Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Manufactured Aluminum Oxide Nanoparticles Decrease Expression Of Tight Junction Proteins In Brain Vasculature, Lei Chen, Robert A. Yokel, Bernhard Hennig, Michal Toborek

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Manufactured nanoparticles of aluminum oxide (nano-alumina) have been widely used in the environment; however, their potential toxicity provides a growing concern for human health. The present study focuses on the hypothesis that nano-alumina can affect the blood-brain barrier and induce endothelial toxicity. In the first series of experiments, human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) were exposed to alumina and control nanoparticles in dose- and time-responsive manners. Treatment with nano-alumina markedly reduced HBMEC viability, altered mitochondrial potential, increased cellular oxidation, and decreased tight junction protein expression as compared to control nanoparticles. Alterations of tight junction protein levels were prevented by cellular …

Recovery From A Cycling Time Trial Is Enhanced With Carbohydrate-Protein Supplementation Vs. Isoenergetic Carbohydrate Supplementation, John M. Berardi, Eric E. Noreen, Peter W.R. Lemon

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: In this study we assessed whether a liquid carbohydrate-protein (C+P) supplement (0.8 g/kg C; 0.4 g/kg P) ingested early during recovery from a cycling time trial could enhance a subsequent 60 min effort on the same day vs. an isoenergetic liquid carbohydrate (CHO) supplement (1.2 g/kg).

Methods: Two hours after a standardized breakfast, 15 trained male cyclists completed a time trial in which they cycled as far as they could in 60 min (AMex) using a Computrainer indoor trainer. Following AMex, subjects ingested either C+P, or CHO at 10, 60 and 120 min, followed by a standardized meal at …

Consistency Check Of Planned Adaptive Option On Helical Tomotherapy., M Schirm, S Yartsev, G Bauman, Jerry J. Battista Dr., Jacob Van Dyk

Oncology Publications

This study aims to evaluate a new Planned Adaptive software (TomoTherapy Inc., Madison, WI) of the helical tomotherapy system by retrospective verification and adaptive re-planning of radiation treatment. Four patients with different disease sites (brain, nasal cavity, lungs, prostate) were planned in duplicate using the diagnostic planning kVCT data set and MVCT studies of the first treatment fraction with the same optimization parameters for both plan types. The dosimetric characteristics of minimum, maximum, and mean dose to the targets as well as to organs at risk were compared. Both sets of plans were used for calculation of dose distributions in …

Organizational Culture And Job Satisfaction In Korean Professional Baseball Organizations, Yun Seok Choi, Jeffrey J. Martin, Meungguk Park

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

The purpose of this study was to identify the pattern of organizational culture and investigate a link between organizational culture and job satisfaction in the Korean Professional Baseball League (KPBL). The findings of the present study revealed that the baseball clubs in the KPBL tended to emphasize a market culture. The results of this study also suggest that the clan culture has a significant influence on overall employee job satisfaction and satisfaction with co-workers, supervision and personal growth. Given the importance of a conceptual relation between organizational culture and job satisfaction in effectively managing sport organizations, implications and suggestions for …

Improved Feed Protein Fractionation Schemes For Formulating Rations With The Cornell Net Carbohydrate And Protein System, Cristina Lanzas, G A. Broderick, D G. Fox

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences

Adequate predictions of rumen-degradable protein (RDP) and rumen-undegradable protein (RUP) supplies are necessary to optimize performance while minimizing losses of excess nitrogen (N). The objectives of this study were to evaluate the original Cornell Net Carbohydrate Protein System (CNCPS) protein fractionation scheme and to develop and evaluate alternatives designed to improve its adequacy in predicting RDP and RUP. The CNCPS version 5 fractionates CP into 5 fractions based on solubility in protein precipitant agents, buffers, and detergent solutions: A represents the soluble nonprotein N, B1 is the soluble true protein, B2 represents protein with intermediate rates of degradation, B3 is …

Technical Analysis: The Interface Of Rational And Irrational Decision Making, William Martin

Publications – Dreihaus College of Business

No abstract provided.

Imaging Activity Of Neuronal Populations With New Long-Wavelength Voltage-Sensitive Dyes, Joseph P. Wuskell, Leslie M. Loew

UCHC Articles - Research

We have assessed the utility of five new long-wavelength fluorescent voltage-sensitive dyes (VSD) for imaging the activity of populations of neurons in mouse brain slices. Although all the five were capable of detecting activity resulting from activation of the Schaffer collateral-CA1 pyramidal cell synapse, they differed significantly in their properties, most notably in the signal-to-noise ratio of the changes in dye fluorescence associated with neuronal activity. Two of these dyes, Di-2-ANBDQPQ and Di-1-APEFEQPQ, should prove particularly useful for imaging activity in brain tissue and for combining VSD imaging with the control of neuronal activity via light-activated proteins such as channelrhodopsin-2 …

Meta-Analysis: Prophylactic Drainage And Bleeding Complications In Thyroid Surgery, Steven A. Kennedy, Robert A. Irvine, Brian D. Westerberg, Hongbin Zhang

Publications and Research

Objective: To conduct a comprehensive systematic review and high-quality meta-analysis to determine whether prophylactic drain placement reduces adverse bleeding events in thyroid surgery.

Data Sources: MEDLINE (OVID and PubMed), CENTRAL, CDSR, ACP Journal Club, DARE, EMBASE, PREMEDUNE, OLDMEDLINE, CINAHL, BIOSIS Previews, LILACS, KOREAMED, SAMED, IndMED, SIGLE, ScienceDirect, and INGENTACONNECT.

Review Methods: Studies for evaluation included all prospective trials assessing the use of drainage in thyroid surgery. We excluded case studies, retrospective studies, reviews, and studies that had a "selective" method of postoperative drainage that was not defined or was based on surgeon preference. Search strategies were broad and …

Detection Of Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome Mec Associated Dna Segments In Multiresistant Mssa And Identification Of Staphylococcus Epidermidis Ccrab4, Celine Herra, Anna Shore, Brian O’Connell,, Angela Rossney,, Derek Sullivan, Hilary Humphreys, David Coleman

Articles

Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) can arise from methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) following partial or complete excision of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec). This study investigated whether multiresistant MSSA isolates from Irish hospitals, where MRSA has been endemic for decades, harbor SCCmec DNA. Twenty-five multiresistant MSSA isolates recovered between 2002 and 2006 were tested for SCCmec DNA by PCR and were genotyped by multilocus sequence typing and spa typing. All isolates lacked mecA. Three isolates (12%) harbored SCCmec DNA; two of these (genotype ST8 t190) harbored a 26-kb SCCmec IID (II.3.1.2) remnant that lacked part of mecI and all of mecR1, …

Evaluation Of The Stability And Validity Of Participant Samples Recruited Over The Internet., Daniel Z Lieberman

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Faculty Publications

Research conducted via the Internet has the potential to reach important clinical populations of participants who would not participate in traditional studies. Concerns exist, however, about the validity of samples recruited in this manner, especially when participants are anonymous and never have contact with study staff. This study evaluated two anonymous samples that were recruited over the Internet to test an online program designed to help problem drinkers. The two studies were conducted 3 years apart, and different recruitment strategies were utilized. Despite these differences, the two samples were highly similar in demographic and clinical features. Correlations that have been …

Development Of Unicef Latin America/Caribbean (Lac) Well-Being Indicators, Mark Edberg

Prevention and Community Health Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Visioning The Future: Schoolbased Wellness Centers In Delaware: The Next 25 Years, Center For Health And Health Care In Schools

Center for Health and Health Care in Schools

In 2008, the Delaware Division of Public Health and Delaware Department of Education joined Nemours Prevention and Health Promotion in sponsoring a project to review 23 years of Wellness Center operations with the goal of identifying future directions for the program. The project was undertaken with a view towards determining what is the best health system and most effective wellness center strategies to support Delaware’s children. To assist with this work, the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools at George Washington University was asked to examine wellness center history, interview key participants in program and policy development, and …

Reviewing Existing Knowledge Prior To Conducting Animal Studies, Andrew Knight

Experimentation Collection

Highly polarised viewpoints about animal experimentation have often prevented agreement. However, important common ground between advocates and opponents was demonstrated within a discussion forum hosted at www.research-methodology.org.uk in July–August 2008, by the independent charity, SABRE Research UK. Agreement existed that many animal studies have methodological flaws — such as inappropriate sample sizes, lack of randomised treatments, and unblinded outcome assessments — that may introduce bias and limit statistical validity. There was also agreement that systematic reviews of the human utility of animal models yield the highest quality of evidence, as their reliance on methodical and impartial methods to select significant …

