Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Ultrasonographic Diagnosis Of Bicipitoradial Bursitis: A Casereport, Kuan-Wen Chen, Yi-Pin Chiang

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

The bicipitoradial bursa is located between the distal biceps tendon and the radial tuberosity. The bursa functions as a buffer to reduce the friction between tendon and bone during pronation of the forearm. Bicipitoradial bursitis most frequently results from repetitive mechanical microtrauma by supination and pronation movements of the forearm, and it may cause painful swelling at the antecubital fossa. However, only a few cases of bicipitoradial bursitis have been reported to be diagnosed by ultrasound. We report a case of a 32-year-old woman with a tender soft tissue mass in her right antecubital area. Musculoskeletal ultrasound depicted a distended …

Clinical Diagnosis Of Mild Misalignment Of Symphysis Pubis Using Ct Scan With Three-Dimensional Reconstruction Of Pelvis: A Casereport, Cheng-Hung Lin, Ching-Hung Hung, Nam-Seng Goh, Chen-Chang Hsiung

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

The patients who suffered from symphysis pubis injury would normally be treated in two clinical departments. Symphysis pubis diastasis is an uncommon intrapartum complication which may occur in women with some associative factors such as macrosomic fetus, small pelvis, and rapid descent of presenting part during spontaneous vaginal delivery. The automotive side impacts are a leading cause of injuries to the pubic symphysis which might be combined with major pelvic trauma. Other factors that might contribute to this type of injury is general fall events, although very rare, which would induce minor symphysis pubis injury. Recently, we presented with a …

Bilateral Upper Limb Loading Exercise In Hemiplegic Patients: Immediate Effects On Nerve Conduction Characteristics, Lin-Chien Lee, Yung-Cheng Huang, Hsing-Kuo Wang, Sheng-Chu Su, Kuang-Ping Hsieh, Fu-Kong Lieu

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

The aim of this study was to investigate the immediate effects of upper extremity loading exercises on conduction in the median and ulnar nerves in the wrists of hemiplegic patients. Seventeen hemiplegic patients without past history of carpal tunnel syndrome or other confounding diseases and seventeen healthy and physically-matched control subjects were recruited. Nerve conduction tests of the median and ulnar nerves were performed in both arms of patients and healthy controls before and after a set of 30-minute bilateral loading exercise. Significant reductions (p＜0.05) were found in median compound motor action potential, median sensory nerve action potential and ulnar …

Assessments Of Spasticity By Hoffmann Reflex Parameters In Patients With Spinal Cord Injury, Juei-Hsiang Wang, Yen-Ho Wang, Chein-Wei Chang, Shin-Liang Pan, Che-Sheng Lin

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Muscle spasticity is a common problem that affects patients who have suffered spinal cord injury (SCI). It can affect the motor skills, activities of daily living, and quality of life of these patients. The modified Ashworth scale (MAS) is a widely used clinical rating scale for spasticity, but its validity and reliability have been questioned. Much attention has been devoted to the evaluation of spasticity by using electrophysiological approaches. Increased excitation of motor neurons, exaggerated stretch reflex, decreased presynaptic inhibition, and reduced reciprocal inhibition have been found to be associated with spasticity. In several previous studies, the Hoffmann (H) reflex …

Incidence And Risk Factors Analysis Of Lymphedema Secondary To Breast Cancer, Su-Fen Liao, Ya-Fun Lee, Shou-Tung Chen, Shou-Jen Kuo, Wei-Chen Liang, Ta-Sen Wei, Mu-Tai Liu

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Lymphedema, the most significant complication of treatment for breast cancer, can result in substantial psychological and physical morbidity. However, no long-term follow-up lymphedema studies yet exist for Taiwanese breast cancer survivors. This study therefore focused on examining frequency and risk factors of lymphedema secondary to breast cancer in Taiwanese patients. Five hundred and seventy patients who received surgical treatment between 1994 and 2000 at Changhua Christian Hospital were retrospectively investigated in October 2002. The incidence of self-reported edema was 28 percent (161/570), and the incidence of lymphedema with circumference difference greater than 2cm was 8.1 percent (46/570). Eighty-four percent of …

