Anatomy Commons^™

Fetal Programming By Nicotine Increases Cardiac Susceptibility To Ischemic Injury, Jennifer Charlotte Alexie Lawrence

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Fetal programming is the area of study that focuses on the prenatal origins of adult onset disorders. Previous studies have associated an adverse prenatal environment with the onset of physiologic and metabolic diseases during adulthood. Fetal malnutrition, hypoxia, and exposure to drugs - such as cocaine and nicotine - have been associated with adult disease states. Cigarette smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the developed world. Among the many dangerous chemicals found in tobacco products is nicotine, the compound responsible for the addictive nature of tobacco use. Nicotine use during pregnancy is a known cause of …

Prostaglandin E(2) Is Crucial In The Response Of Podocytes To Fluid Flow Shear Stress., Tarak Srivastava, Ellen T. Mccarthy, Ram Sharma, Patricia A. Cudmore, Mukut Sharma, Mark L. Johnson, Lynda F. Bonewald

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Podocytes play a key role in maintaining and modulating the filtration barrier of the glomerulus. Because of their location, podocytes are exposed to mechanical strain in the form of fluid flow shear stress (FFSS). Several human diseases are characterized by glomerular hyperfiltration, such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension. The response of podocytes to FFSS at physiological or pathological levels is not known. We exposed cultured podocytes to FFSS, and studied changes in actin cytoskeleton, prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) production and expression of cyclooxygenase-1 and-2 (COX-1, COX-2). FFSS caused a reduction in transversal F-actin stress filaments and the appearance of cortical actin …

Estimated Birth Weight And Adult Cardiovascular Risk Factors In A Developing Southern Chinese Population: A Cross Sectional Study, C. Mary Schooling, C. Q. Jiang, T. H. Lam, B. J. Cowling, S. L. Yeung, W. S. Zhang, K. K. Cheng, G. M. Leung

Publications and Research

Background: Birth weight is negatively associated with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, but the associations are less well-established in developing populations where birth weight is often unavailable. We studied the association of birth weight and cardiovascular risk, using birth rank as an instrumental variable, in Southern China.

Methods: We used published data on birth weight by birth rank from an appropriate population and baseline data from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study phases 2 & 3 (2005-8) to examine the adjusted associations, using instrumental variable analysis, of birth weight with clinically measured cardiovascular risk factors and the metabolic syndrome in older …

Spinal Cord Injury: Exploring The Histology Of Electrospun Implants In Vivo, Charles Lin

Theses and Dissertations

Spinal cord injury results in loss of motor function and sensory perception. A myriad of obstacles prevent axonal regeneration and ultimately functional recovery in those afflicted with spinal cord injury. Combinatorial strategies addressing many of these obstacles simultaneously have shown promising results. Laboratories investigating contusional spinal cord injuries must overcome the formation of a fluid filled cyst, a physical gap that axons must traverse, at the injury epicenter. To fill the cyst, our lab has generated a 3-D electrospun matrix that is capable of directing neurite outgrowth, delivering neurotrophic support, and reducing the activity of neuroinhibitory compounds. These electrospun matrices …

Characterizing Purkinje Cell Responses And Cerebellar Influence On Fluid Licking In The Mouse, Jeri Lonece Bryant

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Rodents consume water by performing stereotypical, rhythmic licking movements which are believed to be driven by central pattern generating circuits located in the brainstem. Temporal aspects of rhythmic licking behavior have been shown to be represented in the olivo-cerebellar system in the form of population complex spike activity. These findings suggest that the olivo-cerebellar system is involved in the generating circuitry responsible for licking rhythm in rodents. However, the representation of licking in the simple spike activity of Purkinje cells and the consequences of loss of cerebellar function on licking behavior has not been quantified. I investigated the influence of …

Descending Branch Of The Lateral Circumflex Femoral Artery - Arterial Genicular Anastomoses, Maher Sabalbal

Maher Sabalbal

Genicular collateral arterial circulation is required for perfusion of the lower leg should the superficial femoral artery (SFA) become obstructed by trauma or disease. When describing the anatomy, textbooks only provide a schematic representation of the genicular collateral circulation and suggest that the descending branch of the lateral circumflex artery (DBLCFA) plays a critical role. The DBLCFA may be removed for bypass and reconstructive surgeries; therefore, a sound anatomical description of this artery is essential. This study combines dissection with 3D reconstruction to describe the anatomy of the DBLCFA and to provide a morphological description of its involvement in the …

Focal Adhesion Kinase, A Major Regulator Of Oligodendrocyte Morphological Maturation And Myelination, Audrey Lafrenaye

Theses and Dissertations

The formation of the myelin sheath is a crucial step during development because it enables fast and efficient propagation of signals within the limited space of the mammalian central nervous system. During the process of myelination, oligodendrocytes actively interact with the extracellular matrix (ECM). These interactions are considered crucial for proper and timely completion of the myelin sheath. However, the exact regulatory circuits involved in the signaling events that occur between the ECM and oligodendrocytes are currently not fully understood. Therefore, in this dissertation we investigated the role of a known integrator of cell-ECM signaling, namely, focal adhesion kinase (FAK), …

