Efficacy Of Probiotics In Decreasing Rates Of Necrotizing Enterocolitis And Sepsis In Preterm Neonates, Valisa K. Teekadharry

Theses and Graduate Projects

Background: The incidence of preterm infants developing serious infections is a common finding in many neonatal intensive care units. Probiotics have been a supplement that has been used by numerous people to improve the microbiota of the intestine for prevention of infection.

Purpose: The purpose of this literature review is to explore the efficacy of using probiotics in preterm infants for prevention of serious infections such as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and sepsis.

Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted using Lindell Library, Pub Med, Science Direct and Google Scholar. Using the search terms probiotics, probiotics in premature infants, probiotics and …

Emotional Response In Working Memory Of Individuals With Latent Toxoplasmosis, Antonella Quimbayo

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Toxoplasma gondii is a prevalent parasite that infects about 30% of the world population. House cats and other felids serve as definitive hosts and acquire Toxoplasma by consuming infected prey, which are intermediate hosts. This includes rats and avians, but also large mammals such as wolves and deer. Toxoplasma gondii is known to manipulate prey behavior to enhance its transmission. For example, infected rodents demonstrates attraction to and curiosity around cat urine. Wolves infected with Toxoplasma were 11 times more likely to disperse from their pack and start a new pack. The manipulation of intermediate host behavior observed in rodents …

Inactivated Rabies-Based Lassa Fever Virus Vaccine Candidate Lassarab Protects Nonhuman Primates From Lethal Disease, Gabrielle Scher, Catherine Yankowski, Drishya Kurup, Nicole Josleyn, Eric Wilkinson, Jay Wells, Jesse Steffens, Ginger Lynn, Sean Vantongeren, Xiankun Zeng, Nancy Twenhafel, Kathleen Cashman, Matthias Schnell

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

Lassa fever virus (LASV), a member of the Arenavirus family, is the etiological agent of Lassa fever, a severe hemorrhagic disease that causes considerable morbidity and mortality in the endemic areas of West Africa. LASV is a rodent-borne CDC Tier One biological threat agent and is on the World Health Organization's (WHO) Priority Pathogen list. Currently, no FDA-licensed vaccines or specific therapeutics are available. Here, we describe the efficacy of a deactivated rabies virus (RABV)-based vaccine encoding the glycoprotein precursor (GPC) of LASV (LASSARAB). Nonhuman primates (NHPs) were administered a two-dose regimen of LASSARAB or an irrelevant RABV-based vaccine to …

Dying Right: Supporting Anti-Cancer Therapy Through Immunogenic Cell Death, Elizabeth Schmitz

Theses & Dissertations

The primary goal of most anti-cancer therapy is to eradicate neoplastic cells. Simultaneously, neoplastic cell death is the first step of the cancer-immunity cycle, which starts with the release of antigens from cancer cells and ends with T-cell directed killing of cancer cells, in addition to long-standing memory to tumor antigens encountered. Immunogenic damage-associated-molecular patterns (DAMPs) are endogenous cell molecules repurposed in times of insurmountable cell stress (e.g., CALR, ATP, HMGB1) to facilitate communication between dying cells and adaptive immune cells, acting as adjuvants for the cancer-immunity cycle, in a cellular fate termed immunogenic cell death (ICD). It …

Analyzing Hiv/Aids Trends And Disparities In The Bronx: A Comparative Study With Nyc Boroughs, Caleb Adjei

CUNY Mexican Studies Institute

This study analyzes changes in reported HIV/AIDS cases over time in the Bronx, identifying the racial/ethnic groups and neighborhoods most affected by the disease. The Bronx consistently exhibits the highest rate of new HIV diagnoses among New York City’s boroughs, with Latino/Hispanic and Black populations being disproportionately impacted. Key neighborhoods like High Bridge-Morrisania, Crotona-Tremont, and Fordham-Bronx Park have the highest case concentrations. Despite advancements in healthcare and treatments like antiretroviral therapy, disparities persist. The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to support the most affected communities and address the underlying social determinants contributing to the disparities in HIV/AIDS diagnoses.

The Role Of Southern Red-Backed Voles, Myodes Gapperi, And Peromyscus Mice In The Enzootic Maintenance Of Lyme Disease Spirochetes In North Dakota, Usa, Michael W. Dougherty, Nathan M. Russart, Robert A. Gaultney, Emily Marie Gisi, Haley M. Cooper, Lindsey R. Kallis, Catherine A. Brissette, Jefferson A. Vaughan

Biology Faculty Publications

Lyme disease has expanded into the Great Plains of the USA. To investigate local enzootic transmission, small mammals were trapped in two forested tracts in northeastern North Dakota during 2012 and 2013. Peromyscus mice and southern red-backed voles, Myodes gapperi, comprised over 90% of all mammals captured. One site was dominated by Peromyscus (79% of 100 mammals captured). At the other site, M. gapperi (59% of 107 mammals captured) was more abundant than Peromyscus (36%). Immature stages of two tick species parasitized small mammals: Dermacentor variabilis and Ixodes scapularis. Larval I. scapularis ectoparasitism was significantly higher on Peromyscus (81% …

Lactoferrin And Lysozyme To Promote Nutritional, Clinical And Enteric Recovery: A Protocol For A Factorial, Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Randomised Trial Among Children With Diarrhoea And Malnutrition (The Boresha Afya Trial), Ruchi Tiwari, Kirkby Tickell, Emily Yoshioka, Joyce Otieno, Adeel Shah, Barbra Richardson, Lucia Keter, Maureen Okello, Churchil Nyabinda, Indi Trehan

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Introduction: Children with moderate or severe wasting are at particularly high risk of recurrent or persistent diarrhoea, nutritional deterioration and death following a diarrhoeal episode. Lactoferrin and lysozyme are nutritional supplements that may reduce the risk of recurrent diarrhoeal episodes and accelerate nutritional recovery by treating or preventing underlying enteric infections and/or improving enteric function.

Methods and analysis: In this factorial, blinded, placebo-controlled randomised trial, we aim to determine the efficacy of lactoferrin and lysozyme supplementation in decreasing diarrhoea incidence and improving nutritional recovery in Kenyan children convalescing from comorbid diarrhoea and wasting. Six hundred children aged 6–24 months with …

Uncovering The Hidden Diversity Of Antibody Heavy Chains And Their Implications For Autoantibody Mediated Disease., Easton Earl Ford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the diversity of antibody (IG) molecules at the DNA and RNA level is imperative for understanding immunological processes and disease. Much of the work to uncover IG diversity has been focused on diversity in the variable region of the IG molecule which is crucial for antigen binding. However, the diversity of the constant region responsible for the functions of IG has largely been ignored in the field of immunogenetics. The work presented in this thesis challenges the dogma that the constant region is invariant in terms of genetic diversity. In this thesis we present the development of a long-read …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Exercise-Stimulated Resolution Of Inflammation And Its Dietary Dependence., Ernesto H. Pena Calderin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diet-induced obesity and adipose tissue (AT) inflammation that ensues sets the stage for systemic metabolic inflammation, disrupted insulin signaling, and eventual type 2 diabetes (T2D) development. At the center of this pathology lies a disruption in endogenous inflammation resolution pathways characterized by an imbalance in lipid mediator production (greater abundance of pro-inflammatory to pro-resolving lipids). Additionally, obese states are characterized by adrenergic deficiency, especially in response to physical activity. Inflammatory processes have been experimentally mitigated by either the pharmacological inhibition of pro-inflammatory signals (i.e., Leukotriene B₄ (LTB₄) and its receptor BLT1, which establishes a potent chemotactic stimulus …

Comprehensive Investigation Into The Molecular Mechanisms Driving The Emergence Of Emm4 Group A Streptococcus, Chioma Odo, Samuel A Shelburne, Anthony R. Flores, Steven J Norris, Anna Konovalova, Blake Hanson

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Abstract

Comprehensive Investigation into the Molecular Mechanisms Driving the Emergence of emm4 Group A Streptococcus

Chioma Modeline Odo, M.S.

Advisory Professor: Samuel A. Shelburne, MD, Ph.D.

