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Investigating The Proteinaceous Regulome Of The Acinetobacter Baumannii, Leila G. Casella

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen that overtime has evolved into one of the most problematic pathogens due to its ability to overcome antibiotic pressures and harshly environments in the host and hospital environments. In this context, its genomic evolution due to its capacity to acquire genes that contribute to its pathogenic and antibiotic resistance nature has been the subject of research in the last decades providing with the identification of several proteins aiding in the process of pathogenicity. Although these findings have contributed to our understanding of A. baumannii pathogenic traits, the regulatory network that control their expression are …

Ecophysiology Of Oxygen Supply In Cephalopods, Matthew A. Birk

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cephalopods are an important component of many marine ecosystems and support large fisheries. Their active lifestyles and complex behaviors are thought to be driven in large part by competition with fishes. Although cephalopods appear to compete successfully with fishes, a number of their important physiological traits are arguably inferior, such as an inefficient mode of locomotion via jet propulsion and a phylogenetically limited means of blood-borne gas transport. In active shallow-water cephalopods, these traits result in an interesting combination of very high oxygen demand and limited oxygen supply. The ability to maintain active lifestyles despite these metabolic constraints makes cephalopods …

Species Specific Metabolic Capacity Of Naphthalene And Phenanthrene In Three Species Of Marine Teleosts Exposed To Deepwater Horizon Crude Oil, Erin Pulster

C-IMAGE data

Select monohydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) metabolites were measured in three marine teleosts, red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus) and southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) to evaluate species specific metabolic differences. Fish were exposed to DWH crude oil by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections at time 0 and 48 hours with bile sampling events at 24 and 72 hours post injection. Biliary levels of monohydroxylated naphthalene and phenanthrene metabolites were confirmed and quantified using gas chromatography triple quadrapole mass spectrometry.

The Effects Of A Fat Loss Supplement On Resting Metabolic Rate And Hemodynamic Variables In Resistance Trained Males: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Trial, Bill I. Campbell, Ryan J. Colquhoun, Gina Zito, Nicholas Martinez, Kristina Kendall, Laura Buchanan, Matt Lehn, Mallory Johnson, Courtney St. Louis, Yasmin Smith, Brad Cloer

Physical Education and Exercise Science Faculty Publications

Background: While it is known that dietary supplements containing a combination of thermogenic ingredients can increase resting metabolic rate (RMR), the magnitude can vary based on the active ingredient and/or combination of active ingredients. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a commercially available thermogenic fat loss supplement on RMR and hemodynamic variables in healthy, resistance trained males.

Methods: Ten resistance-trained male participants (29 ± 9 years; 178 ± 4 cm; 85.7 ± 11 kg, and BMI = 26.8 ± 3.7) volunteered to participate in this randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled cross-over study. Participants underwent two testing …

The Effects Of A Single-Dose Thermogenic Supplement On Resting Metabolic Rate And Hemodynamic Variables In Healthy Females - A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Trial, Bill I. Campbell, Gina Zito, Ryan Colquhoun, Nicholas Martinez, Kristina Kendall, Laura Buchanan, Matt Lehn, Mallory Johnson, Courtney St. Louis, Yasmin Smith, Brad Cloer, Allison Pingel

Physical Education and Exercise Science Faculty Publications

Background: Recent investigations have identified that commercially available dietary supplements, containing a combination of thermogenic ingredients, can increase resting metabolic rate (RMR). Thermogenic dietary supplements can have a positive influence on RMR, but the magnitude can vary based on the active ingredient and/or combination of active ingredients. Additionally, further safety evaluation is needed on multi-ingredient supplements that contain caffeine, due to its potential effect on heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP). The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a commercially available dietary supplement on RMR and hemodynamic variables in healthy females.

Methods: 13 female participants …

Strategies For Preventing Age And Neurodegenerative Disease-Associated Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Vedad Delic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a pivotal role in the development of aging phenotypes and aging-associated neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Strategies that restore mitochondrial dysfunction may rescue the deficits of central metabolism in these disorders and improve cell survival. For example, we found that modulating the mTOR signaling pathway in a tissue culture model of aging-induced mitochondrial DNA mutation enhanced mitochondrial function as evidenced by increased oxygen consumption. Our previous melatonin studies also led us to hypothesize that caloric restriction and the hormone melatonin would reverse brain mitochondrial dysfunction in animal …

Exploring The Role Of Intracellular Aminopeptidases In Staphylococcus Aureus Pathogenesis, Devon Nicole Marking

