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Treatment Of Chronically Depressed Patients: A Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial Testing The Effectiveness Of 'Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System Of Psychotherapy' (Cbasp) For Chronic Depressions Versus Usual Secondary Care, Jenneke E. Wiersma, Digna Jf. Van Schaik, Patricia Van Oppen, James P. Mccullough, Robert A. Schoevers, Jack J. Dekker, Marc Bj. Blom, Kristel Maas, Johannes H. Smit, Brenda Wjh. Penninx, Aartjan Tf. Beekman

Psychology Publications

Background

'Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy' (CBASP) is a form of psychotherapy specifically developed for patients with chronic depression. In a study in the U.S., remarkable favorable effects of CBASP have been demonstrated. However, no other studies have as yet replicated these findings and CBASP has not been tested outside the United States. This protocol describes a randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of CBASP in the Netherlands.

Methods/Design

The purpose of the present paper is to report the study protocol of a multisite randomized controlled trial testing the effectiveness of 'Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy' (CBASP) for …

Cytomegalovirus Infections Among African-Americans, Isca R. Wilms, Al M. Best, Stuart P. Adler

Pediatrics Publications

Background Since African-Americans have twice the prevalence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections as age-matched Caucasians we sought to determine the ages and possible sources of infection of African-American children.

Methods Subjects were 157 African-American healthy children and adolescents and their 113 household adults in Richmond VA. Families completed a questionnaire, provided saliva for antibody testing, and adolescents were interviewed regarding sexual activity.

Results Regardless of age CMV seropositivity was not associated with gender, breast feeding, health insurance, sexual activity, or household income, education, or size. In the final regression model, prior CMV infection in adults was over two-fold higher than in …

Analysis Of The Nucleotide Sequence Of The Guinea Pig Cytomegalovirus (Gpcmv) Genome, Mark R. Schleiss, Alistair Mcgregor, K Yeon Choi, Shailesh V. Date, Xiaohong Cui, Michael Mcvoy

Pediatrics Publications

In this report we describe the genomic sequence of guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) assembled from a tissue culture-derived bacterial artificial chromosome clone, plasmid clones of viral restriction fragments, and direct PCR sequencing of viral DNA. The GPCMV genome is 232,678 bp, excluding the terminal repeats, and has a GC content of 55%. A total of 105 open reading frames (ORFs) of > 100 amino acids with sequence and/or positional homology to other CMV ORFs were annotated. Positional and sequence homologs of human cytomegalovirus open reading frames UL23 through UL122 were identified. Homology with other cytomegaloviruses was most prominent in the central …

Testing For Allergic Disease: Parameters Considered And Test Value, Sheryl L. Szeinbach, Spencer E. Harpe, P. Brock Williams, Hanaa Elhefni

Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science Publications

Background Test results for allergic disease are especially valuable to allergists and family physicians for clinical evaluation, decisions to treat, and to determine needs for referral.

Methods This study used a repeated measures design (conjoint analysis) to examine trade offs among clinical parameters that influence the decision of family physicians to use specific IgE blood testing as a diagnostic aid for patients suspected of having allergic rhinitis. Data were extracted from a random sample of 50 family physicians in the Southeastern United States. Physicians evaluated 11 patient profiles containing four clinical parameters: symptom severity (low, medium, high), symptom length (5, …

Cpg Island Density And Its Correlations With Genomic Features In Mammalian Genomes, Leng Han, Bing Su, Wen-Hsiung Li, Zhongming Zhao

Psychiatry Publications

Background CpG islands, which are clusters of CpG dinucleotides in GC-rich regions, are considered gene markers and represent an important feature of mammalian genomes. Previous studies of CpG islands have largely been on specific loci or within one genome. To date, there seems to be no comparative analysis of CpG islands and their density at the DNA sequence level among mammalian genomes and of their correlations with other genome features.