The major gram-positive bacterium group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a model organism for studying microbial epidemics as it is well known to cause infections that occur in waves. GAS strains are grouped based on the composition of the N-terminal sequence of the M protein which is encoded by the emm gene. With the advent of large-scale whole genome sequencing, GAS clonal emergence events in emm1, emm3, and emm89 types have been identified …

Tsyn-Seq: A T Cell Synapse-Based Antigen Identification Platform, Yimei Jin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Tools for genome-wide rapid identification of peptide–major histocompatibility complex targets of T-cell receptors (TCRs) are not yet universally available. We present a new antigen screening method, the T-synapse (Tsyn) reporter system, which includes antigen-presenting cells (APCs) with a Fas-inducible NF-κB reporter and T cells with a nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) reporter. To functionally screen for target antigens from a cDNA library, productively interacting T cell–APC aggregates were detected by dual reporter activity and enriched by flow sorting followed by antigen identification quantified by deep sequencing (Tsyn-seq). When applied to a previously characterized TCR specific for the E7 …

The Role Of An Ultraconserved Long Non-Coding Rna In B-Cell Lymphomagenesis, Swati Mohapatra

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Ultraconserved regions (UCRs) are genomic segments with perfect (100%) conservation between the orthologous regions of human, rat, and mouse genomes. UCRs can be transcribed into mono-exonic long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) known as transcribed ultraconserved regions (T-UCRs). These regions, despite lacking protein-coding potential, are increasingly recognized for their regulatory roles in gene expression, including the modulation of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) transcripts. NcRNAs play crucial roles in cellular processes, including oncogenic transformation, with emerging evidence revealing their ability to encode small peptides known as ncRNA-encoded peptides (ncPEPs). These peptides, originating from small open reading frames (smORFs), contribute to diverse cellular functions and …

Candida Albicans Farnesol Synthesis And Secretion, Daniel J. Gutzmann

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Candida albicans is a polymorphic fungus and opportunistic commensal found primarily in the gastrointestinal and skin of healthy individuals. Several barriers prevent C. albicans from causing disease including a healthy immune system and microbiome. When these barriers become comprised, C. albicans can transition to a pathogen and disseminate through the intestinal mucosa leading to life-threatening bloodstream and invasive infections with mortality rates of up to 64%. Morphogenic plasticity is key to this transition and impacts virulence, adaptation to different host environments, and evasion of host immune responses. One regulator of morphogenesis is farnesol. Farnesol is a secondary metabolite of …

Partial Immunity To Mycoplasma Gallisepticum After An Initial Infection Is Long-Lasting And Reduces Transmission In Flocks Of Canaries, Madeline Sudnick

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pathology during a second infection can be influenced by immunity and an increase in resistance or tolerance of individuals. Population-level differences in the ability to maintain immunity can lead to contrasting survival outcomes between groups and determine how future outbreaks will spread. However, long term wildlife disease surveillance can be challenging due to lack of infrastructure and host-pathogen specific tests. Calculating disease transmission likelihood requires understanding individual-level heterogeneity in pathology and behavior, and there is limited knowledge in understanding how populations in different stages of an epidemic will transmit disease. In Chapter I, we aim to help fill a gap …

Adaptative Survival Of Aspergillus Fumigatus To Echinocandins Arises From Cell Wall Remodeling Beyond Β−1,3-Glucan Synthesis Inhibition, Malitha C. Dickwella Widanage, Isha Gautam, Daipayan Sarkar, Frederic Mentink-Vigier, Josh V. Vermaas, Shi You Ding, Andrew S. Lipton, Thierry Fontaine, Jean Paul Latgé, Ping Wang, Tuo Wang

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Antifungal echinocandins inhibit the biosynthesis of β−1,3-glucan, a major and essential polysaccharide component of the fungal cell wall. However, the efficacy of echinocandins against the pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus is limited. Here, we use solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) and other techniques to show that echinocandins induce dynamic changes in the assembly of mobile and rigid polymers within the A. fumigatus cell wall. The reduction of β−1,3-glucan induced by echinocandins is accompanied by a concurrent increase in levels of chitin, chitosan, and highly polymorphic α−1,3-glucans, whose physical association with chitin maintains cell wall integrity and modulates water permeability. The rearrangement of …

