Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Microcirculation: Electrophysiological Basis For The Response Of Endothelial Cells To Inflammatory Mediators-Bradykinin, Kai Miao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using conventional microelectrodes, I studied the electrical basis for determining the resting V$\sb{\rm m}$ in intact EC's from hamsters. The resting V$\sb{\rm m}$ were found to be $-$40 mV for aortic EC's and $-$43 mV for vena caval EC's. The contributions of ions to the resting V$\sb{\rm m}$ of aortic EC's were compared in terms of the transference number (t$\sb{\rm ion}$). To develop a technique for in situ monitoring changes in V$\sb{\rm m}$ of postcapillary venular EC's in the hamster mesentery, a voltage-sensitive fluorescent probe, bisoxonol, was used to load the cells and the fluorescence signals were analyzed under an …

Transcriptional Regulation Of Insulin-Like Growth Factor : Binding Protein-4 By Protein Kinase A And Protein Kinase C Signal Transduction Pathways In Human Bone Cells, Kuk-Wha Lee

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) system is an important local regulator of osteoblast proliferation, the primary determinant of bone formation. Six IGF Binding Proteins (IGFBPs) either inhibit or enhance IGF actions. Previous studies have shown that IGFBP-4 is an important negative regulator of osteoblast cell proliferation and that agents such as PTH which increase intracellular cAMP significantly increase expression of IGFBP-4 at the protein and mRNA levels. The underlying molecular mechanism which accounted for IGFBP-4 expression had not been determined and was the focus of my dissertation. Agents which increase intracellular cAMP rapidly increased IGFBP-4 mRNA levels. Nuclear run-off experiments …

A Comparative Pharmacokinetic Study Of The Role Of Gender And Developmental Differences In Occupational And Environmental Exposure To Benzene, Elizabeth A. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is two-fold. First, it shows that physiological differences between men and women result in gender-specific exposures with respect to benzene. Second, it assesses the potential for a lactating woman's occupational and personal benzene exposure to impact a nursing infant's exposure, highlighting the possibility of subjecting an infant to the effects of industrial chemicals via breast feeding. This study employs physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling to investigate the influence of physiological parameters and to evaluate the ability of inhaled benzene to transfer from mother to infant through breastmilk. The models are run through scenarios that simulate …

A Retrospective Quantitative Assessment Of Trichloroethylene Exposure Of Workers At Aircraft Maintenance Facilities At Hill Air Force Base Through The Use Of Modeling, Anthony O. Copeland

Theses and Dissertations

Monte Carlo simulation and source-receptor modeling are used to estimate the TCE exposures encountered by select workers at aircraft maintenance facilities at Hill Air Force Base between 1955 and 1979. An epidemiological study of this group, a retrospective cohort study of 14,457 workers who were employed at the base for a minimum of one year between 1952 and 1956, was headed by Dr. R. Spirtas of the National Cancer Institute to evaluate mortality associated with occupational exposure. One of the major conclusions of the study was that TCE 'probably does not pose a strong carcinogenic risk for man.' In the …

Stab Wounds To Rat Brains : Demyelination, Remyelination And The Cellular Response, Particularly Of Oligodendrocytes, Xie Dangci

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The present body of knowledge concerning the results of central nervous system injury is incomplete and controversial. The role of oligodendrocytes, the cells involved in phagocytosis, the stages of demyelination, and the evidence for remyelination are of interest. Following stab wounds to rat brain cortex, corpus callosum and hippocampus, the animals were examined at 4,7,11,18,23,29,45,60 and 70 days postoperation (dpo). To help in the identification of cells immunocytochemical markers for astrocytes and immature oligodendrocytes were used. These were labels for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and myelin/oligodendrocyte specific protein (MOSP) respectively. Light and electron microscopy were correlated using conventionally prepared …

The Relationship Of Dietary And Lifestyle Factors To Bone Mineral Density Of Healthy Singaporean Chinese Women, Ampai Dana Aimsiri

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Few studies have examined the risk factors associated with reduced bone mass in Asians, but none specifically investigated Singaporean Chinese women. The subjects in this study were 16 premenopausal, 8 perimenopausal and 13 postmenopausal women who participated in a larger study which began in 1986. Bone density was measured in 1986 and 1992. Dietary and lifestyle data were collected for this study by personal interview. Association between dietary and lifestyle factors and bone density variables and change in bone density at the end of the 6 year period were assessed by univariate regression analyses.

