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- Title
- MUSIC INFLUENCES ON HEALTH COMPROMISING BEHAVIORS.
- Creator
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Qureshi, Erum, Wright, Chrysalis, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Considering the vast number of youth that participate in sexual behavior and start using illicit drugs at a young age, it is imperative to investigate the prevalence of media filled with both subliminal and blatant messages about drugs and sexuality. It is hypothesized that lyrical content of music and the content and imagery of music videos will contain conscious messages about drug and alcohol use, and sexual behaviors. Content analysis that used the frequency method determined the amount...
Show moreConsidering the vast number of youth that participate in sexual behavior and start using illicit drugs at a young age, it is imperative to investigate the prevalence of media filled with both subliminal and blatant messages about drugs and sexuality. It is hypothesized that lyrical content of music and the content and imagery of music videos will contain conscious messages about drug and alcohol use, and sexual behaviors. Content analysis that used the frequency method determined the amount of sexual and drug messages within five songs from each artist. Additionally, it is postulated that participants who frequently listen to specific music genres, regularly watch music videos, and stay up-to-date on music artists will be more likely to engage in health compromising behaviors compared to participants who are not as involved with popular music. Applying the bio-ecological systems perspective, it is hypothesized that the negative influences of music (i.e., exosystem) can be minimized or heightened by microsystem (i.e., family, friends) influences as well as internal characteristics of participants (i.e., personality). A series of analyses of variance were conducted to determine if there was a relationship between exposure to lyrical content and drug and sexual behavior. Linear regression analysis was conducted to determine if public image of the artist was correlated to health compromising behavior. Overall results indicate that a relationship between music genre preferences - though the combination of lyrical content, the public image of artists, and the imagery in music videos - and illicit drug usage and sexual behavior.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFH0004335, ucf:45060
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004335
- Title
- Family Dependency Drug Courts: An Empirical Test of Therapeutic Jurisprudence.
- Creator
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Lindsey-Mowery, Elizabeth, Reynolds, Kenneth, Surette, Raymond, Eastep, Mary, Winton, Mark, Zhang, Ning, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The rise in cases of child abuse and neglect over the past two decades has overwhelmed the nation's dependency court and child welfare agencies. While multiple factors are associated with child abuse and neglect, it is indisputable that substance abuse plays a significant role. The families that come into the dependency system with substance abuse issues are substantially more difficult and challenging to serve. Consequently, the families experience low levels of reunification and high levels...
Show moreThe rise in cases of child abuse and neglect over the past two decades has overwhelmed the nation's dependency court and child welfare agencies. While multiple factors are associated with child abuse and neglect, it is indisputable that substance abuse plays a significant role. The families that come into the dependency system with substance abuse issues are substantially more difficult and challenging to serve. Consequently, the families experience low levels of reunification and high levels of child welfare recidivism. In response to the increase in dependency cases involving substance abuse and the inability of the traditional dependency courts (TDC) to handle these cases, Family Dependency Drug Courts (FDDC) were created.The study utilized Therapeutic Jurisprudence Theory to examine differences in child welfare outcomes between substance abusing individuals served in a traditional dependency court system versus the therapeutic jurisprudence driven Family Dependency Drug Court system. Logistic regression, ANOVA and Chi-square were performed on a non-random sample derived from court systems in two Central Florida counties to examine two child welfare outcomes, specifically reunification rates and child welfare recidivism.The findings indicate that substance using participants in the FDDC have much higher rates of reunification than comparable substance using participants processed through the traditional dependency court. Also, of the individuals who attended FDDC, those who graduated were reunified at a significantly higher rate than those that didn't graduate. In regards to child welfare recidivism within a one year time period, there was not a statistically significant difference when comparing the FDDC participants and the TDC participants. When comparing the FDDC participants who completed the program versus those that failed to complete the program, while the child welfare recidivism rates were not significantly different, there is some evidence that the participants that completed the FDDC program experience less child welfare recidivism than those that don't have the full experience of therapeutic jurisprudence. This research lends some support for both the FDDC program and the explanatory power of Therapeutic Jurisprudence Theory. Theoretical and policy implications, as well as further research, are proposed and discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0005027, ucf:49983
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005027
- Title
- THE EFFICACY OF MEDITATION-BASED TREATMENTS IN RELAPSE PREVENTION FOR PERSONS WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS.
- Creator
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Bates, Florence C, Burr, Joyce, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Substance abuse is a global problem that has contributed to a variety of societal, financial, health, and familial strains. An increasing prevalence of illicit drug, prescription opioids, and alcohol abuse has created a need for re-evaluation of recovery and relapse treatments. This literature review examines the efficacy of meditation-based treatments for relapse prevention in persons recovering from Substance Use Disorders (SUDs). A comparative analysis of Mindfulness Based Relapse Programs...
