Life Sciences Commons^™

Expression Of Α4Β1 Integrin On Tissue Eosinophils In The August Rat, John C. Phipps

Masters Theses

The integrin α4β1 is expressed on a wide variety of peripheral leukocytes, and functions in recruitment of these cells to sites of inflammaiton. We infected august (AUG) rats with the helminth parasite Nippostrongylus brasiliensis and later used leukocytes from the peritoneum of the sensitized animals and antibodies against α4β1 integrin to localize that adhesion molecule on the cell surfaces after antigen challenge. We found that after antigen challenge, eosinophils, monocytes, and small lymphocytes, but not mast cells, expressed α4β1 integrin if the animals had been previously infected, but cells from uninfected animals did not show expression of this molecule. Our …

Expression And Regulation Properties Of Pseudomonas L-Arabinose Utilization Plasmids, Mary E. Barecki

Masters Theses

The L-arabinose utilization pathway in Pseudomonas fluorescens is a unique metabolic pathway. In Pseudomonas, L-arabinose is converted to the end product α-ketogluterate and does not involve phosphorylated intermediates. This differs from the well studied L-arabinose pathway found in Escherichia coli which contains phosphorylated intermediates.

The enzymes of the L-arabinose pathway have been shown to be induced in the presence of L-arabinose in P. saccharophila. The current study determined regulatory properties of previously cloned chromosomal fragments of P. fluorescens which confer an L-arabinose positive phenotype to the surrogate host, Pseudomonas putida. Cells of P. putida containing plasmids pPZ221, …

The Effects Of Benzo(A)Pyrene And Dimethylbenzanthracene On Cultured Porcine Aortic Endothelial Function, Michelle Lynn Kagey

Masters Theses

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are environmental contaminants which have been shown to initiate and promote atherosclerosis and carcinogenesis in various animal species. These findings have been based primarily on the increase in incidence and size of smooth muscle cell tumors in these animals were exposed to benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) or dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA). The endothelium has also been identified as an important mediator in vascular disease and atherogenesis, although the endothelial response to these PAHs has not been investigated. Thus, the focus of this study was on characterization of the endothelial response to BaP and DMBA. Concentration/response relationships for these chemicals were examined, …

The Flora And Ecology Of Seidman Park, Kent County, Michigan, Pamela J. Laureto

Masters Theses

A floristic study of Seidman Park, Kent County, Michigan was performed. The study identified 521 vascular plants belonging to 96 families and 284 genera. The plant communities of Seidman Park were delimited by identification of dominant species and observation of the physical environment. It was believed that communities existed within the upland forest that could not be identified by observation alone. The use of Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMS) ordination techniques identified three communities within the upland forest. These were a xeric community, a dry-mesic community and a nutrient-rich community. Three sub-communities of the dry-mesic community were also identified.

The Role Of Nitric Oxide In The Modulation Of The Leukocyte-Endothelial Cell Interactions During Ischemia And Reperfusion, Fernando López-Neblina

Masters Theses

Nitric oxide (NO) is involved in several metabolic pathways and physiological phenomena. The role of NO in inflammation after ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) is controversial. The early phases of inflammation include the leukocyte-endothelial (L/EC) cell interactions which have been divided in rolling, activation, adhesion and migration.

The first experiment was to demonstrate the role of NO in a model of renal I/R. We demonstrated that exogenous NO improves survival and renal function tests after renal I/R, while endogenous NO does not appear to be an important contributor to renal I/R. We also demonstrated that NO modulate the infiltration of neutrophils …

Effects Of Insulin And Insulin-Mimetics On Mrna Levels Of C-Fos And C-Jun In Primary Rat Hepatocytes In Culture, Guangmin Li

Masters Theses

Insulin is capable of regulating cellular and metabolic processes as well as gene expression. Selenate and vanadate are two compounds that have been found to mimic the action of insulin in several tissue and cell types. cFos and cJun are the products of immediate early responsive genes c-fos and c-jun. They are members of the family of the AP-1 (Activator Protein-1) transcription factors. AP-1 transcription factors bind as cJun.cJun homodimer or cJun.cFos heterodimer to the TRE found in the promoter regions of several genes. AP-1 is characterized by its ability to alter gene expression in response to various peptide …

Comparison Of The Effects Of Aerobic Dance To Water Aerobic Training On Maximal Oxygen Consumption, Terri L. Bedford, Tamara A. Dusterwinkle, Darcy J. Hoppman

Masters Theses

Water aerobics is one mode of exercise that is gaining popularity. Water aerobics allows adults who participate in an exercise program to improve their cardiorespiratory fitness. The purpose of this study was to determine if water aerobic training is as effective as land dance aerobic training in improving cardiorespiratory fitness in sedentary healthy adults. Eighteen subjects participated in this study; nine in dance aerobics and nine in water aerobics. Before and after eight weeks of training, subjects performed a graded maximal exercise test on a Schwinn Air-Dyne while maximal oxygen uptake was measured via a Beckman Metabolic Cart. ANCOVA was …

Electromyographic Comparison Of Internal And External Obliques Using A Modified Version Of Kendall's Strength Test Positions For Upper And Lower Abdominals, Rebecca A. Currier, Margie L. Johnson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the activity of the internal obliques (upper abdominals) versus the external obliques (lower abdominals) during a modified version of Kendall's upper and lower abdominal strength tests using surface electromyography on adults. The study was not correlated to Kendall's theory due to the necessity to have the internal oblique electrode placed on the anterior abdomen. Twenty-four women and sixteen men participated in the study. All subjects were taught two positions ("easy" and "hard") for both abdominal tests and performed eight trials. A normalized ratio was generated by dividing one "hard" trial by the …