Life Sciences Commons^™

A Role For The Forebrain In Mediating Time-Of-Day Differences In Glucocorticoid Counterregulatory Responses To Hypoglycemia In Rats, Lori M. Gorton, Arshad M. Khan, Maryann Bohland, Graciela Sanchez-Watts, Casey M. Donovan, Alan G. Watts

Arshad M. Khan, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Nogo-A During Development Of The Chick Central Nervous System, Shelly A. Caltharp

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Nogo-A is a potent inhibitor of axon regeneration that is expressed by myelin forming oligodendrocytes of the adult central nervous system (CNS). However, neuronal expression of Nogo-A during development suggests an additional role. Little is known about the putative functions of Nogo-A during embryonic development. To examine its potential role we isolated and analyzed the Nogo-A sequence in the chick, we localized its mRNA expression pattern and cell-specific distribution during key phases of cortical development, and studied regulation of its expression during phases that showed promise of function based on expression patterns.

Our results revealed five previously undescribed Nogo-A specific …

Catecholaminergic Control Of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling In Paraventricular Neuroendocrine Neurons In Vivo And In Vitro: A Proposed Role During Glycemic Challenges, Arshad M. Khan, Todd A. Ponzio, Graciela Sanchez-Watts, B. Glenn Stanley, Glenn I. Hatton, Alan G. Watts

Arshad M. Khan, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Intensity Of Aerobic Vo2max Resting Heart Rate And Blood Pressure, Shannan Elizabeth Gormley

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The AGSM recommends 20 to 60 minutes of continuous or intermittent activity 3 to 5 times per week to maintain cardio respiratory fitness (Pollock et al., 1998). The 1996 Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health indicates that Americans are not meeting these physical activity recommendations (DHHS). Several clear consequences of physical inactivity are the appearance of cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia and obesity. Two recent review articles suggested that higher intensity exercise will elicit a greater reduction in cardiovascular disease risk factors (Swain and Franklin, 2002; Swain and Franklin, 2006). In order to determine whether …

Maturational Changes In Cerebrovascular Thick- And Thin-Filament Regulation, Renan Joel Sandoval

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The present study focused on the main hypothesis that age-related changes in myofilament Ca²⁺ sensitivity involve simultaneous changes in the relations between cytosolic Ca²⁺ transients, myosin phosphorylation, and force development. To define the effects of late fetal and early postnatal maturation, parallel experiments were carried out using cerebral arteries from both term lamb fetuses (140-141 days of gestation) and nonpregnant adult sheep. Fetal and adult cerebral arteries were stimulated by either mechanically, electromechanically, and/or pharmacomechanically-induced contractions, and the relations of cytosolic Ca²⁺, MLC phosphorylation, and contractile tensions were measured. These measurements allowed for stimulus and age-dependent …

Smoking During Pregnancy Affects Speech-Processing Ability In Newborn Infants, Alexandra P.F. Key, Melissa Ferguson, Dennis L. Molfese, Kelley Peach, Victoria J. Molfese

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

BACKGROUND: Tobacco smoking during pregnancy is known to adversely affect development of the central nervous system in babies of smoking mothers by restricting utero–placental blood flow and the amount of oxygen available to the fetus. Behavioral data associate maternal smoking with lower verbal scores and poorer performance on specific language/auditory tests.

OBJECTIVES: In the current study we examined the effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy on newborns’ speech processing ability as measured by event-related potentials (ERPs).

METHOD: High-density ERPs were recorded within 48 hr of birth in healthy newborn infants of smoking (n = 8) and nonsmoking …

High Dietary Fat Intake Is Not Associated With High Levels Of Circulating Lipoproteins Or Total Cholesterol, C. Jayne Brahler, C. Wilson, Janine Baer

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to determine the association between dietary intake of fats, waist to hip ratio (WHR), body mass index (BMI), and blood lipoproteins and total cholesterol (TC) using food frequency data in one group of apparently healthy, urban African American women and their daughters (n = 110). Subjects were fasted when blood was drawn, waist and hip circumferences and body weight and height were measured, and WHR and BMI were calculated.

