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FOXO1 Inhibitor, AS1842856, induces cell cycle arrest and reverses anticancer drug-induced cytotoxicity in osteosarcoma cells
Full text linkForkhead box class O (FOXO)-1 transcription factor controls cell proliferation, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and other cellular activities; FOXO1 has also been implicated in cell cycle regulation. This research project aims to determine the contribution of FOXO1 to cell cycle regulation and response to anticancer drug treatment in osteosarcoma. Osteosarcoma is the most common bone cancer, with most cases occurring in people younger than 30 years old. The study explores the impact of FOXO1 inhibitor AS1842856 on the cytotoxic effects of anticancer drugs in CCHOSD, Hos, and LM7 osteosarcoma (OGS) cell lines. Following chemical inhibition of FOXO1 and anticancer drug treatment, cell cycle and anticancer drug-induced cell death were determined using cell cycle analysis. It was observed that OGS cell lines do not naturally produce p21. However, FOXO1 suppression led to a G2/M cell cycle phase arrest, coinciding with an upsurge in p21 expression in CCHOSD and LM7 cell lines. FOXO1 inhibition increased p16, p21, and p27 levels in CCHOSD cells, elevated p21 expression in LM7 cells, and reduced expression of p27 in LM7 cells. Interestingly, inhibition of FOXO1 counteracted cell death induced by anticancer drugs. The data generated in this project indicated that baseline expression of cell cycle inhibitors varies among OGS cell lines and influences cell cycle arrest differently. Additionally, findings suggest that the reversal of anticancer drug-induced cell death by FOXO1 inhibition is associated with induced arrest in the cell cycle
NAVIGATING THE AFTERMATH: Understanding COVID Impact & Addressing Health Disparities in the Post-Pandemic Recovery Symposium Executive Report
Full text linkWhile the immediate crisis may have passed, the pandemic exposed significant vulnerabilities in public health systems. A comprehensive examination of the ongoing effects of the pandemic offering insights into the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as we continue to recover and rebuild four years after the pandemic began is crucial. Our bold vision is to improve health and quality of life and further the science that transforms lives. This reflection is crucial to prepare for future pandemics or global health crises. The 2024 theme, Navigating the Aftermath: Understanding COVID Impact and Addressing Health Disparities in Post-Pandemic Recovery, was a partnership convening between The Center for Transformative Health, Harris County Public Health, and the Center for Biomedical and Minority Health Research where experts, policymakers, and advocates come together to explore the multifaceted impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and society
FREEMAN HONORS – THE ANNUAL NEWSLETTER: FALL 2023-SPRING 2024
Full text linkAnnual 2023-2024 Newsletterhttps://digitalscholarship.tsu.edu/freeman_honors/1009/thumbnail.jp
The Effects of Selected Demographic Factors on the Reading Achievement of Middle School Students
Full text linkMiddle school is one of the most important times during which students gain knowledge. However, a large proportion of adolescents have continued to complete middle school without mastering essential knowledge of, and skills in, vocabulary and reading comprehension. Adolescents who miss school in the 30–60 days leading up to high-stakes exams experience declines in their reading scores. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of selected demographic factors on the reading achievement scores and attendance of middle school students. Specifically, this study involved examination of the effects of socioeconomic status (SES), gender, and ethnicity—both separately and in combination—on the vocabulary scores, reading comprehension scores, and total reading scores of middle school students in the reading section of the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness examination. The study also involved investigation of the effects of SES, gender, and ethnicity—both separately and in combination—on the attendance of middle school students. A 2 × 2 × 4 factorial research design was used in this investigation, and 480 middle school students were randomly selected to participate. Both student-level attendance records and standardized reading scores were analyzed using three-way analysis of variance. This study results confirmed that SES, gender, and ethnicity were driving factors behind differences in the reading achievement scores and attendance of middle school students. Results indicated statistically significance differences in vocabulary scores, reading comprehension scores, total reading scores, and attendance of middle school students based on SES, gender, and ethnicity, both separately and combined. The results suggest that other factors are likely involved in differences in the reading scores of middle school students
