Caenorhabditis elegans is arguably the best understood animal on the planet.
Used for over 50 years to study development, we have a vast amount of knowledge of
the inner workings of this worm. Our knowledge is incomplete, however, without
placing this organism in its evolutionary and ecological context. In this...
Despite the advances in surgery, physical therapy, and pharmaceutical agents, muscle
dysfunction (i.e., atrophy and weakness) continues to impair recovery from an anterior
cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and surgery. Ischemia-reperfusion injury during surgery
and the subsequent limb disuse are two events experienced by patients having ACL
surgery. Oxidative stress and...
Premature birth interrupts the typical development of the human fetus, leaving the infant born with underdeveloped gastrointestinal and immune systems. Preterm infants have reduced stomach acidity, reduced digestive protease activity, more permeable intestinal membranes, impaired innate and adaptive immune response, and poor microbiome development. Due to these factors, preterm infants...
Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have the potential to de-repress epigenetically silenced genes in cancer cells, leading to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Dietary HDAC inhibitors derived from natural phytochemicals are promising anticancer agents. In this thesis, metabolites from natural organosulfur and organoselenium compounds, i.e. allyl mercaptan (AM), β-methylselenopyruvate (MSP) and...
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) encompasses a spectrum of lymphoid progenitors that have undergone malignant transformation and clonal proliferation at various stages of differentiation. Some cases of ALL have been documented to have prenatal origins and in particular neonatal exposure to various environmental pollutants is associated with increased disease risk, including...
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a re-emerging class of environmental pollutants. The persistent nature of these highly toxic compounds along with their ubiquity in the environment creates an unavoidable route of exposure. The developing fetus and neonate are a particularly susceptible population due to their incomplete complement of xenobiotic metabolizing...
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is defined as excess hepatic lipid accumulation, in the absence of excess alcohol consumption and chronic liver disease. NAFLD can range in severity from simple fatty liver (steatosis) to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH is defined as hepatic steatosis with inflammation and hepatic injury and describes...