Average daily total fat intakes were 91.46 g and 77.83 g for mothers and daughters, respectively, but average LDL levels of 104.4 g/L and 103.1 …

Erythropoietin Improves Skeletal Muscle Microcirculation And Tissue Bioenergetics In A Mouse Sepsis Model, Raymod Kao, Anargyros Xenocostas, Tao Rui, Weixiong Huang, James Rose, Claudio M. Martin

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

Introduction The relationship between oxygen delivery and consumption in sepsis is impaired, suggesting a microcirculatory perfusion defect. Recombinant human erythropoietin ( rHuEPO) regulates erythropoiesis and also exerts complex actions promoting the maintenance of homeostasis of the organism under stress. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that rHuEPO could improve skeletal muscle capillary perfusion and tissue oxygenation in sepsis. Methods Septic mice in three experiments received rHu-EPO 400 U/kg subcutaneously 18 hours after cecal ligation and perforation ( CLP). The first experiment measured the acute effects of rHuEPO on hemodynamics, blood counts, and arterial lactate level. The …

Chronic Acetaminophen Treatment Influences Indices Of Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulation In The Aging Fisher 344 X Brown Norway Rat Aorta, Sarath Meduru

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

We have previously reported that aging in the Fisher 344 X Brown Norway (FBN) rat aorta is characterized by increased levels of ROS and alterations in cell signaling. Acetaminophen was found to scavenge free radicals in recent ischemia-reperfusion studies. Here we examined if chronic treatment with a therapeutic dose of acetaminophen attenuates age-associated increase in aortic ROS accumulation and signaling. FBN rats (27 month old; n=8) were subjected to 6 months of treatment with a therapeutic dose of acetaminophen (30mg/kg/day), with age-matched untreated FBN rats as controls. Protein oxidation levels were altered in control and treated aortae compared to aortae …

The Expression And Function Of Ppar And Hif-1 In Human Melanoma, Caroline Mills

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The first part of my dissertation focuses on the expression and function of PPARs in human melanoma. I found that the A375 cells were significantly growth inhibited in response to _PGJ2 and troglitazone treatment. HEMn-LP showed significant growth inhibition in response to troglitazone. I found that PPARγ and PPARδ mRNA is present in both the SK-Mel 28 and A375 cells. The relative level of PPARα mRNA expression is highest in SK-Mel 28 cells, ~3 fold higher relative to both the normal human melanocytes and A375 cells. PPARγ protein was ~50% higher in both SK-Mel 28 and A375 cells relative to …

Functional Properties Of L-Glutamate Regulation In Anesthetized And Freely Moving Mice, Kevin N. Hascup

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

L-glutamate (Glu) is the predominant excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system with involvement encompassing learning and memory, cognition, plasticity, and motor movement. Dysregulation of the glutamatergic system is implicated in several neurological disorders including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The mechanisms underlying these neurological disorders are not clear, but evidence suggests that abnormal Glu neurotransmission plays a role. Elevated levels of Glu in the synaptic cleft overstimulate the N-methyl-Daspartate receptor leading to excitotoxicity, which causes neuronal loss in chronic neurological diseases. What is less understood is the source for the elevated Glu levels. …

Exercise-Mediated Regulation Of Hsp70 Gene Expression Following Exercise Training, C.W. Melling, David Thorp, Kevin Milne, Matthew Krause, Earl Noble

Jamie Melling

An issue central to understanding the biological benefits associated with regular exercise training is to elucidate the intracellular mechanisms governing exercise-conferred cardioprotection. Heat shock proteins (HSPs), most notably the inducible 70-kDa HSP family member Hsp70, are believed to participate in the protection of the myocardium during cardiovascular stress. Following acute exercise, activation of PKA mediates the suppression of an intermediary protein kinase, ERK1/2, which phosphorylates and suppresses the activation of the heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1). However, following exercise training, ERK1/2 has been reported to regulate the transcriptional activation of several genes involved in cell growth and proliferation and …