Laboratory and Basic Science Research Commons^™

Comparative Genomics Of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells And Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells, Samia Ismail

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

As of 2017, vascular diseases contributed to 23.1% of all deaths in America. To address the need for more effective and sustainable treatment options for these ailments, stem cell differentiation and implantation has emerged as a viable alternative to standard bypass and graft insertions. A completely autologous treatment can be achieved by extracting adult stem cells, differentiating them into vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and then reimplanting these cells at the affected tissue site. This study aims to investigate the efficiency of the VSMC differentiation from human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) by comparing 4 cell lines of untreated hMSCs with …

The Role Of Protein Degradation In Cancer Cachexia In Female Tumor Bearing Mice, Noah Thomas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Cancer is a leading cause of death in the world in which half of the people affected by this disease die from its effects. Cancer-cachexia is a syndrome associated with the significant loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, which cannot be fully reversed by nutritional intervention alone and in turn, impairs the host. Cancer-cachexia affects 50-80% of cancer patients and is a primary cause of death accounting for 20-40% of cancer related deaths. Efforts to reverse the effects of cancer-related cachexia have been largely unsuccessful and have primarily focused on the late stages of CC. Methods: Lewis Lung …

Ctrp3 And Alcoholic Liver Disease In Female Mice, Callie Root

Undergraduate Honors Theses

C1q TNF Related Protein 3 (CTRP3), is a cytokine that is primarily secreted from adipose tissue, which classifies it as an adipokine. Our previous research has shown that CTRP3 prevents alcoholic fatty liver disease (ALD) in male mice. However, even when accounting for confounding factors such as absolute and relative alcohol intake, females are more sensitive to the effects of consumption compared to male mice. Therefore, the goal of this project was to determine whether CTRP3 prevented ALD in female mice. Methods: Female wild type (WT) and female CTRP3 transgenic over expressing (Tg) mice were fed an ethanol containing liquid …

Assessment Of Dual Schistosome Infection Prevalence From Urine In An Endemic Community Of Ghana By Molecular Diagnostic Approach, William K. Anyan, Brittany R. Pulkkila, Clare E. Dyra, Miriam Price, Jean M. Naples, Joseph Quartey, Abraham K. Anang, Nilanjan Lodh

Clinical Lab Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Schistosomiasis is an important Neglected Tropical Disease caused by blood parasites called schistosomes. In sub-Saharan Africa, two major human schistosomes, namely Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium, often occur sympatrically and is responsible for almost 90% of the affected 290 million people worldwide. We have utilized a highly sensitive and specific assay by amplifying species-specific cell-free repeat DNA fragments by polymerase chain reaction to detect either single or dual schistosome infection from a single urine sample from a broad age group. In this study, we have tested filtered urine samples collected from 163 individuals aged 3–63 years, mostly children (median …

Alternative Polyadenylation Modulates Expression Of Pro-Fibrotic Proteins And Contributes To Lung Fibrosis, Junsuk Ko

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic lung disease which affects about 5 to 8 million individuals in the world. Despite the high prevalence, there is currently no cure for IPF, and the cause of this disease is still unclear. Our laboratory and collaborators have shown that nudix hydrolase 21 (NUDT21, which is also known as cleavage factor 25, CFIm25) is a key regulator of alternative polyadenylation (APA). NUDT21 depletion causes 3’UTR shortening via APA leading to enhanced mRNA stability and protein translation. This NUDT21 reduction promotes tumor growth in glioblastoma by enhancing expression of oncogenes. Cancer and IPF share …

Understanding Intercellular Signaling During Lung Injury-Repair, Margo Patricia Cain

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The mammalian lung is a complex system of specialized cell types with precise spatial organization designed to cooperate to perform gas exchange. These cell types together coordinate organ development, homeostasis, and repair after injury through signals either presented or secreted, known as ligands, to be received by receptors on the surface of another, or in some cases, the same cell. The alveolar region of the lung, the primary region of gas exchange, responds to various types of injuries with different lung repair mechanisms. In order to explore how the various cell types in the lung communicate to drive tissue repair …

An Analysis Of Crispr-Cas Gene Editing In Agriculture, Ashley Laliberte

Honors Scholar Theses

The CRISPR-Cas system is a promising form of gene editing, especially for the agriculture industry. The ability to make single-nucleotide edits within a gene of interest, without the need to introduce foreign DNA, is a powerful tool for designing healthier and more efficient crops and food animals. This system provides opportunity for increased nutritional value, decreased food waste, and more economically and environmentally sustainable food production. Though this biotechnology is facing mechanistic limitations due to off-target effects and inefficient homology-directed repair, vast improvements have already been made to improve its efficacy. The CRISPR-Cas system is already the most advanced form …

158— Optimization And Development Of The Luria-Delbrück Experiment For Geneseo Genetics Labs, Abigail Scheffler

