Other Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons^™

Biosafety: Evaluation And Regulation Of Genetically Modified (Gm) Crops In The United States, Richard E. Goodman

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

This review of the safety assessment of genetically modified (GM) crops is focused primarily on the process and progress in the United States (US). It reviews the development of the safety evaluation process from the Asilomar conference in 1975 considering issues relevant to recombinant DNA technology, to discussions between the US government, academic and industrial scientists between 1984 and 1994 when the first GM crops were being field tested and evaluated commercial release for food and feed production. International guidelines were also reviewed for consistency with the US system. The overall process includes consideration of information relating to history of …

Discretized Agent-Based Model Of Infectious Disease Spread That Uses Contact Probability, Tyrell L. Gardner

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This study uses contact probability in an agent-based model to simulate the spread of an infectious disease. In order to perform the study, the agent-based model must first be discretized into events. Each agent in the model is given its own infectious disease state machine taken from the Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered (SEIR) model. The agents move between squares in a grid environment where each square represents a group. Groups have a contact probability as an attribute that is used to predict whether an agent comes in close contact with another agent. The transitions between the states in the SEIR model are easily …

Mycoplasma Ovipneumoniae - A Primary Cause Of Severe Pneumonia Epizootics In The Norwegian Muskox (Ovibos Moschatus) Population, Torstein Tengs Dr.

Dr. Torstein Tengs

The Norwegian muskox (Ovibos moschatus) population lives on the high mountain plateau of Dovre and originates from animals introduced from Greenland. In the late summers of 2006 and 2012, severe outbreaks of pneumonia with mortality rates of 25-30% occurred. During the 2012 epidemic high quality samples from culled sick animals were obtained for microbiological and pathological examinations. High throughput sequencing (pyrosequencing) of pneumonic lung tissue revealed high concentrations of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae in all six animals examined by this method and Pasteurella multocida subsp. multocida in four animals, whereas no virus sequences could be identified. Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae and P. multocida multocida …

Elucidating The Signalling Pathway Of Mer Tyrosine Kinase Receptor In Efferocytosis, Ekenedelichukwu Azu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Efferocytosis is the clearance of apoptotic cells and is necessary for homeostasis. Mer Tyrosine Kinase (MerTK) is a crucial efferocytic receptor whose loss is associated with chronic inflammatory diseases and autoimmunity. While previous studies have shown that MerTK mediates efferocytosis through a unique mechanism that requires integrins, MerTK signalling pathway remains unknown. Given this unusual internalization mechanism, I hypothesized that MerTK signals and engages integrins through a novel signalling pathway different from that used by other phagocytic receptors. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the signalling pathways activated by MerTK, utilizing conventional cell biology and pharmacological approaches.

I found that …

Understanding Recurrent Disease: A Dynamical Systems Approach, Wenjing Zhang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Recurrent disease, characterized by repeated alternations between acute relapse and long re- mission, can be a feature of both common diseases, like ear infections, and serious chronic diseases, such as HIV infection or multiple sclerosis. Due to their poorly understood etiology and the resultant challenge for medical treatment and patient management, recurrent diseases attract much attention in clinical research and biomathematics. Previous studies of recurrence by biomathematicians mainly focus on in-host models and generate recurrent patterns by in- corporating forcing functions or stochastic elements. In this study, we investigate deterministic in-host models through the qualitative analysis of dynamical systems, to …

Characterization Of Efferosome Maturation And The Processing Of Apoptotic Bodies, Yohan Kim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Every day billions of cells in our bodies undergo apoptosis and are cleared through efferocytosis – a phagocytosis-like process in which phagocytes engulf and degrade apoptotic cells. Proper processing of efferosomes prevents inflammation and immunogenic presentation of antigens. In this thesis I determined that the early stages of efferosome maturation parallel that of the pro-immunogenic phagocytosis of pathogens. Mass spectrometry analysis of later maturation stages identified unique regulatory proteins on efferosomes and phagosomes. Keys among these were Rab17 and Rab45 on efferosomes versus Rab6b and PI-4-Kinase on phagosomes. The later would allow for antigen presentation from phagosomes, while the former …

Fty720 (Fingolimod) Provides Insight Into The Molecular Mechanisms Of Multiple Sclerosis, Madelyn Elizabeth Crawford

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a prolonged immune- mediated inflammatory response that targets myelin. Nearly all of the drugs approved for the treatment of MS are general immunosuppressants or only function in symptom management. The oral medication fingolimod, however, is reported to have direct therapeutic effects on cells of the central nervous system in addition to immunomodulatory functions. Fingolimod is known to interact with sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptors, and the most widely- accepted theory for its mechanism of action is functional antagonism of the receptor. This review examines significant neuromodulatory effects achieved by functional antagonism of the …

Characterization Of A Putative Cephalotoxin From The Hemocytes Of Euprymna Scolopes, Jessie E. Scott

