Digitalcommons@DMU (Des Moines University)
Not a member yet
3309 research outputs found
Sort by
Group 5 - Anatomy Posters, 46-48 - Clinical Posters, 67-73
No full textThe fifth group of the presentation breakout consists of Anatomy Posters 46-48 and Clinical Posters 67-73
Exploring the expression of the oncogenes KIT, KRAS, and NRAS as potential targets in testicular cancer therapy.
No full textAbstract
The most common malignancy among young adult males is testicular cancer. While chemotherapy is effective for treating testicular cancer, it leaves patients with lasting side effects including peripheral neuropathy, pulmonary fibrosis, and chronic kidney disease. New approaches, such as better understanding of oncogenic expression by testicular cancer may help develop targeted therapies leading to decreased reliance on the highly toxic chemotherapy regimens. This project aimed at improving the understanding of differences in gene expression in three proto-oncogenes - KIT, KRAS, and NRAS within different subtypes of testicular cancer. These genes are required for normal cell division; however, mutagenic events increase their oncogenic capacity. Specimens from patients with testicular cancer were obtained using the public web-based tool R2: Genomic Analysis and Visualization Platform. KIT, KRAS, and NRAS were measured in the unit of 2log gene expression in normal testicular (n=6) and malignant (n=101) tissues. The malignant tissue was separated into seminoma (n=16) and non-seminoma (n=83). Non-seminoma was represented by embryonal carcinoma (n=40), teratoma (n=22), yolk sac (n=170), and choriocarcinoma (n=4). Results showed significant increase in KRAS expression in the seminoma and non-seminoma groups compared to control specimens. KIT was significantly overexpressed in the seminoma group. In contrast, NRAS was significantly overexpressed in the non-seminoma group. When the non-seminomas were separated by subtype, there was increased expression of KIT in the yolk sac tumors but not in embryonal carcinoma or teratoma. These findings suggest subtype-dependent regulation of KIT and NRAS in testicular cancers signifying the importance of exploring oncogenic expression by subtype
Allograft reconstruction of a chronic tibialis anterior rupture
No full textAbstract
Introduction: The tibialis anterior ( plays an important role in dorsiflexing and inverting the foot. Although relatively rare, the tibialis anterior is the third most commonly ruptured tendon of the lower extremity. Most common mechanisms of injury include direct trauma, indirect trauma, an applied dorsiflexory force, and spontaneous rupture. This case study highlights the secondary tendon repair of a chronic tibialis anterior tendon rupture utilizing a peroneus longus allograft.
Case Report: Patient is a 74 year old male with diabetic neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease ( Mechanism of injury was a slip off a curb to the left lower extremity 10 months prior to surgery. Six weeks after the injury he noticed a decrease in strength on the affected side. Physical examination revealed a defect along the left tibialis anterior tendon and lack of dorsiflexion strength especially with isolation of the TA. Surgical reconstruction was performed using a peroneal tendon allograft.
Discussion: Acute ruptures of the TA usually involve young individuals with a high activity level, whereas chronic ruptures usually occur in older patients with a history of diabetes, gait abnormalities, and poor coordination. Unfortunately, the delay in diagnosis may result in a widening gap of the tendon preventing a direct tendon repair. Surgical treatment has been found to restore function even with delay of diagnosis, making it preferred for physically active patients who are surgical candidates
Biallelic Optic Atrophy (OPA1) Related Disorder – Case Report and Literature Review
No full textAbstract
Introduction: The most common hereditary optic neuropathy, dominant optic atrophy (DOA), is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. Clinically, it presents as a progressive decrease in central visual acuity, central and later peripheral visual field defects, and retinal ganglion cells loss. Biallelic inheritance leads to a more severe disease usually referred to as Behr syndrome.
Methods: This is a case report focuses on a family with Biallelic Optic Atrophy 1 (OPA1).
Results/case report: The proband is a 17-month-old child with a severe phenotype and two variants in the OPA1 gene. The symptoms that he presented with were progressive vision loss, congenital nystagmus, progressive ataxia, and optic atrophy. Genetic testing showed two likely pathogenic variants in his OPA1 gene: one of which was inherited maternally, c.2287del (p.Ser763Valfs*15), and the other was inherited paternally, c.1311A\u3eG (p.lIle437Met). The first variant, c.2287del, is predicted to be pathogenic and likely to cause DOA. In contrast, c.1311A\u3eG, on its own, is considered asymptomatic but has been reported in patients with the DOA phenotype and is presumed to act as a phenotypic modifier. On follow-up, the child developed a multitude of symptoms including profound vision impairment, metabolic strokes, and intractable seizures. Upon literature review, twenty-one cases of biallelic OPA1-related Behr syndrome have been previously reported.
Conclusion: An early-onset, severe ocular phenotype and associated systemic features, seem to be hallmarks of the disease
A novel vasorelaxing peptide derived from the G Protein-coupled Estrogen Receptor 1
No full textAbstract
Store-operated Ca2+ entry is required for many endothelial functions, such as the production of nitric oxide. In this mechanism, depletion of ER Ca2+ triggers conformational changes in the stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) to promote its interaction with plasma membrane Ca2+ channels. Sustained ER Ca2+ depletion, however, is associated with ER stress. We recently developed a unique peptide (G2) based on the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER) that strongly binds the Ca2+-binding loop of STIM1 leading to large conformational changes.
