Digestive, Oral, and Skin Physiology Commons^™

Restoring Digestive Health, Kristin M. Corbin, Dnp, Aprn, Fnp-C

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Translational and Clinical Research Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this translational research project was to outline the healthcare problems associated with Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders and to explore the effectiveness of a gastrointestinal protocol utilized at Atlanta Center for Holistic and Integrative Medicine. The goal of this protocol is to restore digestive health with probiotics, digestive enzymes, and glutamine.

Background: Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders affect one in every four adults in the United States. These disorders encompass a variety of symptoms including diarrhea, constipation, cramping, abdominal pain, flatulence, reflux, and bloating without an identified physiological cause. There is currently no cure for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders and treatment …

Mechanisms By Which Dietary Ellagic Acid Attenuates Obesity And Obesity-Mediated Metabolic Complications, Inhae Kang

Public Access Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research from the College of Education and Human Sciences

Ellagic acid (EA) is a polyphenol found in various fruits and plants, such as berries, pomegranates, muscadine grapes, nuts and bark of oak tree. EA has been known to exhibit anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects in various types of cancer. However, little is known about the effects of EA on obesity. Herein, 1) the lipid-lowering role of EA was identified in primary human adipose stem cells (hASCs) and human hepatoma Huh7 cells; 2) the molecular mechanisms by which EA attenuates adipogenesis by epigenetic modification were identified; 3) the effects of EA on high fat and high sucrose-mediated obesity was …

The Conserved G-Protein Coupled Receptor Fshr-1 Regulates Protective Host Responses To Infection And Oxidative Stress, Elizabeth V. Miller, Leah N. Grandi, Jennifer A. Giannini, Joseph D. Robinson, Jennifer R. Powell

Biology Faculty Publications

The innate immune system’s ability to sense an infection is critical so that it can rapidly respond if pathogenic microorganisms threaten the host, but otherwise maintain a quiescent baseline state to avoid causing damage to the host or to commensal microorganisms. One important mechanism for discriminating between pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria is the recognition of cellular damage caused by a pathogen during the course of infection. InCaenorhabditis elegans, the conserved G-protein coupled receptor FSHR-1 is an important constituent of the innate immune response. FSHR-1 activates the expression of antimicrobial infection response genes in infected worms and delays accumulation …

Characterization And Investigation Of Fungi Inhabiting The Gastrointestinal Tract Of Healthy And Diseased Humans, Mallory J. Suhr

Dissertations, Theses, & Student Research in Food Science and Technology

Gastrointestinal microbiome studies have failed to include fungi in total community analyses. As a result, their diversity and function in the gut is poorly understood. Recent work has begun to uncover the role intestinal fungi play in diet, immune system development, interactions with other microorganisms in the gut, and pathogenesis of diseases. Advances in sequencing technologies allow for the ability to profile the fungal gut microbiome (“mycobiome”) in healthy and diseased states. This thesis explores the mycobiome in 1) healthy humans with a vegetarian diet and 2) pediatric small bowel transplant recipients that develop fungal bloodstream infections.

The gut mycobiome …

Mechanisms, Potential Therapies, And The Role Of Tgf-Β In The Formation Of Scars, Isaac Traube

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Scarring is the inevitable outcome of wound healing. This review looks at some of the underlying mechanisms of this complex process with the aim of identifying targets for therapeutic manipulation that could result in reduced scarring or even scarless wound repair. Fetal wounds are shown to heal without scars primarily due to low levels of TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 and high levels of TGF-β3 as compared to adult wounds which heal with scars. Abnormal excessive scarring in keloid and hypertrophic scars are also attributed to TGF-β. Clinical manipulation of TGF-β ratios showed promise as a therapeutic means of controlling scar formation. …

Immortal Mortals, Sterling Giles

Auctus: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Junior Information Systems and Bioinformatics major Michael Kiflezghi focuses his research interests on an organism’s lifespan and gut microbial communities.

Pancreas: Do All Roads Lead To Mitochondria?, Amit Mukherji, Omobola Onikoyi, Vasudeva G. Kamath

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (Middletown) Publications and Research

Over several millions of years of evolution, mitochondria have transformed into specialized organelles. Today, they cannot live outside the cell nor can the host cell live without them, resulting in a symbiotic relationship. Richard Altmann, in 1894, documented them as cell organelles and called them “bioblasts”. Later, the term “mitochondria” itself was coined by Carl Benda in 1898. Ever since these findings, we in the field of medicine have learned a lot about this tiny organelle, but numerous aspects continue to be discovered. In this article, we will review the significance of this organelle in terms of pancreatic dysfunctions.

Student Evaluations Of Interprofessional Simulation, Rebecca Jensen, Deborah Poling

Rebecca S Jensen

Statement of problem While the 2010 report “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health” proposes that nurses work collaboratively with other health care professionals, relatively little has been published on the use of simulation to achieve this goal in nursing and other disciplines. Student ratings of and interprofessional simulation and its effect on collaboration with other disciplines will provide valuable information on ways to improve interprofessional simulations.

Hypotheses

1. Students’ self-ratings of confidence for patient care will improve from beginning to end of the simulation.
2. Students’ self-rating of collaborative learning will improve from beginning to end of the simulation.
3. Students …

Novel Ceramic Bone Replacement Material Ceraball® Seeded With Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Timothy Douglas, Qin Liu, Andreas Humpe, Jörg Wiltfang, Sureshan Sivananthan, Patrick Warnke

Qin Liu

Objectives: Hydroxyapatite (HA) and tricalcium phosphate (TCP) are two very common ceramic materials for bone replacement. A recently developed material for bone replacement is CeraBall®, which is a mixed HA-TCP scaffold available as porous spherical scaffolds of diameter 4 and 6 mm. Before their use as bone replacement materials in vivo, in vitro testing of these scaffolds is necessary. The goal of this study was to characterise 4 and 6 mm CeraBall® scaffolds in vitro with a view to their future use as bone replacement materials. Materials and methods: The proliferation of human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) seeded on CeraBall® …

Effect Of Coconut Oil On Ulcerative Colitis In The Mouse Model, Pranav Chandra Alok

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic disease of the colon or large intestine that causes inflammation and ulceration of the inner lining of the colon and rectum. In patients with ulcerative colitis, the body’s immune system overreacts and the body mistakes food, bacteria or other internal materials in the colon for an invading substance. The immune system attacks the material, thus irritating the colon. Limited knowledge of inflammatory conditions coupled with a narrow range of therapeutic options necessitates investigating the role of natural products. This study describes the effect of natural coconut oil on chemically-induced acute and chronic disease in …

Celiac Disease And Neurological Symptoms, Lauren V. Cook

Senior Honors Theses

New research has revealed that Celiac disease, an autoimmune illness affecting the small intestine, has more ties with neurological side effects than once was thought. The classic and most well known presentation of Celiac disease is gastrointestinal, including symptoms such as abdominal pains, nausea, diarrhea, and flatulence. Researchers have more recently found a correlation between Celiac disease and neurological illnesses such as epilepsy, depression, dementia, and ADHD. Physician awareness of the disease and the neurological side of the illness should be heightened in order for patients to receive earlier diagnosis and a better quality of life. Because of the difficulty …

Histology And Ultrastructure Of Transitional Changes In Skin Morphology In The Juvenile And Adult Four-Striped Mouse (Rhabdomys Pumilio), Eranée Stewart, Moyosore Salihu Ajao, Amadi O. Ihunwo

Brain and Mind Institute

The four-striped mouse has a grey to brown coloured coat with four characteristic dark stripes interspersed with three lighter stripes running along its back. The histological differences in the skin of the juvenile and adult mouse were investigated by Haematoxylin and Eosin and Masson Trichrome staining, while melanocytes in the skin were studied through melanin-specific Ferro-ferricyanide staining. The ultrastructure of the juvenile skin, hair follicles, and melanocytes was also explored. In both the juvenile and adult four-striped mouse, pigment-containing cells were observed in the dermis and were homogeneously dispersed throughout this layer. Apart from these cells, the histology of the …

Nuclear Receptor Expression And Characterization Of The Major Retinoic Acid Target Gene In Melanoma, Linda L. Eastham

Linda L. Eastham

Malignant melanoma is the primary cause of death from all diseases arising from the skin and it is one of the most resistant tumors to standard treatment options. The increasing incidence of melanoma and its poor prognosis makes the understanding of melanoma cell biology very important. Melanoma progression is a complex, multi-step process, and the molecular events leading to melanoma tumor cell proliferation and invasion still need further examination. This study is focused on measuring the expression and activity of two specific genes and their protein counterparts that are altered during melanoma progression. It also examines the mechanism through which …

Dietary Fibre On Cell Proliferation In Large Bowel Mucosal Crypts Near Or Away From Lymphoid Nodules And On Mineral Bioavailability, Ivan Cameron, W. Hardman, D. Heitman, J. Carter

Elaine Hardman Ph.D.

