Publications by authors named "Danah Muhanna"

Neonatal Escherichia coli (E. coli) sepsis is increasing. There is limited data on the factors contributing to increased mortality and severity of illness in neonatal E.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The leptin receptor (LepR) acts as a signaling nexus for the regulation of glucose uptake and obesity, among other metabolic responses. The functional role of LepR under leptin-deficient conditions remains unclear. This study reports that epiregulin (EREG) governed glucose uptake in vitro and in vivo in mice by activating LepR under leptin-deficient conditions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Diabetes poses a high risk for debilitating complications in neural tissues, regulating glucose uptake through insulin-dependent and predominantly insulin-independent pathways. Supramolecular nanostructures provide a flexible strategy for combinatorial regulation of glycemia. Here, we compare the effects of free insulin to insulin bound to positively charged nanofibers comprised of self-assembling amino acid compounds (AACs) with an antioxidant-modified side chain moiety (AAC2) in both in vitro and in vivo models of type 1 diabetes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

COVID-19 symptoms, including hypokalemia, hypoalbuminemia, ageusia, neurological dysfunctions, D-dimer production, and multi-organ microthrombosis reach beyond effects attributed to impaired angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) signaling and elevated concentrations of angiotensin II (Ang II). Although both SARS-CoV (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus) and SARS-CoV-2 utilize ACE2 for host entry, distinct COVID-19 pathogenesis coincides with the acquisition of a new sequence, which is homologous to the furin cleavage site of the human epithelial Na channel (ENaC). This review provides a comprehensive summary of the role of ACE2 in the assembly of Na-dependent transporters of glucose, imino and neutral amino acids, as well as the functions of ENaC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF