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Creating a Dissolvable Medication for Eating Disorders that Prevents Loss of Effects Through Self-Induced Vomiting by Targeting MC4R
No full textEating disorders are a mental condition typically characterized by irregular eating habits. Eating disorders are generally treated with anti-depressants like Risperidone, as there are no medications directly for eating disorders. Bulimia Nervosa is a type of eating disorder, which is characterized by recurring episodes of binge eating where individuals have a lack of control over food intake followed by behaviors such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, or the use of laxatives to offset the surplus calorie consumption. When medications taken for eating disorders are not absorbed into the body prior to self-induced vomiting episodes, their effects can be lost. The focus of this research was to create a modified structure of Risperidone that is more water-soluble for sublingual administration and binds more efficiently with the Melanocortin 4 Receptor (MC4R), which is involved in feeding behavior. Using the computer program Schrodinger Maestro, ten modifications to Risperidone were made. The best modification was made by adding polar functional groups to increase the solubility, which also increased the binding affinity. These two elements make the medication more preferable for people with eating disorders
Utilizing Lentinula edodes and Pleurotus ostreatus to decrease Saccharomyces cerevisiae growth with oxidative stress present as a model for cancer
No full textCancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, and its effects can be worsened when high levels of oxidative stress are present. Lentinula edodes and Pleurotus ostreatus are two edible mushroom species that have been shown to contain many anticancer agents, but the effects of these mushrooms have not been tested on cancer in the presence of oxidative stress. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to test the effectiveness of L. edodes and P. ostreatus in reducing Saccharomyces cerevisiae growth when oxidative stress was present. It was hypothesized that these two mushroom species would reduce S. cerevisiae growth in the presence of oxidative stress, as both mushroom species produce potent antioxidants and have anticancer properties. While S. cerevisiae was growing in a dextrose solution, L. edodes and P. ostreatus aqueous extracts were made. Then, 2 mL of S. cerevisiae, 1 mL of mushroom extract (L. edodes or P. ostreatus), and 56.8 µL of H2O2 were added into a 5 mL plastic cuvette. After a 24-hour growth period, an optical density assay was performed at OD600. Compared to the control group, L. edodes and P. ostreatus decreased S. cerevisiae growth by 39.5% and 28.3%, respectively. Statistical results from the one-way ANOVA test showed that F(2, 87) = 17.093, p \u3c 0.00001. A post-hoc Tukey test showed a significant difference between the means of the control groups and both treatment groups. The results of the present study indicate that L. edodes and P. ostreatus can be used to treat cancer when oxidative stress is present
Using Plastic Degrading Fungi to Combat Discarded Plastics
No full textAround the world, there are currently more than 27 million tons of plastic in landfills, but there is a potential to reduce this large amount due to some fungi’s natural ability to degrade polyurethane. Approximately 400 species of fungi have been found with the ability to degrade polyurethane at some level. The degradation happens when the mushroom consumes nutrients, and for some fungi that can be found in plastics. Three species that have the better ability to degrade plastics are, Schizophyllum commune, Pleurotus ostreatus, and Pestalotiopsis micorspora, and there is potential to be used in landfills. Being able first to grow the fungi in the necessary environment is vital, but once that is accomplished polyurethane can then be slowly added into the fungi’s substrate, a mixture of brown rice flour and vermiculite. This will allow for different amounts of polyurethane to be tested, to demonstrate if fungi can develop and gain nutrients from it. Current tests show that fungi can be grown in a lab setting, and polyurethane will be added soon. Once sufficient data from the trials have been collected, an appropriate statistical analysis will be performed to confirm the results. These findings all form a good foundation for growing fungi without polyurethane, which can later be used once it is added. Future works will focus on the addition of plastic and how the fungi are capable of degrading it
Analyzing Member Churn and Retention at CPM Credit Union
No full textImproving a Federal Credit Union’s member retention, and therefore finances, can improve customers’ benefits as well as experiences. Customer retention is an important part of any business, especially credit unions. It is more profitable for a company to retain loyal members, rather than find new ones. It is also important to understand why members are leaving and how to prevent them from doing so. This research project is centered around data analysis on member churn. We take the data on past members who left and use that to create an interactive dashboard using Power BI to find trends among those past members. This solved an issue in the company to find out what can be done to decrease the churn rate and retain more members. This information would also be passed along to the marketing team so they can target specific members. The team went through some training in the beginning by using Microsoft Excel, Access, and Power BI and then went on to create a database based on CPM’s member data. Member data and churned data were both included in this database. It was revealed when going through the member churn data that the credit union had lost over ten million dollars from those members. The result of this project was a Power BI report which includes member churn demographics, financial churn demographics, a member dashboard, and a machine learning page which includes an estimation about when members would leave
The Therapeutic Use of Solubilized Extracellular Matrix from Bovine Tail to Prevent Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
No full textIntervertebral Disc Degeneration (IVDD) is known to lead to disc herniation and pain due to compressed nerves. The nucleus pulposus of the fibrocartilage in the vertebral column is where degeneration usually begins. However, there seems to be no preventative measures for IVDD. The only known treatments include invasive surgeries and painkillers which prove to be a temporary solution. The goal of this research is to find a preventive injection into the nucleus pulposus that can counteract degeneration in the initial stages of this disease. Solubilized extracellular matrix has been shown to contain many components that aid in the repair of a healthy tissue. These components include glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), Collagen II, and Proteoglycans. This has never been applied to intervertebral discs. This research aims to determine the most effective solubilization method of bovine nucleus pulposus to use in medical therapy. Three solubilization methods of bovine nucleus pulposus were carried out using a) Pepsin, b) Urea, and c) Urea decellularization (remove DNA). Results indicate that urea retained the most GAGs and overall proteins, but also needed decellularization since it had \u3e50 ng of residual DNA, which is above the maximum for a medical therapy. This suggests that urea could be the most effective method as it retains the most GAG and protein content, along with decellularization to remove the residual DNA
A More Accessible Greenville
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