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Serpin-Derived Novel Peptide For The Treatment Against Hiv-Induced Inflammation In The Central Nervous System, Yemmy Soler

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the brain, HIV predominantly infects microglia/macrophages and astrocytes to a lesser extent. These cells form virus reservoirs with low levels of infection that are very hard to eradicate. Even though the use of cART increases survival rate in HIV patients, the virus persists as a chronic condition. cART is not able to effectively cross the BBB, control HIV replication, or attenuate inflammation in brain reservoirs. Therefore, the virus still causes neuronal dysfunction, pain-related pathology, and ultimately HAND. In this study, we decided to test the hypothesis that a serpin-derived small peptide, SP16, can serve as an anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, pro-survival, …

Role Of Novel Immunoregulatory Long Noncoding Rnas In Airway Epithelial Pathophysiology And Chronic Pulmonary Disease, Marko Manevski

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

COPD is currently the third leading cause of death globally, accounting for approximately 6% of all deaths in 2019, and cigarette smoke (CS) is the primary risk factor for disease development.

Transcriptomic analysis of a 3D in vitro model using differentiated human airway epithelial cells (AECs) identified a novel lncRNA on the antisense strand of ICAM-1 or LASI that showed increased expression upon CS exposure. The lncRNA was significantly upregulated in CS-induced Rhesus macaque airways and in human COPD airways that exhibited higher mucus expression and goblet cell hyperplasia, which was recapitulated in vitro. Blocking lncRNA expression in cell culture …

Type I Topoisomerases As Potential Targets For Therapeutics, Ahmed Seddek

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

DNA topoisomerases are universal enzymes that control the topological features of DNA in all forms of life. This study aims to find potential inhibitors of some of the DNA topoisomerases in bacteria and humans that can be developed into potential therapeutics.

The first aim of this study is to find potential inhibitors of bacterial topoisomerase I that can be developed into antibiotics. There is an urgent need to develop novel antibiotics to overcome the world-wide health crisis of antimicrobial resistance. Virtual screening and biochemical assays were combined to screen thousands of compounds for potential inhibitors of bacterial topoisomerase I. NSC76027 …

Neurobiological Impact Of Hiv Infection And Chronic Cannabis Use, Jessica Shannon Flannery

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neuroimaging research has identified brain alterations linked with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that contribute to cognitive declines characterizing the disease. Given cannabis’s (CB’s) anti-inflammatory properties, use prevalence among people living with HIV (PLWH), and impact on neurocognition, my dissertation utilizes a between-groups study design to interrogate separate and interactive effects of HIV and CB on fMRI measures of brain activity. We investigate (1) task-based brain activity at the regional-level, (2) insular resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) at the circuit-level, and (3) large-scale brain network interactions at the systems-level. Participants (N=114) were stratified into four groups (HIV+/CB+; HIV+/CB-; HIV-/CB+; HIV-/CB-) and …

Gender Differences, Vitamin B6, Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, And Inflammation-Related Diseases, Hyojung Kim

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vitamin B6-restricted diets and low plasma pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) status altered plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) compositions. The relationship of aging with vitamin B6 status and PUFA metabolism is poorly understood. This dissertation explored the association between vitamin B6 intake and status and plasma PUFA in US young/middle-aged adults and in older adults from NHANES 2003-2004. Future research plans will examine the relationships among vitamin B6, PUFA, inflammatory diseases, including chronic liver diseases; however, there is a gap in plasma PLP data in the Miami Adult Studies in HIV (MASH) cohort data on these relationships. Thus, the relationship between substance …

Food Insecurity Is Associated With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Cognitive Impairment, And Immune Activation In People Living With Hiv, Javier A. Tamargo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Food insecurity (FI) is a socioeconomic condition characterized by inadequate access to enough food and nutrition to sustain health and wellbeing. Food insecurity is a risk factor for chronic and age-related conditions, raising concerns for the aging population of people living with HIV (PLWH), in whom food insecurity is disproportionately prevalent. PLWH are at increased risk of nutrition-related complications and chronic co-morbidities, thus food insecurity may exacerbate adverse health outcomes in this population. This study investigated whether food insecurity was associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cognitive impairment, and immune activation among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults living with and without …

Gut Integrity, Microbial Translocation, Immune Activation, Inflammation And Vitamin D In Drug Users Living With Hiv, Jacqueline S. Hernandez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine associations between MT, immune activation, inflammation, gut integrity and vitamin D status in the context of cocaine use among People Living with HIV (PLWH). One hundred cocaine and non-cocaine users living with HIV were selected from the Miami Adult Studies in HIV cohort. Blood samples were collected to assess MT (LPS), immune activation (sCD163 and sCD27), inflammation (IL-6, TNF-a, hs-CRP, IL-17 and IL-22), gut integrity damage (I-FABP) and vitamin D status. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometrics, diet and disease progression were collected. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, multiple linear and logistic regressions were …

The Relationship Of A Novel Marker Of Inflammation (Neutrophil-To-Lymphocyte Ratio) To Nutritional Status, Diet And Clinical Outcomes In Hemodialysis Patients, Janet Diaz Martinez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation was to examine prospectively the relationship of a novel marker of inflammation (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio) with nutrition markers, diet and clinical outcomes in a cohort study that included 77 patients from one hemodialysis (HD) center located in South Florida. Demographics and clinical parameters were obtained from patients’ medical charts. Nutritional status was determined at baseline, six and 12 months using the Malnutrition-Inflammation Score (MIS) and the 7-point Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) scale consisting of two categories: medical history and physical examination. Dietary assessments were performed, and 24-hour diet recalls were collected at each assessment visit. Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte …

Overweight/Obesity And Hiv Disease Progression In Hiv+ Adults In Botswana, Sabrina Sales Martinez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies indicate that overweight and obesity protect against HIV-disease progression in antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naïve patients. We examined retrospectively the relationship of overweight/obesity with HIV-disease progression in ART-naïve HIV+ adults in Botswana in a case-control study with 18-month follow-up, which included 217 participants, 139 with BMI 18.0-24.9 kg/m² and 78 with BMI ≥25 kg/m². Archived plasma samples were used to determine inflammatory markers: leptin and bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and genotype single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the Fat Mass and Obesity Associated Gene (FTO).

At baseline, BMI was inversely associated with risk for AIDS-defining conditions (HR=0.218; 95%CI=0.068, 0.701, …

Factors Of Inflammation In Haitian Americans And African Americans With And Without Type 2 Diabetes, Janet Antwi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chronic low-grade inflammation has been implicated in the processes leading to the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and its progression. Non-Hispanic Blacks bear a disproportionate burden of T2D and are highly susceptible to inflammation. This cross-sectional study assessed and compared the serum levels of established adipocytokines; interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), leptin, and novel adipocytokines; chemerin and omentin in Haitian and African Americans with and without T2D. The relationships of these adipocytokines with metabolic syndrome (MetS), anthropometric and HOMA2 measures by ethnicity and diabetes status were also assessed. Serum levels of IL-6, CRP, leptin, chemerin and omentin were determined …