Show moreSubstance abuse is a global problem that has contributed to a variety of societal, financial, health, and familial strains. An increasing prevalence of illicit drug, prescription opioids, and alcohol abuse has created a need for re-evaluation of recovery and relapse treatments. This literature review examines the efficacy of meditation-based treatments for relapse prevention in persons recovering from Substance Use Disorders (SUDs). A comparative analysis of Mindfulness Based Relapse Programs (MBRP), an adapted MBRP-W program, and a Transcendental Meditation (TM) intervention was used to examine the success of meditation-based interventions. Research supports improvements associated with the meditation-based interventions including significant reductions in substance use, craving, stress, and negative affect. Meditation-based therapy may provide the emotional self-regulation and decreased impulsivity required for long-term abstinence from substance use. Consistent meditative practice was associated with greater improvements. Altering current meditation-based therapy treatment programs to encourage adherence and participation may increase success. Additional research is needed to evaluate long-term relapse prevention potential. Research incorporating meditation-based supportive therapies that promote well-being, emotion regulation, and stress relief are important for the future of successful SUD treatment.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFH2000486, ucf:45901
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000486
- Title
- DETERMINATION OF SELECTIVITY AND POTENTIAL FOR DRUG RESISTANCE OF NOVEL ANTIMALARIAL COMPOUNDS FROM NATURE-INSPIRED SYNTHETIC LIBRARIES.
- Creator
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Keasler, Eric, Keasler, Eric, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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As malaria, caused by Plasmodium spp., continues to afflict millions of people worldwide, there is a dire need for the discovery of novel, inexpensive antimalarial drugs. Although there are effective drugs on the market, the consistent development of drug resistant species has decreased their efficacy, further emphasizing that novel therapeutic measures are urgently needed. Natural products provide the most diverse reservoir for the discovery of unique chemical scaffolds with the potential to...
Show moreAs malaria, caused by Plasmodium spp., continues to afflict millions of people worldwide, there is a dire need for the discovery of novel, inexpensive antimalarial drugs. Although there are effective drugs on the market, the consistent development of drug resistant species has decreased their efficacy, further emphasizing that novel therapeutic measures are urgently needed. Natural products provide the most diverse reservoir for the discovery of unique chemical scaffolds with the potential to effectively combat malarial infections, but, due to their complex structures, they often pose extreme challenges to medicinal chemists during pharmacokinetic optimization. In our laboratory we have performed unbiased, cell-based assays of numerous synthetic compounds from chemical libraries enriched with nature-like elements. This screening has led to the discovery of many original chemical scaffolds with promising antimalarial properties. In an attempt to further characterize these scaffolds, the most promising compounds were assayed in order to determine their cytotoxic effects on mammalian cells. In addition, the development of a drug resistant parasite line of Plasmodium falciparum to the most promising compound was done in order to determine the relative probability for parasite resistance development.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFH0004223, ucf:44900
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004223
- Title
- IDENTIFYING DRUG-SEEKING BEHAVIORS IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.
- Creator
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Bush-Burman, Randi, Talbert, Steven, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Pain is the leading cause of Emergency Department (ED) visits making it one of the primary concerns of the emergency medical field. The experience of pain is subjective and unique to every individual making it difficult to effectively manage. As a result, the subjective nature of pain is also commonly associated with drug-seekers often claiming to have pain simply to receive narcotics to support their addiction. There have been numerous studies completed to determine how to effectively...
Show morePain is the leading cause of Emergency Department (ED) visits making it one of the primary concerns of the emergency medical field. The experience of pain is subjective and unique to every individual making it difficult to effectively manage. As a result, the subjective nature of pain is also commonly associated with drug-seekers often claiming to have pain simply to receive narcotics to support their addiction. There have been numerous studies completed to determine how to effectively recognize drug-seeking. This integrative literature review will identify the common behaviors that have been seen as indicators of drug-seeking in the ED. The evidence collected from articles published between 2001 and 2011 examined the use of assessment tools, drug screening, and prescription monitoring programs for distinguishing drug-seekers. The evidence did not identify a specific evaluation tool used to recognize drug-seekers; however, the research did suggested that using these techniques can help to identify drug-seeking behavior allowing emergency medical staff to effectively manage pain in the ED.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFH0004070, ucf:44802
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004070
- Title
- 3-AMINO-2-PIPERIDINEQUINOLINE A NOVEL NATURAL PRODUCT-INSPIRED SYNTHETIC COMPOUND WITH ANTIMALARIAL ACTIVITY.
- Creator
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Valor, Cristhian, Chakrabarti, Debopam, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Malaria afflicts about 500 million people worldwide thus causing significant global economic toll. The drugs available to treat the disease are rapidly losing their efficacy because of widespread prevalence of drug resistant parasites. Thus there is an urgent need to discover novel malaria therapeutics. This research is focused on to study the properties of a novel natural-like synthetic scaffold and analyze its selectivity, and cellular mechanism of action in Plasmodium falciparum. We have...
