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The Evaluation of Multiple Myeloma in Immune Competent and Immune Deficient Mice using a SAC and Herbal Treatment with Genetic Analysis
No full textThis research aimed to find which treatment worked better for mice with a complete immune system: the herbal treatment or SAC treatment when treating multiple myeloma. Previous studies have shown that the HE treatment improved life expectancy in mice with a compromised immune system. It is expected that the HE treatment will enhance the life expectancy of the mice at a greater rate than the PBS or SAC treatments in immune-competent mice. Unfortunately, this research was unable to be finished and given results will be quantified using cBioportal analysis of the genes DIS3, CCND1, COL1A1, and FGFR3
Beauty is in the Eye of the Gazer?: Beauty, Power, and Disability Examined Critically in Jane Eyre and Other Classic Literature
No full textExploring the Mechanism of Phage Host Range Adaption Using the Appleman\u27s Protocol
No full textPhage therapy is developing as a potential alternative to antibiotics, and its development is primarily a result of the rise of antibiotic resistance. The Appelman\u27s protocol is one way to produce phages that are capable of infecting novel strains of pathogenic bacteria. We are currently investigating the types of phages that are most useful in this protocol as well as the mechanism behind the protocol\u27s effectiveness
Peak Aerobic Capacity and Dietary Composition are Associated with the Bioenergetic Profile of Platelets in Children
Get PDFAtherosclerosis is a disease of the cardiovascular system that is characterized by the buildup of plaque inside arteries over several decades. These plaques have the potential to rupture, causing a clot to form in the vessel. This results in an acute cardiovascular event such as myocardial infarction or stroke. Atherosclerosis remains a significant public health challenge in developed countries, being the foundational cause of roughly 50% of deaths in westernized societies and a major contributor to health costs [13,14]. Understanding this devastating disease and developing preventative measures is a highly important area of research. While the impact of cardiovascular disease is often associated with adulthood, the process of atherosclerosis, a key precursor to many cardiovascular events, initiates as early as the first decade of life [14]. Studies have demonstrated that the severity of atherosclerosis is intricately linked to genetic risk factors and the number and intensity of external risk factors such as lifestyle or nutrition [14]. These risk factors can manifest and accumulate from childhood, influencing the trajectory of cardiovascular health throughout a person\u27s life [14]. The early detection of cardiovascular risk factors in children is paramount, as it provides a crucial opportunity to implement interventions and lifestyle modifications to protect against this devastating disease [14]. Early detection is vital not only for preventing immediate health threats but also in mitigating the long-term burden and associated costs of treating cardiovascular diseases in our health system. Recent research suggests that platelets may play a pivotal role in the development of several diseases, including atherosclerosis [2]. Platelets are small, anucleate, cell fragments that are crucial for hemostasis. These cell fragments also have the ability to respond to stress and contribute to physiological processes including immunoregulation and wound healing [2]. Platelets are involved in the early development of atherosclerotic disease through the recruitment of leukocytes to the endothelium and promotion of a pro-inflammatory environment, additionally playing a role in the inflammatory response [2,10]. Platelets are highly active metabolically and require a high rate of ATP turnover, making platelet mitochondria vital to maintain these appropriate physiological functions [1,2]. The health of the platelet has been shown to be determined largely by the health of their mitochondria, with platelet mitochondrial dysfunction resulting in reduction in platelet survival and an increased risk of thrombovascular events [2]. Because of the role held by platelets in the development of atherosclerosis and the importance of their mitochondria, analysis of platelet mitochondrial bioenergetics may serve as an early marker or a ‘canary in the coal mine’ for chronic cardiovascular disease [6]. Analysis of platelet mitochondrial function is done through cellular mitochondrial function assay, providing a set of parameters that offer insights into various facets of mitochondrial function [6]. Mitochondrial function assay captures oxygen consumption rates (OCR) across the mitochondria including ATP-linked OCR, OCR due to proton leak, maximal OCR, basal OCR, reserve capacity, coupling efficiency, and non-mitochondrial OCR [6]. These parameters, when considered collectively, can be utilized to calculate the Bioenergetic Health Index (BHI), a measure of metabolic health [6]. Generally, malfunctions in the Electron Transport Chain can lead to a reduced BHI due to lower reserve capacity, ATP-linked respiration, or increased uncoupling due to higher proton leak across the inner mitochondrial membrane. The BHI identifies a gradual decline in bioenergetic health before the cell reaches the threshold of energy demand failure. The obtained values have the potential to indicate the well-being of mitochondria within platelets, reflecting the overall health of the platelet and possibly atherosclerotic disease risk and progression [6]
Why Your Clothes Could be Killing You: The Detection of BPA in Clothing Using Fluorescence Spectrophotometry
