Life Sciences Commons^™

Anti-Inflammatory Effects Of Ppar-Gamma In Surgical Brain Injury (Sbi), Amy Hyong

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Introduction: Brain injury can be caused by neurosurgical procedures themselves, due to direct trauma, retractor stretch, intraoperative hemorrhage and electrocautery damage. As a result of this surgical brain injury (SBI) postoperative complications such as inflammation, brain edema, and cell death can occur in the susceptible brain areas. Cerebral inflammation is a known contributor to the pathophysiology of brain injury. Following brain injury, the release of inflammatory mediators facilitates the development of BBB breakdown, cerebral edema, oxidative stress and neuronal death, resulting in further tissue damage in the brain and poor neurological outcomes. This study evaluates whether the use of a …

Neuronal Connections From The Cervix To The Spinal Cord Before Parturition, Mary Medina Groves

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

By the day before birth, the density of nerve fibers in the cervix has increased compared to earlier in pregnancy or in nonpregnant mice. Similar findings are reported in parturient women. To test the hypothesis that connections between the cervix and spinal cord are enhanced by term, the cervix of nonpregnant and time-dated pregnant mice (day 15 or 18 post-breeding) was injected with pseudorabies virus (PRV), a trans-synaptic retrograde neural tract tracer. Mice were euthanized and perfused 5 days later. The spinal cord and cervix were removed and postfixed overnight, immersed in sucrose, and cryostat sections through the thoracic to …

Mechanisms Of T Helper Cell Modulation In A Simulated Space Radiation Environment, Asma Rizvi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Exposure to solar particle events (SPEs) poses the most serious threat to astronaut health. Due to this radiation environment, exploration of the solar system beyond Earth’s orbit entails many risks for the crew on these deep space missions. Depression or dysfunction of the immune system is a major concern due to its high radio-sensitivity; potential consequences include overwhelming infection, development of cancer, fibrosis, and poor wound healing. Astronauts are also exposed to low dose/low dose rate (LDR) radiation. A three month stay at the international space station exposes them to ~ 0.05 Gy of radiation.

C57BL/6 mice received LDR gamma-radiation …