Physiology Commons^™

Navigating Asynchronous Online Learning: The Impacts Of Active Learning And Assigned Group Work On Student Motivation, Belonging, And Inclusion, Shea Elisabeth Carr

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Motivation, belonging, and inclusion are all critical factors for student success but can be difficult to support in asynchronous online courses. Active learning and required group work have been shown to increase student motivation in in-person and synchronous online courses, but little is known about their impact in online asynchronous settings. This dissertation aimed to 1) evaluate the effect of active learning on student motivation in an online asynchronous setting and 2) evaluate the impact of assigned group work on student motivation and perceptions of belonging and inclusion within the context of an online, asynchronous physiology laboratory course. It was …

Maximal Strength Training Increases Metabolic Energy Expenditure In Sedentary Adults Classified As Obese, Robert E. Anderson Iii

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Background: Metabolic adaptations reduce resting and non-resting energy expenditure to account for approximately 120 kcal/day. Weight loss promotes greater skeletal muscle efficiency, reducing the energy cost of physical activity and is correlated with declines in skeletal muscle glucose oxidation. Maximal Strength Training (MST) has the potential to upregulate glucose utilization and may offset these metabolic adaptations. Objective: To determine if MST offsets markers of metabolic adaptation by increasing resting and non-resting energy expenditure in sedentary individuals classified as obese. Methods: Five (5) participants (2 females, 3 males), ages 18-35 years, with obesity (BMI 30–45 kg/m2) were enrolled in an 8-week …

Estrogen Regulation Of Daily Metabolic Rhythms In Female Mice, Oluwabukola Omotola

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Circadian rhythms are approximately 24-hour cycles of behavior, physiology, and gene expression. In mammals, these circadian rhythms are generated by clocks located in nearly every tissue in the body. The function of circadian clocks is to synchronize physiology and behavior with environmental cycles such as the light-dark cycle. After menopause, when circulating levels of estrogens are very low, women are more susceptible to obesity comorbidities such as metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, suggesting that estrogens regulate these processes. Estrogens could protect females from metabolic dysfunction by regulating circadian rhythms. Consumption of diets that are high in fat contribute to obesity. …

Building Tools For Improved Modulation Of The Human Gabaa Receptor, A Central Nervous System Target For The Treatment Of Anxiety, Garrett Edward Zinck

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

In the U.S., anxiety is recognized as an increasing range of mentally and physically debilitating psychiatric health disorders with significant economic repercussions. Over the last 20 years, several novel anti-anxiety therapies have entered the drug development pipeline, but none have made it to market.

The work in this dissertation focused on structurally modifying valerenic acid (VA), a structurally unique carboxylated sesquiterpene acid found in Valeriana officinalis. VA is putatively reported to have allosteric modulatory activity of the human GABA_A receptor, a ligand-gated ion channel responsible for attenuating neurotransmissions. Structural modeling of VA’s GABA_A receptor interaction suggests that …

Regulation Of Skeletal Muscle Plasticity By The Gut Microbiome, Taylor R. Valentino

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Recent evidence suggests that the gut microbiome could play a role in skeletal muscle plasticity, providing novel treatments for muscle wasting diseases and/or performance enhancements. I first sought to determine if the gut microbiome is necessary for skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise. Forty-two, four-month old, female C57Bl/6J underwent nine weeks of weighted wheel running or remained in cage with a locked wheel, without or without the administration of antibiotics (treated). In response to wheel running, I found that antibiotic depletion of the microbiome led to a blunted hypertrophic response in the soleus muscle as measured by normalized muscle wet weight …

Inhibition Of Bruton Tyrosine Kinase Reduces Neuroimmune Cascade And Promotes Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury, Chen Guang Yu, Vimala Bondada, Hina Iqbal, Kate L. Moore, John C. Gensel, Subbarao Bondada, James W. Geddes

Physiology Faculty Publications

Microglia/astrocyte and B cell neuroimmune responses are major contributors to the neurological deficits after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) activation mechanistically links these neuroimmune mechanisms. Our objective is to use Ibrutinib, an FDA-approved BTK inhibitor, to inhibit the neuroimmune cascade thereby improving locomotor recovery after SCI. Rat models of contusive SCI, Western blot, immunofluorescence staining imaging, flow cytometry analysis, histological staining, and behavioral assessment were used to evaluate BTK activity, neuroimmune cascades, and functional outcomes. Both BTK expression and phosphorylation were increased at the lesion site at 2, 7, 14, and 28 days after SCI. Ibrutinib …

