Biotechnology Commons^™

Effect Of Rehmannia Glutinosa Libosch Extract On Proliferation And Cardiogenic Pre-Differentiation Of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Huu Dat Nguyen, Len Ho Thi, Xuan Bach Ho, Van Anh Cao, Duy Minh Le Hoang

BioMedicine

Background: Vietnamese medicine tried and tested certain bioactive compounds from plants to increase the rate of tissue immunomodulation, regeneration, and differentiation. Although there are many research papers discovered about phytochemicals of Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch and differentiation induction potential of some substances purified from this herbal, it finds difficult to seek research that investigated the effect of Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch extract on proliferation and cardiogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells, even though it has commonly been used for a long time because of its function as a restorative and as a critical role in cardiovascular treatment in traditional.

Results: Our …

Role Of Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediators In Reducing Neuroinflammation In Neurodegenerative Disorders, Jana Ponce, Arzu Ulu, Corrine Hanson, Erin Cameron-Smith, Jenna Wuebker, John Bertoni, Alfred Fisher, Ka-Chun Siu, Vivien Marmelat, Jiri Adamec, Danish Bhatti

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are neurodegenerative disorders that affect millions of individuals worldwide. As incidence of these conditions increases with age, there will undoubtedly be an increased prevalence of cases in the near future. Neuroinflammation is a hallmark in the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases and prevention or resolution of chronic neuroinflammation may represent a novel approach to treatment. The present review highlights the potential of the anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving effects of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)- derived mediators (Specialized Pro-resolving Mediators—SPM) in neurodegenerative disorders. PUFA-derived SPM are biosynthesized in response to chemicals produced from acute inflammatory …

Characterization Of Testis-Derived Mesenchymal Cells And The Hunt For Universal Stemness Markers, Myret Ghabriel

Theses and Dissertations

Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells residing in multiple tissues with the capacity for self-renewal and differentiation into various cell types. Due to the myriad sources of MSCs the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) proposed certain criteria for their characterization. Here, we isolate adult MSCs from mouse testes and demonstrate that these testis-derived MSCs (tMSCs) follow some of the ISCT’s criteria. tMSCs expressed the MSCs surface markers CD44, CD73, and CD29 and lacked the expression of the hematopoietic cell marker CD45. Moreover, the cells displayed the capacity for self-renewal and in vitro differentiation into adipocytes. Since the isolation …

Detection Of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infections Using Molecular Methods, Fred C. Tenover, Isabella A. Tickler

Biology Faculty Publications

The application of molecular detection methods for bacterial pathogens has dramatically improved the outcomes of septic patients, including those with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. Molecular methods can be applied to a variety of clinical specimens including nasal swabs, growth in blood culture bottles, and wounds. While data show that the overall accuracy of molecular tests for MRSA is high, results can be confounded by the presence of multiple staphylococcal species in a specimen, insertions and deletions of DNA in and around the Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec (SCCmec) element, and point mutations in mecA. Herein, we explore the complexities of …

Two Heads Are Better Than One: Current Landscape Of Integrating Qsp And Machine Learning, Tongli Zhang, Ioannis P. Androulakis, Peter Bonate, Limei Cheng, Tomáš Helikar, Jaimit Parikh, Christopher Rackauckas, Kalyanasundaram Subramanian, Carolyn R. Cho

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) modeling is applied to address essential questions in drug development, such as the mechanism of action of a therapeutic agent and the progression of disease. Meanwhile, machine learning (ML) approaches also contribute to answering these questions via the analysis of multi-layer ‘omics’ data such as gene expression, proteomics, metabolomics, and high-throughput imaging. Furthermore, ML approaches can also be applied to aspects of QSP modeling. Both approaches are powerful tools and there is considerable interest in integrating QSP modeling and ML. So far, a few successful implementations have been carried out from which we have learned about …

Role Of Simulation In Open Varicose Veins Surgery: A Systematic Review, Muhammad Ammar Pirzada, Fareed Ahmed Shaikh, Shoaib Badini, Nadeem Ahmed Siddiqui

Department of Surgery Docs

Objective: To assess the types and effectiveness of simulators present for open varicose vein surgery.
Methods: The systematic review was conducted at The Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi and comprised studies published from 1st January 2000 to 30th June 2020 related to open varicose vein surgical procedures done on simulators. Databases searched were PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, Cochrane and Scopus using appropriate key words. The primary outcome of the review was to assess the effectiveness of different types of simulators used for varicose vein surgery.
Results: Of the 286 articles found, 6(2%) were included. A variety of simulators ranging from …

Innovations In Surgery Between The Past And Future: A Narrative Review Of Targeted Literature, Obada Hasan, Ahmed Ayaz, Laiba Masood, Abdul Mannan Baig, Naveed Baloch

