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Decorin does not localize to fibrotic areas in skeletal muscles from dystrophic mouse models
No full textSmall leucine-rich proteoglycan [SLRP] decorin is upregulated in dystrophic mouse models and downregulated in human Duchenne muscular dystrophy [DMD]. This pilot study looks at decorin's localization patterns in skeletal muscle histology to see if the regulation of this SLRP could play a role in DMD pathology and possibly present as a therapeutic target for DMD. Findings from this study show trends of different levels of decorin expression amongst our dystrophic mouse genotypes and treatment groups, warranting further study of decorin and its role in DMD pathology.A five-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Biolog
Finite Element Analysis of TPMS Lattice Designs for High Performance Mechanical Applications
Get PDFTriply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures are defined as continuously smooth surfaces that minimize surface area within a set boundary condition. These structures have gained popularity in research because of the surge in rapid manufacturing that created accessibility to technologies such as 3D printing that make these structures possible to fabricate. These structures can be seamlessly replicated in lattices and have unique geometrical properties without sharp edges that create reliable and strong materials for applications in vibration dampening, strain isolation, thermal conductivity, and optimized mass. The goal of this research is to computationally compare the differences in the mechanical properties of Gyroid, Primitive, and Diamond TPMS structures under static compressive loads by investigating a methodology for simulating such complex structures. This process for investigating the TPMS structure involves generating the structure using its respective equations in TPMS Designer GUI, converting to a solid structure, and then preparing in ABAQUS CAE by adding solid rigid plates to the top and bottom structure, meshing, and applying loads/displacements and boundary conditions. The 3x3x3 unit cells structures are given surface loads applied to the top plate and fixed boundary conditions applied to the bottom plate. Then, a series of simulations were run nonlinearly with a 1mm displacement, followed by a series of load-driven nonlinear simulations for different materials. Lastly, a multiplicity analysis was conducted. The results demonstrated high energy absorption in flexible materials such as ABS as well as materials with thinner features and high stresses such as the diamond structure which is more porous than others. Additionally, this research concludes the importance of the multiplicity order of the lattice as, despite a decrease in mass, a 4x4x4 structure performs better than its 3rd order counterpart under the same analysis for energy absorption. This comparison demonstrates the versatility of TPMS structures to exhibit suitable properties to their respective applications while maintaining a shared property that optimizes material volume and structural versatility. This research aims to be useful in the scope of aerospace, automotive, biomechanical, and heat exchanger engineering at a macroscopic scale to better handle mechanical stresses and absorb energy.The Undergraduate Honors Committee in the College of Engineering ScholarshipNo embargoAcademic Major: Mechanical Engineerin
Investigating the Role of Septins in Plasma Membrane Repair of Epithelial and Neuronal Cells
No full textThe plasma membrane (PM) is frequently exposed to various stressors that can compromise its integrity. All eukaryotic cells are vulnerable to PM damage, including epithelial and neuronal cells. As a critical homeostatic process, PM repair protects cells by maintaining their barrier against the extracellular environment. Our recent work has demonstrated that septins play a critical role in the PM repair of epithelial cells following mechanical injury or exposure to pore-forming toxins (Prislusky et al., 2024). The septins are a family of highly conserved eukaryotic cytoskeletal proteins capable of forming filaments that associate with the actin cytoskeleton and cell membranes. The most deleterious effect on PM repair was observed in cells defective for SEPT7 expression. Septins have been shown to reorganize at sites of PM damage, forming structural scaffolds that recruit key repair effectors. While these findings suggest that septins are essential for organizing and stabilizing the PM repair machinery, it remains unclear whether this function is conserved in neuronal cells.
