Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted UNRAVELING THE LINK BETWEEN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET, ZINC, AND CADMIUM TOXICITY IN INFLAMMATION REGULATION AMONG CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS(Florida International University, 2024-10-29) Mobarki, Huda; Liuzzi, JuanZinc (Zn) possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties essential for regulating the body’s inflammatory response. However, the interplay between diet, heavy metal toxicity, and Zn status in influencing inflammation in children remains poorly understood. This study examined the associations among diet, Zn levels, cadmium (Cd) toxicity, and inflammation, using high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and white blood cell count (WBCs) as biomarkers. Data from the 2015-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), comprising 3,507 U.S. children aged 2–19 years, were analyzed. Linear regression models assessed the relationships between serum Zn, the Anti-inflammatory Diet Score (ADS), Cd levels, and inflammatory markers. Of the participants, 49.4% were male and 50.6% female. Serum Zn was inversely associated with inflammation (β = -0.236, p = 0.008 for WBCs; β = -0.223, p = 0.035 for hsCRP) after adjusting for covariates. Although ADS showed an inverse relationship with inflammation, the associations were not statistically significant. Blood Cd levels were positively associated with WBCs (β = 0.436, p = 0.008), but not hsCRP. Interestingly, adjusting for Zn reversed the association between Cd and inflammation, though the results were not significant, suggesting Zn may counteract Cd’s pro-inflammatory effects. Complementary studies in C. elegans were conducted to further explore these findings. Survival assays showed that Cd exposure significantly reduced worm survival, whereas co-incubation with equal concentrations of Zn (100 µM) mitigated this toxic effect, as demonstrated by two-way ANOVA and Tukey tests. Overall, this study highlights that serum Zn is a more reliable marker of inflammation than dietary Zn intake in children. Zn appears to partially neutralize Cd's toxic effects, with findings supported by both epidemiological data and experimental models. Maintaining adequate Zn levels may reduce inflammation and counteract Cd toxicity. These results underscore the importance of dietary strategies to enhance Zn status, potentially mitigating the adverse health effects of environmental Cd exposure in children.14 0Item Restricted UNRAVELING THE LINK BETWEEN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET, ZINC, AND CADMIUM TOXICITY IN INFLAMMATION REGULATION AMONG CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS(Florida International University, 2024) Mobarki, Huda; Liuzzi, JuanZinc (Zn) is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and is important in regulating the body’s inflammatory response. However, there is limited evidence on how factors such as diet and heavy metal toxicity contribute to inflammation in children, and whether these effects are influenced by Zn status. This study aimed to investigate the links between diet, Zn, and cadmium (Cd) toxicity with inflammation, using high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and white blood cell count (WBCs) as biomarkers. Using data from the 2015-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which included 3,507 children in the U.S. aged 2-19 years, we explored the associations between the main exposure variables (Zn, Anti-inflammatory Diet Score (ADS), and Cd) and inflammatory biomarkers. Statistical analysis was conducted using a linear regression model. Of the participants, 49.4% were male and 50.6% female. We observed an inverse relationship between serum Zn and inflammation (β = -.236, p = .008 for WBCs, and β = -.223, p = .035 for hsCRP) after adjusting covariates. Although ADS was inversely associated with inflammation, the relationship was not significant (β = -.006, p = .186 for WBCs, and β = -.003, p = .210 for hsCRP). Significant associations were found between blood Cd and WBCs (β = .436, p = .008), but not for hsCRP. After adjusting for Zn, the relationship between Cd and inflammation became inversely associated (β = -.083 for WBCs, β = -.099 for hsCRP), although these results were not significant, suggesting that Zn may mitigate Cd’s inflammatory effects. To further support the epidemiological findings, we conducted studies using young C. elegans. The experiment consisted of two studies analyzing the effects of Zn and Cd on the survival of the worms using two-way ANOVA and Tukey tests. The results showed that Cd treatment significantly decreased the survival of worms; however, co-incubation with Zn attenuated this effect when the concentration of Cd and Zn were equal (100 µM). In conclusion, the epidemiological data indicate that serum Zn is a more reliable indicator of inflammation in children than Zn intake. The study also suggests zinc status neutralizes Cd's pro-inflammatory effects on inflammatory biomarkers. Additionally, C. elegans model demonstrated that Zn supplementation mitigated Cd-induced toxicity. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining adequate Zn status to mitigate the harmful effects of Cd exposure in children. Therefore, dietary interventions that improve Zn status could potentially reduce inflammation and counteract the adverse impact of Cd exposure on a population level.13 0Item Restricted Exploring the Role of Biomarkers in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Review(Queen Mary University of London, 2024-08-12) Saddeek, Razan; Tranchida, VincentTraumatic brain injury (TBI), a global public health challenge lasting more than 3500 years, can be linked to a greater probability of morbidity and mortality. It may contribute to psychiatric and neurological diseases, making it a recognized incident of injury and a 'disease process'. TBI is categorized into two stages: primary injury and secondary injury, and it is categorized into three levels: severe, moderate, and mild. Clinical assessment of TBI patients includes neuroimaging, assessment of the patient's state of consciousness, pupil examination, and evaluation of the cranial nerves. However, these assessments do not provide enough detail about the underlying mechanisms of TBI. Biomarkers have been extremely beneficial in the development of a wide range of clinical conditions, such as those in the fields of cardiology, cancer, hematology, and infectious diseases. This research examines six biomarkers with potential as prognostic and diagnostic indicators of TBI. The biomarkers are S100B, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), tau, neurofilament light chain (NF-L), and ubiquitin c-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1). These biomarkers are found in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with TBI. The use of these biomarkers has shown their ability to assist in the early detection and assessment of disease severity, along with clinical prognosis after TBI. Furthermore, these biomarkers show a significant level of sensitivity in the detection of TBI, therefore limiting the need for unnecessary neuroimaging. This research also highlights the limitations and challenges associated with these biomarkers. Ultimately, the primary objective of this research is to provide a thorough understanding of traumatic brain injuries and their diagnosis using biomarkers.12 0Item Restricted Digital Oral Health Biomarkers - A Public Health Use A Rapid Systematic Review(King’s College London, 2024-05) Alhassan, Aseel Khaled; Zaric, SvetislavAim: To Review currently available digital devices for early detection of oral diseases (dental caries, periodontal diseases, and oral cancer) and evaluate their potential dental public health applications Methods: A literature search across seven databases, grey literature, and a hand search was performed (February 2024- April 2024) to investigate the recent developments in digital tools for early detection of dental caries, periodontal disease, and oral cancer by non-dental care professionals. The search utilized keywords such as biomarkers, digital, diagnosis, saliva, caries, periodontal diseases, and oral cancer. Results: The synthesis of findings revealed five studies on dental caries, seven on periodontal diseases, and five on oral cancer. Home-based kits in development showed promising initial results and acceptable clinical utility in detecting various oral diseases. Among these, the most notable tests included a wearable fluorescent mouthguard for dental caries, a light-induced fluorescence device for periodontal diseases, and a paper-based fluorescent sensor for oral cancer. The wearable mouthguard demonstrated high sensitivity and accuracy in diagnosing early caries, making it suitable for public use in areas with limited access to dental care. The light-induced fluorescence device connects to a mobile app and provides a practical tool for continuous plaque detection and monitoring, promoting better oral hygiene. The paper-based fluorescent sensor offers rapid screening for oral squamous cell carcinoma, showing high sensitivity and specificity for home use. Despite the absence of rigorous clinical trials, the overall quality of evidence was cautiously appraised as primarily high, with seven articles rated high, four rated moderate to high, and four rated moderate. Conclusion: While biomarkers represent a significant advancement in diagnosing and preventing oral diseases, and the findings highlight the potential of digital diagnostic tools to enhance the early detection and management of oral diseases, further studies are required to facilitate their implementation for general public use.26 0Item Restricted OVERCOMING CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES IN KIDNEY DISEASE TREATMENT THROUGH METABOLOMIC AND DATA SCIENCE APPROACHES(Monther Alsultan, 2023-04-05) Alsultan, Monther; Wijesinghe, Dayanjan SEarly identification and therapy are essential for preventing the worsening of kidney function. However, the lack of predictive, noninvasive biomarkers has posed a challenge in the diagnosis and management of this prevalent condition. Furthermore, there are barriers to effective treatment that limit our capacity to provide improved health management for individuals with kidney failure. The main objectives are to: Identify the challenges of current biomarkers in kidney disease and propose a metabolomic approach to overcome them by investigating metabolomic alterations associated with the etiology of renal disease, and discuss barriers to optimal care in CKD and discusses the role of data science in improving healthcare. To explore biomarkers and etiology of kidney dysfunction, untargeted lipidomic analysis was performed from a prospective observational cohort of adult kidney transplant patients. To overcome the barriers to optimal care in CKD, an open-source programming language was used to develop and implement an anticoagulant agents platform. Our lipidomic study of kidney transplant patients identified lipid predictors of kidney rejection. This study’ findings show that the lipidome may be used to predict graft function in kidney transplant recipients. A clinical decision support application was developed to provide anticoagulation management guidance. It provides tools for calculating warfarin dosing, and providing anticoagulation methods for individuals with renal impairment. This dissertation also illustrates that lipidomic biomarkers have the potential to provide valuable insights into the health status of patients. Further research is needed to strengthen our lipid biomarker findings and to validate our decision-making tool in real-world practice.12 0