University Scholar Projects

Many organisms have beneficial microbial symbionts, and complex interactions between the immune system and the bacteria must occur to allow these symbioses to persist. The host immune system must recognize and preferentially tolerate the beneficial microorganisms, while simultaneously eliminating harmful pathogens. The Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes, is a model organism for host-microbe interactions because of the unique light organ symbiosis. Hemocytes, the squid’s primary immune cell, infiltrate and patrol the light organ and continuously interact with the symbiont Vibrio fischeri. Using this model, several innate immunity genes have been shown to be differentially expressed in the hemocytes …

Tethered Il-15 To Augment The Therapeutic Potential Of T Cells Expressing Chimeric Antigen Receptor: Maintaining Memory Potential, Persistence, And Antitumor Activity, Lenka Hurton

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Tethered IL-15 to augment the therapeutic potential of T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptor: Maintaining memory potential, persistence, and antitumor activity

Adoptive immunotherapy can retarget T cells to CD19, a tumor-associated antigen (TAA) expressed on B-cell malignancies, by the expression of a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). Infusion of CAR-modified T cells for the treatment B-cell malignancies has demonstrated promise in preclinical and clinical trials. These data highlight the ability of infused CD19-specific T cells to be synchronously activated by large burdens of CD19⁺ leukemia and lymphoma. This can lead to dramatic antitumor effects, but also exposes the recipient to …

Placental Hpv Infection In Hiv Positive And Hiv Negative Zambian Women, Chrispin Chisanga

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have been reported to infect epithelial trophoblastic cells of the placenta, induce cell death and even cause placental malfunction associated with spontaneous preterm delivery. To date, no study has been conducted to determine the role of HIV on HPV genotype distribution and pathogenesis in the placental compartment. This is despite the evidence that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can decrease the cellular immune response and increase the incidence of malignant cancers in HPV patients. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed 200 genomic DNA (gDNA) samples extracted from paraffin embedded placental tissues of HIV positive and HIV negative …

Auto-Antigenic Properties Of The Spliceosome As A Molecular Tool For Diagnosing Systemic Lupus Erythematosus And Mixed Connective Tissue Disease Patients, Annia Mesa

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (MCTD) are chronic, autoimmune disorders that target overlapping autoantigens and exhibit similar clinical manifestations. Despite 40 years of research, a reliable biomarker capable of diagnosing these syndromes has yet to be identified. Previous studies have confirmed that components of the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein complex (U1 snRNP) such as U1A are 1000 fold more autoantigenic than any other nuclear component in SLE patients. Based on these findings, I hypothesize that models derived from the U1 snRNP autoantigenic properties could distinguish SLE from MCTD patients. To test this hypothesis, 30 peptides corresponding …

Avian Influenza Virus Prevalence In Migratory Waterfowl In The United States, 2007-2009, Scott R. Groepper Mr., Thomas Deliberto, Mark Vrtiska, Kerri Pedersen, Seth Swafford, Scott Hyngstrom

Scott R Groepper

SUMMARY. We analyzed 155,535 samples collected for surveillance of avian influenza viruses (AIVs), in the United States from 2007 to 2009, from migratory waterfowl (ducks, geese, and swans). The goal was to elucidate patterns of prevalence by flyway and functional groups to determine targets for future surveillance. Apparent prevalence of AIV was highest in the Pacific Flyway in 2007–2008 (14.2% and 14.1%, respectively), in the Mississippi Flyway in 2009 (16.8%), and lowest each year in the Atlantic Flyway (range, 7.3%–8.9%). Dabbling ducks had higher apparent prevalence of AIV (12.8%–18.8%) than diving ducks (3.9%–6.0%) or geese and swans (3.6%–3.9%). We observed …

Changing Climate And The Altitudinal Range Of Avian Malaria In The Hawaiian Islands – An Ongoing Conservation Crisis On The Island Of Kaua`I, Carter T. Atkonson, Ruth B. Utzurrum, Dennis A. Lapointe, Richard J. Camp, Lisa H. Crampton, Jeffrey T. Foster, Thomas W. Giambelluca

Richard J. Camp

Transmission of avian malaria in the Hawaiian Islands varies across altitudinal gradients and is greatest at elevations below 1500 m where both temperature and moisture are favorable for the sole mosquito vector, Culex quinquefasciatus, and extrinsic sporogonic development of the parasite, Plasmodium relictum. Potential consequences of global warming on this system have been recognized for over a decade with concerns that increases in mean temperatures could lead to expansion of malaria into habitats where cool temperatures currently limit transmission to highly susceptible endemic forest birds. Recent declines in two endangered species on the island of Kaua’i, the ‘Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi) …

Receptor Of Advanced Glycation Endproducts (Rage) Is Positively Correlated With Tumor Necrosis Factor-Α In Adolescents With Obesity, Tasnim Rahman, Daniel H. Conrad, Anshu Gupta

Undergraduate Research Posters

Introduction: Obesity in childhood is associated with an increased prevalence of diabetes and other traditional cardiometabolic risk factors, suggesting an epidemic of premature cardiovascular disease among today’s youth. Glycotoxins, known as advanced glycationend products (AGE’s), activating via the membrane-bound receptors (mRAGE), have been implicated in the pathophysiology of inflammation, (increased tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α ]), insulin resistance and vascular dysfunction in adults, but the role of RAGE in the early stages of metabolic disorders is unknown. In this study, we assessed relationship of cardiometabolicrisk factors, mRNA expression of TNF-α and RAGE in peripheral monocytes in adolescents with obesity.