Results In this study, we performed a systematic analysis of CpG islands in ten mammalian genomes. We found that both the number of CpG islands and their density vary greatly …

Comparative Analysis Of Cpg Islands In Four Fish Genomes, Leng Han, Zhongming Zhao

Psychiatry Publications

There has been much interest in CpG islands (CGIs), clusters of CpG dinucleotides in GC-rich regions, because they are considered gene markers and involved in gene regulation. To date, there has been no genome-wide analysis of CGIs in the fish genome. We first evaluated the performance of three popular CGI identification algorithms in four fish genomes (tetraodon, stickleback, medaka, and zebrafish). Our results suggest that Takai and Jones' (2002) algorithm is most suitable for comparative analysis of CGIs in the fish genome. Then, we performed a systematic analysis of CGIs in the four fish genomes using Takai and Jones' algorithm, …

Genome-Wide Association Identifies A Common Variant In The Reelin Gene That Increases The Risk Of Schizophrenia Only In Women, Sagiv Shifman, Martina Johannesson, Michal Bronstein, Sam X. Chen, David A. Collier, Nicholas J. Craddock, Kenneth S. Kendler, Tao Li, Michael C. O'Donovan, F. Anthony O'Neill, Michael J. Owen, Dermot Walsh, Daniel R. Weinberger, Cuie Sun, Jonathan Flint, Ariel Darvasi

Psychiatry Publications

Sex differences in schizophrenia are well known, but their genetic basis has not been identified. We performed a genome-wide association scan for schizophrenia in an Ashkenazi Jewish population using DNA pooling. We found a female-specific association with rs7341475, a SNP in the fourth intron of the reelin (RELN) gene (p = 2.9 × 10−5 in women), with a significant gene-sex effect (p = 1.8 × 10−4). We studied rs7341475 in four additional populations, totaling 2,274 cases and 4,401 controls. A significant effect was observed only in women, replicating the initial result (p = 2.1 × 10−3 in …

Inhalation Induced Stresses And Flow Characteristics In Human Airways Through Fluid-Structure Interaction Analysis, Kittisak Koombua, Ramana M. Pidiparti

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Publications

Better understanding of stresses and flow characteristics in the human airways is very important for many clinical applications such as aerosol drug therapy, inhalation toxicology, and airway remodeling process. The bifurcation geometry of airway generations 3 to 5 based on the ICRP tracheobronchial model was chosen to analyze the flow characteristics and stresses during inhalation. A computational model was developed to investigate the airway tissue flexibility effect on stresses and flow characteristics in the airways. The finite-element method with the fluid-structure interaction analysis was employed to investigate the transient responses of the flow characteristics and stresses in the airways during …

Correlation Of Tellurium Inclusions And Carrier Lifetime In Detector Grade Cadmium Zinc Telluride, Ezzat S. Elshazly, Gary C. Tepper

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Publications

Carrier lifetimes and telluriuminclusion densities in detector grade cadmiumzinc telluride crystals grown by the high pressure Bridgman method were optically measured using pulsed laser microwavecavity perturbation and infrared microscopy. Excess carriers were produced in the material using a pulsed laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm and pulse width of 7 ns, and the electronic decay was measured at room temperature. Spatial mapping of lifetimes and defect densities in cadmiumzinc telluride was performed to determine the relationship between telluriumdefect density and trapping. A strong correlation was found between the volume fraction of telluriuminclusions and the carrier trapping time.

Sample Prep For Proteomics Of Breast Cancer: Proteomics And Gene Ontology Reveal Dramatic Differences In Protein Solubilization Preferences Of Radioimmunoprecipitation Assay And Urea Lysis Buffers, Lambert Cm Ngoka

Chemistry Publications

Background

An important step in the proteomics of solid tumors, including breast cancer, consists of efficiently extracting most of proteins in the tumor specimen. For this purpose, Radio-Immunoprecipitation Assay (RIPA) buffer is widely employed. RIPA buffer's rapid and highly efficient cell lysis and good solubilization of a wide range of proteins is further augmented by its compatibility with protease and phosphatase inhibitors, ability to minimize non-specific protein binding leading to a lower background in immunoprecipitation, and its suitability for protein quantitation.