My research aims to determine the role septins play in PM repair in epithelial and neuronal cells. Neuronal cells were chosen due to the critical importance of PM integrity in neurodegenerative diseases, injury, and aging. Understanding septin-mediated repair mechanisms in neurons could provide valuable insights into neuroprotection and potential therapeutic strategies. Future studies will focus on identifying specific repair pathways influenced by septins in neuronal cells and assessing their potential as therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative conditions. Ultimately, this work contributes to a broader understanding of cellular repair processes and their relevance to neuroprotection.A five-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Neuroscienc
Senolytic treatment with Navitoclax alters microglial phenotype and attenuates CNS immune-mediated demyelinating disease in a model of progressive Multiple Sclerosis
Get PDFMultiple Sclerosis (MS) is a multifocal, immune-mediated, demyelinating disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS). MS impacts almost 3.5 million people worldwide, with nearly 1 million of those impacted residing in the United States. MS is additionally the primary cause of nontraumatic disability in young adults in the western hemisphere. Demyelination of CNS axons during MS pathology can occur via a variety of mechanisms, and the exact etiology of MS still remains unknown. However, it is generally held that pathogenic lymphocytes—T cells and B cells—drive immune-mediated demyelination of axons. One mechanism heavily indicated by a vast body of literature is the auto-reactivity of CD4+ T-helper 1 (Th1) and Th17 towards myelin sheath proteins. Overall, demyelination reduces the efficiency and disrupts the continuity of nervous system signal transduction, resulting in a wide variety of neurological deficits.
Individuals with MS are further classified into clinical subtypes based on their course of disease. Patients with RRMS experience a disease course outlined by discrete, self-limited episodes— lasting for weeks to months—of worsening neurological disability, followed by relatively quiescent periods of partial to full recovery. In contrast, patients with progressive forms of MS— both PPMS and SPMS—demonstrate an insidious, gradual decline in neurological function. The physiological mechanisms of MS disease also vary by subtype. RRMS tends to onset in the 20s to 30s and is characterized by focal blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown followed by infiltration of hematopoietic leukocytes into the CNS parenchyma, inducing lymphocyte-driven, immune-mediated demyelination. However, these features are often absent in both progressive disease forms, which tend to instead onset around the 40s to 50s and in which the pathology is instead distinguished by widespread microglial activation and slowly expanding lesions characterized by astrogliotic cores and rims of activated microglia. The vast majority of current, FDA-approved disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for MS are immunomodulators and target peripheral lymphocytes. As follows, while these therapies are highly efficacious in the management of RRMS, they have only a modest impact on progressive forms of MS. The dearth of treatments available for managing progressive forms of MS demands a concerted effort in procuring targeted, applicable treatments tailored for progressive MS pathophysiology. that age may govern the induction of progressive disease.
Our group has developed an age-dependent preclinical model of progressive MS by altering the established Th17-mediated adoptive transfer experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse model of MS. Initial experiments revealed that middle-aged mice compared to young mice experience an exacerbated course of EAE reminiscent of progressive MS. Further investigation demonstrated that the progressive disease phenotype is most likely driven by an aged, CNS-resident cell, prompting a search for pharmacological therapies that could target biologically aged—senescent—CNS-resident cells. Certain hallmarks of biological aging—such as telomere attrition, senescence marker upregulation, and epigenetic inhibition of transcription via DNA methylation—have been shown to be elevated in MS patients. In active inflammatory human MS lesions, BCL2L1-expressing microglia, indicative of a senescent phenotype, were found to be enriched. These microglia also had increased pro-inflammatory gene expression, suggestive of a role in exacerbating disease mechanisms in active lesions. Additional evidence shows the presence of senescent glia in human progressive MS lesions. For these reasons, we hypothesized that senescent microglia contribute to progressive disease and that depletion or modification of senescent microglia using senescence-targeting drugs would ameliorate EAE disease severity in aged mice. Navitoclax is a small molecule BCL2 inhibitor shown in multiple studies to be a powerful senolytic. Overall, we observed that Navitoclax reduces disease severity & increases survival rates in aged mice with EAE, coincident with a shift in the microglial phenotype. Moreover, the immune cell infiltrate was not altered by Navitoclax, supporting the notion that a progressive disease course is driven by CNS-resident cells. Metformin, a senomorphic agent targeting the NF-κB pathway, had no effect on clinical disease during EAE. These findings suggest that senolytics might provide a new line of therapeutics for treating patients with progressive MS, a patient population that has very limited effective options.No embargoAcademic Major: Neuroscienc
Exploring Morphological Differences between Ukrainian and Russian through the Realization of Paucal Numbers: A Contextual Embedding Approach
Get PDFSession 5-E: Phonological, Lexical, and Cultural Transformations. Presenter: Inna Stupak, University of Tuebingen. - "Exploring Morphological Differences between Ukrainian and Russian through the Realization of Paucal Numbers: A Contextual Embedding Approach.