Methods: Thirty …

Finding Them Before They Find Us: Informatics, Parasites, And Environments In Accelerating Climate Change, Daniel R. Brooks, Eric P. Hoberg, Walter A. Boeger, Scott Lyell Gardner, Kurt E. Galbreath, David Herczeg, Hugo H. Mejía-Madrid, S. Elizabeth Rácz, Altangerel Tsogtsaikhan Dursahinhan

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Parasites are agents of disease in humans, livestock, crops, and wildlife and are powerful representations of the ecological and historical context of the diseases they cause. Recognizing a nexus of professional opportunities and global public need, we gathered at the Cedar Point Biological Station of the University of Nebraska in September 2012 to formulate a cooperative and broad platform for providing essential information about the evolution, ecology, and epidemiology of parasites across host groups, parasite groups, geographical regions, and ecosystem types. A general protocol, documentation–assessment–monitoring–action (DAMA), suggests an integrated proposal to build a proactive capacity to understand, anticipate, and respond …

The Effects That Liquid And Solid Cattle Manure Have On The Water Quality Of Drainage Ditches In Putnam County, Ohio, Janelle Horstman

Honors Projects

Lake Erie has experienced harmful algal blooms with increased frequency since the mid-1990s due to excess nutrients from Rivers, such as the Maumee River, and largely agricultural watersheds. Nonpoint source pollution from agriculture contributes to eutrophication, algal blooms, and the degradation of water quality. This creates stress on aquatic fauna, reduced aesthetic quality, odor, and limits of the water for usage of drinking, recreation, and industry. This research paper asks what the contributions of having access to manure application records, soil records, and information about antibiotics have on what is known about manure management and antibiotic resistance, which has been …

On Head Lice And Social Interaction In Archaic Andean Coastal Populations, Bernardo Arriaza, Vivien Standen, Karl Reinhard, Aduto Araújo, Jörg Heukelbach, Katharina Dittmar

Karl Reinhard Publications

Archaic mummies from northern Chile were examined for the presence of Pediculus humanus capitis. The excellent preservation of mummies and louse nits/eggs permitted a study of the degree of head lice infestation. We studied 63 Chinchorro mummies (ca. 5000–3000 years B.P.) from the Arica-Camarones coast. An area of 2 cm × 2 cm on each mummy’s head was systematically inspected for louse nits/eggs. Hairs with nits/eggs and lice were collected and analyzed using optic and scanning electronic microscopy. About 79% (50/63) of the mummies resulted positive for pediculosis, with an average of 2.1 nits/ eggs/cm2 per positive individual. Microscopic …

Gene Repression And Cell Cycle Regulation By Pu.1 In Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Rachel Gh Ziliotto

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is associated with mutations or chromosomal translocations in genes encoding transcription factors. PU.1 is a transcription factor that is required for the development of nearly all white blood cell types of the immune system, including B cells, granulocytes, and monocytes. Mutation of the gene encoding PU.1, SPI1 in humans and Sfpi1 in mice, is associated with AML. We hypothesized that reduced expression of PU.1 in Sfpi1^BN/BNmyeloid cells will result in the development of AML in transplanted mice due to reduced repression of E2F1, leading to deregulation of the cell cycle. Results indicate that NOD/SCID/γc …

Mechanisms Contributing To The Emergence Of Ranavirus In Ectothermic Vertebrate Communities, Roberto M. Brenes

Doctoral Dissertations

Ranaviruses have been linked to amphibian die-off events in ectothermic vertebrates worldwide. Differences in susceptibility and capacity of transmission among and within classes are poorly understood. My goal was to determine possible mechanisms influencing susceptibility to ranavirus infection in amphibian species and other aquatic vertebrate taxa, as well as the capacity of transmission between classes and the effects of amphibian community composition on ranavirus transmission. I tested 16 amphibian species from USA, Europe, and the pet trade, expanding an existing database developed by the Center for Wildlife Health to 35 amphibian species from 9 families. I also tested the susceptibility …

Role Of Msa In Immune Evasion, Persistence, And Protease Regulation In The Human Pathogenic Strains Of Staphylococcus Aureus, Maria Deepa Basco

Dissertations

Opportunistic pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus on entering the host can stay colonized at the foci of infection or evade the immune system to disseminate to other sites. In this study we investigated the regulatory influence of the modulator of sarA (msa) on immune evasion and host persistence, employing the hospital-acquired strain S. aureus UAMS-1 and community-acquired strain S. aureus USA300 LAC. In the murine sepsis model, mutation of the msa gene in LAC showed no change in dissemination of infection; however, in UAMS-1 a decrease in microbial load was observed in the lungs. Differential regulation by the msa gene was …