Late-Life Exercise Mitigates Skeletal Muscle Epigenetic Aging, Kevin A. Murach, Andrea L. Dimet-Wiley, Yuan Wen, Camille R. Brightwell, Christine M. Latham, Cory M. Dungan, Christopher S. Fry, Stanley J. Watowich

Center for Muscle Biology Faculty Publications

There are functional benefits to exercise in muscle, even when performed late in life, but the contributions of epigenetic factors to late-life exercise adaptation are poorly defined. Using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS), ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and mitochondrial-specific examination of methylation, targeted high-resolution methylation analysis, and DNAge™ epigenetic aging clock analysis with a translatable model of voluntary murine endurance/resistance exercise training (progressive weighted wheel running, PoWeR), we provide evidence that exercise may mitigate epigenetic aging in skeletal muscle. Late-life PoWeR from 22–24 months of age modestly but significantly attenuates an age-associated shift toward promoter hypermethylation. The epigenetic age of muscle …

Evidence Of Myomir Regulation Of The Pentose Phosphate Pathway During Mechanical Load-Induced Hypertrophy, Taylor Valentino, Vandre C. Figueiredo, C. Brooks Mobley, John J. Mccarthy, Ivan J. Vechetti Jr.

Physiology Faculty Publications

Many of the molecular and cellular mechanisms discovered to regulate skeletal muscle hypertrophy were first identified using the rodent synergist ablation model. This model reveals the intrinsic capability and necessary pathways of skeletal muscle growth in response to mechanical overload (MOV). Reminiscent of the rapid cellular growth observed with cancer, we hypothesized that in response to MOV, skeletal muscle would undergo metabolic programming to sustain increased demands to support hypertrophy. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the gene expression of specific metabolic pathways taken from transcriptomic microarray data of a MOV time course. We found an upregulation of genes involved …

Adult Spiny Mice (Acomys) Exhibit Endogenous Cardiac Recovery In Response To Myocardial Infarction, Hsuan Peng, Kazuhiro Shindo, Renée R. Donahue, Erhe Gao, Brooke M. Ahern, Bryana M. Levitan, Himi Tripathi, David Powell, Ahmed Noor, Garrett A. Elmore, Jonathan Satin, Ashley W. Seifert, Ahmed K. Abdel-Latif

Physiology Faculty Publications

Complex tissue regeneration is extremely rare among adult mammals. An exception, however, is the superior tissue healing of multiple organs in spiny mice (Acomys). While Acomys species exhibit the remarkable ability to heal complex tissue with minimal scarring, little is known about their cardiac structure and response to cardiac injury. In this study, we first examined baseline Acomys cardiac anatomy and function in comparison with commonly used inbred and outbred laboratory Mus strains (C57BL6 and CFW). While our results demonstrated comparable cardiac anatomy and function between Acomys and Mus, Acomys exhibited a higher percentage of cardiomyocytes displaying …

Editorial: Perturbations In Metabolic Cues: Implications For Adverse Cardiac Function Leading To Sudden Cardiac Death, Brian P. Delisle, Ademuyiwa S. Aromolaran

Physiology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Fibroblast Growth Factor 19 Increases The Excitability Of Pre-Motor Glutamatergic Dorsal Vagal Complex Neurons From Hyperglycemic Mice, Jordan B. Wean, Bret N. Smith

Physiology Faculty Publications

Intracerebroventricular administration of the protein hormone fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) to the hindbrain produces potent antidiabetic effects in hyperglycemic mice that are likely mediated through a vagal parasympathetic mechanism. FGF19 increases the synaptic excitability of parasympathetic motor neurons in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV) from hyperglycemic, but not normoglycemic, mice but the source of this synaptic input is unknown. Neurons in the area postrema (AP) and nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) express high levels of FGF receptors and exert glutamatergic control over the DMV. This study tested the hypothesis that FGF19 increases glutamate release in the DMV …