Show moreMalaria afflicts about 500 million people worldwide thus causing significant global economic toll. The drugs available to treat the disease are rapidly losing their efficacy because of widespread prevalence of drug resistant parasites. Thus there is an urgent need to discover novel malaria therapeutics. This research is focused on to study the properties of a novel natural-like synthetic scaffold and analyze its selectivity, and cellular mechanism of action in Plasmodium falciparum. We have identified a novel compound, 3-amino-2-piperidinequinoline (APQ), which we termed UCF401. APQ demonstrated IC50 at submicromolar concentrations against Plasmodium falciparum using the SYBR Green-I fluorescence assay measuring cellular proliferation. This compound also demonstrated low cytotoxicity against the NIH3T3 and HEPG2 cells using MTS assays, showing an IC50 of 174 uM and 125 uM respectively, suggesting of excellent selectivity. We evaluated the compliance of APQ with Lipinski's parameters and determined the in vitro physicochemical profiles of the compound. Our results show that APQ is a Lipinski parameter compliant and has good physicochemical properties. The cellular mechanism of action of APQ was characterized through the assessment of the effects of the compound at different stages of the parasite's intraerythrocytic life cycle. This assay was done by treating a synchronized cell line with the compound at 5X the IC50 value and then imaging the cells at 12-hour intervals. We found that APQ arrests parasite development at the trophozoite stage. In addition we determined that APQ is parasitocidal after a 96 h exposure. These results demonstrate that APQ can be considered as a validated hit and/or early lead.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFH0004593, ucf:45233
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004593
- Title
- Discovery and characterization of novel antimicrobials against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
- Creator
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Rodrigues Felix, Carolina, Rohde, Kyle, Jewett, Mollie, Self, William, Phanstiel, Otto, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Tuberculosis disease is currently a global health emergency, causing the most deaths worldwide due a single infectious agent. Eradication of TB is hampered by lack of an effective vaccine and poor treatment options. During infection, host-derived cues such as hypoxia and starvation induce Mycobacterium tuberculosis to halt replication and become dormant, which leads to tolerance to front-line antibiotics used in the TB treatment. This dormant phenotype causes delayed clearance of M....
Show moreTuberculosis disease is currently a global health emergency, causing the most deaths worldwide due a single infectious agent. Eradication of TB is hampered by lack of an effective vaccine and poor treatment options. During infection, host-derived cues such as hypoxia and starvation induce Mycobacterium tuberculosis to halt replication and become dormant, which leads to tolerance to front-line antibiotics used in the TB treatment. This dormant phenotype causes delayed clearance of M. tuberculosis, therefore a long treatment time is required for stable cure without relapse. Poor patient compliance increases the emergence of drug resistant strains, posing yet another challenge for the eradication of TB. There is dire need for novel compounds targeting not only drug-resistant, but also dormant bacteria so as to effectively eliminate drug-resistant strains and also shorten treatment time. This requires compounds with novel modes of action and novel drug screening approaches which focus on dormant M. tuberculosis. In the current work a method was optimized which induces the dormant phenotype of M. tuberculosis in vitro allowing large scale screening of compounds against these tolerant bacteria. The high chemical diversity of marine natural products was explored to increase the chances of finding novel compounds with novel mechanisms of action. Additionally, gold-complexed scaffolds were examined for their putative ability to inhibit topoisomerase 1, which is a highly conserved and essential protein of mycobacteria, not currently targeted in classical treatment regimens. Several marine natural products were identified with selective bactericidal activity against dormant bacteria, emphasizing the powerful tool that was developed for drug screening. Moreover, the gold-complexes were also bactericidal against not only replicating and dormant bacilli, but also mycobacteria resistant to front-line TB drugs. Compounds characterized in this study represent a promising starting point for the development of novel TB therapeutics and discovery of new conditionally essential pathways of dormant bacteria.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0007294, ucf:52172
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007294
- Title
- Fabrication of Polyelectrolyte Nanoparticles Through Hydrophobic Interaction.
- Creator
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Catarata, Ruginn Porce, Zhai, Lei, Kang, Ellen, Huo, Qun, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Anticancer drugs like gemcitabine (GEM) are used to treat cancers such as, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, the use of free gemcitabine yields challenges including cytotoxicity to healthy cells and poor circulation time. By encapsulating GEM in nanoparticles these challenges can be overcome. In this study poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)-GEM nanoparticles are fabricated by coupling GEM onto PAA. The particle formation is driven by the hydrophobic interaction of GEM, which collects in...