The Research And Development Of Foot Pressure Testing Piece, Mu-Jung Kao, Ming-Jor Lo, Cheng-Kung Cheng, Hung-Wen Wei

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

The purpose of this study was to design an insole-style testing piece for a quick and easy dynamic foot pressure test. Current commercial foot pressure systems are costly and complicated to operate. These systems are not suitable for extensive evaluations of patient's foot or orthoses, either.The material used in this research is TPE-PS shock absorption foam. This foam has three special features: (1) excellent surface contact with foot contour, soft textures that do not irritate the foot, (2) creates permanent foot pressure imprints after brief walking, (3) the foam material does not crack or break under excessive foot pressure. When …

Anomalous Constitutive Src Kinase Activity Promotes B Lymphoma Survival And Growth, Jiyuan Ke, R. Lakshman Chelvarajan, Vishal Sindhava, Darrell A. Robertson, Lazaros Lekakis, C. Darrell Jennings, Subbarao Bondada

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Background: Previously we have shown that B cell receptor (BCR) expression and B cell receptor signaling pathways are important for the basal growth of B lymphoma cells. In particular we have shown that the activation of Syk, a non-src family protein tyrosine kinase and the mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK), ERK and JNK that mediate BCR signals are required for the constitutive growth of B lymphoma cells. Since src family protein tyrosine kinases (SFKs) like Lyn are known to be needed for the phosphorylation of BCR co-receptors, Ig-alpha and Ig-beta, we hypothesized that one or more SFKs will be constitutively …

Transcriptional Adaptations Following Exercise In Thoroughbred Horse Skeletal Muscle Highlights Molecular Mechanisms That Lead To Muscle Hypertrophy, Beatrice A. Mcgivney, Suzanne S. Eivers, David E. Machugh, James N. Macleod, Grace M. O'Gorman, Stephen D.E. Park, Lisa M. Katz, Emmeline W. Hill

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Selection for exercise-adapted phenotypes in the Thoroughbred racehorse has provided a valuable model system to understand molecular responses to exercise in skeletal muscle. Exercise stimulates immediate early molecular responses as well as delayed responses during recovery, resulting in a return to homeostasis and enabling long term adaptation. Global mRNA expression during the immediate-response period has not previously been reported in skeletal muscle following exercise in any species. Also, global gene expression changes in equine skeletal muscle following exercise have not been reported. Therefore, to identify novel genes and key regulatory pathways responsible for exercise adaptation we have used equine-specific …

Fagerstrom Test For Nicotine Dependence Vs Heavy Smoking Index In A General Population Survey, M. Pérez-Ríos, M. I. Santiago-Pérez, B. Alonso, A. Malvar, X. Hervada, Jose De Leon

Psychiatry Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) is used for assessing nicotine dependence. A shorter test derived from the FTND used for the general population is the Heavy Smoking Index (HSI) (six questions vs. two). The objective of this study is to compare the validity of the HSI versus the FTND.

METHODS: A survey of tobacco use in the general population was carried out in the northern Spanish region of Galicia using both the FTND and the HSI to study a representative sample of 1655 daily smokers. The HSI was compared with the FTND, considered the gold standard. Measures …

Ccl2 Responses To Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Are Associated With Disease Severity In Tuberculosis, Zahra Hasan, Jacqueline M. Cliff, Hazel M. Dockrell, Bushra Jamil, Muhammad Irfan, Mussarat Ashraf, Rabia Hussain

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

Background

Leucocyte activating chemokines such as CCL2, CCL3, and CXCL8 together with proinflammatory IFNγ, TNFα and downmodulatory IL10 play a central role in the restriction of M. tuberculosis infections, but is unclear whether these markers are indicative of tuberculosis disease severity.

