulosilyticus, B Uniformis, Phocaeicola Vulgatus, And P Dorei Isolated From Gut Cavernous Fistulous Tract Micropathologies In Crohn’S Disease, Vaidhvi Singh, Gail West, Claudio Fiocchi, Fabio Cominelli, Caryn E Good, Michael R Jacobs, Alexander Rodriguez-Palacios

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Surgically removed bowels from Crohn's disease patients exhibit a novel form of micropathologies known as cavernous fistulous tract microlesions (CavFT), resembling fissures. We announce the genomes/plasmids and antimicrobial resistance genes of six CavFT bacterial isolates representing the Bacteroidota genera Bacteroides and Phocaeicola. Plasmids were identified in Bacteroides cellulosilyticus and Phocaeicola vulgatus.

Targeted Deletion Of Nr2f2 And Vcam1 In Theca Cells Impacts Ovarian Follicular Development: Insights Into Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?†, Nicholes R Candelaria, Joanne S Richards

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Defining features of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) include elevated expression of steroidogenic genes, theca cell androgen biosynthesis, and peripheral levels of androgens. In previous studies, we identified vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1) as a selective androgen target gene in specific NR2F2/SF1 (+/+) theca cells. By deleting NR2F2 and VCAM1 selectively in CYP17A1 theca cells in mice, we documented that NR2F2 and VCAM1 impact distinct and sometimes opposing theca cell functions that alter ovarian follicular development in vivo: including major changes in ovarian morphology, steroidogenesis, gene expression profiles, immunolocalization images (NR5A1, CYP11A1, NOTCH1, CYP17A1, INSL3, VCAM1, NR2F2) as well as …

Typhlitis In A Neutropenic Patient, Alice He Bs, Wern Lynn Ng Md, Lay She Ng Md, Si Yuan Khor Md, Chandi Garg Md

Tower Health Research Day

No abstract provided.

Gut Microbial Dysbiosis Differs In Two Distinct Cachectic Tumor-Bearing Models Consuming The Same Diet, Lauri O. Byerley, Brittany Lorenzen, Hsiao Man Chang, William G. Hartman, Michael J. Keenan, Ryan Page, Meng Luo, Scot E. Dowd, Christopher M. Taylor

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

The impact of cancer cachexia on the colonic microbiota is poorly characterized. This study assessed the effect of two cachectic-producing tumor types on the gut microbiota to determine if a similar dysbiosis could be found. In addition, it was determined if a diet containing an immunonutrient-rich food (walnuts) known to promote the growth of probiotic bacteria in the colon could alter the dysbiosis and slow cachexia. Male Fisher 344 rats were randomly assigned to a semi-purified diet with or without walnuts. Then, within each diet group, rats were further assigned randomly to a treatment group: tumor-bearing ad libitum fed (TB), …