Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

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.

Testing Educational Strategies For Shaken Baby Syndrome, Todd W. Gress, Mary Bailey, Donna Bolden, Lisa Pfitzer

Internal Medicine

Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) occurs from the violent shaking of an infant, which may lead to brain damage or death. The goal of this study was to assess educational methods used to teach new mothers about SBS.

Global Analysis Of Gene Expression Changes During Retinoic Acid-Induced Growth Arrest And Differentiation Of Melanoma: Comparison To Differentially Expressed Genes In Melanocytes Vs Melanoma, Mary H. Estler, Goran Boskovic, James Denvir, Sarah Miles, Donald A. Primerano, Richard M. Niles

Biochemistry and Microbiology

BACKGROUND: The incidence of malignant melanoma has significantly increased over the last decade. Some of these malignancies are susceptible to the growth inhibitory and pro-differentiating effects of all-trans-retinoic acid (RA). The molecular changes responsible for the biological activity of RA in melanoma are not well understood.

RESULTS: In an analysis of sequential global gene expression changes during a 4-48 h RA treatment of B16 mouse melanoma cells, we found that RA increased the expression of 757 genes and decreased the expression of 737 genes. We also compared the gene expression profile (no RA treatment) between non-malignant melan-a mouse melanocytes and …

Suppression Of Implanted Mda-Mb 231 Human Breast Cancer Growth In Nude Mice By Dietary Walnut, W. Elaine Hardman, Gabriela Ion

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Walnuts contain components that may slow cancer growth including omega 3 fatty acids, phytosterols, polyphenols, carotenoids, and melatonin. A pilot study was performed to determine whether consumption of walnuts could affect growth of MDA-MB 231 human breast cancers implanted into nude mice. Tumor cells were injected into nude mice that were consuming an AIN-76A diet slightly modified to contain 10% corn oil. After the tumors reached 3 to 5 mm diameter, the diet of one group of mice was changed to include ground walnuts, equivalent to 56 g (2 oz) per day in humans. The tumor growth rate from Day …

Decreased Expression Of Peroxiredoxins In Fuchs’ Endothelial Dystrophy, Ula V. Jurkunas, Ian Rawe, Maya Bitar, Cheng Zhu, Deshea L. Harris, Kathryn Colby, Nancy C. Joyce

Ophthalmology

Purpose: To compare the relative expression of peroxiredoxin (Prx) proteins in normal human corneal endothelium with endothelium in corneas affected by Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy (FED) and between normal human endothelium and epithelial/stromal tissue.

Methods: Human corneal endothelial cell-Descemet’s membrane (HCEC-DM) complexes from normal and FED corneal buttons were dissected from the epithelium/stroma. For proteomic analysis, HCEC-DM protein extracts were separated by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Relative differences in protein spot density was analyzed. Proteins of interest, including Prx isoforms, were identified by MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted desorption ionization-time of flight) mass spectrometry. Western blot analysis compared the relative expression of Prx isoforms …

Increased Clusterin Expression In Fuchs’ Endothelial Dystrophy, Ula V. Jurkunas, Maya Bitar, Ian Rawe, Deshea L. Harris, Kathryn Colby, Nancy C. Joyce

Ophthalmology

Purpose: To compare the relative expression of peroxiredoxin (Prx) proteins in normal human corneal endothelium with endothelium in corneas affected by Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy (FED) and between normal human endothelium and epithelial/stromal tissue.

Methods: Human corneal endothelial cell-Descemet’s membrane (HCEC-DM) complexes from normal and FED corneal buttons were dissected from the epithelium/stroma. For proteomic analysis, HCEC-DM protein extracts were separated by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Relative differences in protein spot density was analyzed. Proteins of interest, including Prx isoforms, were identified by MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted desorption ionization-time of flight) mass spectrometry. Western blot analysis compared the relative expression of Prx isoforms …

Study To Prospectively Evaluate Reamed Intramedually Nails In Patients With Tibial Fractures (S.P.R.I.N.T.): Study Rationale And Design, Franklin D. Shuler Md, Phd

Orthopaedics

Background: Surgeons agree on the benefits of operative treatment of tibial fractures – the most common of long bone fractures – with an intramedullary rod or nail. Rates of re-operation remain high – between 23% and 60% in prior trials – and the two alternative nailing approaches, reamed or non-reamed, each have a compelling biological rationale and strong proponents, resulting in ongoing controversy regarding which is better.