Methodology

We investigated live M. tuberculosis- and M. bovis BCG- induced peripheral blood mononuclear cell responses in patients with tuberculosis (TB) and healthy endemic controls (ECs, n = 36). TB patients comprised pulmonary (PTB, n = 34) and extrapulmonary groups, subdivided into those with less severe localized extrapulmonary TB (L-ETB, n = 16) or severe disseminated ETB (D-ETB, …

Rearrangement Of The Rna Polymerase Subunit H And The Lower Jaw In Archaeal Elongation Complexes, Sebastian Grünberg, Christoph Reich, Mirijam E. Zeller, Michael S. Bartlett, Michael Thomm

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The lower jaws of archaeal RNA polymerase and eukaryotic RNA polymerase II include orthologous subunits H and Rpb5, respectively. The tertiary structure of H is very similar to the structure of the C-terminal domain of Rpb5, and both subunits are proximal to downstream DNA in pre-initiation complexes. Analyses of reconstituted euryarchaeal polymerase lacking subunit H revealed that H is important for open complex formation and initial transcription. Eukaryotic Rpb5 rescues activity of the ΔH enzyme indicating a strong conservation of function for this subunit from archaea to eukaryotes. Photochemical cross-linking in elongation complexes revealed a striking structural rearrangement of RNA …

Proteolytic Regulation Of Toxin-Antitoxin Systems By Clppc In Staphylococcus Aureus, Niles P. Donegan, Earl T. Thompson, Zhibiao Fu, Ambrose L. Cheung

Dartmouth Scholarship

Bacterial toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems typically consist of a small, labile antitoxin that inactivates a specific longer-lived toxin. In Escherichia coli, such antitoxins are proteolytically regulated by the ATP-dependent proteases Lon and ClpP. Under normal conditions, antitoxin synthesis is sufficient to replace this loss from proteolysis, and the bacterium remains protected from the toxin. However, if TA production is interrupted, antitoxin levels decrease, and the cognate toxin is free to inhibit the specific cellular component, such as mRNA, DnaB, or gyrase. To date, antitoxin degradation has been studied only in E. coli, so it remains unclear whether similar mechanisms of regulation …

Stem Cell Matching For Patients Of Mixed Race, Ted C. Bergstrom

Ted C Bergstrom

Patients with leukemia and other blood diseases stand a good chance of recovery and a return to normal life if they receive a stem cell transplant from a living donor. In the absence of a transplant, their survival prospects are grim. For a transplant to be successful, the human leukocyte antigens (HLA) of the donor and recipient must be a close genetic match. To facilitate non-sibling matches, the developed nations of the world have set up national volunteer registries. The larges such registry is the NMDP (National Marrow Donor Program). We estimate the distribution of HLA types for individuals of …

Potret Kebijakan Pengendalian Demam Berdarah Dengue Di Kabupaten Indramayu, Henri Peranginangin, Hasim Hasim, Bambang Pramudya, Sri Budiarti

Kesmas

Penyakit demam berdarah dengue (DBD) masih menjadi masalah di Kabupaten Indramayu. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengidentifikasi elemen-elemen prioritas kebijakan pengendalian penyakit DBD di Kabupaten Indramayu menurut pakar berdasarkan metode Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan “strategi utama” pengendalian penyakit DBD di Kabupaten Indramayu adalah peningkatan kesehatan lingkungan permukiman; “aktor utama pengendalian” ialah Pemerintah Kabupaten Indramayu; “faktor utama pengendalian” adalah lingkungan; “tujuan utama pengendalian” ialah Kabupaten Indramayu bebas penyakit DBD; dan “kriteria utama pengendalian” adalah jumlah dan mutu sumber daya manusia. Agar implementasi strategi pengendalian itu efektif maka Pemerintah Kabupaten Indramayu perlu meningkatkan kerja sama lintas program dan sektoral; dukungan teknologi, …

Model Mitigasi Kebakaran Berbasis Masyarakat : Kajian Kualitatif Pada Aparat Pemerintah Dan Lsm, Fatmah Fatmah

Kesmas

Lingkungan masyarakat kota yang bebas kebakaran dapat tercipta melalui upaya pencegahan dan pemadaman kebakaran dini. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengembangkan model mitigasi kesiapsiagaan kebakaran berbasis masyarakat. Metoda kualitatif wawancara mendalam dilakukan terhadap 30 informan terpilih di Jabodetabek meliputi aparat kecamatan, kelurahan, Lembaga Swadaya Masyarakat, dan Suku Dinas Pemadam Kebakaran. Mayoritas informan mengenal organisasi Barisan Sukarelawan Kebakaran, tetapi dalam pelaksanaan ditemukan beberapa kendala antara lain meliputi tidak ada honorarium, status pekerjaan, dan anggota penduduk musiman. Hal tersebut berakibat banyak anggota yang berhenti dan sulit merekrut anggota baru. Bentuk upaya pencegahan kebakaran yang dilakukan masyarakat meliputi simulasi, penyuluhan, dan pelatihan bahaya kebakaran, serta …

