• EXAMINATION OF CBP/P300/AKT, NF-ΚB AND STAT3 SIGNALING FOLLOWING IN UTERO VALPROIC ACID EXPOSURE IN CD-1 MOUSE EMBRYOS WITH NEURAL TUBE DEFECTS 

  Shafique, Sidra

  Valproic acid (VPA), an antiepileptic drug and effective treatment for mood disorders is teratogenic with an increased risk of congenital malformations including neural tube defects (NTDs) following in utero exposure. The ...

• Investigating bacterial adhesion proteins as tools for controlling bacteria-surface interactions 

  Zahiri, Hossein

  Adhesins are cell-surface proteins that initiate target binding and surface colonization by bacteria on the path to infection and biofilm formation. A deeper understanding of the interactions between adhesins and their ...

• Characterization of Molecular Partners of the Programmed Death (PD)-1/Programmed Death Ligand (PD-L)1 Immune Checkpoint 

  Loh, Harrison

  Since its discovery, the Programmed Death (PD)-1/Programmed Death-Ligand (PD-L)1 immune checkpoint has been an area of interest in cancer research due to its role in conferring immune escape to tumour cells. Most research ...

• PROGRAMMED DEATH LIGAND 1 (PD-L1) IMMUNE CHECKPOINT-MEDIATED STIMULATION OF MALIGNANT PHENOTYPES IN TUMOUR CELLS 

  Minassian, Lori

  Most studies on the Programmed Death 1 (PD-1)/Programmed Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1) immune checkpoint have focused on elucidating the signaling mechanisms leading to inactivation of immune effectors. We, along with others, ...

• The Role of Macrophages and the NLRP3 Inflammasome In Right Ventricular Failure in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension 

  Al-Qazazi, Ruaa

  Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is an obliterative pulmonary vasculopathy that results in right ventricular failure (RVF). We speculate that RVF results from inflammation due to the influx of inflammatory ...

• NEURONAL OXIDATIVE STRESS AND DENDRITIC TRIMMING IN A MOUSE MODEL OF LATE ONSET ALZHEIMER`S DISEASE 

  Mehder, Rasha

  The study of late-onset (sporadic) Alzheimer`s Disease (LOAD) has lacked animal models where the impairments develop with aging. Oxidative stress promotes LOAD, so we have developed an oxidative stress-based model of ...

• Investigating Embryonic Gene Expression Changes in a Rat Model of Congenital Heart Defects and Longitudinal Effects on Postnatal Cardiac Structure and Function 

  Maciver, Rebecca

  Congenital heart defects (CHD) are the most common birth defect, occurring in approximately 1% of all births and continue to be a significant cause of infant morbidity and mortality. Ventricular septal defects (VSD) account ...

• CHARACTERIZING THE ANTIVIRAL PROPERTIES OF M2A MACROPHAGES 

  Banete, Andra

  Macrophages (Mφ) are innate immune sentinels that can acquire highly heterogeneous phenotypes depending on their cytokine microenvironment. Mφ exhibit distinct activation patterns across a continuum from pro-inflammatory ...

• Placental morphology and the prediction of underlying cardiovascular risk factors 

  Zaza, Aida

  Pre-eclampsia (PE) is associated with an increased risk of future cardiovascular disease (CVD). It is characterized by new-onset hypertension and proteinuria, sometimes progressing into a multiorgan clinical manifestation. ...

• Repeats-In-Toxin Adhesion Proteins: What Makes Them Stick? 

  Kinrade, Brett

  Bacteria use adhesion proteins (adhesins) to bind substrates on biotic and abiotic surfaces to initiate biofilm formation. These bacterial communities can be detrimental to a host when, for example, they cause teeth plaques, ...

• The Role of Muscarinic M2 and M3 Receptor Subtypes in Cardiopulmonary Responsiveness: Insights from In Vivo Murine Models 

  Vincent, Sandra

  Muscarinic receptors play an important role in cholinergic transmission and physiologic events. However, the study of the mechanisms by which muscarinic receptors mediate cardiopulmonary responses have been hampered by the ...

• Bioinformatics Approaches for Investigating Missing Heritability in Complex Traits 

  Choi, Jihoon

  Advancements in high-throughput technologies and high-performance computing have enabled the discovery of tens of thousands of genetic associations for complex traits and diseases. However, these associations explain only ...

• Neurophysiology of Exertional Dyspnea in Interstitial Lung Disease and Pulmonary Vascular Disease: Final Common Pathways 

  Milne, Kathryn

  Dyspnea is an important symptom that negatively impacts quality of life and results in functional limitation and disability. The overarching objective of this thesis was to explore mechanisms of chronic activity-related ...

• Characterizing the Development of Secondary Hyperparathyroidism and Vitamin D Resistance in Experimental Chronic Kidney Disease 

  Lee, Loky

  The parathyroid gland (PTG) responds to alterations in calcium and phosphate via secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH) that acts on kidneys and bone to regulate mineral homeostasis. Hallmarks of chronic kidney disease ...

• Developing Synthetic Actin Toxins for the Treatment of Metastatic Cancers 

  Shah, Kavan

  Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer related deaths and new therapies that disrupt the metastatic process are urgently needed. The actin cytoskeleton is very dynamic structure required for cancer cell invasion and ...

• Characterization of GM- and M-CSF-Derived Macrophages Response to Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Infection and TLR7 Agonist 

  Alothaimeen, Torki

  Macrophages (MΦ) are innate immune cells considered as the primary line of defense during infection and as controllers of tissue homeostasis. In response to viral infection, MΦ induce cytokine production and regulate ...

• Investigating the Receptor Interactions and Mechanisms of a Folic Acid-Conjugated Nanoparticle in the Treatment of Breast Cancer 

  Decarlo, Alexandria

  An area of intense research focus is the development of a highly specific drug delivery system (DDS) for anti-cancer agents. Chemical engineering of a “smart” DDS to specifically target tumor cells has gained interest in ...

• Investigating the Blockade of Transforming Growth Factor-beta Signaling in Preclinical Models of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer 

  Newsted, Daniel

  Ovarian cancer is the most the lethal gynecologic malignancy and most commonly develops as epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Most EOC tumours are genetically unstable high-grade serous carcinomas that initiate and grow ...

• Characterization of Transcription Factor-Coactivator Complexes in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia 

  Lochhead, Marina

  Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancerous hematological disorder originating in B-lymphoid progenitor cells. In 5% of ALL cases, the oncogenic transcription factor E2A-PBX1 is expressed as a result of the chromosomal ...

• Hypoxia Inhibits Kv1.5 Currents Through Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated Post Translational Cysteine Modification 

  You, Nancy

  The voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.5 plays an important role in atrial repolarization and vascular tone of pulmonary arteries. Dysfunction of Kv1.5 channels can lead to atrial fibrillation and pulmonary hypertension, ...

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