Show moreAnticancer drugs like gemcitabine (GEM) are used to treat cancers such as, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, the use of free gemcitabine yields challenges including cytotoxicity to healthy cells and poor circulation time. By encapsulating GEM in nanoparticles these challenges can be overcome. In this study poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)-GEM nanoparticles are fabricated by coupling GEM onto PAA. The particle formation is driven by the hydrophobic interaction of GEM, which collects in the core of the nanoparticle, forming a PAA shell. The nanoparticles were optimized by studying the PAA/GEM ratio and pH during fabrication. Characteristics of the nanoparticles including size, morphology and surface charge were investigated using dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and zeta potential measurements. Conditions such as ionic stability and pH stability were optimized to achieve high drug loading efficiency. Cell uptake and cytotoxicity studies were used to determine the efficiency of the nanoparticles as drug delivery vehicle.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007791, ucf:52364
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007791
- Title
- Nitrogen-Containing Materials for Mechanochemical Synthesis, Luminescence Analysis, and Heterogeneous Catalysis.
- Creator
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Nash, David, Zhai, Lei, Hampton, Michael, Harper, James, Rex, Matthew, Blair, Richard, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Various inorganic nitrogen-containing materials have been exploited for their different properties. Several nitride materials are commercially attractive due to their mechanical properties making them suitable for ceramic industries and wide bandgaps fitting for use as semiconductor and insulator materials, as well as optoelectronics. Nitride materials can exhibit versatility in applications such as the use of gallium nitride to make blue LEDs, nitrides of titanium and silicon being utilized...
Show moreVarious inorganic nitrogen-containing materials have been exploited for their different properties. Several nitride materials are commercially attractive due to their mechanical properties making them suitable for ceramic industries and wide bandgaps fitting for use as semiconductor and insulator materials, as well as optoelectronics. Nitride materials can exhibit versatility in applications such as the use of gallium nitride to make blue LEDs, nitrides of titanium and silicon being utilized as medical implants for their chemical inertness and hardness, and the heavy use of boron nitride as a solid lubricant in the cosmetic industry. Amines have been used as nitrogen-containing organic ligands in organometallic complexes that exhibit phenomenal photophysical properties. These complexes have been heavily studied for potential applications in optoelectronics and chemical sensing. This dissertation will focus on two nitrogen-containing materials that have yet to be explored for the potential applications to be discussed. The first is hexagonal-boron nitride (h-BN), which was previously mentioned to have a substantial use in the cosmetic industry, giving products such as lipstick, foundation, and blush their slick feeling. Computational models have shown the possibility of altered electronic properties of defect sites in the h-BN sheets. These defect sites will be explored experimentally to determine any catalytic activity. Specifically, the hydrogenation reaction using defect-laden hexagonal-boron nitride will be investigated. Successful catalysis would add to the short list of non-metal catalyst, and provide an alternative catalyst that costs significantly less than the traditional metal catalysts commonly used in commercial industries. The second of the two nitrogen-containing materials is a class of metal complexes based on organometallic clusters of copper(I) iodide. Copper(I) iodide clusters formed with amine ligands have been studied for around four decades and the photophysics behind their photoluminescent properties are well understood. Much of the work has been done for use as a potential emissive material in the optoelectronics field. They have also been studied for applications in the sensing of environmental compounds. Here, research will display its use as a novel sensor for narcotic substances. This forensic application will be further explored to develop and eventually commercialize a complete field drug testing system for law enforcement and crime lab use, with the goal to equip law enforcement personnel with a presumptive drug testing method that is accurate, easy-to-use, safe, adaptable, and affordable. This system will consist of a narcotic drug-indicating test strip, a handheld fluorescence spectrometer manufactured in-house using relatively inexpensive parts, and a mobile app that will leverage photoemission data of the tested drug samples collected by multiple crime labs to provide the ability for sample-to-reference data matching. Law enforcement users would have the ability to rapidly identify an unknown substance by applying it to a test strip, testing it using the spectrometer, and capturing an image of the resulting photoemission and analyzing the spectral profile in search of a match with the support of a cloud database.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0007129, ucf:52297
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007129
- Title
- IDENTIFICATION OF NOVEL ANTIMALARIALS FROM MARINE NATURAL PRODUCTS FOR LEAD DISCOVERY.
- Creator
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Alvarado, Stephenie, Chakrabarti, Debopam, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
An estimated 500 million cases of malaria occur each year. The increasing prevalence of drug resistant strains of Plasmodium in most malaria endemic areas has significantly reduced the efficacy of current antimalarial drugs for prophylaxis and treatment of this disease. Therefore, discovery of new, inexpensive, and effective drugs are urgently needed to combat this disease. Marine biodiversity is an enormous source of novel chemical entities and has been barely investigated for antimalarial...
