Organisms Commons^™

Naturify 2300, Yarina Yiwei Dai

Masters Theses

In my art practice, I explore the interplay between human desires to manipulate and anthropomorphize nature, as seen in the technological augmentation of plants and living entities. This investigation delves into how this intersection, alongside empathy towards these creations, contributes to fears of uncontrollability and the risks of addiction and excessive dependence on technology.

Bioengineering and genetic modification have cultivated unprecedented developments, allowing humans to manipulate the fundamental building blocks of life. My research speculates on this technology further, modifying the genetic code of organisms and creating bioengineered wearable entities with enhanced traits or entirely new functionalities. The primary objective …

Dissecting The Potential Mechanisms Of Histone Deacetylase 1 Dependent Macrophage Phagocytosis Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Owusu A. Christian

Biotechnology Theses

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) mediate the removal of acetyl groups from the histones of chromatin and regulate the expression of the genes involved in cancer development and immune cell functions. Our previous study showed that HDAC2 enhances IL-1β production by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infected macrophages by promoting inflammasome activation. HDAC1, on the other hand, regulates macrophage phagocytosis of Mtb. However, the mechanisms by which HDAC1 controls macrophage phagocytosis remain unclear.

Using human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) and Mtb strains, we explore the mechanism of HDAC1 in macrophage phagocytosis of Mtb. Our results showed that blocking HDAC1, either chemically or genetically, …

Hide & Cru-Seq: Investigating Potential Crucivirus Hosts With Fluorescently Labeled Protein, Marcell Devaune Richard, Nacho De La Higuera, Jono Abshier, Ken Stedman

Student Research Symposium

Cruciviruses are DNA viruses that contain a capsid protein that shares striking similarities to capsid proteins from RNA viruses. Formerly known as “RNA-DNA hybrid viruses”, this novel type of viruses suggest gene exchange between unrelated RNA and DNA viruses. However, the hosts of cruciviruses remain unknown. To investigate this groundbreaking virus genome further, utilization of the predicted viral host recognition domain (P-domain) fused to a thermal green protein and a histidine tag, allows investigation of crucivirus hosts in environments where these viruses have been discovered. Using cruciviruses that have been found in soil samples on the PSU campus, along with …

Health Benefits Of Saccharomyces Boulardii As A Probiotic, Devashri Parikh, Maftuna Kurbonnazarova, Ravij Upadhyay, Andrea Iannuzzelli

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Saccharomyces boulardii (SB), a budding yeast, within the Saccharomyces genus. It commonly used as a probiotic that has been isolated from lychee and mangosteen fruit. S. boulardii is not known to acquire resistant genes and does not last in the intestine after 3-5 days of discontinuing the ingestion. The clinical efficacy of this probiotic yeast is known to improve various diarrhea such as pediatric diarrhea, antibiotic-associated diarrhea, acute diarrhea, and traveler’s diarrhea. Additionally, when used as an adjuvant to treatment for Helicobacter pylori and Clostridium difficile infections, it improves bacterial eradication, prevents relapse, reduces adverse reactions and treatment-associated diarrhea.

Several …

Gut Microbiota Changes After Cholecystectomy: Unraveling The Microbial Mysteries - A Systematic Review, Maftuna Kurbonnazarova, Arthi Rameshkumar, Olivia R. Siciliano, Samrat Gollapudi, Katarina Rusinak, Alissa Brotman O’Neill

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Aims: This review aims to expand upon previous research examining change in gastrointestinal microbiota before and after cholecystectomy.

Methods: A systematic review, combined with a pooled analysis, was conducted to assess gut microbiota dysbiosis post-cholecystectomy, utilizing 71 articles retrieved from 3 databases, with 13 undergoing full-text appraisal. The publication dates ranged from 2018 to 2023.