Postmenopausal women had significantly lower baseline …

Effects Of Furosemide And Oleic Acid On Thyroxine Binding To Isolated Pairs Of Thyroxine Binding Serum Proteins, Deborah Hustead

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Dosage dependent binding inhibition and redistribution of thyroxine (T₄) between three pairs of thyroxine binding serum proteins, TBG-TTR, TBG-albumin and TTR-albumin, by furosemide (0.0 to 1.0 mol/L) and oleic acid (0.0 to 0.10 mol/L) were studied using equilibrium dialysis with purified binding proteins at concentrations 1/200 of levels in normal human sera, separated across the dialysis membrane and competing for T₄.

Furosemide (1.0 mol/L) reduced TBG bound T₄ in both the TBG-TTR system and TBG-albumin system (>90% decrease) and inhibited T₄ binding to TTR in the TTR-albumin system (68% decrease) and to albumin …

The Production And Characterization Of A Monoclonal Antibody To A Naturally Occurring Aminomalonic Acid Epitope And A Comparison With An Antibody To A Synthetically Derived Aminomalonic Acid Epitope, James L. Gulley

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The goal for this project is to undertake the first step in the study of blocking metastasis by a monoclonal antibody. The long range goal of this line of research is to study a novel mechanism for the blocking of tumor metastasis in general and prostatic cancer metastasis in particular. The problem that this addresses is the growing number of cases of prostatic cancer in the increasingly aging male population. This cancer is not lethal unless it metastasizes, yet there is no cure for the metastatic disease. The inherent specificity of a monoclonal antibody combined with the uniqueness of the …

Short And Long Term Effects Of Proton Microbeam Irradiation : In The Lateral Geniculate Nucleus Of Felis Domesticus, Chad Sherwood Reder

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Little is known of the effects of proton irradiation on neural tissue. A 1.0 mm microbeam was used on the cat lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) to quantify the short term (< 3 months) and long term (< 9 months) effects of radiation damage. The LGN is a large structure with well defined afferent, efferent, and receptive field properties.

Electrophysiological and histological techniques were used to examine the effects of the microbeam at 60, 40, and 16 Gy, administered as a single bolus. Recordings of light evoked responses in the LGN were obtained using microelectrodes in nine animals within 12 weeks of irradiation, and 6 animals within 36 weeks of irradiation. Receptive fields were mapped onto a tangent screen using standard receptive field techniques. Histological measures included afferent …

Determination Of Pancreatic And Salivary Amylase By Enzyme Immunoassay And Their Prevalence In Hyperamylasemic Patients, Sabdra Borgens Ward

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Currently, amylase determinations are nonspecific for the organ source and are based entirely on the enzymatic properties of amylase to produce a measurable product or byproduct. The determination of pancreatic amylase is important in the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. Most commercially available tests for amylase employ the measurement of the change in NADH absorbance at 280 nm or of the p-nitrophenol released from a maltotetrose substrate. These are nonspecific measurements of pancreatic amylase and often necessitate other tests to be run such as a serum lipase.

The two predominant isoenzymes of amylase are pancreatic (p-amylase) and salivary (s-amylase); the most …

Cerebral Microcirculatory Effects Of Maturation, Scott R. Elliott

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The present studies demonstrate that in the second (2B) and fourth (4B) branches of newborn and adult sheep middle cerebral arteries, 5-HT2 serotonergic receptors mediate contractile responses to serotonin and that alpha-1 adrenergic receptors mediate contractile responses to norepinephrine. In addition, tissue sensitivity to 5-HT and NE decreases significantly with maturation, but does not vary with branch order. These age-related changes were associated with a decrease in affinity and maximum response in 2B and 4B segments of 5-HT and NE contracted arteries, respectively. Norepinephrine and 5-HT occupancy at the pD₂ rose significantly in 2B segments, but did not change …

Healing Potential Of Osteotomies Of The Nasal Sinus In The Dog, Roderick W. Tataryn