Show moreAn estimated 500 million cases of malaria occur each year. The increasing prevalence of drug resistant strains of Plasmodium in most malaria endemic areas has significantly reduced the efficacy of current antimalarial drugs for prophylaxis and treatment of this disease. Therefore, discovery of new, inexpensive, and effective drugs are urgently needed to combat this disease. Marine biodiversity is an enormous source of novel chemical entities and has been barely investigated for antimalarial drug discovery. In an effort to discover novel therapeutics for malaria, we studied the antimalarial activities of a unique marine-derived peak fraction library provided by Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI). Within this unique library, we have screened 2,830 marine natural product (MNP) peak fractions through a medium throughput screening effort utilizing the SYBR Green-I fluorescence based assay, and have identified 253 fractions that exhibit antimalarial activity. From those inhibiting fractions we have identified twenty species of marine organisms that inhibit Plasmodium falciparum growth, from which thirty-five fractions were selected for further study. Among those thirty-five, eighty-three percent were also found to inhibit the chloroquine resistant strain of P. falciparum, Dd2. The most potent inhibitors were then screened for their cytotoxic properties using the MTT cell viability assay. Among the samples that exhibited potent inhibition of P. falciparum growth were fractions derived from a sponge of the genus Spongosorites sp.. This genus of sponge has been reported to contain the nortopsentin and topsentin class of bis-indole imidazole alkaloids. Nortopsentin A inhibited the parasite growth at the trophozoite stage with an IC50 value of 1.6 µM. This is the first report of antimalarial activity for this class of compound.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003472, ucf:48932
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003472
- Title
- Classroom Based Substance Use Prevention Programs: A Meta-Analysis.
- Creator
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Boucher, Alyssa, ,, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This paper reports on a meta-analysis performed on forty one studies evaluating classroom-based substance abuse primary prevention programs. Studies included were delivered in a classroom to the general student body, had a primary focus of substance abuse prevention, measured behavior change, and were published in peer-reviewed outlets between 2000 and 2011. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis was used to calculate a random effects Cohen's d and moderator analyses were conducted. Results indicated a...
Show moreThis paper reports on a meta-analysis performed on forty one studies evaluating classroom-based substance abuse primary prevention programs. Studies included were delivered in a classroom to the general student body, had a primary focus of substance abuse prevention, measured behavior change, and were published in peer-reviewed outlets between 2000 and 2011. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis was used to calculate a random effects Cohen's d and moderator analyses were conducted. Results indicated a significant effect for alcohol (d=0.10) and tobacco (d=0.09) in multi-target interventions. Specific program components and characteristics associated with more effective prevention programs are discussed. Despite the best efforts of those who develop and deliver intervention programs, as a whole, the impact is smaller than (")small.(") New or evolved programs should seek to incorporate the best predictors of effectiveness thereby improving efficacy.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004360, ucf:49443
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004360
- Title
- Light-activated binary nucleotide reagent for inactivation of DNA polymerase.
- Creator
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Cornett, Evan, ,, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This work explores a binary reagent approach to increase the specificity of covalent inhibitors. In this approach, two ligand analogs equipped with inert pre-reactive groups specifically bind a target biopolymer. The binding event brings the pre-reactive groups in proximity with each other. The two groups react, generating active chemical intermediates that covalently modify and inactivate the target. In the present study we compare the new approach with the traditional single-component...
Show moreThis work explores a binary reagent approach to increase the specificity of covalent inhibitors. In this approach, two ligand analogs equipped with inert pre-reactive groups specifically bind a target biopolymer. The binding event brings the pre-reactive groups in proximity with each other. The two groups react, generating active chemical intermediates that covalently modify and inactivate the target. In the present study we compare the new approach with the traditional single-component reagent strategy using DNA polymerase from bacteriophage T4 as a model target biopolymer. We report the design and synthesis of two analogs of deoxythymidine triphosphate, a natural DNA polymerase substrate. Together, the analogs function as a binary nucleotide reagent which is activated by light with wavelengths 365 nm and longer. However, the active analog functions as a traditional single component reagent when activated by light with wavelengths at 300 nm and longer. The traditional single-component reagent efficiently inactivated DNA polymerase. However, in the presence of non-target protein the inactivation efficiency is greatly diminished. Under the same conditions, the binary nucleotide reagent also inactivated DNA polymerase, and the inactivation efficiency is not affected by the presence of the non-target protein. Our results validate that a binary approach can be employed to design highly specific covalent inhibitors. The binary reagent strategy might be useful as a research tool for investigation of ligand-protein interactions in complex biological systems and for drug design.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004366, ucf:49429
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004366
- Title
- The CT20 peptide as an agent for cancer treatment.
- Creator
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Bassiouni, Rania, Khaled, Annette, Altomare, Deborah, Zhao, Jihe, Estevez, Alvaro, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Due to cancer recurrence and the development of drug resistance, metastatic breast cancer is a leading cause of death in women. In the search for a new therapeutic to treat metastatic disease, we discovered CT20p, an amphipathic peptide based on the C-terminus of Bax. Due to inherent properties of its sequence and similarity to antimicrobial peptides, CT20p is a promising cytotoxic agent whose activity is distinct from the parent protein (e.g. does not cause apoptosis). CT20p is not membrane...