Comparing the Regulatory Effects of Overexpressed MicroRNAs and Xenobiotic Drugs on Cell Cycle and Apoptotic Regulators in PC-3 Cells
Full text linkMicroRNA was first discovered in C. elegans as small temporal RNA (stRNA) that does not code for protein. Since being discovered they have played a significant role in regulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. miRNAs are found in various organisms, and they bind to the 3\u27 untranslated regions to inhibit translation and cause mRNA degradation. Some drugs are involved in cell cycle regulation such as Palbociclib, Ribociclib (LEE011), and Abemaciclib (LY2835219), that causes G1 arrest impeding cell proliferation. Cyclin D1 (CCND1) is supported by the cell cycle making it into a functional product. When undergoing a chemical reaction, the composition of both the cyclins and the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK), such as CDK4 arrange to replicate the DNA and promote cell division. These drugs could in some cases be involved in regulating the apoptotic pathway since some genes in that pathway are known to influence cell division. Protein Kinase B (AKT) has been known to promote proliferation as well as apoptosis. AKT is key in regulating genes such as B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xL), a transmembrane molecule that prevents the initiation of apoptosis, Caspase-9 (CASP9), that acts as an initiator to cleave other caspases to cause apoptosis to occur. Currently, drugs and microRNAs are used to treat several human diseases. The efficiency between microRNAs and xenobiotic drugs is still in the developing stages and looking at key regulators in both the cell cycle and apoptotic pathway can help draw comparisons between the two in how potent they are. There are two aims for this study. Aim 1: To demonstrate that the overexpression of miRNA (i.e., hsa-miR-3202 and hsa-miR-7152) and xenobiotic drugs (i.e., Abemaciclib ((LY2835219), Ribociclib (LEE011), and Palbociclib) have a similar effect on the cell cycle regulatory gene in PC-3 cells. Aim 2: To demonstrate in PC-3 cells that the overexpression of miRNA (i.e., hsa-miR-3202 and hsa-miR-7152) and xenobiotic drugs (i.e., Abemaciclib ((LY2835219), Ribociclib (LEE011), and Palbociclib) are not similar on the genes in the AKT pathways since the xenobiotic drugs have a direct interaction blockage and the miRNAs affect mRNA translation; even though the miRNAs are not predicted to target the mRNA AKT pathway. We hypothesize that overexpression of the miRNAs or the xenobiotic drugs in PC-3 cells will similarly reduce the protein expression of CDK4, CDK6, and cyclin D1 since the miRNAs have a higher target predicted score at the miRDB (miR DataBase). As well as overexpression of miRNAs (i.e., hsa-miR-3202 and hsa-miR-7152) will reduce protein expression of genes in the AKT pathways but the xenobiotic drugs (i.e., Abemaciclib ((LY2835219), Ribociclib (LEE011), and Palbociclib) will not. The results suggested that the xenobiotic drugs ultimately inhibit the protein expression of the cell cycle and apoptotic regulators in PC-3 cells as compared to the overexpressed microRNAs. This is the first report that compared and showed that overexpressed miRs are less potent than xenobiotic drugs that directly interact with their target proteins. The result suggests that miRNA tested in the study as compared to the drugs may be less harmful or toxic to cells. Yet other miRNAs may be more potent, especially those miRNAs that function as tumor suppressors or oncogenes. The results also show that genes in the AKT pathway, which is upstream of our target genes, are also affected by the miRNA and the xenobiotic drugs to a certain extent in PC-3 cells
As Long as You\u27re South of the Canadian Border—You\u27re South! : The Rise of Black Power in North Omaha, Nebraska
Full text linkThe objective of this master’s thesis is to configure a socio-historic narrative in such a way that it clearly illustrates how and why much of North Omaha’s Black American collective transitioned from a mundane migratory movement to that of the Black Panther Party. To wholly comprehend the essence and relevance of Black Power one must understand its lesser-known evolution in locales such as Omaha, Nebraska, in the Midwest. Hopefully, this research will enhance a pre-existing trove that other historians may pull from to consider similarities and juxtapositions of causal dynamics that underpinned Black Power in different regions of the United States. Regarding the arguments put forward, there are two. The foremost contention is that the physical manifestation of Black Power in North Omaha (the Black Panther Party and related persons or matters) did not occur in a vacuum; instead, it was a response to decades of violent dehumanization and a revolutionary function of necessity spawned for the physical defense and socio-political uplift of its people. Secondarily, many agree with what one of North Omaha’s native sons, Malcolm X postulated during his politically charged 1964 The Ballot or the Bullet speech when he forcefully verbalized his thought that for Black folks, there