Methods/Design: The objective of this trial was to assess the impact of reamed versus non-reamed intramedullary nailing on rates of re-operation in patients with open and closed fractures of the tibial shaft. The …

Dna Synthesis From Unbalanced Nucleotide Pools Causes Limited Dna Damage That Triggers Atr-Chk1-Dependent P53 Activation, Kedar Hastak, Rajib K. Paul, Mukesh K. Agarwal, Vijay S. Thakur, Arm R. Amin, Sudesh Agrawal, R. Michael Sramkoski, James W. Jacobberger, Mark W. Jackson, George R. Stark, Munna L. Agarwal

Pharmaceutical Science and Research

p53-dependent G₁ and G₂ cell cycle checkpoints are activated in response DNA damage that help to maintain genomic stability. p53 also helps to protect cells from damage that occurs during S phase, for example, when the cells are starved for DNA precursors or irradiated with a low dose of UV. p53 is activated in normal cells starved for pyrimidine nucleotides by treatment with N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate (PALA). The treated cells progress through a first S phase with kinetics similar to those of untreated cells. However, the DNA of the treated cells begins to become damaged rapidly, within 12 h, …

Use Of Ultraviolet Light Irradiated Multiple Myeloma Cells As Immunogens To Generate Tumor Specific Cytolytic T Lymphocytes, Charles A. Gullo Phd, William Y.K. Hwang, Chye K. Poh, Melvin Au, Geraline Cow, Gerrard Teoh

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Background:

As the eradication of tumor cells in vivo is most efficiently performed by cytolytic Tlymphocytes (CTL), various methods for priming tumor-reactive lymphocytes have been developed. In this study, a method of priming CTLs with ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated tumor cells, which results in termination of tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis, as well as upregulation of heat shock proteins (HSP) expression is described.

Methods:

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were primed weekly with UV-irradiated or mitomycin-treated RPMI 8226 multiple myeloma cells. Following three rounds of stimulation over 21 days, the lymphocytes from the mixed culture conditions were analyzed for anti-MM cell reactivity.

Results: …

The Balanced Scorecard Framework-A Case Study Of Patient And Employee Satisfaction: What Happens When It Does Not Work As Planned?, Andrea Lorden, Alberto Coustasse, Karan P. Singh

Management Faculty Research

Background: The successful utilization of the balanced scorecard (BSC) framework in health care has been demonstrated in the literature. Given these successes, a financially struggling hospital implemented a BSC framework intervention which attempted a culture change centered upon patient satisfaction which it hoped would translate to improved financial stability. Despite the evidence of BSC successes, the intervention, entitled Route 99, did not succeed in this hospital.

Purpose: This case study was conducted to identify learnable lessons and confounding factors associated with the successes and failures of Route 99. Metrics for patient satisfaction and employee satisfaction were examined as reflections of …

Retinoic Acid Decreases Atf-2 Phosphorylation And Sensitizes Melanoma Cells To Taxol-Mediated Growth Inhibition, Ying Huang, Jennifer Minigh, Sarah Miles, Richard N. Niles

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Cutaneous melanoma is often resistant to chemo- and radiotherapy. This resistance has recently been demonstrated to be due, at least in part, to high activating transcription factor 2 (ATF-2) activity in these tumors. In concordance with these reports, we found that B16 mouse melanoma cells had higher levels of ATF-2 than immortalized, but non-malignant mouse melanocytes. In addition, the melanoma cells had a much higher amount of phosphorylated (active) ATF-2 than the immortalized melanocytes. In the course of determining how retinoic acid (RA) stimulates activating protein-1 (AP-1) activity in B16 melanoma, we discovered that this retinoid decreased the phosphorylation of …

Regulation Of Apical Nhe3 Trafficking By Ouabain-Induced Activation Of Basolateral Na/K-Atpase Receptor Complex, Haiping Cai, Liang Wu, Weikai Qu, Deepak Malhotra, Zijian Xie, Joseph I. Shapiro, Jiang Liu

Pharmaceutical Science and Research

The long-term effects of ouabain on transepithelial Na⁺ transport involve transcriptional downregulation of apical Na⁺/H⁺ exchanger isoform 3 (NHE3). The aim of this study was to determine whether ouabain could acutely regulate NHE3 via a posttranscriptional mechanism in LLC-PK1 cells. We observed that the basolateral, but not apical, application of ouabain for 1 h significantly reduced transepithelial Na⁺ transport. This effect was not due to changes in the integrity of tight junctions or increases in the intracellular Na⁺ concentration. Ouabain regulated the trafficking of NHE3 and subsequently inhibited its activity, a process independent of …

Diabetes Alters Contraction-Induced Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Activation In The Rat Soleus And Plantaris, Anjaiah Katta, Deborah L. Preston, Sunil K. Kakarla, Shinichi Asano, Sarath Meduru, Sriram P. Mupparaju, Ellie Yokochi, Kevin M. Rice, Devashish H. Desai, Eric R. Blough

MIIR Faculty Research

The prescription of anaerobic exercise has recently been advocated for the management of diabetes; however exercise-induced signaling in diabetic muscle remains largely unexplored. Evidence from exercise studies in nondiabetics suggests that the extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (Erk1/2), p38, and c-JUN NH2-terminal kinase (Jnk) mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are important regulators of muscle adaptation. Here, we compare the basal and the in situ contraction-induced phosphorylation of Erk1/2- p38- and Jnk-MAPK and their downstream targets (p90rsk and MAPKAP-K2) in the plantaris and soleus muscles of normal and obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats. Compared to lean animals, the time course and magnitude of Erk1/2, p90rsk and …

To The Bitter End: Disparities In End-Of-Life Care, Alberto Coustasse, Theresa Quiroz, Sue G. Lurie

Management Faculty Research

Although technological advancements have provided the means to sustain life and provide care regardless of whether the treatment is appropriate and compassionate given the condition of the patient, bioethical, legal, and moral concerns related to disparities in care still arise in the United States. These concerns call into question the necessity to continue life-sustaining or palliative care treatments when patients and/or families are faced with end-of-life decisions. This study will focus on various historical, clinical cultural, and ethical issues that have placed this dilemma into a controversial public spectrum, by using case studies retrieved from referenced literature, which illustrate disparities …

Organizational Culture In A Terminally Ill Hospital, Alberto Coustasse, Douglas A. Mains, Kristine Lykens, Sue G. Lurie, Fernando Trevino

Management Faculty Research

This study analyzed an organizational culture in a community hospital in Texas to measure organizational culture change and its impact on Patient Satisfaction (PS). The study employed primary and secondary data, combining quantitative and qualitative methods for a case study. Participant observation was used and archival data were collected to provide a better understanding of the organizational culture and the context in which change was taking place. This study also applied a “Shared Vision” of the organization as the central process in bringing forth the knowledge shared by members of the community hospital who were both subjects and research participants. …

Cost Of Medical Detoxification Among Drug And Alcohol Users In A Private Texas Hospital, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to estimate the costs of medical detoxification among patients with alcohol and substance abuse disorders.

Design/methodology/approach – The study data was drawn from a medical detoxification program in a community hospital in Texas. Secondary data analysis of 1337 cases from three years was reviewed. Age, gender, race, alcohol, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines, sedatives, opioids, financial classification, cost, length of stay (LOS) and cost by LOS were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U-test.

Findings – The sample comprised of 42.8 percent women and 57.2 percent males. The mean cost and cost by LOS …

Racial/Ethnic Differences In Exposure To Environmental Volatile Organic Compounds In The U.S. General Population: The National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2000, Y. S. Lin, Alberto Coustasse, W. H. Ho, K. Singh, A. Arif

Management Faculty Research

Background: Exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has been associated with many health disorders. A better understanding of unequal health risk from exposure to environmental VOCs is critical to the elimination of health disparities.

Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate racial/ethnic differentials in exposure to airborne VOCs within a national sample of the U.S. population and assessed socio-demographic determinants that may contribute to these racial differences.

Methods: We used data from a stratified sample of 576 participants (aged 20–59 years) who provided personal air samples for VOC measurements in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) …

Gender Disparities: A Medical Detoxification Program, Alberto Coustasse, Karan P. Singh, Sue G. Lurie, Yu-Sheng Lin, Claudia S. Coggin, Fernando Trevino

Management Faculty Research

Significant gaps exist in health care regarding gender in the United States. Health status, social roles, culturally patterned behavior and access to health care can be influenced by gender. Women have been the primary users of health care and minority women usually have received poorer quality care than Non-Hispanic White (NHW) females. The objectives of this study were to identify gender, racial and ethnic disparities in access to substance abuse treatment in a Texas hospital. Secondary data collected on 1,309 subjects who underwent detoxification were studied. Gender, race/ethnicity, drug of abuse, relapse and financial classification were included in the analysis. …

Hospital Costs And Clinical Characteristics Of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy Patients: A Continuous Ethical Dilemma, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

This study describes the clinical characteristics and examines hospital costs involved in the care of 117 patients undergoing Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) between January 1999 and August 2002. The majority (70.9%) of the patients undergoing CRRT expired in the hospital. Statistically significant differences were found with respect to the length of stay for discharge status and gender; and with respect to costs for surgery versus no surgery and gender. Significant differences were also found between discharge status and gender, age, and cardiovascular surgery. The results of this study raise economic and ethical questions related to the cost/benefit of CRRT …

Case Studies In Medical Futility, Douglas A. Mains, Alberto Coustasse, Sue G. Lurie

Management Faculty Research

Technology has provided means to sustain life and provide care regardless of whether the treatment is appropriate and compassionate given the condition of the patient. This study presents two case histories, compiled from historical patient charts, staff notes and observations, that illustrate the variety of ethical issues involved and the role culture plays in the decision making process related to possible futile medical treatment. Ethical and cultural issues related to the cases are discussed and processes are presented that can help hospitals to avoid, or decrease the level of, medically futile care, and improve the cultural appropriateness of medical care …

The Effect Of A Nurse-Respiratory Therapist Weaning Protocol On The Duration Of Mechanical Ventilation And The Incidence Of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia, Andrea Lucas

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this research study was to show the effectiveness of implementing a standardized nurse-respiratory driven weaning protocol in decreasing the time spent on mechanical ventilation and the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia in mechanically ventilated patients compared to using individual physician methods. Chart reviews were performed to compare the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) prior to the initiation of the nurse-respiratory driven weaning protocol. Sister Callista Roy’s Adaptation theory was used as a framework for this study to show that nurses could promote adaption by using a standardized ventilator weaning protocol. The study did not show statistical significance that …

The Function And Mechanism Of Chmp1a In Tumor Development, Jing Li

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Chmp1A (Chromatin modifying protein 1A/Charged multivesicular protein 1A) is a member of the ESCRT-III (Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport) family, which mediates trafficking via MVB (multivesicular body) formation and sorting. Our studies suggest that Chmp1A is a novel tumor suppressor, especially in the pancreas. Knockdown of Chmp1A resulted in an increase of anchorage-independent growth of HEK 293T cells. Moreover, we showed that Chmp1A depleted HEK 293T cells forms tumor in xenograft mice. Knockdown of Chmp1A in PanC-1 cells promoted cell growth. In contrast, Doxycycline induced over-expression of Chmp1A in pancreatic cancer cells (PanC-1) resulted in cell growth inhibition, tumor …

Mental Health And Business Professionals’ Employment-Related Perceptions Of Individuals With Psychological Disorders, Kevan Mock