GREAT Day Posters

The classic genetics experiment by Salvador Luria and Max Delbruck showed that mutations are present prior to selection rather than arising in response to selective pressures. In this experiment, we used Escherichia coli as our model organism and the antibiotics streptomycin and rifampicin to show students in a laboratory setting how this hypothesis can be applied. Specifically, we optimized antibiotic concentrations and the amount of bacterial cells to use in order for the activity to run smoothly and consistently in a student laboratory. We found that the ideal conditions are 1000 cells/ml and 25 micrograms/ml of streptomycin. These concentrations showed …

Elucidation Of The Mechanisms By Which Anesthetics Induce Blood-Brain Barrier Breakdown And Delirium In The Elderly, George A. Godsey Ii

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Delirium is a highly prevalent neuropsychiatric or neurocognitive disorder that presents a major problem to modern healthcare. Patients suffering from delirium normally have a worse prognosis, prolonged hospital stay, increased hospital cost, long-term cognitive impairment, and higher mortality rates. Many factors can predispose one to develop delirium, which makes treating this disorder a daunting task. Unfortunately, delirium is the most common psychiatric syndrome found in the hospital setting. In fact, a form of delirium known as postoperative delirium (POD) is one of the most common postoperative complications faced by elderly patients undergoing surgery.

POD is a major problem in modern …

Assessing Microplastic Pollution In Four Mile Run, An Urban Stream In Northern Virginia, Kurt Moser, Tessa Naughton-Rockwell, Louisa Wang, Ethan Litmans, Amanda Manoogian

Virginia Journal of Science

Microplastics are pollutants of concern in waterways and oceans for their persistence and impact on aquatic life and food webs. This study demonstrates a low-cost land-based sampling method to assess the extent of microplastic pollution found in Four Mile Run, an urban stream in Northern Virginia. Microplastic particle counts in environmental and treated wastewater ranged from 0.01-0.24 particles L^-1 (mean 0.08 particles L^-1) and from 2 to 446 µg L^-1 (mean 70 µg L^-1), with fibers found to be the most common microplastic category. Treated wastewater effluent was found to be a significant source …

Using Active Learning To Build A Foundation For Bioinformatics Training., Stacey E. Wahl Ph.D., Amy L. Olex Ms

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

As Health Sciences Libraries evolve, the support they offer graduate students has evolved to incorporate many aspects of the research life cycle. At Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences, we have partnered with the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research to offer training workshops for graduate students who are interested in using bioinformatics to plan, analyze, or execute scientific experiments. We offer two series: 1) an 8-week, 1-hour per week seminar series providing a general overview of available techniques and 2) a week-long intensive, two hours per session, series on utilizing free databases from the National Center for Biotechnology …

Valorization Of Carrot Processing Waste, Alexandra M. Duval

Master's Theses

Commercial carrot processors produce up to 175,000 tons of carrot waste annually. Carrot Mash (CM) is the term referring to the waste by-product of peeled baby carrot processing. Transportation of carrot processing waste is expensive due to its high- water content (approx. 83-95%). High in bioactive compounds (carotenoids) and dietary fibers, it is expected that its conversion into a value-added by-product is of interest to the carrot processing industry. Hemicellulose-rich plant materials have proven to be a source of oligosaccharides, which are known for their beneficial prebiotic activity. The objectives of this research were to: 1) determine the effect of …

Polyphenol-Rich Purple Corn Pericarp Extract Adversely Impacts Herbivore Growth And Development, Mandeep Tayal, Pavel Somavat, Isabella Rodriguez, Tina Thomas, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Rupesh R. Kariyat

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Plant secondary metabolites such as terpenes, phenolics, glycosides, and alkaloids play various functional roles including pigmentation, foliar and floral volatile synthesis, hormonal regulation, and direct and indirect defenses. Among these, phenolic compounds are commonly found in plants, but vary in the distribution of their specific compounds among plant families. Polyphenols, including anthocyanins and tannins, are widely distributed and have been well documented for their roles- primarily in plant pigmentation and also in plant defenses. However, commercialization of such compounds for use in insect pest management is severely hampered by expensive, inefficient, and time-consuming extraction protocols. Using a recently developed inexpensive …

A Review Of The Scientific Rigor, Reproducibility, And Transparency Studies Conducted By The Abrf Research Groups., Sheenah M Mische, Nancy C Fisher, Susan M Meyn, Katia Sol Church, Rebecca L Hegstad-Davies, Frances Weis-Garcia, Marie Adams, John M Ashton, Kym M Delventhal, Julie A Dragon, Laura Holmes, Pratik Jagtap, Christopher E Mason, Magnus Palmblad, Brian C Searle, Christoph W Turck, Kevin L Knudtson