Spatial Misalignment In Time Series Studies Of Air Pollution And Health Data, Roger D. Peng, Michelle L. Bell

Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Biostatistics Working Papers

Time series studies of environmental exposures often involve comparing daily changes in a toxicant measured at a point in space with daily changes in an aggregate measure of health. Spatial misalignment of the exposure and response variables can bias the estimation of health risk and the magnitude of this bias depends on the spatial variation of the exposure of interest. In air pollution epidemiology, there is an increasing focus on estimating the health effects of the chemical components of particulate matter. One issue that is raised by this new focus is the spatial misalignment error introduced by the lack of …

An Analysis Of Current Healthcare Proposals: Obama And Mccain, Dan Terrell

Honors Projects in Economics

The healthcare system of the U.S. is broken. The next opportunity for overwhelming healthcare system reform will be when the next president takes office. This paper analyzes the 2008 presidential election candidates McCain and Obama healthcare proposals through a look at key players in the current healthcare system (government, pharmaceuticals, doctors, hospitals, and health insurance companies) and the affects of implementing such a plan. The presidential plans are presented side by side. Projected outcomes of the changes offered by Obama will be an increased role of the government and decreased power of the health insurance companies while increasing coverage. The …

Upregulation Of Heme Oxygenase-1 Combined With Increased Adiponectin Lowers Blood Pressure In Diabetic Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats Through A Reduction In Endothelial Cell Dysfunction, Apoptosis And Oxidative Stress, Jian Cao, George Drummond, Kazuyoshi Inoue, Komal Sodhi, Xiao Ying Li, Shinji Omura

Pharmaceutical Science and Research

This study was designed to investigate the effect of increased levels of HO-1 on hypertension exacerbated by diabetes. Diabetic spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and WKY (control) animals were treated with streptozotocin (STZ) to induce diabetes and stannous chloride (SnCl2) to upregulate HO-1. Treatment with SnCl2 not only attenuated the increase of blood pressure (p<0.01), but also increased HO-1 protein content, HO activity and plasma adiponectin levels, decreased the levels of superoxide and 3-nitrotyrosine (NT), respectively. Reduction in oxidative stress resulted in the increased expression of Bcl-2 and AKT with a concomitant reduction in circulating endothelial cells (CEC) in the peripheral blood (p<0.005) and an improvement of femoral reactivity (response to acetylcholine). Thus induction of HO-1 accompanied with increased plasma adiponectin levels in diabetic hypertensive rats alters the phenotype through a reduction in oxidative stress, thereby permitting endothelial cells to maintain an anti-apoptotic environment and the restoration of endothelial responses thus preventing hypertension.

The Moral Justification For Journalism, Sandra L. Borden

Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Papers

Papers presented for the Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Western Michigan University

Emergency Department Nurses' Experience Relating To Hospital Acquisition: A Phenomenological Study, Bernadette Deprez

Graduate Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Original Research Oral Quercetin Supplementation And Blood Oxidative Capacity In Response To Ultramarathon Competition, John C. Quindry, Steven R. Mcanulty, Matthew B. Hudson, Peter Hosick, Charles Dumke, Lisa S. Mcanulty, Dru Henson, Jason D. Morrow, David Nieman

Integrative Physiology and Athletic Training Faculty Publications

Previous research indicates that ultramarathon exercise can result in blood oxidative stress. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the efficacy of oral supplementation with quercetin, a naturally occurring compound with known antioxidant properties, as a potential countermeasure against blood oxidative stress during an ultramarathon competition. In double-blind fashion, 63 participants received either oral quercetin (250 mg, 4×/day; 1,000 mg/day total) or quercetin-free supplements 3 weeks before and during the 160-km Western States Endurance Run. Blood drawn before and immediately after (quercetin finishers n = 18, quercetin-free finishers n = 21) the event was analyzed for changes in blood …

Characterization Of The Ompl1 Gene Of Pathogenic Leptospira Species In China And Cross-Immunogenicity Of The Ompl1 Protein, Haiyan Dong, Ye Hu, Feng Xue, Dexter Sun, David M. Ojcius, Yafei Mao, Jie Yan

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Background: The usefulness of available vaccine and serological tests for leptospirosis is limited by the low cross-reactivity of antigens from numerous serovars of pathogenic Leptospira spp. Identification of genus-specific protein antigens (GP-Ag) of Leptospira would be important for development of universal vaccines and serodiagnostic methods. OmpL1, a transmembrane porin of pathogenic leptospires, was identified as a possible GP-Ag, but its sequence diversity and immune cross-reactivity among different serovars of pathogenic leptospires remains largely unknown.