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Mental health and business professionals’ employment-related perceptions of 6 psychological disorders (i.e. alcoholism, insomnia, major depression, social phobia, post- traumatic stress disorder, obesity) were examined. The 33 professionals (n = 18 mental health; n = 15 business) evaluated each disorder on 18 employment-related dimensions (e.g. employability, productivity, trainability). Specifically, they evaluated the perceived likelihood of each of the 18 employment-related dimensions being associated with each of the 6 psychological disorders (1 = not likely; 5 = highly likely). Perceptions of the 33 mental health and business professionals were compared with the perceptions of college students (n = 106) obtained in …

Effects Of Aging And Gender On Regulators Of Muscle Adaptation In F344/Bn Rat Model, Satyanarayana Paturi

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass and strength that occurs with aging. Here we examine the effects of aging and gender on the regulation of molecules believed to regulate muscle growth and adaptation in the F344/BN rat. In male animals, soleus and EDL muscle/body weight ratio declined continuously with aging while muscle atrophy in female animals plateaued at 26-months and remained constant thereafter. Aging increased the phosphorylation of protein kinase-B (Akt) and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in the female but not male soleus muscle. This finding was associated with the attenuation of muscle atrophy observed in female …

Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Contributes To Cisplatin-Induced Cytotoxicity Rather Than All-Trans Retinoic Acid-Dependent Chemoresistance, Zina-Ann Cardozo

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Neuroblastoma is an extra-cranial solid tumor of the nervous system occurring predominantly in infants and children younger than five years of age. Neuroblastoma presents a challenge to therapy primarily due to a decreased responsiveness to anticancer agents like cisplatin (CDDP), leading to recurrence. Vitamin A and its derivatives, known as retinoids, are preventive against cancer and induce differentiation in some cell lines. Retinoids are now being tested clinically for the treatment of neuroblastoma. One major limitation to retinoid therapy is the development of chemoresistance. In the present study human SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells pretreated with 10 μM all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) …

Factors That Influence The Distribution Of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria In The Mud River, Wv, Timothy Shaun Dotson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background: Prior studies of the Ohio and Mud Rivers have shown that fecal contamination alone does not explain the distribution of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) in surface waters. The objectives of this study were to determine effects on the distribution of ARB in the Mud.

Methods: Water samples and physical parameters were collected twice per season in spring through fall at 12 sites on the Mud River. Aliquots were plated on R2A agar and R2A agar plus individual antibiotics for the enumeration of total cultivable bacteria, and cultivable bacteria resistant to ciprofloxacin, virginiamycin, or tetracycline respectively. The IDEXX Quanti-Tray/2000™ method …

Impaired Overload-Induced Hypertrophy In Obese Zucker Rat Slow-Twitch Skeletal Muscle, Anil Kumar Gutta

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

How insulin resistant muscle responds to mechanical overload (MOV) is not well understood. Using immunohistochemical analysis and immunoblotting, we investigated whether Lean Zucker (LZ) and insulin resistant Obese Zucker rats (OZ) respond in a similar fashion to MOV. Five young adult (2 months old) male LZ and OZ rats were subjected to a surgical ablation of the gastrocnemius muscle and overloaded for 8 weeks. MOV-induced increases in soleus muscle mass and average fiber cross-sectional area were attenuated in OZ compared to LZ animals. This reduction in OZ muscle adaptation was associated with decreased activity / phosphorylation levels of STAT3, β-catenin …

Association Of Epstein-Barr Virus With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma And Current Status Of Development Of Cancer-Derived Cell Lines, Charles A. Gullo Phd, Wong Kein Low, Gerrard Teoh

Biochemistry and Microbiology

It is well known that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) contributes directly to tumourigenesis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), primarily in the undifferentiated form of NPC (WHO type III; UNPC or UC), which is commonly found in South East Asia. Unfortunately, research in NPC has been severely hampered by the lack of authentic EBV-positive (EBV+) human NPC cell lines for study. Since 1975, there have been more than 20 reported NPC cell lines. However, many of these NPC-derived cell lines do not express EBV transcripts in long-term culture, and therefore that finding may dispute the fundamental theory of NPC carcinogenesis. In fact, …

You Can Be Me!, Tamara Gravano

Physical Therapy Faculty Research

Dr. Gravano discusses becomes a physical therapist.