Life Sciences Commons^™

Targeting The Γ-Aminobutyric Acid A Receptor (Gabaar) To Alleviate Inflammation For Asthma And Neuropathic Pain, Amanda Nicole Nieman

Theses and Dissertations

The γ-Aminobutyric Acid A Receptor (GABAAR) is a ligand-gated, pentameric chloride channel composed of subunits that include α1-6, β1-3, γ1-3, δ, ε, π, θ, ρ1-3.1-2 The most common arrangement includes two α subunits, two β subunits, and a γ subunit.3 This receptor includes two binding sites for the endogenous ligand γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) between the α and β subunits and a binding site between the α and γ subunit for benzodiazepines, a large family of positive allosteric modulators.4-5

Benzodiazepines are one of the most prescribed classes of pharmaceuticals to treat anxiety, insomnia, and epilepsy as well as for muscle relaxation.6-7 …

Urban Air Quality, Spring/Summer 2002, Issue 6

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Therapeutic Immune Cell Metabolism, Josephine Anna Tueller

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses multiple approaches to investigating mechanisms of immune linked disease. There are four projects outlined below which describe the work of these investigations. First, educating students about techniques to study disease and therapies is an important area of research. Flow cytometry is a common technique in immunology and its versatility and high throughput abilities can be applied to many fields. While it is very useful, flow cytometry is a complex technique that requires training to operate and understand, and there are very few reports about administering effective training. This thesis outlines the first report of a full semester …

Bioaerosols Associated With Evaporative Cooler Use In Low-Income Homes In Semi-Arid Climates, Ashlin Elaine Cowger

Theses and Dissertations

Asthma is the leading chronic illness in children in the United States. Since children in the U.S. spend a majority of their time indoors there is an increased need to understand key sources of daily asthma triggers in the home. Bacterial endotoxin, dust mite allergens and β-D-glucan have been shown to be potent inducers of asthma attacks, and high levels of these allergens in homes can trigger attacks in those with asthma. We aim to better understand the risks to those with asthma that might be associated with evaporative cooler (EC) use in low-income homes. ECs are often promoted because …

Activation Of Toll-Like Receptor 3 Translates To Long-Term Post-Viral Lung Disease, Xinyu Wang

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) causes substantial human and economic costs both in the US and worldwide. To identify the molecular mechanisms to allow for targeted therapies for COPD, we developed a high-fidelity mouse model of chronic lung inflammation using the natural rodent pathogen Sendai virus (SeV). While nucleic acid-sensing pattern recognition receptors are important for innate immune responses to viral pathogens, there have been few studies investigating their role in the context of chronic disease. Here we show that Toll-like receptor 3 (Tlr3) signaling is required for the development of chronic lung disease in a postviral mouse model. Activation …

Understanding The Comorbidity Of Asthma And Anxiety In Childhood: Characteristics, Vulnerabilities, And Treatment Implications, Nicole Fleischer, Elizabeth Gosch, Phil Kendall

Research Day

Introduction: Given the high incidence of asthma and anxiety comorbidity, clinicians should be informed of the unique presentation of these clients in clinical practice. Although much is known about the development and characteristics of childhood anxiety, less is known about children with anxiety and comorbid asthma.

Methods: This study, using archival data, examined the potential differences in children with comorbid asthma and anxiety compared to children with anxiety from a random controlled trial. These two groups were compared on negative self-talk, number of physical symptoms, parent anxiety, content of their worries, and presence of panic, generalized anxiety, and …

Design And Synthesis Of Achiral And Chiral Imidazodiazepine (Imdz) Gaba(A)R Subtype Selective Ligands For The Treatment Of Cns Disorders, As Well As Asthma, Guanguan Li

Theses and Dissertations

Gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABAAR) are transmembrane pentameric ligand-gated chloride ion channels that respond to GABA, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous systems (CNS). The benzodiazepines (BZDs) bind at the extracellular interface of the α+γ2-subunits of GABAAR. The binding of ligands at different subunits of GABAA receptors specifically at α1-6β2/3 γ2 ion channels, can affect a wide variety of brain functions. The α1-subtype selective ion channels of GABAARs are involved in the sedative, ataxic, amnesic, anticonvulsant and addictive effects, which should be avoided, with the exception of the anticonvulsant effects, when designing ligands for this BZ allosteric …

A Study On Vitamin D Metabolic Genes Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms And Their Linkage In Adult Asthmatic Emiratis, Amneh Mohammad Al Mousa

Biology Theses

Vitamin D normal levels are vital to many biological processes including its classical role in calcium and phosphate homeostasis, and regulation of immune and non-immune cells. Vitamin D mediates its actions via the vitamin D receptor (VDR) which is expressed in most tissues of the body including the airway smooth muscle. Asthma is a syndrome of chronic inflammatory airway disease. There is a genetic and immunological link between vitamin D and asthma. In this study, we aim to investigate whether asthma and its severity were associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in vitamin D metabolic genes as well as vitamin …