Results: PCR analysis demonstrated that the ompL1 gene existed in all 15 official Chinese standard strains as well as 163 clinical strains of pathogenic leptospires isolated …

Enzastaurin, An Inhibitor Of Pkc Beta, Enhances Antiangiogenic Effects And Cytotoxicity Of Radiation Against Endothelial Cells., Aaron C. Spalding, Benjamin David Zeitlin, Kari Wilder-Romans, Mary Ellen Davis, Jacques E. Nör, Theodore S. Lawrence, Edgar Ben-Josef

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

PURPOSE: Angiogenesis plays an important role in pancreas cancer pathobiology. Pancreatic tumor cells secrete vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), activating endothelial cell protein kinase C beta (PKC beta) that phosphorylates GSK3 beta to suppress apoptosis and promote endothelial cell proliferation and microvessel formation. We used Enzastaurin (Enz) to test the hypothesis that inhibition of PKC beta results in radiosensitization of endothelial cells in culture and in vivo. MATERIALS/METHODS: We measured PKC beta phosphorylation, VEGF pathway signaling, colony formation, and capillary sprout formation in primary human dermal microvessel endothelial cells (HDMECs) after Enz or radiation (RT) treatment. Microvessel density and tumor …

Momitochondrial Dysfunction And Dna Damage Post Exposure To Low Dose Radiation And "Bystander" Factor (S), Sharon Nugent

Doctoral

The 'bystander effect' describes radiation-like damage in un irradiated cells, either in the vicinity of irradiated cells or exposed to medium from irradiated cells. This study aimed to further characterize the, as yet poorly understood, mitochondrial response to both direct irradiation and bystander factor(s). Human keratinocyte epithelial and Chinese hamster ovarian cells were exposed to either y radiation or bystander factor(s) at doses of 5mOy, O.50y and 50y and examined 4-96 hours later. DNA damage was determined using deletion analysis, single strand conformation polymorphism analysis, long range PCR, semi-quantitative PCR and quantitative real-time PCR. Mitochondrial mass was determined using MitoTrackelM …

Ecological Niche Of The 2003 West Nile Virus Epidemic In The Northern Great Plains Of The United States, Michael Wimberly, Michael B. Hildreth, Stephen P. Boyte, Erik Lindquist, Lon Kightlinger

Public Health Resources

Background: The incidence of West Nile virus (WNv) has remained high in the northern Great Plains compared to the rest of the United States. However, the reasons for the sustained high risk of WNv transmission in this region have not been determined. To assess the environmental drivers of WNv in the northern Great Plains, we analyzed the county-level spatial pattern of human cases during the 2003 epidemic across a seven-state region.
Methodology/Principal Findings: County-level data on WNv cases were examined using spatial cluster analysis, and were used to fit statistical models with weather, climate, and land use variables as predictors. …

Practices And Knowledge Of Schoolchildren Regarding Chhaalia/Paan Masala In Mahmoodabad And Chanesar Goth, Karachi, Sameena Shah, Riaz Qureshi, Iqbal Azam Syed

Department of Family Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To determine the practices and knowledge about chhaalia and paan masala chewing among school children in Mahmoodabad and Chanesar Goth, Karachi, Pakistan.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three government schools of Mahmoodabad and Chanesar Goth, Jamshed Town, Karachi. Students of either gender were interviewed using a pre-coded structured questionnaire. In addition to the demographic data, questions included frequency of use, practices among friends and family and procurement of these substances. Knowledge about harmful effects, source of the knowledge and practices in relation to knowledge were also assessed.