Show moreDue to cancer recurrence and the development of drug resistance, metastatic breast cancer is a leading cause of death in women. In the search for a new therapeutic to treat metastatic disease, we discovered CT20p, an amphipathic peptide based on the C-terminus of Bax. Due to inherent properties of its sequence and similarity to antimicrobial peptides, CT20p is a promising cytotoxic agent whose activity is distinct from the parent protein (e.g. does not cause apoptosis). CT20p is not membrane permeable but can be introduced to cells using polymeric nanoparticles, a method that promotes efficient delivery of the peptide into the intracellular environment.We demonstrated that CT20p was cytotoxic using triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines, primary breast tumor tissue, and breast tumor murine xenografts. Importantly, normal breast epithelial cells and normal primary breast cells were resistant to the lethal effects of the peptide. Examination of multiple cellular processes showed that CT20p causes cell death by promoting cytoskeletal disruption, cell detachment, and loss of substrate-mediated survival signals.In order to identify the intracellular target of CT20p, we performed pull-down experiments using a biotinylated peptide and found that CT20p binds directly to a type II chaperonin called chaperonin containing T-complex (CCT), which is essential for the folding of actin and tubulin into their native forms. The resulting effect of CT20p upon the cytoskeleton of cancer cells is disruption of vital cellular processes such as migration and adhesion. CCT gene expression and protein levels were examined across several breast cancer cell lines, and we found that susceptibility to CT20p correlated with higher CCT levels. Using human cancer tissue microarrays, we determined that CCT was present in significantly higher amounts in tumor tissues compared to normal tissues and that expression often increased with advanced cancer stage. These results indicate that CCT is a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and suggest that the use of cancer-targeted nanoparticles loaded with CT20p is a novel and effective therapeutic strategy for cancers, such as TNBC, that recur and are refractory to current treatments.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFE0006207, ucf:51095
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006207
- Title
- Discovery and characterization of antimalarial compounds with novel cellular mechanisms of action.
- Creator
-
Roberts, Bracken, Chakrabarti, Debopam, Jewett, Travis, Self, William, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Malaria kills over 500,000 people each year and over a third of the global population is at risk of infection. Though the human race has been fighting the malaria war for over 4,000 years and we have made great strides in eliminating malaria from many countries, we are treading on the edge of what could be another malaria epidemic primarily due to widespread drug resistance. There are documented cases of resistance for every known antimalarial in use today, including Artemisinins. It is...
Show moreMalaria kills over 500,000 people each year and over a third of the global population is at risk of infection. Though the human race has been fighting the malaria war for over 4,000 years and we have made great strides in eliminating malaria from many countries, we are treading on the edge of what could be another malaria epidemic primarily due to widespread drug resistance. There are documented cases of resistance for every known antimalarial in use today, including Artemisinins. It is critical that we open a new window of discovery in development of next generation antimalarials that circumvent current resistance paradigms. These compounds must attack new targets, have different speeds of action, and ideally possess powerful transmission blocking potential if they are to be successful antimalarial candidates. Screening endeavors historically focused on either synthetic or natural product libraries. Recent efforts have focused on combining privilege elements of natural products into synthetically tractable compounds to create hybrid libraries. To discover novel antimalarial pharmacophores, we have screened natural products derived from marine biodiversity as well as natural product-inspired synthetic libraries. Our phenotypic screening of 3,164 marine natural products from the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, 56 high density combinatorial natural product based libraries from the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, alkaloid, terpene, and macrocyclic libraries from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and 594 natural productinspired compounds from Asinex have identified several new selective antiplasmodial hit chemotypes. iv In this study, we have focused on compounds that exhibit cellular actions differing from current antimalarials. Two of the scaffolds, UCF 201 and 501, a spirocyclic chromane and a nitroquinoline, respectively, act early in the development cycle and block invasion. The alkaloid derived compound M03 blocks egress. UCF 501 cures malaria in the rodent model and significantly inhibits stage V gametocytogenesis. Given that discovery of transmission blocking agents are a priority in the malaria elimination strategies, this result is significant. This work is of high impact as it addresses a critical need in the field- next generation antimalarial scaffolds for malaria therapy and elimination campaign.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006785, ucf:51815
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006785
- Title
- Calamity of the White Picket.
- Creator
-
Nagengast, Gabrielle, Bartkevicius, Jocelyn, Roney, Lisa, Rushin, Patrick, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Calamity of the White Picket is a collection of essays that portray how perfection(-)whether a perfect image, perfect relationship, perfect friendship, or perfect family(-)becomes withered down, destroyed, and turned into something else. They explore how the idealized image of a family surrounded by a cute white picket fence is dismantled and rearranged through theft, addiction, and a disintegrated family. The essays explore drug addictions, childhood nostalgia, the relationship between...