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Maxillary sinus osteotomy is sometimes indicated for transantral surgical approaches to palatal roots of maxillary molars. A search of the literature showed an absence of any report on the healing potential of such defects. The purpose of this study was to determine histologically the reparative process of the nasal sinus of dogs following small and large surgical antral perforations. After anesthetizing six beagle dogs, full thickness periosteal flaps were raised overlying the maxillary buccal cortical plates. A 5x5 mm diameter perforation was created with a trephine bur above the second maxillary premolar on one side of each animal. On the …

Measurement Of Blood Flow In Reflected Muco-Gingival Tissue Flaps In Cats : Using The Radiolabeled Microsphere Method, Gary T. Wuchenrich

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Blood flow to the maxilla and mandible may vary due to differences in vascular supply and in physiologic, metabolic and pathologic conditions. In general it is accepted that oral tissues have an abundant blood supply; however, there is little information quantifying blood flow to these regions. In this study, the maxillary tissues were chosen to measure the blood flow in attached and reflected gingival tissue in adult cats using the radiolabeled microsphere method.

Sixteen cats with permanent dentition, clean mouths, and without inflamed gingiva upon visual inspection were used and divided into two groups. Group 1 consisted of six cats …

Periodontal Repair In Dogs : Part I : Evaluation Of The Natural Disease Model ; Part Ii : Eptfe Barrier Membranes Support Wound Stabilization And Enhance Bone Regeneration, James Marc Haney

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Animal models are frequently consulted for histometric analysis of reconstructive periodontal therapy. Statistical analysis of induced lesion defects and surgically created defects from our laboratory suggest defect size homogeneity is critical for the model to discriminate treatment effects. This study characterizes natural disease defects in beagle dogs. Buccal-lingual histologic sections from the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th mandibular premolar teeth (P2, P3, P4) from 6 aged beagle dogs with natural disease defects were evaluated for variation in defect height between pair matched tooth types, and jaw quadrants, as well as estimated confidence intervals for treatment differences between left and right pair …

Signal Transduction In Bacterial Chemotaxis, Edward Heath Rowsell

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study investigated the site of ATP utilization in the signal transduction pathway of bacterial chemotaxis and localized the point of convergence of a methylation-independent system of chemotaxis with the methylation-dependent system. The identity of the signal originating from the phosphotransferase system was investigated by substituting the fructose-inducible HPr-like protein FPr for HPr in transport and chemotaxis. In addition, a novel chemoattractant, glycerol, was identified for Salmonella typhimurium. Histidine-auxotrophic S. typhimurium strains ST23 (hisF) and ST171 (hisF cheB) were depleted for ATP. The times required for the bacteria to adapt to a step increase in serine, …

The Influence Of Prepregnancy Weight And Maternal Weight Gain : On Birth Weight Among Black Wic Participants In San Bernardino County, Marta Lukas Sovyanhadi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Birth records show that San Bernardino County has the highest black infant mortality rate of the 16 counties in California with the largest proportion of African-Americans births. Although total infant deaths in San Bernardino County had fallen to 8.6 per 1,000 live births by 1992, the infant mortality rate among the black population of the county was close to two times higher at 16.8 per 1,000. This is the first study to address the high infant mortality rate among blacks in San Bernardino County. Factors which may affect the black infant mortality rate were examined.

Subjects were drawn from a …

Denervation Supersensitivity Of The Rat Vas Deferens: A Role For Protein Kinase C, Sonny T. Abraham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A role for protein kinase C (PKC) in the denervation-induced supersensitivity of the rat vas deferens was investigated. Chronic, surgical denervation of the rat vas deferens (up to 8 days) resulted in tissues that produced enhanced contractile responses to norepinephrine (NE) in isolated organ baths. Single challenges of NE (10 $\mu$M) produced 0.6 $\pm$ 0.1 g of maximal tension in the control vas whereas in the paired, denervated tissue 2.2 $\pm$ 0.3 g of tension was recorded (n = 6). Cumulative concentration-effect curves to NE produced in the denervated vas deferens were shifted 18-fold to the left of the control …