Medical College Documents

Innovation is the introduction of a new method or technology designed to change the way things are done. History is full of remarkable innovations in surgery over the years as surgeons have always been innovating and pioneering latest techniques and equipment that can benefit the mankind. Though persistent, progress has been far from uniform. Despite all the bells and whistles that these innovations bring to the table, the little acknowledged fact is that they are only accessible to a very small proportion of the global population. Five billion people on this planet do not even have access to an operating …

A Predictive Model For Geographical Location Using Microbiome Composition And Covid-19 Based Analysis, Ahmed Adel Aboushanab

Theses and Dissertations

The human microbiome is a main contributor for the health and welfare of the human body. It is affected by many factors like diet and hygiene. These factors differ between different populations. Testing the population-microbiome differences using healthy samples from different countries is the first objective of this study. This data was then used in training and testing machine learning models (Random Forest and L2-logistic Regression Classifiers) for the prediction of the geographical location based on the microbiome data. Random Forest Classifier had the highest accuracy. Feature importance analysis showed that the data for Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes improved the …

Selective Gsk3Β Inhibition Mediates An Nrf2-Independent Anti-Inflammatory Microglial Response, Mohamed H. Yousef

Theses and Dissertations

Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 (GSK3) is associated with the proinflammatory phenotype of microglia and has been shown to act in concert with Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). . GSK3 is also a suppressor of Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), the principal regulator of redox homeostasis. Agreeing with the oxidative paradigm of aging, Nrf2 is often deregulated in parainflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we aimed to explore a multimodal disease-modifying utility of GSK3 inhibition, beyond neuronal proteopathologies, Furthermore, we aimed to underscore the difference in therapeutic value between the two GSK3 paralogs by isoform-selective chemical inhibition.

The …

Clinical Performance Of The Xpert® Ct/Ng Test For Detection Of Chlamydia Trachomatis And Neisseria Gonorrhoeae: A Multicenter Evaluation In Chinese Urban Hospitals, Fred C. Tenover, Yan Han, Mei-Qin Shi, Qing-Ping Jiang, Wen-Jing Le, Xiao-Lin Qin, Han-Zhen Xiong, He-Ping Zheng, Yi-Wei Tang, Yue-Ping Yin

Biology Faculty Publications

Background: We aimed to evaluate the clinical performance of the GeneXpert® (Xpert) CT/NG assay for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) using urine and cervical swabs collected from patients in China.

Methods: This study was conducted from September 2016 to September 2018 in three Chinese urban hospitals. The results from the Xpert CT/NG test were compared to those from the Roche cobas® 4800 CT/NG test. Discordant results were confirmed by DNA sequence analysis.

Results: In this study, 619 first void urine (FVU) specimens and 1,042 cervical swab specimens were included in the final dataset. There were …

Genome Structure And Evolutionary History Of Frankincense Producing Boswellia Sacra, Abdul Latif Khan, Ahmed Al-Harrasi, Jin-Peng Wang, Sajjad Asaf, Jean-Jack Riethoven, Tariq Shehzad, Chia-Sin Liew, Xiao-Ming Song, Daniel P. Schachtman, Chao Liu, Ji-Gao Yu, Zhi-Kang Zhang, Fan-Bo Meng, Jia-Qing Yuan, Chen-Dan Wei, He Guo, Xuewen Wang, Ahmed Al-Rawahi, In-Jung Lee, Jeffrey L. Bennetzen, Xi-Yin Wang

Nebraska Center for Biotechnology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Boswellia sacra Flueck (family Burseraceae) tree is wounded to produce frankincense. We report its de novo assembled genome (667.8 Mb) comprising 18,564 high-confidence protein-encoding genes. Comparing conserved single-copy genes across eudicots suggest >97% gene space assembly of B. sacra genome. Evolutionary history shows B. sacra gene-duplications derived from recent paralogous events and retained from ancient hexaploidy shared with other eudicots. The genome indicated a major expansion of Gypsy retroelements in last 2 million years. The B. sacra genetic diversity showed four clades intermixed with a primary genotype—dominating most resin-productive trees. Further, the stemtranscriptome revealed that wounding concurrently activates phytohormones signaling, …

Characterizing Isoform Switching Events In Esophageal Adenocarcinoma, Yun Zhang, Katherine M. Weh, Connor L. Howard, Jean-Jack Riethoven, Jennifer L. Clarke, Kiran H. Lagisetty, Jules Lin, Rishindra M. Reddy, Andrew C. Chang, David G. Beer, Laura A. Kresty

Nebraska Center for Biotechnology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Isoform switching events with predicted functional consequences are common in many cancers, but characterization of switching events in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is lacking. Next-generation sequencing was used to detect levels of RNA transcripts and identify specific isoforms in treatment- naïve esophageal tissues ranging from premalignant Barrett’s esophagus (BE), BE with low- or high-grade dysplasia (BE.LGD, BE.HGD), and EAC. Samples were stratified by histopathology and TP53 mutation status, identifying significant isoform switching events with predicted functional consequences. Comparing BE.LGD with BE.HGD, a histopathology linked to cancer progression, isoform switching events were identified in 75 genes including KRAS, RNF128, and WRAP53. Stratification …

