Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Theses

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https://cdr.creighton.edu/handle/10504/43408

This collection is primarily for original works of creative writing including novels, short stories, poetry collections, which are intended for commercial publication. As such access to materials in this collection is restricted and will only be granted with the express permission of the author.

Students in all other programs should use the unrestricted Thesis and Dissertation collection and consider the embargo option if they require a period of restricted access.

For questions or more information about this collection please contact Karl Wirth in the Health Sciences Library: 402 280-5130 (karlwirth@creighton.edu).

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 57

Phenotypic, Genotypic, and Pathogenic Evaluation of E.coli ST131 Clinical Isolates
(Creighton University, 2024-06-07) Rudick, Courtney P.
Since their identification in 2008, E. coli ST131 isolates have become a major cause of cystitis and pyelonephritis. However, these strains are not known to encode different, or increased numbers of virulence factors compared to other sequence types of pathogenic E. coli. To date, no data in the literature can entirely explain the global dominance of ST131 E. coli. The purpose of this study was threefold: 1) to evaluate infectivity among ST131 E. coli compared to non-ST131 clinical isolates using a murine model of urinary tract infection, 2) to evaluate the correlation between in vitro assay results and in vivo infectivity using the same mouse model, and 3) to evaluate the transcriptome of ST131 E. coli strains in culture conditions and compare those results to the transcriptome of ST131 E. coli directly from an infected kidney. In vitro assays were conducted according to published protocols and included: motility assays, biofilm formation, epithelial cell adhesion and invasion, and curli production. Twenty UPEC clinical isolates of E. coli ST131 and non-ST131 were used for both in vivo and in vitro studies. Six mice per isolate were inoculated via urethral catheterization. CFUs were determined from bladder and kidneys. In vitro and in vivo correlations were evaluated by multiple linear regression analysis. Transcriptome analysis was evaluated by RNAseq on five clinical isolates (W15, XQ12, FHM6, CUMC247 (ST131s) and C15 (ST405)). Metabolomic evaluations were conducted using three clinical ST131 isolates (W15, XQ12, FHM6) and the lab strain BW25113. Both ST131 and non-ST131 strains could infect the bladder and kidneys; however, a greater number of ST131 strains were able to infect individual mice than the non-131 isolates (p=0.005). Non-ST131 isolates were able to cause bladder or kidney infections with relatively similar CFUs, indicating a similar fitness among these organisms in the bladder and/or kidney environments, but a potential difference in the ability to get to the bladder and/or kidney to establish infections. In vitro assays were poor predictors of in vivo infectivity, with R2 Pearson Correlation values less than ±0.5 for any pair, indicating little to no statistical associations. Transcriptomic and metabolomic data are invaluable for providing insight into the fitness and virulence mechanisms of pathogenic E. coli at the time and site of infection. In this study we saw important expression differences of outer membrane proteins including OmpA and OmpN in establishing infection while evading host immune responses. The two component systems for regulation of formate hydrogenylase and potassium metabolism were also increased in pyelonephritic infections. Regulation of SN-glycerol 3-phosphate, and the associated transporters encoded by glp and ugp genes also appear to be involved in the pathogenesis of ST131 pyelonephritis and warrant further study. By elucidating genetic changes occurring during infection through transcriptomic analysis and comparing those data with metabolomic analyses, we can gain valuable insight into the systems required for E. coli to colonize bladder or kidney tissues.
nobody likes you when you're 23: what it means to be human in a digital age
(Creighton University, 2022-05-30) Fast, Benjamin
normal human being writing about normal human being things, such as life and such. the greatest question of all: what should i watch on tv today. i am so very very very bored.
Inferno 2033
(Creighton University, 2021-05-14) Pruitt, Matthew
This novel is meant to be a tribute to Dante’s Inferno. My goal in writing it was to take the same visceral, symbolic approach to explore and dissect sin and the human condition that Dante took and apply that to contemporary society. I also wanted to offer a critique of modern society by exploring its greatest weaknesses and pitfalls. It is a work of fiction and is not meant to be a remake of Dante’s Inferno, but rather an original story that alludes to the epic poems of Dante Alighieri.
Undermeaning Where I Stand
(Creighton University, 2021-04-23) Torrez, Natalie V
“Undermeaning Where I Stand” is a collection of poetry about my childhood. I drew inspiration from Gaston Bachelard’s The Poetics of Space as well as the Creighton English Department’s “You Are Here” Conference, which focused on place, space, and embodiment. I started to consider the spaces and objects that I grew up in and around, wondering what stories they had to tell, including some small memories that surfaced when I inhabited these spaces. This inevitably led to the creation of this collection. The title comes from a common phrase my family says, “You undermeant what I stood,” usually used in conversation when someone corrects you after you misspoke. This is a homage to my family as well as myself because they are parts of the puzzle that makes up the beautiful picture that is my life.
Winged John
(Creighton University, 2021-05-06) Bean, Mary
Set in the 19th century, John, a man with wings, struggles to survive during the Civil War and the tail end of the Second Great Awakening in the United States.

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