Medical and Health Sciences

A comprehensive list of Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) terms capturing a patient’s phenotypic features is essential for the creation of a prioritized gene list for whole exome and whole genome sequencing (WES/WGS) analysis. However, the conversion of a patient’s clinical notes into HPO terms is inefficient, requiring human intervention, and introduces subjectivity. In this study, we evaluated the performance of ... Read More

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a group of proteins involved in protecting cells from damage. HSP70 is a type of HSP that is found in high levels in various types of cells, playing an important role in the regulation of protein folding, stabilization, and the prevention of protein aggregation. Recent research has suggested that the expression of is reduced in ... Read More

Cisplatin is a platinum-based chemotherapy drug used to treat various types of cancers, including sarcomas, some carcinomas (i.e. small cell lung cancer, and ovarian cancer), lymphomas and germ cell tumors (DrugBank, 2021). Cisplatin can cause hearing loss in the cochlea, which is a result of some of the cancer therapies that happen in hospitals. Three experimental groups were looked at, ... Read More

The Pollack Lab is primarily focused on immunology work with sarcomas, and we recognize the benefits of GFP positive cell lines to image metastases, quantify angiogenesis, and analyze various other hallmarks of cancer and tumor characteristics. Our lab is planning to host a variety of killing assays and in vitro experiments for a new mouse study in which a GFP ... Read More

Fungal mycetoma is a neglected tropical disease that destroys skin, subcutaneous, and bone tissues in limbs, causing deformity, physical disability, and in severe cases death. The disease spreads after contamination of wounds, typically on the feet or legs of a patient. There are over 70 identified fungal species that can cause fungal mycetoma after infecting humans. Although progress is being ... Read More

Oral food challenges (OFC) are the gold-standard method to confirm the diagnosis of food allergies but entail a risk of inducing allergic reactions. To more accurately identify which patients are likely to successfully complete an OFC, researchers have calculated optimal allergen-specific/total IgE ratios for various food types. If this sIgE/tIgE ratio is less than the cutoff value, the patient is ... Read More

Natural products have been used throughout history to treat various illnesses and diseases. Approximately 80% of drugs on the market are derived from natural products, which include plants, herbs, and other organisms. Psidium guajava, known as guava, is a popular fruit found in the Philippines, a tropical country in Southeast Asia. Not only is Psidium guajava a staple in many ... Read More

Cognitive resilience, the ability to recover from productivity-impairing stressors, has recently been shown to increase determination, decrease stress, and increase academic and occupational performance with higher cognitive resilience. Similarly, meeting strength training and cardiorespiratory exercise guidelines have been shown to accompany increased cognitive function and better grade point averages (GPAs) in college students. However, the correlation between meeting physical activity ... Read More

Diabetes mellitus is a predominantly chronic disease that results from blood glucose levels that exceed healthy limits. Diabetes is on the rise in modern times, and an estimated 366.000,000 people are expected to have this disease by 2030. The primary way to treat diabetes and prevent complications is to have proper dietary habits and eat nutritious foods. Some condiments are ... Read More

Yttrium oxide (Y₂O₃) has potential in cancer theranostics when combined with radiation to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) that damage cells. Our goal is to create silica-coated Y₂O₃ nanoparticles (Y₂O₃:Eu@SiO₂) to improve tumor treatment through radiation. Y₂O₃:Eu nanoparticles (NP) were first synthesized and coated with silica shells. Their core sizes, shell thicknesses, and morphology were measured. Next, the antibody against ... Read More

Researchers use a technique called gene targeting, which involves introducing a new gene into the mouse genome and replacing a portion of the endogenous gene with the new gene. In the case of PCP2-MK mice, a modified version of the PCP2 gene is introduced to Purkinje cells in the cerebellum: allowing researchers to study the functions of the cerebellum and ... Read More

As a barrier to the external environment, the skin serves as the body’s primary mechanism for physical and chemical defense, thermoregulation, and fluid retention. In both tissue homeostasis and wound repair, layers of skin form as cells migrate upward following proliferation and differentiation in the basal layer. Metabolism maintains physiological activity, with inhibited function in diseases including diabetes leading to ... Read More

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects the production of hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. Knowledge of sickle cell is very little even though it is a very common disease and research about sickle cell isn’t always prioritized which led us into doing our own research to discover ways ... Read More

Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas (HNSCCs) classify a diverse family of cancers that constitute the sixth most common type of human cancer in the world, with approximately 900,000 new cases annually. Current HNSCC treatments are highly toxic and carry significant side effects, so it is imperative we explore less invasive potential future drug targets. Nuclear-binding SET Domain 1 (NSD1) ... Read More

Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacterial pathogen that attacks macrophages by puncturing the membrane resulting in cell apoptosis, has been known to be drug-resistant, leaving many patients at risk for a worsening condition. Cycloserine is a second-line treatment for Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in which the cyclic analog to D-alanine targets alanine racemase and D-alanine ligase, blocking the formation ... Read More

Breast cancer (BC) patients have better outcomes when cancer is detected early, but metastasis remains a major cause of mortality. High levels of the Notch ligand JAGGED-1 (JAG1) has been linked with poor BC prognosis, and is associated with drug resistance and tumor recurrence. Furthermore, JAG1 is associated with lymph node (LN) metastasis, which is a reliable prognostic indicator. While ... Read More

Matrix metalloproteinase plays an important role in wound tissue regeneration, altering the wound matrix and mediating important responses to growth including angiogenesis and vasodilation. In specific, MMP2, MMP9, and MMP14 play major roles in wound healing through the regulation of angiogenesis and activation of proangiogenic cytokines as well as regulating the influx of immune cells. To test and see how ... Read More

Pancreatic cancer is a dangerous and disproportionately lethal cancer. This is largely a result of its late diagnosis and difficulty in detection and treatment. In order to alleviate this, the applications of physics in pancreatic cancer screening and treatment must be further understood and explored. Of all the current imaging methods, CT and MRI have important connections to physics, and ... Read More

Caffeine has been known to benefit human health when taken in recommended dosages. With that information, the idea of possibly using caffeine to help people with different types of diabetes began to come about. If caffeine was taken at a dosage as “golden ratio” by diabetic patients, would it be able to help the patients in their daily life by ... Read More

Painful Diabetic Neuropathy (PDN) is a debilitating complication that manifests in 25% of diabetic patients and is characterized by neuropathic pain, small-fiber degeneration, and the hyperexcitability of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. In recent years, blood plasma exosomes (BPEs) have developed an emerging role as prominent intercellular messengers with a potential involvement in disease progression, but their study in ... Read More

Danistab has demonstrated a quick molecular response and has proved itself to be useful in treating many cases of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) and Acute Lymphatic Leukemia (ALL). However, there has been no published research on how the alteration of the structure of Dansitab could increase binding affinity as well as the efficacy of its synthesis in our bodies. Using ... Read More

With recent developments in healthcare, artificial intelligence (AI) has proven to become a tool in bedside care faster than many might have imagined, especially within the field of substance use treatment. Recommendations have already started to arise for how to utilize the tool to cut down on physician workload, but in making those recommendations, considerations were not made for the ... Read More

The p53 gene plays a crucial role in regulating the cell cycle and preventing the development of cancer. In renal cancer, the p53 gene is often mutated, leading to uncontrolled cell growth and proliferation. Targeting the p53 gene with gene knockdown techniques has shown promise as a potential treatment for renal cancer. Adenoviruses have been used as a delivery method ... Read More

Nearly seven million adults in the United States experience bipolar disorder. Symptoms of this mental illness include extreme mood swings rapidly ranging from depressive episodes to periods of mania. Currently, mood stabilizers such as antidepressants and antipsychotics are used for the treatment of bipolar disorder alongside therapeutic options. One such treatment is the antipsychotic risperidone and its active metabolite 9-hydroxyrisperidone ... Read More

Bloodstream infections (BSI) represent approximately 40% of hospital-acquired (HA) cases and 20% of ICU-acquired cases. Furthermore, bloodstream infections are known to be associated with higher mortality, as one study showed a 14% increase in mortality in HIV patients with positive blood cultures. Due to the widespread susceptibility to BSIs, it requires a way to properly and quickly diagnose and identify ... Read More

Bladder augmentation cystoplasty has been the gold standard for treating pediatric patients with developmentally abnormal urinary bladder. This procedure functions by using bowel tissue to increase bladder capacity while reducing spasticity for the patient. The rigorous surgical procedure poses unwanted long-term issues such as malignant transformation, excessive mucus production, electrolyte imbalances, and perforation. The method, considered effective, still reports a ... Read More

Cumulating evidence suggests that upregulation of corticoreticulospinal pathways following a stroke-induced loss of corticobulbar projections drives spinal motoneuro hyper-excitability. In turn, individuals with stroke experience increased muscl tone (i.e., hypertonia) and associated hyperactive stretch reflexes (i.e., spasticity). It has been shown that applying low-intensity (sub-motor-threshold) electrical stimulation to the skin reduces spasticity in individuals with hemiparetic stroke, as quantified by ... Read More