Viruses Commons^™

Analyzing Pseudomonas Aeruginosa With Bacteriophage Tags Using Photoacoustic Flow Cytometry, Jennifer C. Schinke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The number of daily bacterial infections is climbing and the CDC explains that this is due to the antibiotic-resistant threat in the United States. Finding a faster way of bacterial identification is necessary as it currently takes 1-4 days for a medical lab to culture and identify bacteria. Photoacoustic flow cytometry (PAFC) can be used as an alternative method resulting in swift identification within an hour (Edgar, 2019). Pseudomonas aeruginosa, cell line PA01, will be coated in up to a few hundred red dyed phages making it detectible by the photoacoustic flow cytometry system. Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that …

Center Based Cardiac Rehabilitation Outcomes Associated With Covid-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Comparative Cohort Study, Haley Williams, Kayla Woodworth

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects: College of Nursing

Background: Traditional cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a multidisciplinary, multifaceted program for cardiac patients. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, health care, including center-based CR (CBCR) programs, were closed to in-person sessions. Even with the return to CBCR participation, patient outcomes may have been affected by this disruption in care. The goal of this study was to determine if CR participation outcomes differed before and after CBCR program closure due to Covid-19.

Methods: A retrospective comparative cohort design was used to examine CR participant outcome data before and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Convenience sampling of CR participants at a large, urban …

How Environmental Change Will Impact Mosquito-Borne Diseases, Arsal Khan

Master's Projects and Capstones

Mosquitos, the most lethal species throughout human history, are the most prevalent source of vector-borne diseases and therefore a major global health burden. Mosquito-borne disease incidence is expected to shift with environmental change. These changes can be predicted using species distribution models. With the wide variety of methods used for models, consensus for improving accuracy and comparability is needed. A comparative analysis of three recent modeling approaches revealed that integrating modeling techniques compensates for trade-offs associated with a singular approach. An area that represents a critical gap in our ability to predict mosquito behavior in response to changing climate factors, …

Increasing Staff Compliance With Routine Hcv Screening And Improving Linkage To Care Among Patients Testing Hepatitis C Positive In The Emergency Department, Carson G. Swartz

DNP Projects

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a blood-borne pathogen that can cause severe liver disease, cancer, and death and is a significant source of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Several academic medical centers including University of Kentucky Healthcare have implemented routine HCV screening for patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) and have discovered a large viral burden amongst patients who are often symptomatic.

Purpose: The purpose of this doctoral project is to increase staff compliance, confidence, and education regarding the HCV screening process in an urban, Level I emergency department, as well as to evaluate whether an …

Analysis Of Single Cell Rna-Seq Data Revealed Interferon Gamma Signaling Alteration In Severe Covid Patients, Ahmed Elbaz

Theses and Dissertations

Background: SARS-COV2 virus detected in December 2019, and was considered a pandemic in March 2020 by the WHO. Symptoms range from asymptomatic to life threatening ones. Studying cell-cell interactions in patients' blood samples may lead to novel diagnosis and treatment approaches.

Aim: This study aims to analyze single-cell RNA sequencing data to identify differences in cell-cell communications between healthy and COVID patients and differentially expressed T-cells genes that contributed to immune system antiviral activity.

Materials and methods: Single-Cell RNA sequencing data from seven COVID patients and five healthy individuals were collected from (GEO accession GSE155673). Cell types were identified and …

Understanding Human Astrovirus From Pathogenesis To Treatment, Virginia Hargest

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

While human astroviruses (HAstV) were discovered nearly 45 years ago, these small positive-sense RNA viruses remain critically understudied. These studies provide fundamental new research on astrovirus pathogenesis and disruption of the gut epithelium by induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) following astrovirus infection. Here we characterize HAstV-induced EMT as an upregulation of SNAI1 and VIM with a down regulation of CDH1 and OCLN, loss of cell-cell junctions most notably at 18 hours post-infection (hpi), and loss of cellular polarity by 24 hpi. While active transforming growth factor- (TGF-) increases during HAstV infection, inhibition of TGF- signaling does not hinder EMT induction. …

Characterization Of A Plasmid-Based Dna Vaccine For Simian Immunodeficiency Virus, Priya Sanipara

Honors Theses

Described as one of the world’s worst pandemics, HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infects millions of people each year and is the cause for AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). Despite the development of vaccines for numerous infectious diseases such as polio, small pox, and influenza, a vaccine for HIV remains elusive due to the virus’s high mutation rate and ability to evade the immune system. HIV causes depletion of CD4+ lymphocytes, resulting in a weakened immune system. However, the development of a plasmid-based DNA vaccine approach may help revolutionize vaccine development for HIV due to its ability to confer cellular and humoral …

Paclitaxel Enhances Oncolytic Potential Of Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1 In Cancer Cells, Misagh Naderi

LSU Master's Theses

Taxanes are spindle poisons that bind to and stabilize microtubules resulting in mitotic arrest. Herpes simplex Typ-1 (HSV-1) virions utilize the microtubular network for intracellular transport during both virus entry and virus egress from infected cells. It has been reported previously that taxanes may synergize with oncolytic herpes simplex viruses in the treatment of experimental prostate and breast tumors in mice. Other reports have indicated that taxanes may inhibit viral replication in infected cells. In this study the previously characterized Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 (OSVP), which was constructed in Kousoulas lab was used in conjugation with paclitaxel (taxol) …

Improving Hpv Vaccination Series Initiation Rates And Compliance Among Indigent Women In South Texas, Ages 19-26, Through Provider Recommendation And Additional Clinic Funding: A Quality Improvement Project, Lacey Cudd

Doctor of Nursing Practice

The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase human papillomavirus vaccination series initiation rates among indigent women, ages 19-26, at a clinic in South Texas. The human papillomavirus is a sexually transmitted infection that has been associated with multiple types of cancers. Each year, approximately 6.2 million cases of the human papillomavirus infection are diagnosed; as many as 75% of all new infections occur among females 18-26 years of age. The human papillomavirus vaccination has a high efficacy in regards to cancer prevention, preventing as many as 76% of cancers with only one dose. The project included educating …

The Effects Of A Hpv Educational Intervention Aimed At Collegiate Males On Knowledge, Vaccine Intention, And Uptake, Mary A. Knudtson

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States (US). In 2013, approximately 6% of 19 to 26-year-old males had received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine (Richman, Maddy, Torres, & Goldberg, 2016). Currently there is no known cure for HPV, however a prophylactic vaccination provides an efficacious method for protection against HPV related diseases. The purpose of the evidence-based project was to provide a HPV educational intervention to collegiate males and examine the effects of HPV knowledge, intention to vaccinate, and receipt of vaccination. The Health Belief Model was selected to …

Assessment Of The Zoonotic Potential Of A Novel Bovine Influenza Virus, Laura Evelyn Eckard

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

A novel orthomyxovirus was recently identified from pigs, with subsequent work suggesting the natural reservoir being bovine populations. The virus had genome characteristics most similar to influenza C viruses (ICV) but, due to the extent of sequence divergence, was proposed as a new genus, influenza D virus (IDV). Current literature on IDV has largely focused on the agricultural significance of the virus and provided evidence for the agricultural impact via observation of widespread prevalence and pathology in laboratory infected cattle. However, only one study, which identified 1.3% seroprevalence in a small cohort, has addressed the zoonotic potential of IDV to …

Structural And Functional Interactions Between Bro1 Domain Of Human Alix Protein And Nucleocapsid Packaging Rna Complex From Hiv, Scott Gross

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

A virus is only as powerful as its ability to spread. Enveloped retroviruses, namely HIV-1, use exocytosis pathways that normal host cells use to release particles from the plasma membrane. The main pathways of interest in this study are the Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT) and adjacent ALIX pathways. The ESCRT pathway is especially important for degradation of receptor/cargo complexes that form Multi-Vesicular Bodies (MVBs). Currently, there is no known therapy that targets this endosomal pathway, which would prevent the spread of the virus to other cells. The virus has adapted to jump from pathway to pathway when …

Sustained Adrenergic Signaling Promotes Cervical Cancer Progression, Nouara C. Sadaoui

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Background: Chronic stress and sustained adrenergic signaling are known to promote tumor progression. The underlying mechanisms behind this process are not well understood. We examined the effects of sustained adrenergic signaling on cervical cancer progression through increased expression of HPV oncogenes, E6 and E7.