was no difference between the North and the South concerning how they were treated. The intention here is to provide evidence that, although many Black people took flight toward various areas of the United States, including the Midwest, for a primary reason of escaping the criminally savage Jim Crow Deep South, they inevitably experienced what Malcolm meant by what he said. The methodology is straight-forward in that courte durées (flashpoint events) within conjunctures, including their most impactful and impacted actors (people, places, and institutions), are utilized to develop a literary bridge connecting the Red Summer of 1919 to the Black Panther Party of the mid to late 1960s. This bridge will incorporate narrative planks based on the following: the Great Black Migration, the Great Depression, and the World War II and Civil Rights-Vietnam War Eras
Simvastatin Induces Autophaghy-Mediated Cell Death In Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells
Full text linkBreast cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women. Due to the limited effectiveness of current anticancer drugs, ongoing research has extended towards alternative drug categories for potential treatments. Recent findings indicate that statins possess the ability to suppress tumors across various cell types. Traditionally, statins are known as a class of cholesterol-lowering agents and function by inhibiting 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, a key enzyme in the mevalonate pathway. However, statins can also suppress cell proliferation and ultimately lead to cell death, which includes Type I apoptosis-induced cell death or Type II autophagy-induced cell death. Autophagy is a vital physiological cellular process that facilitates the intracellular degradation and removal of misfolded proteins and damaged organelles. Initially, autophagy was considered a pro-survival process, however, other reports have shown that improper balance of autophagic pathways can also exert pro-death pathways. One type of statin, simvastatin, has been shown to induce autophagy in prostate cancer cells. However, its effects on other tumors remain poorly understood. In this study, we hypothesize that simvastatin induces autophagy-mediated cell death in breast cancer cells. We used two metastatic breast cancer cell lines as a model for tumors which typically exert resistance to anticancer treatments. Cells were treated with simvastatin at various concentrations up to 48 hr. Cell morphology was examined microscopically, and induction of autophagy was measured using Western blotting. Following treatment with simvastatin, we observed increased rounding of cells in both MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells. Moreover, increase in protein expression of a classic autophagy marker, LC3-II, was markedly enhanced following a dose response treatment of simvastatin. To determine if the rounded cells were indicative of cell death, we performed a Trypan blue exclusion assay. Cell death was dramatically increased in a dose-dependent manner following simvastatin treatment, particularly at 48 hr. Moreover, we co-treated cells with simvastatin and chloroquine, an agent which blocks autophagy, and observed that cell death was reduced as compared to simvastatin alone, suggesting that autophagy contributed to cell death. These results demonstrate that simvastatin suppresses cell proliferation through induction of autophagy in breast cancer cells. Therefore, simvastatin may serve as an attractive anticancer agent to target advanced breast tumors
Communication And Marketing In Historically Black Colleges And Universities (Hbcu) Sports
Full text linkThis study\u27s objectives are to evaluate the impact that communication and marketing efforts have on the attendance and revenue of HBCU sporting events; identify and explain potential challenges and obstacles to effective marketing and communication initiatives; analyze the effectiveness of current communication and marketing efforts; and examine and identify strategies for improving communication and marketing efforts in HBCU sporting events. The current state of communication and marketing in HBCU athletics will be analyzed through an analysis of the existing body of literature. Best practices will be identified, and the research will investigate strategies to optimize communication and marketing efforts in the future. The research will consist of conducting interviews with key stakeholders, doing a literature review, and conducting an analysis of data relating to communication and marketing in HBCU athletics. This data will include information pertaining to historical patterns, methods now in use, and objectives for the foreseeable future. The findings of the survey will be analyzed and used to formulate recommendations for how to improve the efficiency of communication and marketing initiatives within HBCU athletics. As a result of this, the study will serve as an extremely helpful resource for HBCU administrators, coaches, and other individuals involved in the athletics sector