Get PDFBisphenol-A, better known as BPA, is a carcinogenic compound found in many plastic-containing products due to its ability to add rigidity and strength to the plastic. However, BPA has been found in a wide variety of products not traditionally thought of as “plastic” including feminine hygiene products, printer receipts, and even clothing. Clothing containing a polyester/spandex blend, common in athletic wear, contains BPA, whereas traditional cotton clothing does not. Using flourospectroscopy, the presence of BPA in these types of clothing was confirmed, as well as measured over time. Strips of clothing containing polyester and spandex blends were submerged in a 50%/50% Methanol/Water solution for varying amounts of time, allowing for BPA to seep out of the material. At specific increments, the solution was then assessed for BPA presence using flourospectroscopy, showing both a presence of BPA in these clothing products and an increase in free-BPA over time. This indicates possible dermal exposure to BPA through clothing (which is traditionally excluded from human BPA exposure analysis) as well as environmental exposure through clothing discarded in landfills
The Nyaya-Vaisesika Philosophy of Categories
Get PDFDespite agreeing that the ancient religious body of text called the Vedas are authoritative, individual schools of philosophies in Hinduism are ambiguous, and no singular philosophical doctrine adheres different schools of thought. The six major schools of Hindu philosophy are Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika, Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Pūrvamīmāṃsā and Vedānta (Ranganathan n.d.). Each of these schools of philosophy are quite complex and diverse with each school holding a unique perspective in their focus. The Nyaya school of philosophy was founded in 100 A.D. by the sage Gautama and focuses on logic, epistemology, and debate (Ganeri, 2023). Nyāya asserts the validity of the Vedas through arguments from analogy and testimony. Additionally, arguments from analogy allowed philosophers to advance theology. The Nyāya tradition made the argument asserting God\u27s existence based on the premises that all created things resemble artifacts, and just as every artifact has a creator, the entire creation must have a creator (Ranganathan n.d.). This can be put another way, just as an artist creates a sculpture from a slab of stone, so too does God create the universe. The Vaisesika school of philosophy was founded in 100 B.C. by the ascetic Kaṇāḍa and dealt mainly with metaphysics and ontology, the nature of being (Ganeri, 2023). While the Nyāya system was predominantly preoccupied with argumentation, the Vaiśeṣika system was focused mostly on metaphysics (Ranganathan n.d.). This philosophy declared that comprehensive understanding involves the awareness of six fundamental categories. The Vaiśeṣika scholars asserted that knowledge of these categories serves to illuminate the nature of reality and dispel the ignorance hindering the effects of dharma. In this way, the Vaiśeṣika system becomes a moral virtue for its proponents, leading to the ultimate good of mokṣa (Ranganathan n.d.). In their early histories, these two schools were independent of one another, however, as time progressed, they became interlaced in their philosophy. Both systems embrace common-sense realism and ontological pluralism. They believe that the world was created from material atoms guided by divine will and share an understanding of causation and liberation (Chatterjee 2011). Due to these similarities of beliefs, the schools combined to form the Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika philosophy in the 11th or 12th century (Ganeri, 2023). The Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika philosophy is incredibly complex and diverse, covering metaphysics, philosophical psychology, the human and divine self, causation, knowledge, perception, concepts, sense-object relations, logical theory, testimony, and semantics (Ganeri, 2023). The most prominent, and most important aspect of the Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika philosophy relating to the extermination of ignorance is metaphysics, the division of philosophy concerned with the fundamental nature of reality, including ontology, cosmology, and epistemology (Merriam-Webster n.d.)
The Development of a New Water-Soluble Zinc Porphyrin, ZnTPP--5AP, for Photodynamic Therapy
Get PDFThis research focuses on synthesizing a new water-soluble porphyrin with a zinc core that can be used as a photosensitizing agent in photodynamic therapy. Photodynamic therapy is a process in which light is used to activate a photosensitizer to cause cell death. For this study, the porphyrin was synthesized by adding 5-amino-1-pentanol to the ZnTPPC. Once the porphyrin was synthesized it was purified using column chromatography through Sephadex LH-20 and G-50. The structure of the purified ZnTPP-5AP was then analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis). Purity of the ZnTPP-5AP was tested using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The ZnTPP-5AP was then tested as a photosensitizing agent on the cancer cell line A549 using a MTT assay in the presence of red and white light. Red light was used with the zinc porphyrin to test whether its cytotoxicity was similar to white light and whether it provided deeper penetration for tumors than previous methods. For further testing of the porphyrin’s cytotoxicity under light, an MTT assay was run on the A549 cell line using a smaller range of porphyrin concentrations. Additionally, since a tumor in the body has low oxygen levels, the A549 cells were exposed to hypoxic conditions to mimic these in vivo conditions. To model this hypoxic environment, the A549 cells were kept in a hypoxic chamber prior to exposing the A549 cells to the porphyrin
Progress towards Phage Stability for Possible Oral Phage Therapy
No full textOral cavities or caries are localized deteriorations 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 provide insight on the interactions between bacteriophages and bacterial pathogens, focusing on stability of phage within the oral solutions. Preliminary results confirm phage stability on filter paper, successfully lysing bacteria on an agar plate. The result carries significance in areas of dentistry and microbiology