Here, we conjugated G2 with an endothelium-specific leader sequence, aiming to promote endothelial Ca2+-dependent functions without causing ER stress. In in vitro testing using a novel STIM1 biosensor, the conjugated peptide (EFG2) directly interacts with the Ca2+-binding loop of STIM1 with 500-fold higher affinity and causes 10-fold greater conformational change therein compared to saturating Ca2+. In-cell testing showed that EFG2 triggers Ca2+ entry but does not affect ER Ca2+ in endothelial cells. EFG2 has no effect in human aortic smooth muscle cells, demonstrating its specificity for the endothelium. In anesthetized rats, intravenous infusion of EFG2, but not a scrambled peptide, causes dose-dependent vasorelaxation. However, when G2 is conjugated to the universal cell penetration sequence TAT, the resultant peptide TFG2 triggers an initial vasorelaxation response followed by rapid vasoconstriction. TFG2 treatment does not increase endothelial ER stress markers BiP or IRE1 or affect voltage-dependent Ca2+ current in excitable cells. Thus, EFG2 is a novel vasorelaxing peptide with promising actions to protect endothelial functions
Quantitative analysis of the Kudu brain (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)
No full textAbstract
The Kudu is a member of the antelope family and is relatively understudied from an anatomical perspective. To date, no published studies have detailed the underlying neuroanatomical structure of the Kudu brain or provided 3D segmentation or volumetric data on its subcortical anatomy. Using MRI scan data obtained from a postmortem scan of an adult specimen (male), we provide a preliminary MRI atlas and accompanying 3D reconstructions of the hippocampus and amygdala. These volumetric data were compared with whole brain size using published data on other cetartiodactyla. This project provides an anatomical baseline for comparisons between domestic and wild type artiodactyls and identifying the neuroanatomical substrate supporting complex behavior within this group
The recent sudden decline in female adolescent mental health
No full textAbstract
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2011-2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, female adolescent mental health has significantly declined in the recent decade. There has been a 21% increase in persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness among female adolescents compared to an 8% increase among their male peers. Though the 21% increase in feelings analogous to depression occurred between 2011 and 2021, much of this trend is represented by a sharp decline in female adolescent mental health post-2017. This poster aims to present a scoping review of over 50 published articles to account for both trends. Articles were selected based on their relevance to the American female adolescent population with a majority of articles selected from Pediatrics, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Pew Research Center. Other sources were complied through targeted searches utilizing PubMed and ClinicalKey. Decade trends in the decline of female adolescent health correlated to predominately female substance abuse, lack of mental health care for both teens and their caregivers, a shift to more females pursuing higher education, potential climate change stress, lack of school belonging, general female risk for depression, propensity to females being victims of violence, and the most popular forms of media depicting poor mental health often through inaccurate representations. The sharp decline in female adolescent mental health post-2017 was correlated to the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing social media use, and increasing radicalization experienced by female youths in America
2023 Research Symposium Program
No full textThe program for the 2023 annual Research Symposium that took place on November 30, 2023
St. John Wort sensitizes bronchial epithelial cells to radiotherapy by upregulation of P21 and BAX
No full textAbstract
Background: Lung cancer continues to be one of the most common and fatal cancers. St. John Wort (SJW) is a well-known, yellow-flowering plant found worldwide used medicinally for numerous illnesses. Recently, SJW has been shown to have anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects on lung cancer. However, little is known about the effects of SJW on normal bronchial epithelial cells alone and when exposed to radiotherapy; this study was designed to address this unknown and further explore the potential mechanisms.
Materials and Methods: Clonogenic survival assay, PCNA staining, TUNEL staining, and caspase-3 activity were used to evaluate the proliferation and apoptosis in bronchial epithelial cell line B2B. RT-PCR and IHC were used to investigate the molecular mechanisms.
Results: We found that the percentage of colonies in B2B cells was comparable in the presence and absence of SJW. Interestingly, there was a decrease in the percentage of colonies, optical density, PCNA mRNA, and PCNA staining intensity in B2B cells within the RT/SJW group when compared with the RT group. The relative caspase-3 activity and TUNEL + cells in B2B cells increased significantly in the RT/SJW group when compared with the RT group. Additionally, the RT/SJW group showed a significant increase in the anti-proliferative molecule P21 and pro-apoptotic molecule BAX.
Conclusion: SJW alone has no effect on normal bronchial epithelial tissue. SJW does sensitize bronchial cells to radiotherapy by upregulation of P21 and BAX. This study may be helpful when designing a future protocol combining radiotherapy with SJW for the treatment of lung cancer
Frontal bone shape and sinus size across US based populations.
No full textAbstract
Human facial sinus cavities have long been a mystery bringing about many questions— particularly regarding individualistic and group variation in structure. This study was performed to determine if frontal sinus volume correlates specifically with midline frontal curvature, which has been suspected in the literature. This research specifically investigated how the frontal sinus varies with skull size and shape, on genetically determined sex and ancestral origins. Using Slicer3D, skull shape and midline frontal bone curvature was measured via landmark and principal component analyses (PCA) and compared to pre-collected frontal sinus volume in a total of 233 pre-formed 3D skull models: Smithsonian Institute Terry Collection n=113 (African Female=22; African Male=39; European Female=18; European Male=34) and New Mexico Descendent Image Database n=120 (African Female=30; African Male=30; European Female=29; European Male=29). Analyses comparing sinus volume and midline frontal bone curvature showed no significant correlation. However, data trends for sex and ancestry differences in frontal bone shape were noted. Males had more prominent supraglabellar depression in midline curvature compared to females (PC1: t=6.77, p\u3c .001). Individuals of African descent had more rounded frontal bones, while Europeans had flatter frontal bones (PC3: t=7.53, p\u3c .001). These findings depart from the proposed assumption of larger supraglabellar depression correlating with smaller frontal sinus size, indicating the need for further investigation into what may be driving frontal sinus size. This study and others in its field pose theoretical uses in the fields of osteoarchaeology, forensics, and potentially in the management of sinus related conditions with medication treatment and surgery