Show moreCalamity of the White Picket is a collection of essays that portray how perfection(-)whether a perfect image, perfect relationship, perfect friendship, or perfect family(-)becomes withered down, destroyed, and turned into something else. They explore how the idealized image of a family surrounded by a cute white picket fence is dismantled and rearranged through theft, addiction, and a disintegrated family. The essays explore drug addictions, childhood nostalgia, the relationship between heritage and property, innocence, and a stolen best friend. The collection is a train ride of family problems, broken friendships, lying and stealing, and hidden secrets about love and sex. Through these essays, I let go of my versions of the white picket fence, and embrace the new and complicated life that replaces it, ultimately still trying to maintain happiness.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005219, ucf:50616
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005219
- Title
- THE EFFECTS OF LIFE VALUES AMONG NON-PSYCHEDELIC DRUG USERS AND PSYCHEDELIC DRUG USERS: A COMPARISON STUDY ON LIFE VALUES.
- Creator
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Peng, Lin, Saunders, William, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The intent of this study was to compare life value differences using the Life Values Inventory. Differences among non-psychedelic users and psychedelic users were examined. Participants, ranging from age 18 to 48 from the University of Central Florida (UCF), a large state university, were recruited on a voluntarily basis. This was primarily done through online message board, the Sona System, and classroom announcements. The study was presented through the Sona System provided by UCF. In...
Show moreThe intent of this study was to compare life value differences using the Life Values Inventory. Differences among non-psychedelic users and psychedelic users were examined. Participants, ranging from age 18 to 48 from the University of Central Florida (UCF), a large state university, were recruited on a voluntarily basis. This was primarily done through online message board, the Sona System, and classroom announcements. The study was presented through the Sona System provided by UCF. In addition, all participants were students of the university. Results indicated significant differences among three out of 14 life values measured. The three life values that were shown to be significantly different among the non-psychedelic users and psychedelic users were: 1) concern for others, 2) loyalty to family or group, and 3) responsibility. In addition, the life value of spirituality was only found to be marginally significant.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFH0004599, ucf:45227
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004599
- Title
- How Political Violence Helps Explain Organized Crime: A Case Study of Mexico's "War on Drugs".
- Creator
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Fulk, Alanna, Ash, Konstantin, Wilson, Bruce, Mirilovic, Nikola, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This thesis examines research from the disciplines of political science and criminal justice to develop a theory that explains geographic variation in violence related to organized crime. Large-scale organized crime violence exhibits characteristics of both ordinary crime violence and political violence, but these subjects are generally analyzed separately. However, as large-scale organized crime has become more prevalent and violent in recent years, most notably in Latin America, studies,...
Show moreThis thesis examines research from the disciplines of political science and criminal justice to develop a theory that explains geographic variation in violence related to organized crime. Large-scale organized crime violence exhibits characteristics of both ordinary crime violence and political violence, but these subjects are generally analyzed separately. However, as large-scale organized crime has become more prevalent and violent in recent years, most notably in Latin America, studies, including this one, have attempted to cross disciplinary boundaries in order to better explain trends in organized crime onset, termination and violence. This thesis argues that although the overall goal of organized crime groups is not to take control of a country, both organized crime groups and insurgent groups confront the state's monopoly on violence, leading to evident similarities in the way they use violence to attain their goals. They both use violence to maintain control over resources, take control from other groups and retaliate against the government. Previous literature has demonstrated that control is directly linked to geographic variation in political violence and through case studies of organized crime violence in Honduras and Brazil, as well as negative binomial regression analysis of organized crime violence in Mexico, this thesis finds that control is also directly linked to geographic variation in organized crime violence.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007457, ucf:52688
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007457
- Title
- Sexual Violence Victimization and Prescription Drug Misuse: An Analysis Using General Strain Theory.
- Creator
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Pomykacz, Corey, Ford, Jason, Reckdenwald, Amy, Rivera, Fernando, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Sexual violence among college women is a widespread and severe public health issue in the United States. When compared to women in the general public, collegiate women are at an increased risk of sexual violence. Sexual violence can result in damaging and long-term consequences for the victim. Consequences of sexual violence include physical injuries, psychological distress, social withdrawal, poor grades and participation in health risk behaviors. While a connection between sexual violence...
