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Dr. Laura Twersky, Thesis Advisor
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Biology
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- Description:
- Caffeine is a stimulant often consumed in the form of coffee. Despite its widespread use the effects of caffeine and coffee, especially on early development, are poorly understood. The research aims to study the effects of 5 ug/ml and 10 ug/ml caffeine, 0.01% coffee, and 0.01% decaffeinated coffee on neurulation and brain development in Xenopus laevis (clawed frog). The goal is to determine if caffeine and coffee are teratogenic agents for Xenopus laevis. Furthermore, the research looks at the potential teratogenic effects of decaffeinated coffee as there are few studies done in this area. Xenopus laevis embryos were incubated in four experimental solutions and a control of aged tap water. Development was observed using a stereo microscope, and pictures were taken of the different stages. It was noted that 10 ug/ml caffeine and 0.01% coffee solutions induced the same malformations and mortality in the specimens, while the 0.01% decaffeinated coffee solution induced several malformations not observed in any other group.
- Subject:
- Biology
- Creator:
- Chalakova, Maria
- Contributor:
- Dr. Laura Twersky, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/14/2022
- Date Modified:
- 06/14/2022
- Date Created:
- Spring 2022
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- Dementia is a clinical syndrome known for its progressive cognitive decline and its interference with daily functioning. Multiple investigations have been designed and conducted on Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia, followed by research on vascular dementia. Statins, also known as 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, have been prescribed to individuals to lower LDL-cholesterol levels and to prevent or treat cardiovascular diseases. In the past decade, statins such as simvastatin and atorvastatin have exhibited pleiotropic effects in dementia treatment as these medications work to improve learning and memory abilities in mice models. Most studies designed to observe the effects of statins in reducing the risk of dementia have been performed on rodent organisms, yet, research indicates that the zebrafish, Danio rerio, is a successful model organism. The zebrafish can be utilized as a successful model to better understand the genetics, development, behavior, and reproduction of humans. Not only do zebrafish have a great ability for learning and memory functioning, but they also possess hippocampus-like structures and PSEN1 and PSEN2 genes strikingly similar to the ones found in humans with Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to this review, a suggested experiment has been designed to study two doses of simvastatin and two doses of atorvastatin in Aβ-induced zebrafish and observe how these statin types function in reducing the risk of learning and memory deficits.
- Subject:
- Biology
- Creator:
- Chacho, Chantal
- Contributor:
- Dr. Laura Twersky, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/09/2021
- Date Modified:
- 06/09/2021
- Date Created:
- Spring 2021
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- The purpose of this experiment was to find a conclusive link between smoking and its effects on the development of Alzheimer’s disease. This was evaluated by determining whether certain elements of cigarette smoke affect cognitive ability of mice. Five different groups of mice (control, ammonium hydroxide exposure, methanol exposure, acrylamide exposure, cigarette smoke exposure) attempted to navigate a water maze to complete the Morris water escape task. The experimental method was as follows: the five groups of mice were exposed to the suspected amyloid-inducing chemicals dissolved in their drinking water. The chemical concentrations were proportional to the concentrations human smokers are exposed to in Marlboro Red Full Flavor cigarettes. Over a three week duration, the mice completed the Morris water escape task seven times, with their time to completion recorded. The expected trend was that exposure to chemicals found in cigarette smoke would lead to an increase in the time it takes for that group of mice to navigate the maze. The results obtained actually contradicted this hypothesis: it was found that the control group had the fourth best time amongst the five groups, and one of the experimental groups (acrylamide exposure) was significantly better at solving the maze than the rest. However, these results can only be regarded as preliminary; further testing must be conducted to more positively determine the correlation between chemical exposure and mouse cognitive ability.
- Subject:
- Biology
- Creator:
- Oladipupo, Taofik
- Contributor:
- Dr. Laura Twersky, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 10/14/2020
- Date Modified:
- 10/14/2020
- Date Created:
- Spring 2013
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- There is an obesity epidemic occurring worldwide, not just in the United States. Although there are many alternatives when it comes to treatment, such as proper exercise and keeping a well-nutritious diet limited in processed food and sugar, there have been several recent studies into Ayurvedic herbal remedies for the disease. A lot of these Ayurvedic herbal medicines were used popularly throughout India, as they have strong beliefs in their natural healing properties.Two particularly popular Ayurvedic remedies used for weight loss medication are green tea (Camellia sinensis) and Triphala (an Indian Ayurvedic compound consisting of various ground up Indian dried fruits). Two different concentrations of two Ayurvedic medicines were tested on zebrafish with diet-induced obesity (the fish were fed a diet high in fat), to see if different concentrations increase the potency of their effect on weight-loss. Also, green tea and Triphala extracts were combined to be tested for possible synergistic effects.
- Subject:
- Biology
- Creator:
- Kim, Wonja
- Contributor:
- Dr. Laura Twersky, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/10/2020
- Date Modified:
- 06/10/2020
- Date Created:
- April 20, 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- The purpose of this research was to determine the antifungal and antibacterial properties of organic raw honey, organic castor oil, and holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum). The fungus, Candida albicans, and microbes found in common places were used to conduct the experiment. These organic solutions possess antibacterial and antifungal properties. There were several groups observed in this experiment: the control, honey vs. fungi, honey vs. bacteria, castor vs. fungi, castor vs. bacteria, honey/castor mix vs. fungi, honey/castor mix vs. bacteria, holy basil vs. fungi, and holy basil vs. bacteria. The petri dishes were first made by making nutrient agar. Afterwards, the C. albicans samples were spread onto the plates and incubated for several days. Once the fungus grew, the organic solutions were placed onto them and left alone for one day in the incubator. The same steps were taken for the bacterial part of the experiment. Results showed that all the plates with honey and castor oil had the best effect against the fungi. Castor oil by itself had zones of inhibition indicating no growth around the areas where the oil was placed. The honey was only effective in high dosages. Lastly, the holy basil was effective in regard to its antibacterial and antifungal activity. This study helped investigate which solution was more suitable to use in modern medicine to fight fungal and bacterial infections, more specifically, Candidiasis.
- Subject:
- Biology
- Creator:
- Patel, Bhavtik
- Contributor:
- Dr. Laura Twersky, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Modified:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Created:
- April 20, 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper