Life Sciences Commons^™

Role Of Heat Shock Transcription Factor 1 In Ovarian Cancer Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition And Drug Sensitivity, Chase David Powell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The heat shock response (HSR) is a robust cellular reaction to mitigate protein damage from heat and other challenges to the proteome. This protective molecular program in humans is controlled by heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1). Activation of HSF1 leads to the induction of an array of cytoprotective genes, many of which code for chaperones. These chaperones, known as heat shock proteins (HSPs), are responsible for maintaining the functional integrity of the proteome. HSPs achieve this by promoting proper folding and assembly of nascent proteins, refolding denatured proteins, and processing for degradation proteins and aggregates which cannot be returned …

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Of Targeted Herpes Zoster Vaccination In Adults 50-59 At Increased Cardiovascular Risk, Kathleen M. Glassner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Over the last twenty years the incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) infection, also known as shingles, has been increasing among adults for unknown reasons. The economic burden of HZ is currently estimated at over $1 billion per year in the United States (U.S.) and is expected to increase as the susceptible adult population ages. HZ is caused by a re-activation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV), chicken pox, and more than 95% of adults living today carry the virus with a lifetime risk of 1 in 3 for developing HZ. In 2006 the FDA approved a vaccine for the …

18f-Fdg Pet/Ctct-Based Radiomics For The Prediction Of Radiochemotherapy Treatment Outcomes Of Cervical Cancer, Badereldeen Abdulmajeed Altazi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cervical cancer remains the third most commonly diagnosed gynecological malignancy in the United States and throughout the world despite being potentially preventable. Patients diagnosed with cervical cancer may develop local recurrence in the cervix and surrounding structures (vaginal apex, parametrial, or paracervical), regional recurrence in pelvic lymph nodes, distant metastasis, or a combination of all. The management of such treatment outcomes has not been subject to rigorous investigation. Therefore, there is a need for studies and clinical trials that focus on decision making to support the choice of the best treatment modality that leads to the minimal number of adverse …

Evaluation Of A Microsphere-Based Immunoassay (Mia) In Measuring Diagnostic And Prognostic Markers Of Dengue Virus Infection, Jason H. Ambrose

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Infections with dengue viruses (DENV) constitute both a global problem as well as locally in Florida. DENV comprise four distinct serotypes of single-stranded RNA viruses and belong to the family Flaviviridae. DENV are among the most medically important arboviruses in the world and cases may currently exceed 400 million per annum. Additionally, dengue established its first recorded endemic transmission cycle in the state of Florida in over a half century, first within the Florida Keys during 2009-10 followed by an unrelated outbreak in Martin County in 2013. The clinical profile of DENV infections ranges from a mild febrile illness …

Validation Of The Electronic Kids Dietary Index (E-Kindex) Screening Tool For Early Identification Of Risk For Overweight/Obesity (Ow/Ob) In A Pediatric Population: Associations With Quality Of Life Perceptions, Patricia A. Hall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite a worsening obesity epidemic and despite the American Medical Association (AMA) declaring Obesity a disease (2013), few assessment tools exist that assist practitioners who are charged with identifying risk for development of OW/OB in children. The Center for Health Statistics (2017) reported a 40% rate in obesity in the adult population and 18.5% in children in the U.S. Successful weight loss maintenance after 1 to 2 years of non-invasive treatment is less than 1%, indicating obesity is nearly incurable, making prevention imperative. Assessing risk for OW/OB in children has proven difficult given the lack of validated tools. The purposes …

Synthesis, In Vitro Characterization And Applications Of Novel 8-Aminoquinoline Fluorescent Probes, Adonis Mcqueen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Malaria is a parasitic disease that is caused by the plasmodium parasite. Plasmodium infection has affected man for thousands of years. With advances in drug discovery over the past century, malaria has evolved to possess resistance to most mainline therapeutics. This war of drug discovery vs plasmodium evolution continues to be fought to this very day, with attempts to eradicate malaria worldwide. Frontline treatments such as chloroquine, artemisinin, and atovaquone/proguanil have all seen parasitic resistance in strains of P. vivax as well as P. falciparum. While plasmodium possesses resistance to most classes of anti-malarials, the 8-aminoquinoline (8-AQ) class has …

Microfluidic Biopsy Trapping Device For The Real-Time Monitoring Of The Tumor Microenvironment, Angela Holton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The tumor microenvironment is composed of cellular and stromal components such as tumor cells, mesenchymal cells, immune cells, cancer associated fibroblasts and the supporting extracellular matrix. The tumor microenvironment provides crucial support for growth and progression of tumor cells and affects tumor response to therapeutic interventions. To better understand tumor biology and to develop effective cancer therapeutic agents it is important to develop preclinical platforms that can faithfully recapitulate the tumor microenvironment and the complex interaction between the tumor and its surrounding stromal elements. Drug studies performed in vitro with conventional two-dimensional cancer cell line models do not optimally represent …

Distribution Of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers Among Demographic Categories, Giorvanni Merilis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) are flame retardants widely used within the United States in various products such as plastics, electronics, textiles and furniture. With an increase in production and usage, PBDEs have recently emerged as a contaminant of concern. Due to their chemical structure, PBDEs have the propensity to bioaccumulate in mammals. In fact, elevated PBDE concentrations have been recorded in human breast milk. Due to the potential widespread exposure to PBDEs, this study investigates human blood concentrations of PBDEs generated through the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Through the use of statistical modeling, a comparison of mean …

The Role Of Elevated Hyaluronan-Mediated Motility Receptor (Rhamm/Hmmr) In Ovarian Cancer, Stephanie T. Buttermore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ovarian cancer (OC) has the highest mortality among gynecological cancers. The high mortality is associated with the lack of an accurate screening tool to detect disease in early stage. As a result the majority of OCs are diagnosed in late stage. Further, the molecular events responsible for malignant transformation in the ovary remain poorly understood. Consequently, delineating key molecular players driving OC could help elucidate potential diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets.

Receptor for hyaluronan-mediated motility (RHAMM) belongs to a group of hyaladherins, which share a common ability to bind to hyaluronan (HA). Intracellularly, RHAMM is involved in microtubule spindle assembly …

The Effect Of Antigen Polymorphisms On Serological Antibody Detection Assays Based Upon The, Kristi M. Miley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Onchocerca volvulus is a filarial parasite transmitted to humans by female Simulium spp. black flies. Infection with this parasite can cause blindness and severe skin disease among humans in Africa and the Americas. Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay serological testing of OV-16 antigen is a diagnostic tool for determining effective elimination of the parasite. Programs typically rely on OV–16 ELISA to evaluate the progress towards interruption and/or elimination of disease by mass drug distribution of ivermectin and vector larvicidal control efforts. As elimination grows closer, monoclonal antibody positive controls for OV-16 ELISA become important to develop for Onchocerca testing due to the …

Functional Trade-Offs In Feeding Performance In Salamanders Of The Family Salamandridae, Charlotte M. Stinson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Performance is an organism’s ability to accomplish a particular task or behavior, and morphology can have a major impact on the performance of an organism. Salamanders are ecologically diverse and can feed using a variety of behaviors depending on the environment in which feeding occurs. Feeding is accomplished through the use of the hyobranchial apparatus, which lies along the oropharynx, and this structure can have competing roles; in aquatic environments the apparatus is used for suction feeding and works to depress the floor of the mouth, but during terrestrial feeding this structure projects the tongue forward out of the mouth. …

Functional Roles Of Matrix Metalloproteinases In Bone Metastatic Prostate Cancer, Jeremy S. Frieling

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Skeletal metastasis is a lethal component of many advanced cancers including prostate, the second most common cancer among men. Patients whose prostate cancer is localized and detected early benefit from multiple treatment options ranging from active surveillance to radiation and surgery, resulting in a 5-year survival rate of nearly 100%. Unfortunately, the prognosis and survival for patients with advanced metastatic disease is much worse due to the highly aggressive nature of the disease and a paucity of treatment options. Understanding the mechanisms and interactions that occur between metastatic cancer cells and the bone will enable the future treatment landscape for …

Acetaminophen Associated Neurotoxicity And Its Relevance To Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Seol-Hee Kim

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder. The etiology of autism still remains unclear due to the heterogeneous and complex nature of the disorder, however synergistic actions between genetic components and environmental factors have been suggested. Acetaminophen (APAP) is one of the most popular over-the-counter drugs that possess antipyretic and analgesic effects. It is considered a relatively safe and effective within therapeutic doses. Recently, early exposure to APAP has been suggested to be one of the underlying cause of autism. Children are often prescribed APAP to lessen fever or irritability after vaccination during the first year, and APAP may adversely affect …

Mass-Spectrometry Based Proteomics Of Age-Related Changes In Murine Microglia, Antwoine Flowers

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The last century has seen a steady increase in the extension of the average lifespan. This has concomitantly produced higher incidences of age-related chronic degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Age is the single greatest risk factor for the development of not just these degenerative conditions but cancer as well. The aged niche undergoes a number of maladaptive changes that allow underlying conditions to present and progress. Exactly which changes, contribute to the progression of which disease is currently an area of intense study. However, these answers often present therapeutic targets for disease prevention. Age is characterized by a …

Development Of Tools For Stable Transfection In The Human Filarial Parasite Brugia Malayi Via The Piggybac Transposon System, Johan Chabanon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Brugia malayi is one of three species of nematode known to cause lymphatic filariasis (LF) in humans. LF infects over 120 million people, causing debilitating disease. Various global programs have been launched in the past 20 years to eliminate LF. These programs have greatly scaled up the resources and efforts allocated to halting the transmission and reducing disease burden. Only a few drugs are used to treat LF, and resistance is thus a devastating possibility. Research aimed at identifying new drug targets could therefore prove essential in elimination of LF.

Genetic manipulation of B. malayi has been limited to transient …

Tiered Vs. Traditional Daily Undulating Periodization For Improving Powerlifting Performance In Trained Males, Andres Vargas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Daily undulating periodization represents an increasingly popular trend in exercise science with which a traditional model has been established. Tiered daily undulating periodization pairs the DUP approach with a tiered training system which allows volume and intensity to be more evenly distributed throughout a given graining cycle. The concept of tiered daily undulating periodization is a novel form of periodization and has not been investigated. As such, a comparison of traditional and tiered daily undulating periodization has yet to be examined. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the effects of traditional and tiered daily undulating periodization models …

A Novel Abi-Domain Protein Controls Virulence Determinant Production In Staphylococcus Aureus, Stephanie Michelle Marroquin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A major factor in the success of Staphylococcus aureus as a pathogen is its vast arsenal of virulence determinants and, more importantly, the tight and precisely- timed regulation of these factors. Here we investigate the product of the S. aureus gene, SAUSA300_1984, encoding a putative transmembrane protein. This as yet uncharacterized protein belongs to the Abi (abortive infection) family, which are commonly annotated as CAAX-proteases, and are significantly understudied in prokaryotes. In S. aureus the disruption of SAUSA300_1984 results in a drastic reduction of proteolytic and hemolytic activity, as well as diminished pigmentation. This phenotype appears to be mediated through …