Results

In this work, the insoluble matter left after RIPA buffer extraction of proteins from breast tumors are subjected …

Magnetic Properties Of La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Mno 3 Thin Films On Srtio 3 And Buffered Si Substrates With Varying Thickness, A. K. Pradhan, D. Hunter, T. Williams, B. Lasley-Hunter, R. Bah, H. Mustafa, R. Rakhimov, J. Zhang, D. J. Sellmyer, E. E. Carpenter, D. R. Sahu, J. -L. Huang

Chemistry Publications

La0.60Sr0.40MnO3 (LSMO) thin films of varying thickness from 12 to 55 nm were deposited using the pulsed-laser deposition technique onto single-crystalline SrTiO3 (STO) and STO-buffered Si substrates. The Tc of LSMO filmsgrown on STO-buffered Si substrates decreases faster than films directly grown on STO with decreasing film thickness. The LSMO/STO film with thickness of 55 nm shows Tc at about 360 K, which is close to the bulk value, whereas TcLSMO film on STO-buffered Si film of similar thickness is reduced to 320 K. This difference is attributed to the strain and interfacial disorders in LSMO film on STO/Si. The …

Transverse Susceptibility Study Of The Effect Of Varying Dipolar Interactions On Anisotropy Peaks In A Three-Dimensional Assembly Of Soft Ferrite Nanoparticles, Pankaj Poddar, Marienette B. Morales, Natalie A. Frey, Shannon A. Morrison, Everett E. Carpenter, Hariharan Srikanth

Chemistry Publications

Collective magnetization dynamics in nanoparticle assemblies is of current interest as it forms the basis of high density storage media. It is important to understand how interparticle interactions in a three-dimensional (3D) arrangement of superparamagnetic nanoparticles would affect the overall effective magnetic anisotropy of the system. We have studied the influence of varying strengths of dipolar interaction on the static and dynamic magnetic properties of surfactant-coated monodispersed manganese zinc ferrite nanoparticles using reversible transverse susceptibility. We track the evolution of the anisotropy peaks with varying magnetic field, temperature, and interaction strength. The blocking temperature shows an increase from 28 to …

Morphine Exacerbates Hiv-1 Tat-Induced Cytokine Production In Astrocytes Through Convergent Effects On [Ca2+]I, Nf-Κb Trafficking And Transcription, Nazira El-Hage, Annadora J. Bruce-Keller, Tatiana Yakovleva, Igor Bazov, Georgy Bakalkin, Pamela E. Knapp, Kurt F. Hauser

Pharmacology and Toxicology Publications

Astroglia are key cellular sites where opiate drug signals converge with the proinflammatory effects of HIV-1 Tat signals to exacerbate HIV encephalitis. Despite this understanding, the molecular sites of convergence driving opiate-accelerated neuropathogenesis have not been deciphered. We therefore explored potential points of interaction between the signaling pathways initiated by HIV-1 Tat and opioids in striatal astrocytes. Profiling studies screening 152 transcription factors indicated that the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) subunit, c-Rel, was a likely candidate for Tat or Tat plus opiate-induced increases in cytokine and chemokine production by astrocytes. Pretreatment with the NF-κB inhibitor parthenolide provided evidence that Tat±morphine-induced …

Long Lasting Synchronization Of Calcium Oscillations By Cholinergic Stimulation In Isolated Pancreatic Islets, Min Zhang, Bernard Fendler, Bradford Peercy, Pranay Goel, Richard Bertram, Arthur Sherman, Leslie Satin

Pharmacology and Toxicology Publications

Abstract

Individual mouse pancreatic islets exhibit oscillations in [Ca²⁺]_i and insulin secretion in response to glucose in vitro, but how the oscillations of a million islets are coordinated within the human pancreas in vivo is unclear. Islet to islet synchronization is necessary, however, for the pancreas to produce regular pulses of insulin. To determine whether neurohormone release within the pancreas might play a role in coordinating islet activity, [Ca²⁺]_i changes in 4–6 isolated mouse islets were simultaneously monitored before and after a transient pulse of a putative synchronizing agent. The degree of synchronicity was …

