10368 research outputs found
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Neddylation inhibitor, BCL-2 inhibitor, and IKK inhibitor as Breast Cancer Treatments
No full textBreast cancer, along with lung, colon, rectum, and prostate cancer are the most common types of cancer making up 50% of all cancer diagnosises, with breast cancer alone making about 30% of all cancer diagnosises. Over the past few decades, there has been a lot of research on what drugs can lead to breast cancer cells dying. One of the drugs tested was Neddylation inhibitor MLN4924, which was found to increase the rate of apoptosis in cancer cells, but further research has shown that some cell lines are resistant to the drug. This project will research the effects of MLN4924 when it is being used with BCL-2 inhibitor ABT-199 and IKK inhibitor BAY 11-7082 in cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. This experiment will use a varying amount of each inhibitor and add it to each cell line before being dyed with Annexin V or TMRE. Annexin V will show the rate of apoptosis (cell death) and TMRE will show the rate of mitochondrial membrane potential (stress on the membrane that may lead to apoptosis) within a sample after being run through a flow cytometer. After conducting this experiment, while both ABT-199 and BAY 11-7082 showed an increase in the rate of apoptosis and an effect on the rate of mitochondrial membrane potential, BAY 11-7082 having a larger increase, neither had a very significant effect on the cell lines
The Effect of Glyphosate based Herbicides on Caenorhabditis elegans Time-off-Pick Assay
No full textMany herbicides are sprayed all over the world. Some of the most common types of herbicides are glyphosate based. One major name brand that is glyphosate based is Round-up. When first entering the market, glyphosate based herbicides are tested for adverse effects, however many concerns over the safety of the herbicide have risen especially in the last few years. In this study, a common model organism of the human nervous system, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, was used to determine the effects of exposure on the organism. It was hypothesized that the C. elegans, after being exposed to glyphosate herbicide, would have a negative effect on the motility system of C. elegans because the herbicide will damage the ventral nervous cord of the C. elegans causing loss of motion in the organism. This was done by exposing the C. elegans to different concentrations of herbicide and then using a Time Off Pick assay (TOP) method to assess the movement capabilities of the C. elegans organism. This study found that the higher concentration of herbicide led to a statistically significant (Table 3) decrease in the movement ability of the nematode. Therefore, this study was able to support the hypothesis, reject the null hypothesis, and conclude that glyphosate based herbicides do cause negative effects after exposure
Polymer Functionalized Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Brain Imaging
No full textLysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) cause a deficiency in an enzyme that is needed to break down large molecules inside the body\u27s cells. An example of this would be a genetic disorder called GM1 Gangliosidosis that has been untreated because of its difficult nature. However, advances in nanoparticle drug delivery may make it possible to deliver the deficient enzyme into the lysosome via a polymersome (PS). A PS is a drug delivery particle that, in our case, was made up of hyaluronic acid and polylactic acid. The polymers have high biocompatibility and degrade in acidic environments, allowing the PS to break down in the lysosome and release the enzyme inside. While synthesizing the PSs, we encapsulated ultrasmall paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (USPIONs) to allow for use as a contrast agent in MRIs, tagged the PS with a protein to give it direction in the body, and wanted to perform a study to ensure it is safe in vitro. Our studies showed that the iron oxide in the PSs made it act like a dual contrast agent with a darkening effect. We also came across a few obstacles in protein tagging, due to the insoluble nature of one of our polymers, making us attempt three different methods of synthesis. Lastly, my participation in cell work allowed us to conclude that our PSs are biocompatible. This research is a start to gaining therapeutic and diagnostic knowledge for LSDs
Quantifying Desensitization to Mass Shootings Through the Duration of Search Interest and Legislative Activity
No full textMass shootings have become routine in America, with almost 100 since 2010 (Mother Jones [MJ], 2023). The sheer number of killings poses the threat of desensitizing the American public, a phenomenon known as psychic numbing. Research has focused on the initial attention spike after a mass shooting and has applied this inquiry to Congressional action. However, research on the temporal trends of public interest is lacking, and Congressional analysis has been limited by extraneous political variables. To address this deficiency, analysis of Google Trends and Congressional transcripts 30 days after the deadliest shootings since 2010 provided data on the country’s time-dependent reaction to mass shootings. Synthesis of psychological phenomena surrounding gun violence and methods to assess these phenomena prompted the question: as the frequency of mass shootings in America has persisted, how has the duration of Google search interest changed in relation to the length of legislative attention? It was hypothesized that as the frequency of mass shootings in America has increased, the length of Google search interest following each event has decreased and, accordingly, the length of legislative focus has also decreased. This hypothesis was partially supported, as monotonic, or consistent, downward movement in Google Trends data was observed in several days of analysis, and popularity values of Google Trends and Congressional transcripts were significantly correlated for many events. Contrary to the hypothesis, monotonic upward trends in some Congressional transcript data were observed. The potential desensitization may hinder legislative action and reveal the moral status of American society
The Effect of Various Biochar Cathodes on the Voltage Potential, Amperage, and Capacity of an Aluminum Battery
No full textDeveloping new electrochemical cells is vital to maintaining clean energy sources. The current lithium ion battery is very expensive, has limited capacity, and uses materials that are difficult to mine and harmful to the earth. Because of these issues, battery alternatives are being investigated. One alternative to lithium is aluminum due to its low cost and high theoretical capacity. Biochar is a carbon-based material made from any type of biomass. It has been used in microbial fuel cells and was found to produce high voltages. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an aluminum ion battery with a biochar cathode. It was hypothesized that the banana-based biochar would have a higher capacity, voltage, and amperage than graphite and pine wood biochar. It was predicted that pine-derived biochar would perform better than graphite but worse than banana-based biochar. Banana-based biochar, pine-based biochar, and graphite were wrapped in filter paper and aluminum to create the battery cells. The cells were submerged in an aluminum chloride and urea electrolyte. A voltage probe was used to measure the voltage, amperage, and capacity of the batteries. The results of an ANOVA test (α=0.05) indicate that there were significant differences between the amperage and capacity of the batteries (p\u3c0.0001), but no significant difference in voltage (p=0.199). The graphite cathode outperformed both biochar cathodes in amperage and capacity. Banana-based biochar cathode had a higher mean amperage and capacity than the pine-based biochar cathode
Designing an Amitriptyline Derivative for Migraines with Minimal Cardiac Side Effects by Minimizing Binding Affinity to the Histamine H1 Receptor
No full textAmitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant and is generally used to treat major depressive disorder, neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, tension headaches, and migraines. Amitriptyline is effective for the treatment of migraines, but it has many adverse side effects, specifically cardiac side effects, such as prolonged QT interval, heart palpitations, and orthostatic hypotension. These side effects could be detrimental for a patient with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), specifically hypovolemic POTS, which is characterized by chronically low levels of blood. The adverse side effects would have to be minimized before patients with cardiac issues could safely take this medication. Amitriptyline antagonizes the serotonin receptors 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A, which gives the medicine its migraine-relieving properties. The adverse side effects of amitriptyline, which are caused by antagonism of the Histamine H1 receptor, can be lessened by modifying the drug to not bind as well to H1. After many modifications of amitriptyline, I was able to create a successful compound that increased the affinity to 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A, as well as decreased the affinity to H1. These properties would make the medication more usable for a person with a comorbidity of POTS and migraines