Editorial: Recent Advances In Cardiotoxicity Testing, Tamer M. A. Mohamed, Javid Moslehi, Jonathan Satin

Physiology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Editorial: The Metabolism Of The Neuron-Glia Unit, Yannick Poitelon, Lance A. Johnson, Marie-Ève Tremblay

Physiology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Apoε4 Lowers Energy Expenditure In Females And Impairs Glucose Oxidation By Increasing Flux Through Aerobic Glycolysis, Brandon C. Farmer, Holden C. Williams, Nicholas A. Devanney, Margaret A. Piron, Grant K. Nation, David J. Carter, Adeline E. Walsh, Rebika Khanal, Lyndsay E. A. Young, Jude C. Kluemper, Gabriela Hernandez, Elizabeth J. Allenger, Rachel Mooney, Lesley R. Golden, Cathryn T. Smith, J. Anthony Brandon, Vedant A. Gupta, Philip A. Kern, Matthew S. Gentry, Josh M. Morganti, Ramon C. Sun, Lance A. Johnson

Physiology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Cerebral glucose hypometabolism is consistently observed in individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD), as well as in young cognitively normal carriers of the Ε4 allele of Apolipoprotein E (APOE), the strongest genetic predictor of late-onset AD. While this clinical feature has been described for over two decades, the mechanism underlying these changes in cerebral glucose metabolism remains a critical knowledge gap in the field.

METHODS: Here, we undertook a multi-omic approach by combining single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) and stable isotope resolved metabolomics (SIRM) to define a metabolic rewiring across astrocytes, brain tissue, mice, and human subjects expressing APOE4.

RESULTS: Single-cell …

Fusion And Beyond: Satellite Cell Contributions To Loading-Induced Skeletal Muscle Adaptation, Kevin A. Murach, Christopher S. Fry, Esther E. Dupont-Versteegden, John J. Mccarthy, Charlotte A. Peterson

Center for Muscle Biology Faculty Publications

Satellite cells support adult skeletal muscle fiber adaptations to loading in numerous ways. The fusion of satellite cells, driven by cell-autonomous and/or extrinsic factors, contributes new myonuclei to muscle fibers, associates with load-induced hypertrophy, and may support focal membrane damage repair and long-term myonuclear transcriptional output. Recent studies have also revealed that satellite cells communicate within their niche to mediate muscle remodeling in response to resistance exercise, regulating the activity of numerous cell types through various mechanisms such as secretory signaling and cell–cell contact. Muscular adaptation to resistance and endurance activity can be initiated and sustained for a period of …

Dietary And Pharmacologic Manipulations Of Host Lipids And Their Interaction With The Gut Microbiome In Non-Human Primates, Jennifer M. Lang, Leslie R. Sedgeman, Lei Cai, Joseph D. Layne, Zhen Wang, Calvin Pan, Richard Lee, Ryan E. Temel, Aldons J. Lusis

Physiology Faculty Publications

The gut microbiome influences nutrient processing as well as host physiology. Plasma lipid levels have been associated with the microbiome, although the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown, and the effects of dietary lipids on the gut microbiome in humans are not well-studied. We used a compilation of four studies utilizing non-human primates (Chlorocebus aethiops and Macaca fascicularis) with treatments that manipulated plasma lipid levels using dietary and pharmacological techniques, and characterized the microbiome using 16S rDNA. High-fat diets significantly reduced alpha diversity (Shannon) and the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio compared to chow diets, even when the diets had different compositions …

Intravesical Cd74 And Cxcr4, Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (Mif) Receptors, Mediate Bladder Pain, Shaojing Ye, Fei Ma, Dlovan F. D. Mahmood, Katherine L. Meyer-Siegler, Raymond E. Menard, David E. Hunt, Lin Leng, Richard Bucala, Pedro L. Vera

Physiology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Activation of intravesical protease activated receptor 4 (PAR4) leads to release of urothelial macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). MIF then binds to urothelial MIF receptors to release urothelial high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) and elicit bladder hyperalgesia. Since MIF binds to multiple receptors, we investigated the contribution of individual urothelial MIF receptors to PAR4-induced HMGB1 release in vivo and in vitro and bladder pain in vivo.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We tested the effect of intravesical pre-treatment with individual MIF or MIF receptor (CD74, CXCR4, CXCR2) antagonists on PAR4-induced HMGB1 release in vivo (female C57/BL6 mice) and in vitro (primary …