Spatially Controlled Monolayers For Electrically Switchable Biomolecule Detection, Eduard Lukhmanov

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The development of biosensors that are low-waste, highly stable, and possess an ability to be interchanged between capturing and non-capturing configurations is promising for the biodetector field. Stable packing and attachment of the sensor, the ability to create an interchangeable detecting probe of interest relatively easily, and dynamic control of the probe via a reversible bias can provide for that. With the set goals to control all those properties, DNA-dendron conjugate molecules were designed, synthesized in solution, purified, and utilized to make self-assembled monolayers of single-stranded DNA on gold. To be able to manipulate the conjugates’ sensing qualities in the …

Hydroponic Lab Growing Guide Bell Peppers, Zachary N. Russell

Hydroponic Center

This is a guide for growing Bell Peppers in the Hydroponic Lab. It states how the plant was grown from propagation, which system the plant was grown in, the plants optimal conditions (PPM, pH), and time frame until fully grown.

Sugar Snap Organic Pea Hydroponic Grow Guide, Levi Mitchell

Hydroponic Center

Hydroponic Grow Guide for Sugar Snap Organic Peas in a MGS hydroponic system. Hydroponically grown Sugar Snap Peas are a vine-structured plant which require over five feet of overhead height for the vines to grow their structure before fruiting peas. This grow guide covers the optimal nutrient range, optimal pH range, propagation and growing techniques, as well as special considerations for future projects involved with growing sugar snap peas.

Editing Genes In Baker’S Yeast To Model Rare Mitochondrial Diseases, Alyssa Dekker, Amy Wilstermann, Rachael Baker

Summer Research

BCS1L is a nuclear-encoded mitochondrial member of the AAA+ (ATPases associated with various cellular activities) family of proteins. BCS1L functions as a translocase in the integration of the Rieske Fe/S protein into respiratory chain complex III during assembly. BCS1L may also play a role in mitochondrial morphology

The Covid-19 Pandemic And The Importance Of Financing The Biotechnology Industry In South Africa, Ramazan Uctu, Karen Eksteen

The Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance

Whether it is a government research institution, a public-private partnership, or a private enterprise, the South African biotechnology industry requires funding for the biotechnology industry. Our goal with this research is to look into the role of venture capital (VC) in financing biotech enterprises and demonstrate how VC finance could aid in the development of diagnostic kits and vaccines for Covid-19 or future pandemics in South Africa.

The study aims to provide policymakers with a clear image of the importance of funding the biotechnology sector, notably during the Covid-19 period, as recognized by the industry's key players. We employed a …

Metabolic Synergy Between Human Symbionts Bacteroides And Methanobrevibacter, Jennie L. Catlett, Sean Carr, Mikaela Cashman, Megan D. Smith, Mary Walter, Zahmeeth Sakkaff, Christine A. Kelley, Massimiliano Pierobon, Myra B. Cohen, Nicole R. Buan

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

ABSTRACT Trophic interactions between microbes are postulated to determine whether a host microbiome is healthy or causes predisposition to disease. Two abundant taxa, the Gram-negative heterotrophic bacterium Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and the methanogenic archaeon Methanobrevibacter smithii, are proposed to have a synergistic metabolic relationship. Both organisms play vital roles in human gut health; B. thetaiotaomicron assists the host by fermenting dietary polysaccharides, whereas M. smithii consumes end-stage fermentation products and is hypothesized to relieve feedback inhibition of upstream microbes such as B. thetaiotaomicron. To study their metabolic interactions, we defined and optimized a coculture system and used software testing …

Arginine Catabolism And Polyamine Biosynthesis Pathway Disparities Within Francisella Tularensis Subpopulations, Yinshi Yue, Bhanwar Lal Puniya, Tomáš Helikar, Benjamin Girardo, Steven H. Hinrichs, Marilyn A. Larson

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Francisella tularensis is a highly infectious zoonotic pathogen with as few as 10 organisms causing tularemia, a disease that is fatal if untreated. Although F. tularensis subspecies tularensis (type A) and subspecies holarctica (type B) share over 99.5% average nucleotide identity, notable differences exist in genomic organization and pathogenicity. The type A clade has been further divided into subtypes A.I and A.II, with A.I strains being recognized as some of the most virulent bacterial pathogens known. In this study, we report on major disparities that exist between the F. tularensis subpopulations in arginine catabolism and subsequent polyamine biosynthesis. The genes …

Design And Development Of Medical Devices For Multifaceted Applications, Madisyn Messmore

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The fields of biotechnology and biomedical sciences are rapidly evolving and involve the constant growth of knowledge. As a consequence, engineering design has to also remain at the cutting edge in order to not inhibit the growth of these fields. This study focuses on engineering design and analysis as it pertains to the field of biotechnology, at every step of the engineering process. More specifically, how the engineering design and analysis approach can assist in solving medical problems relating to bone diseases and biomaterials. The first part of the study focuses on a project to design and manufacture a novel …