Show moreSexual violence among college women is a widespread and severe public health issue in the United States. When compared to women in the general public, collegiate women are at an increased risk of sexual violence. Sexual violence can result in damaging and long-term consequences for the victim. Consequences of sexual violence include physical injuries, psychological distress, social withdrawal, poor grades and participation in health risk behaviors. While a connection between sexual violence victimization and negative outcomes is well established, most of the research in this area is atheoretical. To address this gap in the literature this study relied on Robert Agnew's General Strain theory (GST), one of the most empirically validated theories of crime and deviance. The current research examines the relationship between strain (sexual violence victimization), negative affect (anger and depression), and deviant coping (prescription drug misuse). Methodology: The data for the current research are from the National College Health Assessment (NCHA), a national study of the health related behaviors of college students, which was organized by the American College Health Association (ACHA). Schools selected for inclusion in the study either surveyed their entire student population or randomly selected students for participation. The current research used data from multiple data collection periods (Fall 2008 to Spring 2011) and includes 379,584 respondents. Findings: Findings are supportive of General Strain Theory. College women who have been sexually violated are more likely to report both negative affect and prescription drug misuse. In addition, the relationship between sexual violence victimization and prescription drug misuse is partially mediated by negative affect with depression being the stronger mediator.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006780, ucf:51817
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006780
- Title
- DEVELOPMENT OF A FLUORESCENT DRUG SCREENING PLATFORM FOR INHIBITORS OF MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS PROTEIN-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS.
- Creator
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Versfeld, Zina, Rohde, Kyle, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Tuberculosis (TB) is a respiratory disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) that kills around 1.3 million people annually. Multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) strains are increasingly encountered, in part resulting from shortcomings of current TB drug regimens that last between six to nine months. Patients may stop taking the antibiotics during their allotted regimen, leading to drug resistant TB strains. Novel drug screening platforms are therefore necessary to find drugs effective...
Show moreTuberculosis (TB) is a respiratory disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) that kills around 1.3 million people annually. Multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) strains are increasingly encountered, in part resulting from shortcomings of current TB drug regimens that last between six to nine months. Patients may stop taking the antibiotics during their allotted regimen, leading to drug resistant TB strains. Novel drug screening platforms are therefore necessary to find drugs effective against MDR-TB. In order to discover compounds that target under-exploited pathways that may be essential only in vivo, the proposed screening platform will use a novel approach to drug discovery by blocking essential protein-protein interactions (PPI). In Mtb, PPI can be monitored by mycobacterial protein fragment complementation (M-PFC). This project will re-engineer the M-PFC assay to include the red fluorescent mCherry reporter for increased efficiency and sensitivity in high-throughput screening applications. To optimize the mCherry assay, we have developed fluorescent M-PFC reporter strains to monitor distinct PPI required for Mtb virulence: homodimerization of the dormancy regulator DosR. A drug screen will then identify novel compounds that inhibit this essential PPI. The screen will involve positional-scanning combinatorial synthetic libraries, which are made up of chemical compounds with varying side chains. This work will develop novel tools for TB drug discovery that could identify new treatments for the emerging world threat of MDR-TB.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFH0004785, ucf:45369
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004785
- Title
- URINALYSIS SCREENING OF DRUGS IN ADULTERATED SAMPLES VIA DIRECT ANALYSIS IN REAL TIME -- HIGH RESOLUTION/ MASS SPECTROMETRY (DART-HR/MS).
- Creator
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Olivieri, Bianca E, Bridge, Candice, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Current screening methods for drug analysis with urine samples includes examination of the sample with an immunoassay. These methods are used to determine the concentration of drug metabolites contained within the sample prior to further confirmatory testing. Drug testing plays a crucial role in maintaining safe workplace environments and safety of individuals. However, a positive result can lead to heavy consequences for the employee including suspension or removal from the workplace....
Show moreCurrent screening methods for drug analysis with urine samples includes examination of the sample with an immunoassay. These methods are used to determine the concentration of drug metabolites contained within the sample prior to further confirmatory testing. Drug testing plays a crucial role in maintaining safe workplace environments and safety of individuals. However, a positive result can lead to heavy consequences for the employee including suspension or removal from the workplace. Therefore, a majority of individuals add commonly known products into the sample to evade detection by developing a false negative result. Although specimen integrity examinations are performed to identify tampering of the sample, these results are typically biased on the experience of the examiner. The purpose of this study was to develop an analytical screening technique that will detect the drug of interest as well as the presence of any additional products that may be added into the sample via Direct Analysis in Real Time � High Resolution/Mass Spectrometry (DART-HR/MS) which is an ambient ionization source that produces fast mass spectrum results that can provide semi-quantitative information of the target metabolite concentration. Although there are various studies that indicate the ability of the DART to detect drug compounds, there are no known studies that have examined how real-world urine samples are analyzed. Additionally, there are no current studies that take into consideration adulteration of the urine sample using the DART method. The results obtained in the study showed the ability for DART to identify molecular protonated peaks indicative of dextroamphetamine and/or the presence of masking agents. While the other target drugs could not be identified using this method, the identification of dextroamphetamine, adulterant products and the deuterated internal standard show promise in using this as a screening technique prior to confirmatory tests. Future work is currently being conducted to optimize the protocol for the evaluation of THC, cocaine and benzodiazepines.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFH2000538, ucf:45623
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000538