The effect of consumption for 24 weeks of different amounts (0%, 5% or 10% w/w) of fermentable (pectin and guar gum) or nonfermentable (cellulose and lignin) dietary fibres on cell proliferation and other parameters in large bowel mucosal crypts was studied in rats. In all 12 dietary groups, the crypts located over the distal aggregate of lymphoid nodules (ALN) had more colchicine arrested metaphase figures per midaxial crypt section (MC) and a longer crypt column height than crypts located three to four cm away from this ALN. These differences are attributed to the tropic in¯uence of nodular cells in the …

Numerical Distribution Of Lymphoid Nodules In The Human Sigmoid Colon, Rectosigmoidal Junction, Rectum, And Anal Canal, Ivan L. Cameron, James E. Kent, Ron Philo, Christopher J. Barnes, W. Elaine Hardman

Elaine Hardman Ph.D.

There is little information on the numerical distribution of lymphoid nodules (LN) in distal segments of the human large bowel. A novel approach was therefore developed to assess the number of LN in the sigmoid colon, the rectosigmoid segment, the rectum, and the anal canal in humans. The distal large bowel from five cadavers was selected for quantitative study. The number of LN was scored macroscopically from the proximal sigmoid colon to the distal anal canal. A numerical distribution, previously unreported, consisting of two circular bands of LN was observed in each of the five cadavers. One band was located …

Racemization Of Amino Acids In Teeth For The Determination Of Age, Andrea Lee Toll

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Instrumental to forensic investigations is the ability to identify unknown human remains providing key evidence to criminal cases, resolution to missing persons, and assistance in mass or natural disasters. Identification of remains in an effort to determine age is an area of forensics that has received considerable attention. Traditional methods in age determination such as morphology are often biased, antiquated, and frequently result in a large margin of error. Conversely, the emergence of new forensic techniques provide promise to reduce the margin of error in determining age. One such technique has focused on relating the extent of amino acid racemization …

Nuclear Receptor Expression And Characterization Of The Major Retinoic Acid Target Gene In Melanoma, Linda L. Eastham

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Malignant melanoma is the primary cause of death from all diseases arising from the skin and it is one of the most resistant tumors to standard treatment options. The increasing incidence of melanoma and its poor prognosis makes the understanding of melanoma cell biology very important. Melanoma progression is a complex, multi-step process, and the molecular events leading to melanoma tumor cell proliferation and invasion still need further examination. This study is focused on measuring the expression and activity of two specific genes and their protein counterparts that are altered during melanoma progression. It also examines the mechanism through which …

Role Of Prostaglandin E2 In The Regulation Of Pancreatic Stellate Cells Hyper Activity Associated With Pancreatic Cancer, Chantale Charo

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal type of cancer due to its high metastasis rate and resistance to chemotherapy. Pancreatic fibrosis is a constant pathological feature of chronic pancreatitis and the hyperactive stroma associated with pancreatic cancer. Strong evidence supports an important role of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and COX-2 generated prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) during pancreatic fibrosis. Pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) are the predominant source of extracellular matrix production (ECM), thus being the key players in both diseases. Given this background, the primary objective is to delineate the role of PGE2 on human pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) hyper activation associated …

Muscle Plasticity And Intramuscular Signaling In The Insulin-Resistant Obese Zucker Rat, Anjaiah Katta

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The ability to increase skeletal muscle mass may have important implications for the treatment of insulin resistance (IR) and diabetes [1-3]. Recent data suggest that IR muscle may adapt differently than normal muscle; however, molecular mechanism(s) responsible for this finding are not well understood [4]. Herein, we investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the skeletal muscle remodeling in the IR Obese Zucker (OZ) rat.

The OZ rat is characterized by skeletal muscle insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia. Compared to LZ rats, our data demonstrate that soleus muscle hypertrophy was significantly attenuated in the OZ rats after 3-weeks of muscle overload and …

Probiotic Therapy - Recruiting Old Friends To Fight New Foes, Roy D. Sleator

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Against a backdrop of increasing antibiotic resistance, and the emergence of new and evolving pathogens, clinicians are increasingly forced to consider alternative therapies - probiotics are one such alternative.