Kesehatan Jiwa Yang Terabaikan Dari Target Milenium, Sri Idaiani

Kesmas

Millenium Development Goals (MDG) yang dicanangkan pada tahun 2000 sangat didominasi oleh penyakit menular serta kesehatan ibu dan anak, tetapi mengabaikan berbagai masalah penyakit tidak menular. Tidak sedikitpun terlintas dalam benak para pemimpin dunia itu target dan indikator yang menyentuh atau berhubungan dengan masalah kesehatan jiwa. Tulisan ini bertujuan membahas posisi kesehatan jiwa di seluruh dunia yang cenderung semakin memprihatinkan, tetapi justru terabaikan dari target MDG. Pencapaian target milenium tampaknya tidak memperhitungkan beban penyakit akibat berbagai masalah kejiwaan. Padahal, jika dibiarkan, pada masa mendatang masalah kesehatan jiwa akan menjadi besar seperti yang tengah dihadapi oleh berbagai negara maju. Berdasarkan prediksi …

Program Langit Biru : Kontribusi Kebijakan Pengendalian Pencemaran Udara Kota Terhadap Penurunan Penyakit Pernapasan Pada Anak, Laila Fitria

Kesmas

Pencemaran udara perkotaan yang berdampak buruk terhadap kesehatan masyarakat sering dikaitkan dengan PM 10, NO2, dan ozon, polutan reaktif yang memicu kerusakan jaringan dalam saluran napas melalui mekanisme stres oksidatif dan inflamasi saluran napas. Pajanan jangka panjang polutan tersebut berpengaruh terhadap gangguan pernapasan, penurunan fungsi paru, asma, serta penyakit sistem pernapasan kronik lain seperti penyakit paru-paru obstruktif kronik. Program Langit Biru merupakan salah satu upaya mengurangi pencemaran udara dari sektor transportasi yang dicanangkan sejak tahun 1996. Hingga kini, kontribusi Program Langit Biru terhadap penurunan kasus gangguan pernapasan pada anak belum dapat diperkirakan, antara lain disebabkan oleh karena pelaksanaan program melalui …

Chylomicrons Promote Intestinal Absorption And Systemic Dissemination Of Dietary Antigen (Ovalbumin) In Mice, Yuehui Wang, Sarbani Ghoshal, Martin Ward, Willem De Villiers, Jerold Woodward, Erik Eckhardt

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: A small fraction of dietary protein survives enzymatic degradation and is absorbed in potentially antigenic form. This can trigger inflammatory responses in patients with celiac disease or food allergies, but typically induces systemic immunological tolerance (oral tolerance). At present it is not clear how dietary antigens are absorbed. Most food staples, including those with common antigens such as peanuts, eggs, and milk, contain long-chain triglycerides (LCT), which stimulate mesenteric lymph flux and postprandial transport of chylomicrons through mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) and blood. Most dietary antigens, like ovalbumin (OVA), are emulsifiers, predicting affinity for chylomicrons. We hypothesized that chylomicron …

Today - December 23, 2009, Loma Linda University

TODAY

Inside this issue:

-- Heart patient reunites with LLU Overseas Heart Surgery Team members 35 years after they saved her life in Saigon
-- CAPS welcomes Helping Hands Pantry to SACHS–Norton
-- Nursing professors research diabetes management in local community
-- LLU Heart & Surgical Hospital physician performs groundbreaking procedure
-- School of Public Health advances health geoinformatics education
-- Wyatt Caley raises funds to buy an Xbox 360 Elite for kids in Children’s Hospital
-- Milton Murray passes away
-- Trees of Hope bring beauty to Children’s Hospital lobby
-- LLU physician to appear on ‘The Doctors’
-- How …

Reduced Pain And Inflammation In Juvenile And Adult Rats Fed A Ketogenic Diet, David N. Ruskin, Masahito Kawamura Jr., Susan A. Masino