Adaptive Immune Profiling Of Sin Nombre Hantavirus And Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection, Tonilynn M. Baranowski

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Hantaviruses are causative agents of potentially fatal respiratory illness and/or organ failure in humans worldwide. In the United States, the predominant hantavirus species, Sin Nombre hantavirus (SNV), causes a severe disease pathology, called hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). Infection with SNV and subsequent clinical manifestations of HCPS lends itself to case fatality rates approaching 40%, even under supportive care. This is partially due to the lack of FDA-approved vaccines and antivirals, in addition to a deficit in our knowledge regarding the human immune response to SNV. Further investigation of the adaptive immune response may reveal key targets to mediate disease outcome. …

Co-Localization Of Osteoclasts Differentiation Markers In An Implant Model In Diabetic Mice, Diego Adobbati, Deborah Rocha Seixas, Danieli Rodrigues, Claudia C. Biguetti

School of Podiatric Medicine - Student Research

Introduction and Hypothesis: Diabetes can impair implant osseointegration and impact implant functionality. While significant research has focused on osteogenesis during the osseointegration, little attention has been given to pre-osteoclast differentiation. We hypothesize that diabetes increases pre-osteoclast activity potentially leading to implant failure. This study aims to identify and localize osteoclast markers, specifically DC-STAMP (Dendritic Cell-Specific Transmembrane Protein) and NFATc2 (Nuclear Factor of Activated T-cells, cytoplasmic 2), in diabetic (D) and non-diabetic (ND) mice.

Methodology: Twenty-four 16-week-old male 129 Sv mice (12 diabetic and 12 non-diabetic) underwent implantation with a 0.5x1.5 mm commercially pure titanium screw in the right maxillary bone. …

Host-Microbiome Interactions In The Teleost Brain, Amir Mani Varnoosfaderani

Biology ETDs

This dissertation investigates host-microbial interactions within the teleost brain, previously considered sterile. Reviewing current literature highlights significant gaps in understanding teleost brain immunity, despite prevalent neurotropic diseases. We mapped the immune profiles of rainbow trout brains and meninges, revealing the olfactory bulbs as the immune effector part of the brain and the optic tectum as a nod2 expression hub. High il6 and il10 levels were noted in the telencephalon. A persistent bacterial community within healthy salmonid brains shares diversity with gut and blood microbiota. Brain bacterial isolates exhibit genomic signatures for brain colonization and polyamine biosynthesis. The microbiota shifts across …

Role Of Acute Alcohol Exposure In Klebsiella Pneumoniae-Induced Pneumonia, Prantho Malakar Dipta

LSU Master's Theses

Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP), a Gram-negative bacterium, induces severe pneumonia associated with devastating pathological consequences in the lung, such as substantial parenchymal damage. K. pneumoniae is responsible for causing life-threatening lung infections in patients with alcoholics and diabetics. The need to look for new therapeutic approaches is due to the emergence of Klebsiella pneumoniae strains that are resistant to many drugs. The effects of acute alcohol consumption on the host’s innate immune response to KP during infection remain unclear. Age-matched C57BL/6 female mice were administered 6g/kg of 32% alcohol or same amount of PBS via oral gavage 30 minutes prior to …

Real-World Evidence Study On The Early Use Of Cemiplimab In The Uk: React-Cemi (Real World Evidence Of Advanced Cscc Treatment With Cemiplimab), Amarnath Challapalli, Grant Stewart, Heather Shaw, Peter John Davies, Juan Carlos Lopez-Baez, Edward C Ottley, Stephen Kelly

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Cemiplimab was licensed in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2019 for the treatment of patients with locally advanced and metastatic CSCC not suitable for curative surgery or radiotherapy (advanced CSCC [aCSCC]). No UK multi-center studies have investigated the real-world experience of cemiplimab post marketing authorization in aCSCC.

METHODS: This non-interventional retrospective study (10 UK centers) involved data collection from medical records of patients with aCSCC who initiated cemiplimab treatment between 2 July 2019 and 30 November 2020. The study period was a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 36 months post cemiplimab initiation. The primary objective was to …