Growing Adult Readers: Promoting Leisure Reading In Academic Libraries, Renée Bosman, John Glover, Monique Prince

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

This article provides an introduction to the recreational reading promotion tools at VCU Libraries, including a book review blog, book swap, and bulletin board, as well as the libraries’ involvement with VCU’s summer reading program and Richmond’s citywide “One Community One Book” initiative. Policies and operating procedures will be examined, and these services will be discussed in the context of other libraries’ offerings. We will also discuss why there is a need for these services–which have traditionally been the purview of the public library–on a college campus. Reading among American adults is in dramatic decline, and the academic library is …

Virginia Commonwealth University Undergraduate Bulletin Courses [2008], Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Listing of undergraduate courses for 2008-2009.

Improved Machine Learning Method For Analysis Of Gas Phase Chemistry Of Peptides, Allison Gehrke, Shaojun Sun, Lukasz Kurgan, Natalie Ahn, Katheryn Resing, Karen Kafadar, Kryzysztof Cios

Computer Science Publications

Background

Accurate peptide identification is important to high-throughput proteomics analyses that use mass spectrometry. Search programs compare fragmentation spectra (MS/MS) of peptides from complex digests with theoretically derived spectra from a database of protein sequences. Improved discrimination is achieved with theoretical spectra that are based on simulating gas phase chemistry of the peptides, but the limited understanding of those processes affects the accuracy of predictions from theoretical spectra.

Results

We employed a robust data mining strategy using new feature annotation functions of MAE software, which revealed under-prediction of the frequency of occurrence in fragmentation of the second peptide bond. We …

Dramatic Down-Regulation Of Oxidoreductases In Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Hepg2 Cells: Proteomics And Gene Ontology Unveiling New Frontiers In Cancer Enzymology, Lambert Cm Ngoka

Chemistry Publications

Background

Oxidoreductases are enzymes that catalyze many redox reactions in normal and neoplastic cells. Their actions include catalysis of the transformation of free, neutral oxygen gas into oxygen free radicals, superoxide, hydroperoxide, singlet oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. These activated forms of oxygen contribute to oxidative stress that modifies lipids, proteins, DNA and carbohydrates. On the other hand, oxidoreductases constitute one of the most important free radical scavenger systems typified by catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase.

In this work, proteomics, Gene Ontology mapping and Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAG) are employed to detect and quantify differential oxidoreductase enzyme expressions between HepG2 …

Poly(D,L-Lactide-Co-Glycolide) Microcomposite Containing Magnetic Iron Core Nanoparticles As A Drug Carrier, Sweta Naik, Everett E. Carpenter

Chemistry Publications

Today many potent anticancer drugs like cisplatin are available which carry a number of side effects. A promising way of reducing the side effects is to target the drug to tissue sites by coating it with biocompatible materials like Poly (dl-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) polymer where controlled drug release is achieved during the biodegradation of the polymer. Also the efficacy of anticancer drugs like cisplatin increases at elevated temperatures, so if local heating can be achieved where the drug is targeted. Local heating can be achieved by introducing iron core nanoparticles in the composites along with the drug, which can be heated …

Communication Skills Instruction Utilizing Interdisciplinary Peer Teachers: Program Development And Student Perceptions, Sharon K. Lanning, Sonya L. Ranson, Rita M. Willett

Periodontics Publications

Lack of curricular time, faculty time, and funding are potential limitations for communication skills training in dentistry. Interdisciplinary collaboration amongst health care faculties could address these limitations. This article describes the development, implementation, and student perceptions of a communication skills program in dentistry. The program has four components: Knowledge, Observation, Simulation, and Experience (KOSE) and spans over the second and third years of dental school. KOSE allows students to obtain knowledge of and observe effective communication skills and practice these skills in the simulated and nonsimulated environment. A key feature of KOSE is the utilization of fourth-year medical and dental …

The Ecology Of Fear: Colonization And Oviposition In Aquatic Systems [Poster], Leeanna Pletcher, Johanna Kraus, James R. Vonesh

Biology Presentations

Introduction

Amphibians and aquatic invertebrates have complex life histories that link aquatic and terrestrial food webs. It has been suggested that amphibian reproduction is an important source of carbon to some aquatic systems. Movement of organisms across the aquatic-terrestrial habitat boundary can represent important subsidies to the receiving habitat. Subsidies are organisms, nutrients, or detritus that cross habitat boundaries and are consumed, and these allochthonous inputs can affect food web structure. Predators can alter subsidies by consuming organisms that would otherwise move across habitat boundaries. Predator induced shifts in habitat selection are a well known non-lethal effect in aquatic systems. …

Bridging The Gaps: Building A University Link Tank, Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute, Virginia Commonwealth University, Christian Barrett, James Frazier, Dale Jones, Kelly Lockeman, Brigitte Sicat, Donna Steigleder, Linda Zyzniewski

L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Publications

This project proposed a University Link Tank as a mechanism by which to build bridges between employees via a network of small groups. Participation in the Link Tank would be voluntary and open to all VCU and Health System employees. The program would be modeled similarly to the Faculty Learning Community (FLC) program, which is administered by the Center for Teaching Excellence, but it would concentrate on issues that are not specifically related to teaching. Topics will be proposed annually. The program would also concentrate on effectively utilizing existing VCU resources to resolve issues.

Nadph Oxidase As A Therapeutic Target In Alzheimer's Disease, Michelle L. Block

Anatomy and Neurobiology Publications

At present, available treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) are largely unable to halt disease progression. Microglia, the resident macrophages in the brain, are strongly implicated in the pathology and progressively degenerative nature of AD. Specifically, microglia are activated in response to both β amyloid (Aβ) and neuronal damage, and can become a chronic source of neurotoxic cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS). NADPH oxidase is a multi-subunit enzyme complex responsible for the production of both extracellular and intracellular ROS by microglia. Importantly, NADPH oxidase expression is upregulated in AD and is an essential component of microglia-mediated Aβ neurotoxicity. Activation of …

A Synaptic Nidogen: Developmental Regulation And Role Of Nidogen-2 At The Neuromuscular Junction, Michael A. Fox, Matthew Sp Ho, Neil Smyth, Joshua R. Sanes

Anatomy and Neurobiology Publications

Background

The skeletal neuromuscular junction is a useful model for elucidating mechanisms that regulate synaptogenesis. Developmentally important intercellular interactions at the neuromuscular junction are mediated by the synaptic portion of a basal lamina that completely ensheaths each muscle fiber. Basal laminas in general are composed of four main types of glycosylated proteins: laminins, collagens IV, heparan sulfate proteoglycans and nidogens (entactins). The portion of the muscle fiber basal lamina that passes between the motor nerve terminal and postsynaptic membrane has been shown to bear distinct isoforms of the first three of these. For laminins and collagens IV, the proteins are …

Arabidopsis Mrna Polyadenylation Machinery: Comprehensive Analysis Of Protein-Protein Interactions And Gene Expression Profiling, Arthur G. Hunt, Ruqiang Xu, Balasubrahmanyam Addepalli, Suryadevara Rao, Kevin P. Forbes, Lisa R. Meeks, Denghui Xing, Min Mo, Hongwei Zhao, Amrita Bandyopadhyay, Lavanya Dampanaboina, Amanda Marion, Carol Von Lanken, Qingshun Quinn Li