Reduced Mitochondrial Dna And Oxphos Protein Content In Skeletal Muscle Of Children With Cerebral Palsy, Ferdinand Von Walden, Ivan J. Vechetti Jr., Davis A. Englund, Vandré C. Figueiredo, Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalo, Kevin A. Murach, Jessica Pingel, John J. Mccarthy, Per Stål, Eva Pontén

Physiology Faculty Publications

AIM: To provide a detailed gene and protein expression analysis related to mitochondrial biogenesis and assess mitochondrial content in skeletal muscle of children with cerebral palsy (CP).

METHOD: Biceps brachii muscle samples were collected from 19 children with CP (mean [SD] age 15y 4mo [2y 6mo], range 9-18y, 16 males, three females) and 10 typically developing comparison children (mean [SD] age 15y [4y], range 7-21y, eight males, two females). Gene expression (quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction [PCR]), mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to genomic DNA ratio (quantitative PCR), and protein abundance (western blotting) were analyzed. Microarray data sets (CP/aging/bed rest) were …

Cardiomyocyte Deletion Of Bmal1 Exacerbates Qt- And Rr-Interval Prolongation In Scn5a+/Δkpq Mice, Elizabeth A. Schroder, Jennifer L. Wayland, Kaitlyn M. Samuels, Syed F. Shah, Don E. Burgess, Tanya S. Seward, Claude S. Elayi, Karyn A. Esser, Brian P. Delisle

Physiology Faculty Publications

Circadian rhythms are generated by cell autonomous circadian clocks that perform a ubiquitous cellular time-keeping function and cell type-specific functions important for normal physiology. Studies show inducing the deletion of the core circadian clock transcription factor Bmal1 in adult mouse cardiomyocytes disrupts cardiac circadian clock function, cardiac ion channel expression, slows heart rate, and prolongs the QT-interval at slow heart rates. This study determined how inducing the deletion of Bmal1 in adult cardiomyocytes impacted the in vivo electrophysiological phenotype of a knock-in mouse model for the arrhythmogenic long QT syndrome (Scn5a+/ΔKPQ). Electrocardiographic telemetry showed inducing the …

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Β-Cardiac Myosin Mutation (P710r) Leads To Hypercontractility By Disrupting Super Relaxed State, Alison Schroer Vander Roest, Chao Liu, Makenna M. Morck, Kristina Bezold Kooiker, Gwanghyun Jung, Dan Song, Aminah Dawood, Arnav Jhingran, Gaspard Pardon, Sara Ranjbarvaziri, Giovanni Fajardo, Mingming Zhao, Kenneth S. Campbell, Beth L. Pruitt, James A. Spudich, Kathleen M. Ruppel, Daniel Bernstein

Physiology Faculty Publications

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common inherited form of heart disease, associated with over 1,000 mutations, many in β-cardiac myosin (MYH7). Molecular studies of myosin with different HCM mutations have revealed a diversity of effects on ATPase and load-sensitive rate of detachment from actin. It has been difficult to predict how such diverse molecular effects combine to influence forces at the cellular level and further influence cellular phenotypes. This study focused on the P710R mutation that dramatically decreased in vitro motility velocity and actin-activated ATPase, in contrast to other MYH7 mutations. Optical trap measurements of single myosin molecules revealed …

Acute Inflammatory Profiles Differ With Sex And Age After Spinal Cord Injury, Andrew N. Stewart, John L. Lowe, Ethan P. Glaser, Caitlin A. Mott, Ryan K. Shahidehpour, Katelyn E. Mcfarlane, William M. Bailey, Bei Zhang, John C. Gensel

Physiology Faculty Publications

Background

Sex and age are emerging as influential variables that affect spinal cord injury (SCI) recovery. Despite a changing demographic towards older age at the time of SCI, the effects of sex or age on inflammation remain to be elucidated. This study determined the sex- and age-dependency of the innate immune response acutely after SCI.

