Dr. Tamika Royal-Thomas

Department of Mathematics and Statistics

In Utero Scores Predicting Future Cardiovascular Health

Abstract:

The Barker Hypothesis states that maternal and in utero attributes during pregnancy affects a child’s cardiovascular health throughout life. This work demonstrates that the intra uterine growth is the main predictor, as an early life determinant, for systolic blood pressure later in life. The analyses of a unique dataset is presented, which consists of the mothers’ pregnancy measurements, offsprings’ in utero measurements and measurements of the offsprings from birth to 14 years. An analysis of the relationship of these measurements is presented using principal component analyses (PCA). In a linear mixed model with birth and in utero components, age and child’s systolic blood pressure (SBP) as the outcome variable, the in utero body component was statistically significant. The results indicate that the in utero body component predict the future cardiovascular health of the child and that birth weight may be an intermediate predictor.

Zaara Sarwar

Department of Biology

Defining the Role of Enhancer-Binding Proteins in Virulence and Gene Regulation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract:

The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major cause of hospital acquired infections around the world. Its success as a pathogen can be attributed to its extreme resistance to various antibiotics, its ability to thrive and persist in adverse conditions, and its ability to produce an array of virulence factors that cause severe tissue and cell damage. To aid in the combat against this human pathogen, we explore the genetic mechanisms of enhancer-binding proteins (EBPs), which regulate the expression of these virulence traits. Our work has shown that P. aeruginosa uses EBPs for a diverse array of biological pathways including metabolism of essential and alternate nutrient sources. Characterization of these EBPs has provided valuable insight into the molecular mechanism of gene regulatory networks of pathogens such as P. aeruginosa and led to the identification of novel therapeutic targets.