Results: Results suggested a greater degree of microbiota alteration in symptomatic post-cholecystectomy patients, characterized by a decrease in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, Bifidobacterium and Lactococcus, alongside increased levels of harmful microbiota such as Prevotella, Sutterella, Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Blautia obeum, and Veillonella species. Interestingly, an increase in …

Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of Novel Drugs And Combinations Against Extensively- And Pan-Drug Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii Isolates, Keertana Jonnalagadda, Rachel Carr, Valerie Carabetta

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Acinetobacter baumannii, a Gram-negative, nosocomial, opportunistic pathogen is commonly infectious in immunocompromised patients. More specifically patients develop healthcare-associated infections (HAI) spanning beyond sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis, and urinary tract infections. Due to its rapid ability to acquire antibiotic resistance, it has raised the necessity to discern a novel therapeutic treatment that can be effectively used against the multidrug resistant (MDR) A. baumannii. Cooper University Hospital (CUH) faced an increased case load of patients that were infected with MDR A. baumannii. The patient isolates obtained from CUH were highly resistant to the 22 standard-of-care antibiotics. With the recent introduction …

Clostridium Perfringens Sepsis From A Hepatic Abscess With Hemolysis And Renal Failure, Requiring Hemodialysis, Joel Collins Ii, Katelyn Courtney, James A. Espinosa, Alan Lucerna

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The prognosis of sepsis caused by Clostridium perfringens is extremely poor, with a mortality rate of 70%-100%. Management includes antibiotic regimens specific to toxin production as well as source control via surgical or interventional mechanisms. We report a case of a 64-year-old male who presented with right upper quadrant (RUQ) abdominal pain and was diagnosed with Clostridium perfringens bacteremia with associated acalculous cholecystitis, hepatic abscess, and acute renal failure requiring hemodialysis. It is felt that early hemodialysis was an associated factor in the patient's survival.

Perinatal Buprenorphine Effects On Offspring Growth, Opioid Withdrawal, And Brain Morphology In Rats, Parker Barnes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Opioid use disorder (OUD) impacts 5.6 million people in the US. Buprenorphine (BUP) is a commonly prescribed opioid medication used to treat OUD, including in pregnant women. However, opioid use during pregnancy is associated with poorer infant outcomes including reduced fetal growth, neurodevelopmental deficits, and neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS). Recent clinical data suggests that providing mothers with a lower dose of BUP may result in fewer negative outcomes in infants. Here, a preclinical rodent model of low-dose perinatal BUP exposure was used to study offspring health outcomes in the neonate, juvenile, and adolescent offspring. Dams were given clinically relevant …

Utilizing Biomimicry To Design Sustainable Architecture, Virginia Hammond

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Nature has an integral relationship with architecture and serves as a sustainable role model and inspiration for designers. The process of biomimicry in architecture has the potential to produce more sustainable design solutions and foster a connection between humans and nature. Existing biomimetic design projects have varying strengths and weaknesses as examples of the process. Utilizing guidelines and references from key leaders in biomimetic design consultancy (Biomimicry 3.8), selected case studies are assessed for their ability to demonstrate the benefits of this design strategy. Using these evaluations, the case studies are diagrammed and critiqued to determine how new projects could …

A Potential Klebsiella Bacteriocin With Efficacy Toward The Enterbacteriaceae Family, Kasey Barber

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Drug resistance is unfortunately becoming a prevalent issue in the course of patient treatment, ranging from chemotherapy resistance to antimicrobial resistance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated in 2016 that at least 23,000 people die every year in the United States from an infection with an antibiotic-resistant organism (Munita, et al, 2016). Carl Friedlander was the first scientist to describe Klebsiella pneumoniae in 1882 as an encapsulated bacillus after isolating the bacterium from the lungs of patients who had died from pneumonia (Ashurst and Dawson, 2022). Klebsiella pneumoniae is the type species for the Klebsiella genus and …

A Meta-Analysis For Laboratory Diagnostics For Coccidioidomycosis, Mary C. Cowen

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Coccidioidomycosis, commonly referred to as Valley Fever, is a fungal infection found in arid regions of the southwestern United States and Mexico. Infection occurs through inhalation of airborne spores from Coccidioides species, Coccidioides immitis and/or Coccidioides posadasii, and proceeds in both pulmonary and disseminated fashions. Approximately 60% of patients with coccidioidomycosis remain asymptomatic, while 40% will experience symptoms. Within the literature, there are no papers that summarize sensitivity and specificity values between different tests; therefore, this paper presents sensitivity and specificity results across different tests and companies (Meridian, IMMY, and MiraVista).