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is a remarkably pathogenic bacterium that is widely prevalent among the human population. It is the leading agent of skin and soft tissue infections, and is also responsible for causing an array of severe and life threatening diseases. The invasiveness of the pathogen, coupled with increasing antibiotic resistance seen for S. aureus infections, makes this bacterium a prominent public health concern. The extended pathogenicity of S. aureus is largely due to its repertoire of virulence factors, which are typically characterized by being bound to the cell wall, or secreted into the extracellular environment. Previously, our lab identified a …

Evaluation Of The Interest In Development And Availability Of The Resting Metabolic Rate Test As A Routine Healthcare Standard, Seth Wayne Parrish

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: A growing worldwide pandemic exists today that has large implications for the future of healthcare among the nations. Obesity is a growing disease that has multiple

implications for morbidity and mortality including cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes. The obese and overweight population plagues nearly 46% of the world's population, and likely is

preventable. We wanted to examine what role metabolic testing could play in prevention.

Methods: A cross-sectional study composed of a 52-question Likert-based scale survey was constructed and distributed to healthcare providers. We hypothesized that there would be a

generally accepted interest in establishing routine metabolic rate testing …

The Cave Environment Influencing The Lipid Profile And Hepatic Lipogenesis Of The Fish Ancistrus Cryptophthalmus Reis, 1987 (Siluriformes: Loricariidae), Valquíria Aparecida Alves Bastos, Rodrigo Lopes Ferreira, Daniel Cardoso Carvalho, Marina Lages Pugedo, Luciana De Matos Alves Pinto

International Journal of Speleology

The metabolism of hypogean organisms is frequently molded by the cave environment traits, especially food scarcity. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of such environment on lipid composition and hepatic lipogenesis in the fish Ancistrus cryptophthalmus. For this, the species was compared to an epigean population of the same species. A greater accumulation of total lipids was observed in the cave-dwelling fish (18.36 g/100 g tissue) compared to the surface fish (14.09 g/100 g tissue). The muscle fatty acid profile also varied between the populations. Arachidonic acid was only detected in the epigean fish, while …

A Comparative Study Of Eucalanoid Copepods Residing In Different Oxygen Environments In The Eastern Tropical North Pacific: An Emphasis On Physiology And Biochemistry, Christine J. Cass

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The eastern tropical north Pacific (ETNP) is characterized by one of the ocean's most severe midwater oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), where oxygen levels are often less than 5 µM. The copepod family Eucalanidae is a numerically abundant and diverse zooplankton group in the ETNP, and displays a wide range of vertical distributions related to environmental oxygen concentrations. The goal of this dissertation was to develop a better understanding of the ecology, physiology, and biochemistry of closely related copepod species (family Eucalanidae) that inhabit the ETNP OMZ system. This was accomplished through examining different parameters relating to (1) metabolic rates, (2) …

Metabolism Of Antarctic Micronektonic Crustacea As A Function Of Depth Of Occurrence And Season, Joseph J. Torres, A. V. Aarset, J. Donnelly, Thomas L. Hopkins, T. M. Lancraft, D. G. Ainley

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Oxygen comsumption rates were determined on 21 species of crustaceans typical of the Southern Ocean micronektonic crustacean assemblage during spring (November), fall (March), and winter (June-August). Specimens were collected in the Scotia-Weddell Sea region in the vicinity of 60-degrees-S, 40-degrees-W in the upper 1000 m of the water column. Respiration (y, mul O2mg-1 wet mass h-1) declined with depth of occurrence (x, m) according to the equation y = 0.125 x-0.172 +/- 0.052 (p < 0.05) despite the isothermal character of the water column, suggesting that lower metabolic rates are a temperature-independent adaptation to life in the deep sea. Three species of Crustacea showed a lowered metabolism during the winter season: the krill Euphausia superba and the 2 hyperiid amphipods Cyllopus lucasii and Vibilia stebbingi. Critical oxygen partial pressure (Pc) varied between 29 and 52 mm Hg, well below the lowest PO2 found in the water column. It is suggested that the long nights of the Antarctic winter decrease the effectiveness of visual predation in the epipelagic zone, allowing lowered metabolic rates to be a viable overwintering strategy for some species.

Effect Of Decompression On Mesopelagic Gelatinous Zooplankton: A Comparison Of In-Situ And Shipboard Measurements Of Metabolism, T. G. Bailey, Joseph J. Torres, M. J. Youngbluth, G. P. Owen

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Weight- and carbon-specific rates of respiration for 4 mesopelagic gelatinous zooplankton (2 ctenophores, 1 trachymedusa and 1 pelagic holothurian) measured in situ were 2 to 5 times higher than those from shipboard incubations. These results support the theory that removal of deep-living gelatinous species from natural environments can adversely affect their metabolism. The disparity between in situ and shipboard treatments is most simply explained by an interaction between pressure and activity, i.e. a loss of motor activity due to decompression occurred among animals used in shipboard experiments.