Methods

Male and female mice of ages 4- and 14-month-old received T9 contusion SCI and the proportion of microglia, monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM), and neutrophils surrounding the lesion were determined at 3- and 7-day post-injury (DPI) using flow cytometry. Cell counts of microglia and MDMs were …

The Effects Of Myelin On Macrophage Activation Are Phenotypic Specific Via Cpla2 In The Context Of Spinal Cord Injury Inflammation, Timothy J. Kopper, Bei Zhang, William M. Bailey, Kara E. Bethel, John C. Gensel

Physiology Faculty Publications

Spinal cord injury (SCI) produces chronic, pro-inflammatory macrophage activation that impairs recovery. The mechanisms driving this chronic inflammation are not well understood. Here, we detail the effects of myelin debris on macrophage physiology and demonstrate a novel, activation state-dependent role for cytosolic phospholipase-A2 (cPLA₂) in myelin-mediated potentiation of pro-inflammatory macrophage activation. We hypothesized that cPLA₂ and myelin debris are key mediators of persistent pro-inflammatory macrophage responses after SCI. To test this, we examined spinal cord tissue 28-days after thoracic contusion SCI in 3-month-old female mice and observed both cPLA₂ activation and intracellular accumulation of lipid-rich myelin …

Broad Kinase Inhibition Mitigates Early Neuronal Dysfunction In Tauopathy, Shon A. Koren, Matthew J. Hamm, Ryan Cloyd, Sarah N. Fontaine, Emad Chishti, Chiara Lanzillotta, Jennifer Rodriguez-Rivera, Alexandria Ingram, Michelle Bell, Sara M. Galvis-Escobar, Nicholas Zulia, Fabio Di Domenico, Duc Duong, Nicholas T. Seyfried, David K. Powell, Moriel Vandsburger, Tal Frolinger, Anika M. S. Hartz, John Koren Iii, Jeffrey M. Axten, Nicholas J. Laping, Jose F. Abisambra

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Tauopathies are a group of more than twenty known disorders that involve progressive neurodegeneration, cognitive decline and pathological tau accumulation. Current therapeutic strategies provide only limited, late-stage symptomatic treatment. This is partly due to lack of understanding of the molecular mechanisms linking tau and cellular dysfunction, especially during the early stages of disease progression. In this study, we treated early stage tau transgenic mice with a multi-target kinase inhibitor to identify novel substrates that contribute to cognitive impairment and exhibit therapeutic potential. Drug treatment significantly ameliorated brain atrophy and cognitive function as determined by behavioral testing and a sensitive imaging …

Arginase 1 Insufficiency Precipitates Amyloid-Β Deposition And Hastens Behavioral Impairment In A Mouse Model Of Amyloidosis, Chao Ma, Jerry B. Hunt, Maj-Linda B. Selenica, Awa Sanneh, Leslie A. Sandusky-Beltran, Mallory Watler, Rana Daas, Andrii Kovalenko, Huimin Liang, Devon Placides, Chuanhai Cao, Xiaoyang Lin, Michael B. Orr, Bei Zhang, John C. Gensel, David J. Feola, Marcia N. Gordon, Dave Morgan, Paula C. Bickford, Daniel C. Lee

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) includes several hallmarks comprised of amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition, tau neuropathology, inflammation, and memory impairment. Brain metabolism becomes uncoupled due to aging and other AD risk factors, which ultimately lead to impaired protein clearance and aggregation. Increasing evidence indicates a role of arginine metabolism in AD, where arginases are key enzymes in neurons and glia capable of depleting arginine and producing ornithine and polyamines. However, currently, it remains unknown if the reduction of arginase 1 (Arg1) in myeloid cell impacts amyloidosis. Herein, we produced haploinsufficiency of Arg1 by the hemizygous deletion in myeloid cells using Arg1 …

Lat1 Protein Content Increases Following 12 Weeks Of Resistance Exercise Training In Human Skeletal Muscle, Paul A. Roberson, Christopher Brooks Mobley, Matthew A. Romero, Cody T. Haun, Shelby C. Osburn, Petey W. Mumford, Christopher G. Vann, Rory A. Greer, Arny A. Ferrando, Michael D. Roberts

Physiology Faculty Publications

Introduction: Amino acid transporters are essential for cellular amino acid transport and promoting protein synthesis. While previous literature has demonstrated the association of amino acid transporters and protein synthesis following acute resistance exercise and amino acid supplementation, the chronic effect of resistance exercise and supplementation on amino acid transporters is unknown. The purpose herein was to determine if amino acid transporters and amino acid metabolic enzymes were related to skeletal muscle hypertrophy following resistance exercise training with different nutritional supplementation strategies.