Differential Role Of The Endothelium In Regulating Microvascular Blood Flow, Tao Tang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The vascular endothelial cell (EC) plays an important role in regulating vascular tone and local blood flow by sensing chemical and mechanical stimuli on the vascular wall and releasing a host of vasoactive substances upon activations of endogenous or exogenous vasoactive substances. The central hypothesis is that local control of blood now and autoregulatory behavior in the microcirculation is distinctive at different levels of the vasculature and is dependent on the cellular activities of the EC and its interaction with the local environment. The in vivo as well as the ex vivo, flow-controlled preparations of the hamster cheek pouch were …

Characterization Of The Vasoactivity Of Tachykinins In Isolated Rat Kidney: Functional Studies And In Vitro Receptor Autoradiography, Yuejin Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although tachykinins have potent vascular actions, their effect on renal resistance blood vessels is currently unknown. The vasoactive properties of tachykinins and related analogs were assessed in isolated perfused rat kidney. At a basal perfusion pressure (PP) of 75 $\pm$ 6 mm Hg (n = 5), bolus injections of substance P (SP) had no significant vasoactive effect. Following a sustained increase in baseline PP (134 $\pm$ 10 mm Hg) produced by phenylephrine (1 $\mu$M), SP evoked a dose-dependent increase in PP. The largest dose of SP increased PP by 60 $\pm$ 5 mm Hg. The vasoconstrictor response to SP was …

Investigation Of Selenium Status In Hypo-, Hyper- And Euthyroid Children, Ping Sun

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Recently, it has been reported that human type I iodothyronine deiodinase, an enzyme important in the conversion of T₄ to T₃ , is a selenoenzyme. Several studies have reported alterations in plasma selenium level in hypo- and hyperthyroid patients.

Using polarized Zeeman-effect atomic absorption spectroscopy, we measured selenium, zinc, copper and manganese concentrations in the plasma and/or red blood cells in children with or without thyroid disease being seen at the outpatient clinic at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters. Children with thyroid disease were subdivided into untreated, treated and nonresponsive groups. Data were analyzed using Student's t-test …

A Physical Map Of The Klebsiella Pneumoniae M5a1 Genome, Alexandrine Randriamahefa

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an enteric opportunistic pathogen which commonly causes pulmonary, urinary tract and kidney infections. It has also been widely used for the study of nitrogen fixation. In this study, a macrorestriction map of K. pneumoniae M5a1 chromosomal DNA was constructed using pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and Southern hybridization techniques. The genome DNA was digested with two rare cutting restriction enzymes (XbaI and BlnI) and the genome size was estimated from the sum of the fragment sizes as 5,121 Kb (+2.8%). A tentative order of fragments was deduced using Southern hybridization with purified restriction fragments. …

Quadriceps Strengthening Daily Adjustable Progressive Resistance Exercise (Dapre) Technique Versus Delorme's Progressive Resistive Exercises (Pre) Techniques, Paul R. Cleveland

Legacy ETDs

The purpose of this study was to determine if the DAPRE technique would significantly improve strength in the non dominant quadriceps muscle as opposed to Delorme's PRE technique for strengthening. Using a pretest posttest Cybex II strength test and applying a t-test for independent samples, it was found that after four weeks there was no significant difference between Group A (N=10) who exercised using Delorme's technique and Group B (N=10) who used the DAPRE technique It was concluded that possibly because of the low sample number, the short length of the exercise intervention, and using normal healthy subjects instead of …

In Vitro And In Vivo Effects Of Chemotherapeutants On The Oyster Parasite, Perkinsus Marinus, Gustavo W. Calvo

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

To investigate the potential of chemotherapeutants to control the oyster pathogen Perkinsus marinus, anticoccidial and antifungal compounds were tested in vitro on infected hemolymph and cultured P. marinus cells and in vivo on infected oysters. In addition, acute toxicity to oysters was determined for six anticoccidials. In vitro experiments with infected hemolymph consisted of 24 h exposure of 0.2 mL hemolymph aliquots to concentrations ranging from 100 mg/L to 0.01 mg/L of amphotericin-B, amprolium, arprinocid, cycloheximide, lasalocid, malachite green, monensin, sulfadimethoxine, and a potentiated sulfadimethoxine, followed by incubation in fluid thioglycollate medium (FTM) to determine prezoosporangia abundance. Lasalocid, malachite green, …

