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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

The Effects Of Maternal Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol And Cannabidiol Exposure On Fetal Heart Development In Mice, Gregory Robinson Dec 2020

The Effects Of Maternal Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol And Cannabidiol Exposure On Fetal Heart Development In Mice, Gregory Robinson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Up to 22.6% of pregnant women consume cannabis during pregnancy despite the uncertainty of teratogenicity of the main ingredients in cannabis, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). This study tested the hypothesis that gestational THC and CBD exposure leads to heart abnormalities. Daily, oral THC exposure induced heart abnormalities in 68% of offspring with three main phenotypes including thickened semilunar valves, ventricular myocardial hypertrophy and hypoplastic coronary arteries in fetuses, and postnatal cardiac dysfunction. Altered gene expression of key cardiogenic regulators, increased proliferation, and reduced epicardial epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition were demonstrated implicating potential mechanisms responsible for these abnormalities. Also, maternal CBD exposure resulted …


An Approach For The In-Vivo Characterization Of Brain And Heart Inflammation In Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Joanne Tang Sep 2020

An Approach For The In-Vivo Characterization Of Brain And Heart Inflammation In Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Joanne Tang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a neuromuscular disorder caused by dystrophin loss—notably within muscles and CNS neurons. DMD presents as cognitive weakness, progressive skeletal and cardiac muscle degeneration until pre-mature death from cardiac or respiratory failure. Innovative therapies improved life expectancy, but this is accompanied by increased late-onset heart failure and emergent cognitive degeneration. Thus, there is an increasing need to both better understand and track disease pathophysiology in the dystrophic heart and brain prior to onset of severe degenerative symptoms. Chronic inflammation is strongly associated with skeletal and cardiac muscle degeneration, however chronic neuroinflammation’s role is largely unknown in …


Characterization Of Mechanotransduction In Annulus Fibrosus Cells, Min Kyu M. Kim Aug 2020

Characterization Of Mechanotransduction In Annulus Fibrosus Cells, Min Kyu M. Kim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

IVD degeneration is a multifactorial pathological process associated with back pain. While biomechanical factors are important regulators of IVD homeostasis, mechanical loading also contribute to the onset of IVD degeneration. Importantly, the mechanotransduction pathways that mediate cell type-specific responses to mechanical loading are not well understood. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a multimodally activated cell surface cation channel implicated as a mechanoreceptor regulating the mechano-response in other musculoskeletal cell types. Using both in vitro and in vivo models, the current study aimed to characterize the role of TRPV4 in annulus fibrosus (AF) cell mechanotransduction. Using a mechanically dynamic …


The Role Of Regulator Of G Protein Signaling 2 In Inflammatory Cytokine Release In Endotoxemia In Mice, Xin Tong Ma Aug 2020

The Role Of Regulator Of G Protein Signaling 2 In Inflammatory Cytokine Release In Endotoxemia In Mice, Xin Tong Ma

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In sepsis, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activates toll-like receptor 4 to stimulate the release of inflammatory cytokines (e.g. tumor necrosis factor-alpha, TNF-α), leading to cardiac dysfunction. Regulator of G protein signaling 2 (RGS2) limits G protein-coupled receptor signaling by increasing the rate of G protein deactivation or inhibiting G protein-effector interactions. We hypothesized that RGS2 deficiency would enhance proinflammatory responses in endotoxemia. Adult wild-type and RGS2-/- C57BL/6 mice and neonatal cardiomyocytes were treated with LPS and assessed for inflammatory responses and cardiac function. Myocardial TNF-α expression was higher in RGS2-/- mice during endotoxemia. Additionally, cardiac function was impaired in …


Regulators Of Ectopic Calcification In A Mouse Model Of Dish: A Multi-Omics Perspective, Matthew A. Veras Jun 2020

Regulators Of Ectopic Calcification In A Mouse Model Of Dish: A Multi-Omics Perspective, Matthew A. Veras

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is a non-inflammatory spondyloarthropathy and the second most common form of arthritis characterized by formation of ectopic mineral along the spine. Pathological findings in DISH include regional calcification of the anterior longitudinal ligament, paraspinal connective tissues, and annulus fibrosus (AF) of the intervertebral disc (IVD). Clinical symptoms of DISH include increased spine stiffness, decreased spinal range of motion, and in severe cases dysphagia and spinal cord/nerve root compression. The molecular pathways responsible for DISH have not been delineated and as such, there are no disease-modifying treatments. Clinical treatment for DISH is limited to surgical resection …


The Amino Terminal Domains Of Sheep Cx46 Or Cx50 Determine Their Gap Junction Channel Open Stability And Unitary Channel Conductance, Benny Yue Jun 2020

The Amino Terminal Domains Of Sheep Cx46 Or Cx50 Determine Their Gap Junction Channel Open Stability And Unitary Channel Conductance, Benny Yue

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Connexins form intercellular communication channels known as gap junctions (GJs), which are found throughout the vertebrate species. GJs formed by different connexins harbor unique channel properties that have not been fully defined. High-resolution structures of native Cx46 and Cx50 GJs from sheep (sCx46 and sCx50) were recently resolved. Molecular dynamics studies identified the NT domains, especially the 9th position, as key determinants in the differences of energetic barrier to K+ permeation in sCx46 and sCx50 GJs. We studied functional properties of GJs formed by sCx46, sCx50, NT domain swapped chimeras (sCx46-50NT and sCx50-46NT), and point variants at the …


Investigating The Role Of Nuclear Receptor Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Δ In Obesity-Associated Osteoarthritis, Bethia C. To Mar 2020

Investigating The Role Of Nuclear Receptor Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Δ In Obesity-Associated Osteoarthritis, Bethia C. To

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a heterogeneous disease, differentiated based by risk factors that drive joint damage. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARd) is a nuclear receptor previously implicated in cartilage damage in OA. Given its deleterious role in post-traumatic OA and in regulating metabolism, we hypothesized that PPARd inhibition will protect against obesity-associated OA. Diet-induced obesity was used to induce OA in mice. Mice fed the western diet for 40 weeks exhibited mild OA, with subchondral bone remodelling occurring alongside cartilage damage. Cartilage-specific Ppard knockout (KO) mice were generated to study its role in metabolic OA. Both wildtype and PPARd KO mice …