Optimal Bone Strength And Mineralization Requires The Type 2 Iodothyronine Deiodinase In Osteoblasts, J. H. D. Bassett, Alan Boyde, Peter G. T. Howell, Richard H. Bassett, Thomas M. Galliford, Marta Archanco, Holly Evans, Michelle A. Lawson, Peter Croucher, Donald L. St. Germain, Valerie A. Galton, Graham R. Williams

Dartmouth Scholarship

Hypothyroidism and thyrotoxicosis are each associated with an increased risk of fracture. Although thyroxine (T4) is the predominant circulating thyroid hormone, target cell responses are determined by local intracellular availability of the active hormone 3,5,3'-L-triiodothyronine (T3), which is generated from T4 by the type 2 deiodinase enzyme (D2). To investigate the role of locally produced T3 in bone, we characterized mice deficient in D2 (D2KO) in which the serum T3 level is normal. Bones from adult D2KO mice have reduced toughness and are brittle, displaying an increased susceptibility to fracture. This phenotype is characterized by a 50% reduction in bone …

Identification Of 2-Aminothiazole-4-Carboxylate Derivatives Active Against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis H37rv And The B-Ketoacyl-Acp Synthase Mtfabh, Philadelphia University

Philadelphia University, Jordan

No abstract provided.

Your Attention Please: Increasing Ambient Noise Levels Elicits A Change In Communication Behaviour In Humpback Whales (Megaptera Novaeangliae), Rebecca A. Dunlop, Douglas H. Cato, Michael J. Noad

Bioacoustics Collection

High background noise is an important obstacle in successful signal detection and perception of an intended acoustic signal. To overcome this problem, many animals modify their acoustic signal by increasing the repetition rate, duration, amplitude or frequency range of the signal. An alternative method to ensure successful signal reception, yet to be tested in animals, involves the use of two different types of signal, where one signal type may enhance the other in periods of high background noise. Humpback whale communication signals comprise two different types: vocal signals, and surface-generated signals such as ‘breaching’ or ‘pectoral slapping’. We found that …

Perifosine, A Novel Akt Inhibitor Induces Apoptosis, Cell Cycle Arrest And Has A Chemo-Sensitizing Effect In Medulloblastoma Cell Lines, Anil Kumar

Theses and Dissertations

Primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors are the most common solid tumors found in children. While surgery and radiotherapy still remain the standard treatment modalities in pediatric brain tumors, chemotherapy also has an important part in the management of these tumors. However, most of the available chemotherapeutic drugs have suboptimal effectiveness. Deregulation of various pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic pathways has been cited as a major mechanism underlying this drug resistance. The role of various serine threonine kinases, including Akt kinases, in promoting drug resistance is being extensively studied in various cancers. A complete understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie drug …

Dysautonomia Due To Reduced Cholinergic Neurotransmission Causes Cardiac Remodeling And Heart Failure, Aline Lara, Denis D. Damasceno, Rita Pires, Robert Gros, Eneas R. Gomes, Mariana Gavioli, Ricardo F. Lima, Diogo Guimaraes, Patricia Lima, Carlos Roberto Bueno Jr., Anilton Vasconcelos, Danilo Roman-Campos, Cristiane A. S. Menezes, Raquel A. Sirvente, Vera M. Salemi, Charles Mady, Marc G. Caron, Anderson J. Ferreira, Patricia C. Brum, Rodrigo R. Resende, Jader S. Cruz, Marcus Vinicius Gomez, Vania F. Prado, Alvair P. De Almeida, Marco A. M. Prado, Silvia Guatimosim

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

Overwhelming evidence supports the importance of the sympathetic nervous system in heart failure. In contrast, much less is known about the role of failing cholinergic neurotransmission in cardiac disease. By using a unique genetically modified mouse line with reduced expression of the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) and consequently decreased release of acetylcholine, we investigated the consequences of altered cholinergic tone for cardiac function. M-mode echocardiography, hemodynamic experiments, analysis of isolated perfused hearts, and measurements of cardiomyocyte contraction indicated that VAChT mutant mice have decreased left ventricle function associated with altered calcium handling. Gene expression was analyzed by quantitative reverse transcriptase …

From Blood Pressure To Physical Disability: The Role Of Cognition, Merrill F. Elias, Gregory A. Dore, Adam Davey, Michael A. Robbins, Penelope K. Elias

Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Papers

We examined the hypothesis that lowered cognitive performance plays a role in the relation between elevated blood pressure and physical disability in performing basic physical tasks. A community-based sample (N = 1025) free from stroke and dementia (mean age: 61.1 years; SD: 13.0 years; 59.8% women) was used. Using path analysis, systolic and diastolic blood pressures (predictor variable) measured over multiple longitudinal examinations were averaged and related to multiple measures of cognition (intermediate variable) and physical ability (PA; outcome variable) measured at wave 6 of the Maine-Syracuse Study. PA was indexed by time required to execute standing, walking, and turning …

Patient Centered Care Approach To Adherence With Cardiovascular Medications: Self-Determination Theory Integration, David S. Li

Health Services Research Dissertations

Problem statement. Behavioral intervention is used to improve adherence with medication in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), but the effect was not sustainable. Patient-centered care (PCC) as a consumer movement has gained acceptance, but it lacks a theoretical framework. Self-determination theory (SDT) may provide an alternative to improve patients' adherence to chronic cardiovascular medication, as well as a theoretical framework for PCC. Both approaches to CVD management have not been evaluated.