Promoting Lifestyle Changes in Hispanic Patients with Type 2 Diabetes
No full textBackground: Self-efficacy and self-management through recommended lifestyle behaviors improve outcomes among people with diabetes. Significant disparities exist in diabetes prevalence and outcomes. Hispanics living in the United States are disproportionally affected by diabetes; consequently, it is essential to prioritize the prevention and enhance self-management of diabetes with this population. The aim of this quality improvement project is to improve self-efficacy and diabetes self-management by providing group-based education to help reduce health disparities.
Methods: This quality improvement project was implemented in a community-based church setting. A six-week program was developed based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-approved Diabetes Prevention Program, PreventT2 curriculum. Effect of the program on self-efficacy and self-management behaviors was assessed through implementation of the Self-Efficacy for Diabetes and the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (diet and exercise), and a Hedges’ g test was used to compare pre- and post-survey responses.
Results: Community recruitment yielded a total of eleven participants in the 6-week program. The mean self-efficacy score increases of 1.67 to 5.60 points with a small to large effect, and the self-management behavior score increase of 5.67 points were observed with a medium effect in participants (n = 6) who attended more than three sessions.
Conclusion: Based on the results, implementing group-based diabetes education sessions in a community-based church setting might improve self-efficacy and self-management behavior in the Hispanic and other at-risk populations. Limitations and barriers to program participation and implementation of group visits are discussed.A one-year embargo was granted for this item
Self Diagnosis Goes Viral: Exploring the Impact of Social Media on Women's Mental Health Practices
Get PDF2025 Outstanding Honors Research Award, The Ohio State University College of Social WorkBackground
Self diagnosis is changing the way we approach healthcare. This phenomenon has gained prominence on social media as users share personal mental health experiences. While online self-disclosure is not new, the rise of self diagnosis and identification with mental illnesses via social media has become increasingly prevalent. This trend is fueled by the growth of online communities, though existing scholarship on the topic remains limited. Although accessible online resources can empower individuals, questions have arisen about the credibility of the information shared, as well as the diagnostic criteria presented.
Methods
Using a phenomenological approach, this qualitative study (n=4) elucidates the relationship between social media use and self-diagnosed conditions among assigned female at birth (AFAB) individuals (aged 18-24), gaining a clearer understanding of this population’s lived experiences. Phenomenology was chosen as the research method because of the need to explore the subjective experiences of self diagnosis in depth. Participants identified as self diagnosed and were recruited via social media, taking part in semi-structured interviews.
Results
Analysis identified the importance of (1) online support for vulnerable populations, (2) empowerment through knowledge and labels, and (3) issues within the healthcare system. Participants from marginalized communities reported feeling empowered by diagnostic labels and that online communities provided a safer space for questioning and exploring their identities, compared to in-person communities. Many individuals seeking self diagnosis may do so due to mistrust of the medical system or lack of access to professional care.
