August 2017 – Page 2 – Proceedings of the Texas A&M Medical Student Grand Rounds

SCFAs Pathologic Role in the Intestinal Microbiome and Autism

August 10, 2017 Sara Benitez

Sara Benitez Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorder, a neurobehavioral disorder that involves impairment in social interaction and communication, is more prevalent in boys and occurs in 1 out of every 68 children1. Due to comorbid GI disturbances commonly reported among these patients and the fact that the intestinal microbiome is established…

Microbiology Neuroscience

Targeting Tau: The future of defeating Alzheimer’s Disease?

August 10, 2017 Nitin Agrawal

Nitin Agrawal Introduction. Alzheimer’s Disease is progressive neurodegeneration that is associated with beta-amyloid protein plaques and tau tangle accumulations1. Historically, the amyloid hypothesis, which states that the buildup of beta-amyloid plaques causes direct synaptic damage leading to cell death with brain atrophy, has been touted as the main explanation for…

Neuroscience

The Role of Gamma-Secretase Modulators in Reducing ß-amyloid Plaque Formation in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

August 10, 2017 Courtney Welch

Courtney Welch Introduction. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder, and the risk increases with age so that by age 85 some studies suggest that ∼50% of individuals will have the disease1,2. The pathological hallmarks of AD include the presence of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). Senile…

Featured Abstracts Neuroscience

Gastrointestinal therapies for augmenting treatment of autism spectrum disorder behaviors

August 10, 2017 Hasan Sumdani

Hasan Sumdani Introduction. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological condition characterized by behavioral changes such as decreased sociality, limited range of interests, and repetitive behaviors. The etiology of ASD has a large genetic component, but environmental causes are being identified and explored more1. ASD is often associated with gastrointestinal…

Featured Abstracts Microbiology Neuroscience

Alteration and Characterization of Exosomes in Preeclampsia

August 10, 2017 Marisa Pinson

Marisa Pinson Introduction. Preeclampsia (PE) is defined by new onset hypertension and proteinuria by ≥20 weeks of gestation.1-4 PE occurs in 2-5% of pregnancies and is the leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality globally.1 Currently, the only treatment for PE is delivery of the placenta. The mechanisms behind the…

Featured Abstracts Reproduction

Utilization of Stem Cell Therapy for Myocardial Repair Following Ischemic Damage

August 10, 2017 Virginia B. Neese

Virginia B. Neese Introduction: Myocardial infarction (MI) remains the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in developed countries1. MIs account for up to 700,000 deaths annually in the United States2. Current management focuses on revascularization to prevent further damage, but no therapies are currently approved for restoring loss function or…

Cardiology Featured Abstracts

CRISPR-Cas9 as a means to treat immunodeficiency caused by HIV

August 10, 2017 Ryan Morris

Ryan Morris Introduction: CRISPR, Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeats, has stormed onto the scientific stage in a relatively short period of time and is at the forefront of gene-editing technology. Originally discovered as an adaptive immunity system against bacteriophages in Streptococcus pyrogenes, the CRISPR/Cas 9 system is now being used…

Featured Abstracts Immunology Microbiology

Emerging Technologies in Bone Repair and Spine Fusion: Stem Cell Strategies

August 2, 2017 Kathleen F. Lundquist

Kathleen F. Lundquist Introduction. Spondylolisthesis is defined as the forward slippage of a vertebra without rupture of the posterior arc, usually inducing lumbar canal stenosis with a prevalence estimated at 2.7% in males and 8.1% in females2. Spondylolisthesis is frequently treated via a spinal fusion surgical procedure if the degree…

Featured Abstracts Orthopedics

Cancer Killer: The Role of Amiloride Derivatives in the Selective Targeting and Killing of Breast Cancer Cells

August 2, 2017 Tanner Lines

Tanner Lines Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and the third most common cancer worldwide behind lung and colon cancer1,2. Triple-negative breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) represents 10-20% of all breast cancer cases and lacks the progesterone, estrogen, and HER2 receptors that serve as targets for breast cancer…

Cancer Featured Abstracts

LncRNA H19 functions as a decoy for multiple miRNA families to derepress epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and promote cancer progression.

August 2, 2017 Lyndon Lee

Lyndon Lee Introduction: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is implicated in the acquisition of an invasive and treatment resistant phenotype in cancer, and is characterized by the loss epithelial characteristics.1-3 Mesenchymal characteristics include the gain of a leading/trailing edge, upregulation of mesenchymal markers and the formation of migratory protrusions.1-3 Transforming growth factor…

Cancer Featured Abstracts