MSU Student Research Celebration
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/405
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Item Hepatic and intestinal responses to antibiotic-arsenic driven sepsis(Undergraduate Scholars Program, 2024-04) Rodini, Andreina L.; Wolfe, Trenton M.; Walk, Seth T.Arsenic is a potent group 1 carcinogen and immunosuppressant. Globally, it is estimated that 200 million people are exposed to unsafe levels in their drinking water. Previous work in the Walk lab has established that in murine models the microbiome is required for full protection against arsenicosis as antibiotic perturbation disrupts this protective mechanism. In epidemiological studies of humans, similarly exposed individuals exhibit high interindividual variability in arsenicosis outcome which is not explained by host genetics alone. We have developed a murine model co-exposed to the third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic cefoperazone and inorganic arsenic which recapitulates this interindividual variability. To the best our of knowledge, this is the only whole-organism arsenicosis model that does so. Currently, the reasons behind the interindividual variability in arsenicosis susceptibility remain unclear. However, recent work in our lab has demonstrated that co-exposed mice that succumb to arsenicosis exhibit altered blood chemistry indicative of liver and kidney dysfunction and decreased white blood cell counts indicative of immune dysfunction. Additionally, these sick mice have ceca with gross anatomical features suggestive of infection. In contrast, co-exposed mice that remain healthy exhibit normal blood chemistry and cecal anatomy. These observations suggest that co-exposed mice are succumbing to sepsis, which is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Current work in our lab is aimed at identifying septic infection through culture-dependent and culture-independent methods, and determining which immune cells are involved.Item Maternal and Pediatric Oral Health: Impact of Social Determinants(Undergraduate Scholars Prorgam, 2024-04) Ludwig, Margaret; Moyce, SallyPrevious research has determined a definitive relationship between maternal oral health and hygiene and pediatric health. This has especially been investigated in the context of pediatric oral health; it has been found that maternal oral health can serve as a direct predictor of whether a child will develop early childhood caries due to colonization of maternal cariogenic bacteria. It has also been shown that maternal oral health can predict whether children will struggle with caries in adulthood. This finding demands the question of how directly maternal oral health predicts pediatric outcomes. How much of an influence does maternal oral health have upon pediatric health and wellbeing, and how influential are social determinants of health upon these outcomes? This project consisted of a comprehensive literature review examining the impact of a mother’s oral health on the overall health of her children. Studies were chosen for review on the basis of their focus upon mothers in the United States, and upon their discussion of social determinants of health which could impact maternal oral health. The findings of this literature review revealed that social determinants of health such as medical inequality, social status, discrimination, income, and education level have the potential to impact maternal oral health and therefore pediatric health. The implications of these findings are broad and could catalyze improvements within healthcare, education, and policy in Montana and across the United States.