RESULTS: A total of 370 students, ages between 10 to …

Retinoid X Receptor And Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-Gamma Agonists Cooperate To Inhibit Matrix Metalloproteinase Gene Expression, Peter S. Burrage, Adam C. Schmucker, Yanqing Ren, Michael B. Sporn, Constance E. Brinckerhoff

Dartmouth Scholarship

We recently described the ability of retinoid X receptor (RXR) ligand LG100268 (LG268) to inhibit interleukin-1-beta (IL-1-β)-driven matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and MMP-13 gene expression in SW-1353 chondrosarcoma cells. Other investigators have demonstrated similar effects in chondrocytes treated with rosiglitazone, a ligand for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ), for which RXR is an obligate dimerization partner. The goals of this study were to evaluate the inhibition of IL-1--induced expression of MMP-1andMMP-13 by combinatorial treatment with RXR and PPAR  ligands and to investigate the molecular mechanisms of this inhibition.

Genomic Rna Profiling And The Programme Controlling Preimplantation Mammalian Development., Christine E Bell, Michele D Calder, Andrew J Watson

Obstetrics & Gynaecology Publications

Preimplantation development shifts from a maternal to embryonic programme rapidly after fertilization. Although the majority of oogenetic products are lost during the maternal to embryonic transition (MET), several do survive this interval to contribute directly to supporting preimplantation development. Embryonic genome activation (EGA) is characterized by the transient expression of several genes that are necessary for MET, and while EGA represents the first major wave of gene expression, a second mid-preimplantation wave of transcription that supports development to the blastocyst stage has been discovered. The application of genomic approaches has greatly assisted in the discovery of stage specific gene expression …

Faecal-Centric Approaches To Wildlife Ecology And Conservation; Methods, Data And Ethics, C. T. Darimont, T. E. Reimchen, H. M. Bryan, P. C. Paquet

Ethics and Conservation Biology Collection

Abundant and commonly encountered in the field, wildlife faeces have long attracted scientists. Recent advances in molecular techniques, however, especially when coupled with creative study designs, can now yield a great variety of high quality data. Herein, we review the opportunities and challenges of faecal-centric approaches to address ecological and conservation questions using wolves of coastal British Columbia, Canada, as a case system. We begin by discussing methodological considerations, which should have broad applicability to any wildlife study system. We then summarize the extensive and unique variety of data that has emerged from our ‘facts from faeces’ approach with wolves, …

Young People's Blood Alcohol Concentration And The Alcohol Consumption City Law, Brazil, Raquel De Boni, Carl G. Leukefeld, Flavio Pechansky

Center on Drug and Alcohol Research Faculty Publications

The paper assesses blood alcohol concentration and risk behaviors for traffic accidents before and after the implementation of a law which prohibits the use of alcoholic beverages on city gas stations. In Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil, young people go out at night and drive to gas station convenience stores to buy alcoholic beverages which are consumed on the premises of parking lots in gas stations. Data were obtained from self-administered questionnaires and breath analyzers in two cross-sectional collections with purposive samples of youngsters in May and July 2006 (n=62, and n=50, respectively). There were no significant differences between the groups …

Pathological Sub-Types, Risk Factors And Outcome Of Stroke At The Nairobi Hospital, Kenya, James Jowi, Peter Mativo

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Stroke is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality the world over. Established risk factors such as arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, hyper-lipidaemia, micro-vascular rupture, male gender, age and observed co-morbities such as sickle cell disease, HIV/AIDS infection and cerebral malaria are increasingly being encountered in the tropics.

Objectives: To determine pathological sub-types, risk factors, in-hospital period prevalence and in-hospital outcome of stroke.

Design: Hospital-based retrospective study.

Setting: The Nairobi Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya.

Subjects: Patients with recorded diagnosis of stroke/cerebral vascular accident; as per WHO criteria for diagnosis of stroke, …

Use Of Anticonvulsants Drugs For Neuropathic Painful Conditions, Aziza Mohammad Hussain, Gauhar Afshan

Department of Anaesthesia

Neuropathic pain, a form of chronic pain initiated and sustained by an insult to the peripheral or central nervous system, is a challenge to clinicians as it does not respond well to traditional pain therapies. However exact pathophysiology is not known but considering similarities between epilepsy models and in neuropathic pain models justify the rationale for use of anticonvulsant drugs in the symptomatic management of neuropathic pain disorders. The role of anticonvulsant drugs in the treatment of neuropathic pain is evolving and various clinical trials have used these anticonvulsants and shown positive results in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia, painful …