Methods: 43 college-aged males were separated into a maltodextrin placebo (PLA, n = 12), leucine (LEU, n = 14), …

Mitochondria Exert Age-Divergent Effects On Recovery From Spinal Cord Injury, Andrew N. Stewart, Katelyn E. Mcfarlane, Hemendra J. Vekaria, William M. Bailey, Stacey A. Slone, Lauren A. Tranthem, Bei Zhang, Samir P. Patel, Patrick G. Sullivan, John C. Gensel

Physiology Faculty Publications

The extent that age-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction drives neurodegeneration is not well understood. This study tested the hypothesis that mitochondria contribute to spinal cord injury (SCI)-induced neurodegeneration in an age-dependent manner by using 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) to uncouple electron transport, thereby increasing cellular respiration and reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. We directly compared the effects of graded DNP doses in 4- and 14-month-old (MO) SCI-mice and found DNP to have increased efficacy in mitochondria isolated from 14-MO animals. In vivo, all DNP doses significantly exacerbated 4-MO SCI neurodegeneration coincident with worsened recovery. In contrast, low DNP doses (1.0-mg/kg/day) improved tissue …

Novel Mammalian Models For Understanding And Treating Spinal Cord Injury, Michael B. Orr

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is devastating and often leaves the injured individual with persistent dysfunction. The injury persists because humans have poor wound repair and there are no pharmacologic treatments to induce wound repair after SCI. The continued efforts to discover therapeutic targets and develop treatments heavily relies on animal models. The purpose of this project is to develop and study novel mammalian models of SCI to provide insights for the development and effective implementation of SCI therapies.

Lab mice (Mus musculus) are a powerful tool for recapitulating the progression and persistent damage evident in human SCI, but …

Comparison Of The Times To Exhaustion, Physiological, Perceptual, And Neuromusuclar Responses During Constant Heart Rate, Constant Vo2, And Constant Power Exercise, Pasquale Jiovanni Succi

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

The purposes of this study were to: 1) Determine if there are differences in the sustainability of exercise when anchored at critical heart rate (CHR), the VO₂ associated with CHR (VO₂CHR), or the power output associated with CHR (PCHR); 2) examine the patterns of responses in power output, metabolic (heart rate [HR], VO₂, respiration rate [RR]), neuromuscular (electromyographic [EMG] amplitude [AMP], mean power frequency [MPF], mechanomyographic [MMG] AMP and MPF, perceptual (rating of perceived exertion [RPE]), and muscle oxygenation responses (%SmO₂) during exercise anchored by HR, VO₂, and power output; and …

Characterization Of Spontaneous Preeclampsia In The African Green Monkey (Chlorocebus Aethiops Sabaeus), Chelsea Christina Weaver

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Hypertensive pregnancy disorders are a major contribution to maternal and neonatal mortality worldwide. Two of these disorders, preeclampsia and chronic hypertension in pregnancy, affect up to 10% of all pregnancies. These hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are associated with long-term, postnatal risk factors for both mother and offspring. Despite numerous recent advances in preeclampsia research, the underlying mechanisms are still not understood. This could be due to lack of a spontaneous animal model. This dissertation presents the African Green Monkey (AGM; Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) as the first known spontaneous animal model of preeclampsia and a highly translational model of chronic …

Examination Of Sex- And Limb-Specific Fatigue During Unilateral, Isometric Forearm Exercise, Caleb Christian Voskuil

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of unilateral, isometric handgrip holds to failure for the dominant (Dm) and non-dominant (NDm) limb on ipsilateral ([IPS] exercised side) and contralateral ([CON] non-exercised side) performance fatigability. Twenty individuals participated in this study (Men [n =10]; Women [n = 10; Composite Demographics: Age: 22.2 years; Height: 174.4 cm; Body Mass: 75.0 kg) and completed three visits. Two, 6 s maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVICs) for the Dm and NDm limb were performed during visit 1, followed by a familiarization of the fatigue test. Visits 2 and 3 included an isometric, …