Implications
Findings offer insights into the phenomenon of online self diagnosis among young AFAB individuals, as well as the potential effects on healthcare and mental health practices. There is a continued need for research as the literature. While scholarship on this topic is continuing to grow, the psychological and social impacts of online self diagnosis remain largely unknown. Results also inform future clinical approaches and highlight the need for improved healthcare access.No embargoAcademic Major: Social Wor
Old Irish and Latin Codeswitching in the St. Gall Priscian Glosses
Get PDFCodeswitching, as both a rule-governed linguistic phenomenon and an insight into the sociolinguistic interaction of speakers of different languages, has for many years now been of interest to linguists. However, there has been comparatively little investigation into the patterns of written codeswitching and what it can tell us about historical situations of language contact. This paper looks at one of these cases of historical codeswitching which has been recorded in writing: that of Old Irish and Latin among the monastic communities of early medieval Ireland. In particular, I focus on the Old Irish and Latin glosses to the St. Gall manuscript of Priscian’s Ars Grammatica (Stiftsbibliothek, MS 904). I describe the sociohistorical context in which the text was created as well as the linguistic context created by the text itself. I then present examples of several patterns of codeswitching within the glosses. From these examples the comfort of at least some members of the community with bilingualism can be seen, along with some of their bilingual standards. This situation also illustrates ways in which written codeswitching is necessarily distinct from oral codeswitching.No embargoAcademic Major: Linguistic
The Tablertown People of Color Museum: Balancing the Oral, the Material, & the Community in an Appalachian Local History Context
Get PDFThe Tablertown People of Color Museum serves to document and preserve the cultural heritage narratives of the residents of a mixed-race community whose stories offer an alternative to dominant historical accounts of Southern Ohio, greater Appalachia, and the entire nation. Building off research done for the Ohio Field School of the Ohio State University’s Center for Folklore Studies, I examine the oral history that grounds the museum’s narrative and ask the following questions: How does the museum seek to rewrite Ohio, Appalachian, and American history, and does its approach offer a useful corrective to mainstream representations of this region and its people? Further, how does the museum's emphasis on oral history and local knowledge systems correlate with other attempts to overturn the rankings of authority in historical representation and invert informational hierarchies? And despite its basis in this singularity of region and race, its assertion of a connection to national history suggests a reformational mission. With that, how does it compare to other grassroot efforts in our contemporary historical landscape?
A visitor to the museum will also encounter it as an interconnected assemblage, comprising the traditionally passed oral narratives and artifacts, formal documents that serve to support and prove the legitimacy of the oral histories, and finally the curator’s performance of the obligatory museum tour, which reconfigures the oral history with each iteration. Together, these elements constitute a single narrative I explore in order to examine how they affect and support one another in a situation of limited resources.No embargoAcademic Major: Englis
Dysregulation of tryptophan biosynthesis as a putative treatment approach for nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae, a causative agent of otitis media
No full textBacterial adaptation to the nutritional environment of the host is critical for infection. We hypothesize that microevolution due to nutrient stress enhances invasion, intracellular bacterial community formation (IBC), and persistence of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI). We previously identified an NTHI mutant that arose during prolonged nutrient deprivation that promoted in vitro persistence and during experimental otitis media (OM). We determined that a single mutation in the gene encoding cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase reprioritizes NTHI metabolism during biofilm growth in this evolved strain. There was a significant increase in all proteins involved in tryptophan metabolism. Given the importance of tryptophan and tryptophan metabolites in host immunity and bacterial virulence, the contribution of tryptophan biosynthesis on NTHI pathogenesis and intracellular survival was evaluated. We generated a panel of mutant strains impaired in tryptophan biosynthesis, import, or both. Loss of tryptophan synthesis significantly inhibited bacterial growth. We also showed that dysregulation of tryptophan biosynthesis leads to accumulation of the tryptophan metabolite indole which we hypothesize results in indole toxicity of NTHI. We subsequently found that tryptophan biosynthesis pathway impairment significantly inhibited NTHI IBC formation in both human bronchial epithelial cells and in a pre-clinical chinchilla model of OM. When competed against the parent strain, loss of either tryptophan synthesis or import resulted in increased fitness in a chinchilla model. Taken together, NTHI adaptation to nutrient sequestration dysregulates tryptophan biosynthesis and is associated with reduced bacterial viability, possibly through the accumulation of indole. Further, this dysregulation of tryptophan biosynthesis reduces formation of IBCs, which will impact persistence of NTHI. The implications of these discoveries will therefore help guide the future developments of therapeutics for treatment of OM.R21-AI164077 from NIH/NIAID (KMM)A one-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Biomedical Scienc