Effect Of Source Of Trace Minerals On Nutrient Digestibility And Rumen Fermentation Of Dairy Cows, Cesar Velasquez Rios

All Theses

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Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of Remdesivir For The Treatment Of Coronavirus Disease 2019, Alexandra Flannery, Anastasia Knecht, Koravangala Sundaresh

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has accounted for more than 1 000 000 deaths in the United States alone. In May 2020, the Food and Drug Administration issued an Emergency Use Authorization to allow the investigational use of intravenous remdesivir for the treatment of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 in hospitalized children and adults. Several other agents, such as hydroxychloroquine, dexamethasone, and tocilizumab have been investigated as potential treatment options; however, dexamethasone is currently the only agent that has been proven to reduce mortality in patients who require supplemental oxygen. The purpose of this study …

A Developmental Exploration Of The Role Of Catp-6 Gene In Model Organism C. Elegans Relating To Parkinson’S Disease, Kaiser Kate Weafer

Undergraduate Theses

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is considered a common and complex neurogenerative disease characterized by the complete loss of dopaminergic neurons located in the substantia nigra pars compacta. With the incomplete understanding of this neurological disorder, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a microscopic nematode, could serve as a model organism of study due to specific gene analogs, relating to PD, present in both C. elegans and humans. The gene of interest for this project is catp-6 in C. elegans an ortholog of the human ATP132A gene. Mutations in the ATP132A gene correlate with an abnormal form of early onset PD called Kufor-Rakeb Syndrome, …

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 …

Analyzing Wisp Dna Sequences And Building Primers For Dna Separation, Paige Spicer, Payton Crum

Scholars Day Conference

A bacteriophage is a virus that infects bacteria. Bacteriophage DNA was isolated from a lysate sample, but two separate, unrelated genome sequences were returned. Plaque assays and plaque streaking were used to in an effort to separate the phages. After plaque isolation was unsuccessful, NCBI BLAST and IDT software were used to build unique primers for each of the two unrelated genomes. After receiving the primers, PCR and gel electrophoresis were run on plaques and lysate from each phage to classify each phage in the correct cluster and sub cluster as identified by the original DNA sequencing.

Using Oncodb's Oncovirus Analysis For Hbv-Related Hcc, Anna Claire Newman

Scholars Day Conference

Since one of the known causes of cancer is virus infection causing changes in gene regulation, being able to compare the expression and methylation of regular tumors and virus-related tumors could provide much needed information into virus induced cancer such as HBV-related HCC. OncoDB's oncovirus analysis capabilities can provide information and research opportunities that past research has not had.

Progress Towards Phage Stability For Possible Oral Phage Therapy, Erin Russo

Scholars Day Conference

Oral cavities or caries is a localized deterioration of the tooth caused by an accumulation of harmful bacteria. This research intends to integrate bacteriophages onto unwaxed dental floss as a possible future preventative treatment for oral cavities. Bacteriophages are viruses that degrade the composition of bacterial populations by invading and reproducing inside bacterial hosts. The experimental framework involves soaking unwaxed floss in the bacteriophages named Phrick and Stonehill. The effectiveness of infection is measured by applying the phage-infused floss on an agar plate with Gordonia terrae CAG3, then analyzing the diameter of the plaque around the floss. This research will …

Comprehensive Guidance For The Prevention Of Periprosthetic Joint Infection After Total Joint Arthroplasty And Pitfalls In The Prevention, Javad Parvizi, Yonghan Cha, Emanuele Chisari, Kangbaek Kim, Kyung-Hoi Koo

Rothman Institute Faculty Papers

Total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is a surgical procedure, in which parts of damaged joints are removed and replaced with a prosthesis. The main indication of TJA is osteoarthritis, and the volume of TJA is rising annually along with the increase of aged population. Hip and knee are the most common joints, in which TJAs are performed. The TJA prosthesis is composed of metal, plastic, or ceramic device. Even though TJA is the most successful treatment for end-stage osteoarthritis, it is associated with various complications, and periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is the most serious complication after TJA. With the increasing volume …

Evaluating The Importance Of Biosecurity In Swine Operations, Lindsey Lemley, Lilly Rogers, Austin Calhoun

ATU Research Symposium

Swine health is critical to maintaining a profitable and productive swine operation. Biosecurity and sanitation are important practices that help maintain herd health. This study aimed to discover how biosecurity protocols and management practices differ between swine operations of different sizes. With diseases such as Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV), Brucellosis, and Porcine Circovirus type 2 (PCV2) being common in the swine industry, a strong biosecurity protocol protects swine farmers from financial losses associated with disease outbreaks. In 2004 alone, the estimated financial loss to PRRSV was over $761 million. Data concerning biosecurity and sanitation was collected from …