Faculty Scholarship

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate regimen that forces ketone-based rather than glucose-based cellular metabolism. Clinically, maintenance on a ketogenic diet has been proven effective in treating pediatric epilepsy and type II diabetes, and recent basic research provides evidence that ketogenic strategies offer promise in reducing brain injury. Cellular mechanisms hypothesized to be mobilized by ketone metabolism and underlying the success of ketogenic diet therapy, such as reduced reactive oxygen species and increased central adenosine, suggest that the ketolytic metabolism induced by the diet could reduce pain and inflammation. To test the effects of a ketone-based metabolism on pain …

Guyon's Canal Syndrome Due To Tortuous Ulnar Artery With Dequervain Stenosing Tenosynovitis, Ligamentous Injuries And Dorsal Intercalated Segmental Instability Syndrome, A Rare Presentation: A Case Report., Muhammad Zeeshan, Farhan Ahmed, Darakhshan Kanwal, Qazi Saad Bin Khalid, Muhammad Nadeem Ahmed

Department of Radiology

The Guyon's canal syndrome is a well known clinical entity and may have significant impact on Patient's quality of life. We report a case of 43-year-old male who presented with complaints of pain and numbness in right hand and difficulty in writing for past one month. On imaging diagnosis of Guyon's canal syndrome because of tortuous ulnar artery was made with additional findings of DeQuervain's stenosing tenosynovitis and dorsal intercalated segmental instability syndrome with ligamentous injury and subsequently these were confirmed on surgery. Although it is a rare syndrome, early diagnosis and treatment prevents permanent neurological deficits and improve Patient's …

Gbdr Regulates Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Plch And Pchp Transcription In Response To Choline Catabolites, Matthew J. Wargo, Tiffany C. Ho, Maegan J. Gross, Laurie A. Whittaker, Deborah A. Hogan

Dartmouth Scholarship

Pseudomonas aeruginosa hemolytic phospholipase C, PlcH, can degrade phosphatidylcholine (PC) and sphingomyelin in eukaryotic cell membranes and extracellular PC in lung surfactant. Numerous studies implicate PlcH in P. aeruginosa virulence. The phosphorylcholine released by PlcH activity on phospholipids is hydrolyzed by a periplasmic phosphorylcholine phosphatase, PchP. Both plcH gene expression and PchP enzyme activity are positively regulated by phosphorylcholine degradation products, including glycine betaine. Here we report that the induction of plcH and pchP transcription by glycine betaine is mediated by GbdR, an AraC family transcription factor. Mutants that lack gbdR are unable to induce plcH and pchP in media …

Corticosteroids For Pain Relief In Sore Throat: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Gail Hayward, Matthew J. Thompson, Carl J. Heneghan, Rafael Perera, Paul P. Glasziou, Chris B. Del Mar

Christopher Del Mar

Objective: To evaluate whether systemic corticosteroids improve symptoms of sore throat in adults and children. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources: Cochrane Central, Medline, Embase, Database of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE), NHS Health Economics Database, and bibliographies. Outcome measures: Percentage of patients with complete resolution at 24 and 48 hours, mean time to onset of pain relief, mean time to complete resolution of symptoms, days missed from work or school, recurrence, and adverse events. Results: We included eight trials, consisting of 743 patients in total (369 children, 374 adults). 348 (47%) had exudative sore throat, and 330 (44%) were …

Neuraminidase Inhibitors For Preventing And Treating Influenza In Healthy Adults: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Tom Jefferson, Mark Jones, Peter Doshi, Chris Del Mar

Christopher Del Mar

Objectives: To update a 2005 Cochrane review that assessed the effects of neuraminidase inhibitors in preventing or ameliorating the symptoms of influenza, the transmission of influenza, and complications from influenza in healthy adults, and to estimate the frequency of adverse effects. Search strategy: An updated search of the Cochrane central register of controlled trials (Cochrane Library 2009, issue 2), which contains the Acute Respiratory Infections Group’s specialised register, Medline (1950-Aug 2009), Embase (1980-Aug 2009), and post-marketing pharmacovigilance data and comparative safety cohorts. Selection criteria: Randomised placebo controlled studies of neuraminidase inhibitors in otherwise healthy adults exposed to naturally occurring influenza. …