Materials and Methods: ADRβ expression levels were examined in patient-derived cervical cancer samples. We used an orthotopic model of cervical cancer to investigate the effects of restraint stress on tumor growth and metastasis. We evaluated the in vivo effects of a β-blocker, propranolol, and HPV E6/E7 siRNA. In vitro, ADRβ positive cervical cancer cells were …

Development And Characterization Of A Recombinant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (Rvsv) For The Treatment Of Glioblastoma, Erika A. Dillard

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Background: Over the past 30 years, little has changed in the treatment modalities and prognosis of patients suffering from Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and by far the most devastating adult primary malignant brain tumor. Conventional therapies provide only a marginal increase in survival of GBM patients, post-diagnosis. Therefore, more novel means of treating GBM are needed to increase long-term survival and quality of life for those affected. Replication competent oncolytic viruses (OVs) have recently emerged as a possible option for treatment of high-grade gliomas. Particularly, recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV), an enveloped, negative strand RNA virus, has shown …

Human Adenovirus E1a Binds And Retasks Cellular Hbre1, Blocking Interferon Signalling And Activating Virus Early Gene Transcription, Gregory J. Fonseca

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Upon infection, human adenovirus (HAdV) must block interferon signaling and activate the expression of its early genes to reprogram the cellular environment to support virus replication. During the initial phase of infection, these processes are orchestrated by the first HAdV gene expressed during infection, early region 1A (E1A). E1A binds and appropriates components of the cellular transcriptional machinery to modulate cellular gene transcription and activate viral early genes transcription. We have identified hBre1/RNF20 as a novel target of E1A. hBre1 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase which acts with the Ube2b E2 conjugase and accessory factors RNF40 and WAC1 to monoubiquitinate …

Contribution Of The Membrane-Proximal Region Of The Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Glycoprotein To Host Cell Entry And Membrane Fusion, Elizabeth Lane Matheny

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is an enveloped, nonsegmented, negative-sense, RNA virus belonging to the Rhabdoviridae family. VSV is considered the prototypic Rhabdovirus due to its simple genetic organization, broad host cell tropism, and ability to be easily grown in cell culture. Therefore, VSV has been used as the prototype to study viral entry, transcription, replication, and assembly. Viral entry, a critical step in the lifecycle of the virus, is mediated by the outer surface protein, G and will be the focus of this dissertation.

We hypothesize that the highly conserved residues in the membrane-proximal region of VSV G protein are …

Manipulation Of The Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus Envelope Protein In An Effort To Develop Directly And Indirectly Targeted Retroviral Vectors For Use In Human Gene Therapy, Geneva M. Vasser

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Highly effective, targeted therapies against cancer would revolutionize the way people recover from this devastating illness. Gone would be the lingering side effects of the current non-specific treatments and in their place would be faster recovery times, better quality of life both during and after treatment, and less ambiguity about whether or not treatment was effective. This concept will elude modern medicine until treatments can be tailored to the patient's individual and unique disease. This concept of a transient, targeted, and tailored vehicle aimed at cancer cells lends itself to the use of replication deficient retroviral gene therapy vectors with …

Comparison Of Interferon Produced In Vitro By Monkey Kidney Cells Demonstrating Interference Against Polio Ii, Coxsackie A-9, Influenza A2/Hong Kong/68, And Echo-9 Viruses, Archer Duncan Farmer Jr.

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Abstract unavailable

Experimentation To Develop Procedures To Be Used In The Investigation Of The Effects Of Restriction On The Unmodified Dna Of The Bacteriophage Lamda, John Haynes

Honors Theses

The results of experimentation approximately twenty years ago with variuos bacteriophages by Ralston and Krueger¹⁶, Anderson and Felix¹, Luria and Human¹², and by Bertani and Weigle² have shown that the host range of a given phage depends directly on the bacterial strain on which the phage has last propagated. This event came to be known as host-induced modification or host-controlled variation. As this phage host range is controlled by the host environment and can be altered from one generation to another it has, according to Luria, made microbiology "the last stronghold of Lamarckism" …