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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Expression Of Hepatic Cytochrome P450 Drug Metabolizing Enzymes In Diabetes And Diabetic Nephropathy, Cheng Jay Fang Nov 2018

Expression Of Hepatic Cytochrome P450 Drug Metabolizing Enzymes In Diabetes And Diabetic Nephropathy, Cheng Jay Fang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The prevalence of diabetes worldwide is rapidly increasing. Polypharmacy, along with a high risk of adverse drug reactions, is common in diabetic patients. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A and 2C drug metabolizing enzymes are reduced in chronic kidney disease (CKD), altering drug pharmacokinetics and contributing to adverse drug reactions. A large fraction of commonly prescribed drugs are metabolized by CYP3A and CYP2C. Approximately 40% of all CKD cases are attributed to diabetic nephropathy (DN) and early DN presents as mild kidney disease. This study aims to evaluate the impact of diabetes and DN on levels and activity of hepatic CYP3A and …


The Use Of Current Steering During Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation To Alleviate Upper Limb Symptoms Of Parkinson's Disease, Shabna Iftikar Mohideen Nov 2018

The Use Of Current Steering During Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation To Alleviate Upper Limb Symptoms Of Parkinson's Disease, Shabna Iftikar Mohideen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Subthalamic (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an established treatment to alleviate the appendicular motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease (PD). Current steering during DBS allows the unequal fractionation of current between two electrodes on the lead, resulting in a non-spherical electrical field. It is hypothesized that the way the electrical field is shaped will affect a patient’s upper limb symptom alleviation. Seven PD patients who underwent bilateral STN-DBS were tested over four weeks post-operation. 16 current fractionation settings were tested each week at an amplitude that increased weekly. Optimal setting was defined as the setting that provided the best …


Consequences Of Environmental Mercury Exposure For Migratory Fitness And Survival Of Passerine Birds, Yanju Ma Apr 2018

Consequences Of Environmental Mercury Exposure For Migratory Fitness And Survival Of Passerine Birds, Yanju Ma

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mercury (Hg) is a global contaminant that persists in the environment. The organic form, methylmercury (MeHg) has been shown to adversely affect bird immune function, foraging behavior, navigation, and flight ability. Many songbirds migrate seasonally, a process that consists of multiple endurance flights and refueling at stopovers. Current knowledge of the effects of MeHg on songbird migration and survival is mostly speculative. In this thesis, I present three studies of MeHg in migratory songbirds. In Chapter 2, I assessed the breeding ground MeHg exposure (inferred from feather Hg) of 15 songbird species captured during fall migration at bird banding stations …


Maternal Nicotine Exposure Leads To Augmented Expression Of The Antioxidant Adipose Tissue Triglyceride Lipase Long-Term In The White Adipose Of Female Rat Offspring., Nicole Barra, Taylor Vanduzer, Alison C. Holloway, Daniel B. Hardy Apr 2018

Maternal Nicotine Exposure Leads To Augmented Expression Of The Antioxidant Adipose Tissue Triglyceride Lipase Long-Term In The White Adipose Of Female Rat Offspring., Nicole Barra, Taylor Vanduzer, Alison C. Holloway, Daniel B. Hardy

Physiology and Pharmacology Publications

Globally, approximately 10-25% of women smoke during pregnancy. Since nicotine is highly addictive, women may use nicotine containing products like nicotine replacement therapies for smoking cessation, but the long-term consequences of early life exposure to nicotine remain poorly defined. Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that maternal nicotine exposed (MNE) rat offspring exhibit hypertriglyceridemia due to increased hepatic de novo lipogenesis. Hypertriglyceridemia may also be attributed to impaired white adipose tissue (WAT) lipid storage; however, the effects of MNE on WAT are not completely understood. We hypothesize that nicotine-induced alterations in adipose function (e.g. lipid storage) underlie dyslipidemia in MNE adults. …


Developing Novel Therapeutics For Bacterial Lung Infections, Brandon J. Baer, Ruud Veldhuizen, Cory Yamashita Mar 2018

Developing Novel Therapeutics For Bacterial Lung Infections, Brandon J. Baer, Ruud Veldhuizen, Cory Yamashita

Western Research Forum

Background: Bacterial lung infections are leading causes of death worldwide. Unfortunately, increasing resistance to antibiotics and the inflammation often accompanying these infections are leading to poor outcomes despite antibiotic intervention. Complicating treatment further, the tree-like branching structure of the lung makes drug delivery to distal sites of infection difficult. Our research aims to address these challenges by developing new therapeutics and new tools to improve and assess drug delivery, bacterial killing and inflammation. Our therapy combines host defense peptides, which have been shown to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria and down regulate inflammation, with a pulmonary vehicle, exogenous surfactant, that can improve …