Transparent Development Of The Who Rapid Advice Guidelines, Holger J. Schunemann, Suzanne R. Hill, Meetali Kakad, Gunn E. Vist, Richard Bellamy, Lauren Stockman, Torbjorn Fosen Wisloff, Chris Del Mar, Frederick Hayden, Timothy M. Uyeki, Jeremy Farrar, Yazdan Yazdanpanah, Howard Zucker, John Beigel, Tawee Chotpitayasunondh, Tran Tinh Hien, Bulent Ozbay, Norio Sugaya, Andrew D. Oxman

Christopher Del Mar

Emerging health problems require rapid advice. We describe the development and pilot testing of a systematic, transparent approach used by the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop rapid advice guidelines in response to requests from member states confronted with uncertainty about the pharmacological management of avian influenza A (H5N1) virus infection. We first searched for systematic reviews of randomized trials of treatment and prevention of seasonal influenza and for nontrial evidence on H5N1 infection, including case reports and animal and in vitro studies. A panel of clinical experts, clinicians with experience in treating patients with H5N1, influenza researchers, and methodologists …

Possible Harms Of Oseltamivir—A Call For Urgent Action, Tom Jefferson, Mark Jones, Peter Doshi, Chris Del Mar

Christopher Del Mar

Extract: Oseltamivir is a successful drug: between July, 2004, and June, 2009, more than 11·5 million new prescriptions were issued in the USA, and nearly all influenza pandemic plans recommend antiviral drugs as a mainstay of containment on a population basis and treatment on an individual basis, with oseltamivir preferred because of ease of administration and storage. Because 75% of the world production of oseltamivir has been used in Japan,¹ this is where to look for any serious harms the drug might cause. ¹ See note in article.

Digging Deeper: Quality Of Patient-Provider Communication Across Hispanic Subgroups, Lorraine S. Wallace, Jennifer E. Devoe, Edwin S. Rogers, Joanne Protheroe, Gillian Rowlands, George E. Fryer

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- UT Graduate School of Medicine

Background

Recent research suggests that ethnic subgroup designation plays an important role in health-related disparities among Hispanics. Our objective was to examine the influence of Hispanics' self-reported ethnic subgroup designation on perceptions of their health care providers' communication behaviors.

Methods

Cross-sectional analysis of the 2005 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Participants included non-institutionalized Hispanics (n = 5197; US population estimate = 27,070,906), aged ≥18 years, reporting visiting a health care provider within the past 12 months. Six (n = 6) items were used to capture respondents' perceptions of their health care providers' communication behaviors.

Results

After controlling for socio-demographic covariates, …

Germinal Center Reutilization By Newly Activated B Cells., Tanja A Schwickert, Boris Alabyev, Tim Manser, Michel C Nussenzweig

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

Germinal centers (GCs) are specialized structures in which B lymphocytes undergo clonal expansion, class switch recombination, somatic hypermutation, and affinity maturation. Although these structures were previously thought to contain a limited number of isolated B cell clones, recent in vivo imaging studies revealed that they are in fact dynamic and appear to be open to their environment. We demonstrate that B cells can colonize heterologous GCs. Invasion of primary GCs after subsequent immunization is most efficient when T cell help is shared by the two immune responses; however, it also occurs when the immune responses are entirely unrelated. We conclude …

Party Favors For Sports: Strong Usoc, Spectacular World Cup, Rick Burton, Norm O'Relly

Sport Management - All Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Predicting Flavonoid Ugt Regioselectivity With Graphical Residue Models And Machine Learning., Arthur Rhydon Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning is applied to a challenging and biologically significant protein classification problem: the prediction of flavonoid UGT acceptor regioselectivity from primary protein sequence. Novel indices characterizing graphical models of protein residues are introduced. The indices are compared with existing amino acid indices and found to cluster residues appropriately. A variety of models employing the indices are then investigated by examining their performance when analyzed using nearest neighbor, support vector machine, and Bayesian neural network classifiers. Improvements over nearest neighbor classifications relying on standard alignment similarity scores are reported.