Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Noncanonical Roles Of Two Primordial Molecules In Flagella, Xiaoyan Zhu

Dissertations (1934 -)

Motile cilia and flagella are ancient organelles that eukaryotic organisms today still rely on to thrive in their natural environment. Not surprisingly, accumulated evidence has shown that the intricate motility machinery, the microtubule-based axoneme, is evolutionarily conserved down to the molecular level. This notion is epitomized by the signature axonemal complex, the radial spoke (RS). The RS is part of a control center conferring the high frequency and tightly regulated movement. Key RS proteins discovered in biflagellate green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, are also generated by nearly all ciliated organisms, including Homo sapiens. Among them are two subunits from primordial protein …

Genetic And Molecular Analysis Of Dec-11 In C. Elegans' Intestinal Pacemaker Activity, Adele Joan Gordon

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Rhythmic behaviors are ubiquitous phenomena in plant and animal phyla. Ultradian rhythmic behaviors occur with a period of less than 24 hours and include such rhythmic behaviors as the beating of the heart and peristalsis in the gut. The nematode C. elegans exhibits three well-characterized ultradian rhythmic behaviors: ovulation, pharyngeal pumping, and the defecation motor program (DMP). The DMP occurs every ~45 seconds in wild-type worms and comprises three distinct muscle contractions: a posterior body contraction (pBoc), an anterior body contraction (aBoc), and an enteric muscle contraction (Emc), which is coupled to expulsion (Exp). The rhythmicity of the DMP is …

Mechanisms Of Neuronal Death Induced By Environmental Toxicants In Murine Cortical Culture, Travis Rush

Dissertations (1934 -)

This study was directed at examining the neurotoxic mechanisms of several classes of environmental toxicants implicated in neurodegenerative disease. Primary cortical cultures were exposed to organophosphorus pesticides, heavy metals and the cyanobacterial toxin, beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA). Several components relating to neuronal injury were assessed in each study and novel aspects are described.

The main action of organophosphorous insecticides is generally believed to be the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. However, these compounds are now recognized to inhibit many other enzymes and cause neuronal death through a variety of mechanisms. I found that exposure to chlorpyrifos or diazinon caused concentration-dependent neurotoxicity that could not …

Effect Of Animal Facility Construction On Basal Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal And Renin-Aldosterone Activity In The Rat, Hershel Raff, Eric D. Bruder, William E. Cullinan, Dana R. Ziegler, Eric P. Cohen

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Nearby construction can cause subtle, but important activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in laboratory rats.

Although loud noise and intense vibration are known to alter the behavior and phenotype of laboratory animals, little is known about the effects of nearby construction. We studied the effect of a nearby construction project on the classic stress hormones ACTH, corticosterone, renin, and aldosterone in rats residing in a barrier animal facility before, for the first 3 months of a construction project, and at 1 month after all construction was completed. During some of the construction, noise and vibrations were not obvious to investigators …

Candida Albicans Adhesion And Biofilm Formation On Phosphated And Non-Phosphate Containing Poly(Methylmethacrylate) Polymers, Kathryn Elizabeth Ryan

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Denture-induced stomatitis is prevalent among prosthesis users, particularly the elderly and institutionalized where it has been estimated to be present in over 60-65% of denture wearers. Treatment of this clinical condition is problematic due to incomplete disinfection of the acrylic surface and rapid microbial re-colonization. Moreover, ingestion or aspiration of pathogens in denture plaque exposes the elderly and immunocompromised to unexpected infections.

Acrylic polymers have generally been used to replace missing teeth and periodontal tissues in edentulous or partially dentate patients. Currently, edentulous adults in the US population are common, with complete edentulism greater than 41% among Americans aged 65 …

Numerical Modeling Of Hemodynamics In The Thoracic Aorta And Alterations By Dacron Patch Treatment Of Aortic Coarctation, Ronak Jashwant Dholakia

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a major congenital heart disease, characterized by a severe stenosis of the proximal descending thoracic aorta. Traditionally, surgery has been the treatment of choice for CoA. Dacron patch aortoplasty gained increased popularity after its introduction in the mid-twentieth century due to its advantages over other surgical treatment methods available at the time. A major complication with Dacron patch aortoplasty has been the formation of late aneurysm with as much as 51% incidence reported in follow up studies. The change in aortic morphology and formation of aneurysms after Dacron patch surgery could lead to local …

Blunted Cystine–Glutamate Antiporter Function In The Nucleus Accumbens Promotes Cocaine-Induced Drug Seeking, Kristen S. Kau, Aric Madayag, John R. Mantsch, Mark D. Grier, Omer Abdulhameed, David A. Baker

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Repeated cocaine alters glutamate neurotransmission, in part, by reducing cystine–glutamate exchange via system x_c−, which maintains glutamate levels and receptor stimulation in the extrasynaptic compartment. In the present study, we undertook two approaches to determine the significance of plasticity involving system x_c−. First, we examined whether the cysteine prodrug N-acetylcysteine attenuates cocaine-primed reinstatement by targeting system x_c−. Rats were trained to self-administer cocaine (1 mg/kg/200 μl, i.v.) under extended access conditions (6 h/day). After extinction training, cocaine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) primed reinstatement was assessed in rats pretreated with N-acetylcysteine (0–60 mg/kg, i.p.) in the …

Stressor- And Corticotropin Releasing Factor-Induced Reinstatement And Active Stress-Related Behavioral Responses Are Augmented Following Long-Access Cocaine Self-Administration By Rats, John R. Mantsch, David A. Baker, David M. Francis, Eric S. Katz, Michael A. Hoks, Joseph P. Serge

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Rationale Stressful events during periods of drug abstinence likely contribute to relapse in cocaine-dependent individuals. Excessive cocaine use may increase susceptibility to stressor-induced relapse through alterations in brain corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) responsiveness.

Objectives This study examined stressor- and CRF-induced cocaine seeking and other stress-related behaviors in rats with different histories of cocaine self-administration (SA).

Materials and methods Rats self-administered cocaine under short-access (ShA; 2 h daily) or long-access (LgA; 6 h daily) conditions for 14 days or were provided access to saline and were tested for reinstatement by a stressor (electric footshock), cocaine or an icv injection of CRF and …

An Electrophoretic Determinatin Of The Properties Of Methacrol M.E. By The Use Of A Capillary Cross-Arm "U" Tube, Richard Reiland Bains

Bachelors’ Theses

this research was undertaken primarily to discover the use of a capillary cross-arm "U" tube in the determi­nation of the electrophoretic and other electrical proper­ ties of a plastic emulsion.

The primary objective was to determine the isoelectric point of the emulsion and also the optimum pH or electro-endosmotic motion.

The secondary and distant objective was to note when, how, and it any coherent plating on the electrodes took place.

The Spleen Considered With Special Reference To Its Physiology, Frank A. Dolce

Bachelors’ Theses

The aim of this essay on the structure and function of the spleen is to bring together in somewhat concise form all the available knowledge concerning this organ up to the present moment. However, time and the difficulty of obtaining valuable articles has limited this essay considerably. The first few pages while not giving a very detailed historical background may be considered quite adequate for the purpose intended. The evolutionary development of the spleen is here considered in broad outline. The microscopic anatomy of the spleen and its function in relation to the blood have been considered in greater detail …