Anatomy and Neurobiology Publications

Background

The polyadenylation of mRNA is one of the critical processing steps during expression of almost all eukaryotic genes. It is tightly integrated with transcription, particularly its termination, as well as other RNA processing events, i.e. capping and splicing. The poly(A) tail protects the mRNA from unregulated degradation, and it is required for nuclear export and translation initiation. In recent years, it has been demonstrated that the polyadenylation process is also involved in the regulation of gene expression. The polyadenylation process requires two components, the cis-elements on the mRNA and a group of protein factors that recognize the cis …

Menorah Review (No. 69, Summer/Fall, 2008)

Menorah Review

Peter Bergson's Mission Impossible -- Rabbinical Dynamics in the Babylonian Talmud -- The Aesthetic Grit of a Yiddish Prose Master Finds Translation -- The Ancient Grudge: The Merchant of Venice and Shylock's Christian Problem -- Two Poems

First-Principles Study Of Interaction Of Molecular Hydrogen With Li-Doped Carbon Nanotube Peapod Structures, Li Chen, Yiming Zhang, Nikhil Koratkar, Puru Jena, Saroj K. Nayak

Physics Publications

Using first-principles density functional theory based on gradient corrected approach, we have studied interaction of H2 molecule with Li-doped carbon nanotube and nanotube based peapod structures. We find that H2 physisorbs on pure carbon nanotube, which is in agreement with earlier studies, and this binding increases when H2 binds to Li-decorated on carbon nanotube surfaces: the binding is further enhanced with Li atoms deposited on C60 doped nanotube peapod structures. The increase in binding in the latter structures arises due to charge transfer between the nanotube and C60, which further facilitates charge transfer from Li to the nanotube. Encapsulating fullerene …

Li- And B-Decorated Cis-Polyacetylene: A Computational Study, S. Li, Puru Jena

Physics Publications

By using density functional theory and the generalized gradient approximation, we show that Li-decorated cis-polyacetylene meets some of the requirements of an ideal hydrogen storage material. Unlike Ti-doped cis-polyacetylene, Li resists clustering and can reversibly store up to 10.8 wt %hydrogen in molecular form. However, molecular dynamics simulations show that Li can retain hydrogen only at cryogenic temperatures. On the other hand, B-doped cis-polyacetylene can store up to 7.5 wt % hydrogen, but it binds to hydrogen too strongly to be suitable for room temperature applications. The results are compared to those in Ti-doped cis-polyacetylene.

Stability And Magnetic Properties Of T2sin (T=Cr,Mn,1≤N≤8) Clusters, R. Robles, Shiv N. Khanna, A. W. Castleman Jr

Physics Publications

First-principles studies on the geometry, electronic structure, and magnetic properties of neutral and anionic Cr2Sin and Mn2Sin (1≤n≤8) have been carried out within a gradient corrected density-functional framework. We find that Cr2Sin clusters containing up to five Si atoms and Mn2Sin clusters containing up to eight Si atoms are all marked by finite local spin moments at the transition-metal site that order ferromagnetically or antiferromagnetically depending on the size and the charged state. Our studies of the variation in the binding energy upon addition of successive Si atoms and the gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest …

Anisotropy In The Electronic Structure Of V2gec Investigated By Soft X-Ray Emission Spectroscopy And First-Principles Theory, Martin Magnuson, Ola Wilhelmsson, Maurizio Mattesini, Sa Li, Rajeev Ahuja, Olle Eriksson, Hans Högberg, Lars Hultman, Ulf Jansson

Physics Publications

The anisotropy of the electronic structure of ternary nanolaminate V2GeC is investigated by bulk-sensitive soft x-ray emission spectroscopy. The measured polarization-dependent emission spectra of V L2,3, C K, Ge M1, and Ge M2,3 in V2GeC are compared with those from monocarbide VC and pure Ge. The experimental emission spectra are interpreted with calculated spectra using ab initio density-functional theory including dipole transition matrix elements. Different types of covalent chemical bond regions are revealed: V 3d-C 2p bonding at −3.8 eV, Ge 4p-C 2p bonding at −6 eV, and Ge 4p-C 2sinteraction mediated via the V 3d orbitals at −11 eV …