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Shared research resource facilities, also known as core laboratories (Cores), are responsible for generating a significant and growing portion of the research data in academic biomedical research institutions. Cores represent a central repository for institutional knowledge management, with deep expertise in the strengths and limitations of technology and its applications. They inherently support transparency and scientific reproducibility by protecting against cognitive bias in research design and data analysis, and thedy have institutional responsibility for the conduct of research (research ethics, regulatory compliance, and financial accountability) performed in their Cores. The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) is a FASEB-member scientific …

Water In Your Neighbourhood: A Model For Implementing A Semester-Long Course-Based Undergraduate Research Project In Introductory Biology, Ana Lucia Fuentes, Maria Entezari

Publications and Research

Undergraduate biology education has changed over the past decade, incorporating an iterative and evidence-based approach. Many educational assessments have confirmed the effectiveness of integrating authentic research and open-ended inquiry into introductory biology courses, demonstrating a significant positive impact on students’ learning and attitude towards STEM majors. Despite these findings, only a handful of Biology instructors in 2-year colleges adopt this approach, and when adopted, most activities constitute a small fraction of these courses. Finding a feasible, sustainable, semester-long, and cost-effective strategy to incorporate authentic research in the curriculum which promotes integrated understanding of science and addresses socio-scientific issues, is a …

Using Northern Pike And Yellow Perch To Attempt A Trophic Cascade, Bryan Sea

Journal of Earth and Life Science

In the midwestern USA, water clarity has decreased in shallow lakes as a result of large populations of Fathead Minnow Pimephales promelas and agriculture that impact the life that depend on shallow habitats, such as waterfowl, fish, and aquatic plants. Northern Pike Esox lucius and Yellow Perch Perca flavescens were stocked in a few lakes in attempt to create a tropic cascade and reduce populations of nuisance Fathead Minnows. Northern Pike were stocked as fry and Yellow Perch were stocked as adults either pre-spawn or post-spawn. Lake managers hypothesized adult Yellow Perch would spawn and the age-0 Perch would feed …

Focal Augmentation Of Somatostatin Interneuron Function And Subsequent Circuit Effects In Developmentally Malformed, Epileptogenic Cortex, Nicole Ekanem

Theses and Dissertations

Drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) is a common clinical sequela of developmental cortical malformations such as polymicrogyria. Unfortunately, much remains unknown about the aberrant GABA-mediated circuit alterations that underlie DRE's onset and persistence in this context. To address this knowledge gap, we utilized the transcranial freeze lesion model in optogenetic mice lines (Somatostatin (SST)-Cre or Parvalbumin (PV)-Cre x floxed channelrhodopsin-2) to dissect features of the SST, PV, and pyramidal neuron microcircuit that are potentially associated with DRE. Investigations took place within developmental microgyria’s known pathological substrate, the adjoined and epileptogenic paramicrogyral region (PMR). As well, microcircuit relationships within the previously unexplored range …

Solid Phase Extraction And High-Precision Mass Spectrometry Analysis Methods For Crassostrea Virginica Metabolome, Alyssa Darling

Theses and Dissertations

Metabolomics is the rapidly-growing field which focuses on the endpoints of biological processes, and has the capability to provide a snapshot of an organisms’ interaction with their environment on a molecular scale. The objective of the experiment herein was to develop a standard metabolic extraction technique coupled with ultrahigh-precision analytical tools to build a global metabolic pathway of the keystone species Crassostrea virginica. To achieve this, C. virginica whole-body samples were extracted using acetonitrile and methanol, then split into a dehydrated group and a diluted group. Following reversed-phase solid phase extraction (RP-SPE) of both groups, metabolites were identified using …

Tick-Borne Infections In New Hampshire: An Evaluation Of The Diagnostic Process In A Local Patient Population, Katherine Anderson

Honors Theses and Capstones

Overall, approximately 95 percent of reported cases of vector-borne disease were associated with ticks, making these the most medically important group of arthropods in the United States.¹ Despite the prevalence of tick-borne infections, the process for the diagnosis of this condition is not well studied. This study aims to analyze data from a pool of 100 patients who underwent testing for tick-borne disease in the same institution in Dover, New Hampshire during the most recent peak tick season of 2019. Information utilized in this study included: patient age, sex, location of testing (inpatient versus outpatient), diagnostic testing methods used …

Correlating The Physicochemical Properties Of Magnesium Stearate With Tablet Dissolution And Lubrication, Julie L. Calahan

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Magnesium stearate (MgSt) is the most commonly used pharmaceutical excipient and is present in over half the tablet formulations on the market. In spite of its popularity as an effective lubricant, it has been repeatedly recognized that there is significant variability between MgSt samples, which can cause inconsistent lubrication between batches of MgSt. The hypothesis of this research is that the batch-to-batch variability in tablet lubrication and dissolution observed in tablet formulations containing different MgSt samples can be correlated with differences in MgSt physicochemical properties (fatty acid salt composition, crystal hydrate form, particle size and surface area). Developing correlations between …