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The Cellular Landscape of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Review of Repair, Response, and Resilience
No full textNeurodegeneration, like that seen in Alzheimer’s disease, is generally characterized by the progressive loss of cognitive function with widespread cellular dysfunction. Hallmark features of Alzheimer’s disease include the accumulation of amyloid -beta, tau pathology, DNA damage, and disruptions in glial cell function. Despite this knowledge, the mechanisms by which specific brain cell types contribute to or resist neurodegeneration remain unclear.
This review synthesizes findings from over twenty recent studies to explore how astrocytes and neurons respond to injury and chronic pathology, with special attention given to astrocytic vulnerability, DNA repair regulation, and the intersection between tau accumulation and chromatin structure. We organize our content around three central themes: cell type/location, cell-specific response dynamics, and cellular resiliency. In doing so, we examine how DNA repair pathways, oxidative stress defenses, and protein aggregation intersect to shape disease outcomes. Across each of these themes, we highlight discrepancies in results, identify gaps within the literature, and offer potential avenues for clarification of causal mechanisms and therapeutic targets. By framing the progression of neurodegenerative mechanisms through a cellular lens, we propose insights into new foundations for models of brain resilience and cellspecific therapeutics.https://commons.stmarytx.edu/msrjs/1042/thumbnail.jp
The Impact of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs in the Workplace
No full texthttps://commons.stmarytx.edu/msrjs/1034/thumbnail.jp
The relationship of Phosphatidylethanol and Cholesterol in Non-Human Primates
No full textBackground: Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is a metabolite of ethanol, therefore a direct detector of alcohol in the human body, which is used to identify and monitor severity of alcohol events.
There are standardized levels that indicate little to heavy drinking, ranging from 0-200+. PEth levels, however, are variable amongst humans. Non-human primates such as monkeys have been proven to produce PEth, being a viable model to test for these sources of variability amongst humans. In this study, we examined the relationship of cholesterol and lipid proteins to an abundant PEth homolog [16:0/18:01] in non-human primates existing in both humans and monkeys.
Methods: 6 monkeys were given unrestricted access to 4% ethanol solution and water 20 hours/day for 14 days. Whole blood samples were taken afterwards and then analyzed for Peth homolog [16:0/18:01] using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as well as for total cholesterol, HDL, and LDL using an AF HDL & LDL/VLDL assay kit (ELISA).
Results: The results show that 1) PEth to lipid counts have a better accuracy when read immediately after alcohol consumption, compared to after 2 weeks; 2) the PEth/HDL had the highest correlation when reflected in volume intake (amount); 3) PEth/LDL had the highest correlation when reflected in concentration (dose).
Conclusion: Results suggest PEth to lipid ratios have a stronger correlation when blood is tested more recently compared to over time, as well as when PEth is compared to recent alcohol intake alone. More research needs to be conducted to better understand the relationship between phosphatidylethanol and lipid interaction.https://commons.stmarytx.edu/msrjs/1041/thumbnail.jp
Exploring the Struggles of Minorities in Low-Income Communities with Affording and Financing Housing in San Antonio
No full textAffordability of housing has emerged as a major socio-economic issue in San Antonio, Texas,
especially among minority groups and other low-income groups. This thesis provides an analysis of the underlying factors that lead to housing unaffordability and the systemic factors that deny
these groups of people a chance to live in stable and affordable houses. This paper combines both primary survey data of local residents and secondary governmental and academic data, which
allows identifying the intersection of income differences, increased property prices,
gentrification, and the lack of affordable housing to worsen the affordability crisis. The
evaluation of the perception of the residents on the accessibility of housing, financial strain, and policy awareness was evaluated using statistical and thematic analysis. The evidence suggests
that marginalized groups have been exacerbated by structural inequalities and insufficient local policy responses to the housing insecurity. The paper ends by giving practical suggestions to
policymakers and community organizations that would enhance affordability, provide awareness of the housing assistance programs, and inclusive urban development in San Antonio
St. Mary\u27s School of Law Graduation, 2025 (December)
No full texthttps://commons.stmarytx.edu/grad2025dec/1000/thumbnail.jp
The American Oligarchy
No full textWhat was designed as a constitutional republic, bound by self-rule and democratic accountability, has become an oligarchy camouflaged by the illusion of public sovereignty. The corporate architects of this new world order did not seize power through conquest or force: they legislated, litigated, and purchased it into existence. Oligarchic rule is more than a simple political crisis. It is a democratic one. Just as prior generations have been called upon to preserve the republic against threats to liberty, we now face our own defining challenge and must decide whether to accept a government auctioned to the highest bidder or reclaim the constitutional principles upon which this nation was founded. If we choose to fight for the republic, we must move swiftly before the American Oligarchy writes democracy out of our story entirely.
This Article examines how the American Oligarchy transformed economic power into political supremacy, exploiting the judicial dismantling of campaign finance regulation and the expansion of corporate rights to cement its position in the new political order of federal governance. As legislative bodies become increasingly dependent on corporate funding, policymaking shifts from public deliberation to boardroom negotiation, where corporate funded lobbyists draft legislation and industry titans dictate regulatory priorities. Corporate influence has only accelerated in the wake of the 2024 political restructuring, with the White House ushering in an unapologetic era of billionaire-backed agency control, corporate regulatory capture, and the increasing privatization of public governance. The rise of our American Oligarchy is not an accident of history but a failure of law that prioritized wealth over democracy. To counter this systemic imbalance, this Article proposes the TITANS Act, a novel federal antioligarchy measure designed to weaken corporate dominance in governance and reestablish the democratic accountability envisioned when our Founders brought forth a new nation conceived in liberty. Just as the echoes of our nation’s storied past fade at the hands of Father Time, each new generation grows more distant from the hardships endured to forge this great experiment we call “America.” Let us remain ever mindful that our Founders shared no greater fear than tyranny by the few—this Article proposes the legal foundation to prevent it