Methods. The study was a quasi-experimental pretest posttest comparison design with consecutive sampling of a hospitalized cardiac patient population. Sixty patients each for the usual care (UC) …

Stuck Together: Searching For A Model Of Peritoneal Adhesions Using The August Rat, James W. Bathe

Honors Theses

Fibrous adhesions, a by-product of the healing process, often appear post-surgically as a result of peritonitis related to the surgery. These adhesions can be either primarily "scar tissue" or excess "healthy tissue," and are the leading cause of intestinal obstruction in modern medicine. Shockingly, adhesions occur in up to 96% of patients undergoing intra-abdominal surgery. Adhesions can lead to multiple complications other than obstructions such as inadvertent enterotomy at the time of adhesiolysis, chronic pain, and female infertility. Additional complications arise from the adhesions preventing the free movement of organs and causing strangulations. The causes of the peritonitis, and therefore …

Understanding The Effects Of Low Salinity On Fertilization Success And Early Development In The Sand Dollar Echinarachnius Parma, Jonathan D. Allen, Jan A. Pechenik

Jonathan Allen

No abstract provided.

The Influences Of Matrix Metalloproteinase-1 Expression On Glioblastoma Pathology, Nicholas Pullen

Theses and Dissertations

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive central nervous system (CNS) cancer characterized by enhanced tumor cell motility, pernicious invasion into the normal brain, extensive tumor-induced angiogenesis, and adaptive resistance to current therapeutic paradigms. One of the difficulties associated with GBM is the ability of the tumor cells to infiltrate normal CNS tissue. Neurosurgeons can remove the primary tumor mass, but peripheral cells that are inaccessible will ultimately result in a secondary lesion that can lead to death. The matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are well known for their abilities to facilitate processes of cellular motility and invasion through their clearance of extracellular …

Neuropilin 1 Directly Interacts With Fer Kinase To Mediate Semaphorin3a-Induced Death Of Cortical Neurons, Susan X. Jiang, Shawn N. Whitehead, Amy Aylsworth, Bogdan Zurakowski, Kenneth Chan, Jianjun Li, Sheng T. Hou

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

Neuropilins (NRPs) are receptors for the major chemorepulsive axonal guidance cue semaphorins (Sema). The interaction of Sema3A/NRP1 during development leads to the collapse of growth cones. Here we show that Sema3A also induces death of cultured cortical neurons through NRP1. A specific NRP1 inhibitory peptide ameliorated Sema3A-evoked cortical axonal retraction and neuronal death. Moreover, Sema3A was also involved in cerebral ischemia-induced neuronal death. Expression levels of Sema3A and NRP1, but not NRP2, were significantly increased early during brain reperfusion following transient focal cerebral ischemia. NRP1 inhibitory peptide delivered to the ischemic brain was potently neuroprotective and prevented the loss of …

Dopamine Neuron Stimulating Actions Of A Gdnf Propeptide, Luke H. Bradley, Josh Fuqua, April Richardson, Jadwiga Turchan-Cholewo, Yi Ai, Kristen A. Kelps, John D. Glass, Xiuquan He, Zhiming Zhang, Richard Grondin, O. Meagan Littrell, Peter Huettl, Francois Pomerleau, Don M. Gash, Greg A. Gerhardt

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Neurotrophic factors, such as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), have shown great promise for protection and restoration of damaged or dying dopamine neurons in animal models and in some Parkinson's disease (PD) clinical trials. However, the delivery of neurotrophic factors to the brain is difficult due to their large size and poor bio-distribution. In addition, developing more efficacious trophic factors is hampered by the difficulty of synthesis and structural modification. Small molecules with neurotrophic actions that are easy to synthesize and modify to improve bioavailability are needed.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: Here we present the neurobiological actions of dopamine …

Hair Whorls In The Dog (Canis Familiaris), Part Ii: Asymmetries, Lisa M. Tomkins, Paul Mcgreevy

Anatomy Collection

In horses and cattle, hair whorls have been shown to act as a structural marker of reactivity and behavioral lateralization. Few studies on canine whorls have been reported and none have assessed whorl position or direction of flow. This study describes the distribution and characteristics of whorl in each of 10 regions in which whorls are typically located in dogs. Hair whorls were assessed in dogs (n = 120) and were recorded as clockwise or counterclockwise in the cephalic, cervical (dorsal, lateral, ventral), thoracic and brachial axillary, chest, shoulders, elbows, abdominal, and ischiatic regions. Bilateral whorls, including brachial axillary, elbow, …