The Effect Of High Intensity Exercise Training Verses Low Intensity Exercise Training On Fractionated Plasma High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol, Teresa L. Spate

Masters Theses

Exercise training is thought to result in an elevation of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and the cardioprotective subfraction HDL{dollar}\sb2{dollar}. Twenty-five healthy women (39 {dollar}\pm{dollar} 7.8 yrs; 70 {dollar}\pm{dollar} 14 kg) walked two miles three times per week for 12 weeks to examine the effect of exercise intensity on the HDL profile. The L.I. group (N = 12) walked at 60% of the heart rate reserve (HRR) and the H.I. group (N = 13) walked at 80% HRR both maintaining the prescribed distance and frequency. A 22% increase in total HDL (from 32 {dollar}\pm{dollar} 6 to 39 {dollar}\pm{dollar} 8 mg/dl) and a …

Can Critical Power Predict And Monitor Swimming Performance?, Michelle L. Stoppenhagen-Noll

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if critical power (CP) can be used to predict and monitor swimming performance. Fifteen female collegiate swimmers from Eastern Illinois University volunteered as subjects for this study. CP was measured on an arm ergometer. Freestyle performances in the 50 and 100 yard distances were also measured. All three tests were measured both pre- and post-season. Results indicated that CP can predict performance in the 50 and 100 yard freestyle swims. Those with higher CP will swim faster. CP can monitor improvement in 50 yard times. CP is not a good indicator of …

Investigations Into Cataract Formation In Sciaenid Fish Species From The Elizabeth River, Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, Christopher D. Williams

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Cataract formation in the Elizabeth River (ER) has been reported since 1986. Previous studies have concentrated on describing cataract as a function of exposure to polluted sediments, especially polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). These studies, however, have not examined what processes might be involved in fish cataractogenesis. The overall objective of this research was to identify important processes associated with the early development of cataract in feral fish populations. Field studies were used to systematically examine cataract development. Cataract in sciaenids was not associated with previously described cataractogenic factors, but could be linked to contaminated sediments of the ER. Cataract was …

Localisation And Detection Of A Polymorphism In The Human Skeletal Beta-Tropomyosin Gene (Tpm2), Clive C.J. Hunt

Theses : Honours

Tropomyosin is one of the components of the thin filaments of muscle, binding to actin, and, together with troponin, regulating contraction in a calcium-dependent manner (Cho et al.,1990). There are at least four distinct tropomyosin genes in vertebrates and each may encode at least six different isoforms of tropomyosin by alternate splicing (Novy et al, 1993; MacLeod et al., 1988). The alpha-tropomyosin gene TPM1 has recently been localised to 15q22 (Eyre et al, 1994) and has been shown to be mutated in some cases of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (Thierfelder et al., 1994). The alpha-tropomyosin gene TPM3 has been recently localised …

Frequency Of Attainment Of Plateau In Maximal Oxygen Consumption In Differentially Trained Athletes, Jeffrey Michael Seda

Masters Theses

A plateau in oxygen consumption during exercise testing has been considered a requisite indicator of achievement of true maximal oxygen consumption. The wide range of reported percentages of subjects revealing a plateau (7 to 80 percent) indicates that closer analysis of factors that may influence plateau attainment is necessary. This study examined the frequency of plateau attainment in two groups of differentially trained subjects. One group (TR) of 12 males (ages 18-36) were trained runners and the other group (WL) of 12 males (ages 18-31) consisted of trained weight lifters. The subjects participated in a series of maximal exercise tests …

An Analysis Of Mitochondrial Dna In Rett Syndrome And Other Neurodegenerative Disorders, Catherine Erickson Burgess

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Mitochondrial dysfunction resulting from mutations on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is being recognized in a growing spectrum of diseases. These diseases, resulting from single base mutations, large deletions, or insertions, have been largely neuromuscular in origin. However, as an understanding of the effects of mtDNA mutations progresses, attention is now focusing on neurodegenerative diseases. Rett Syndrome (RS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease with predominantly female cases, demonstrates morphologic mitochondrial changes, mitochondrial enzyme deficiencies and maternal inheritance (characteristic of mtDNA diseases). No investigation of mtDNA involvement has been previously conducted and, to date, no biological marker exists for this disorder.

Our preliminary studies …