Substance P Differentially Modulates Firing Rate Of Solitary Complex (Sc) Neurons From Control And Chronic Hypoxia-Adapted Adult Rats, Nicole L. Nichols, Frank L. Powell, Jay B. Dean, Robert W. Putnam

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

NK1 receptors, which bind substance P, are present in the majority of brainstem regions that contain CO₂/H⁺-sensitive neurons that play a role in central chemosensitivity. However, the effect of substance P on the chemosensitive response of neurons from these regions has not been studied. Hypoxia increases substance P release from peripheral afferents that terminate in the caudal nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS). Here we studied the effect of substance P on the chemosensitive responses of solitary complex (SC: NTS and dorsal motor nucleus) neurons from control and chronic hypoxia-adapted (CHx) adult rats. We simultaneously measured intracellular pH …

Complexity Of Interferon-Γ Interactions With Hsv-1, Nancy J. Bigley

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

The intricacies involving the role of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in herpesvirus infection and persistence are complex. Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) uses a variety of receptors to enter cells and is transported to and from the host cell nucleus over the microtubule railroad via retrograde and anterograde transport. IFN-γ exerts dual but conflicting effects on microtubule organization. IFN-γ stimulates production of suppressors of cytokine signaling 1 and 3 (SOCS1 and SOCS3), which are involved in microtubule stability and are negative regulators of IFN-γ signaling when overexpressed. IFN-γ also interferes with the correct assembly of microtubules causing them to undergo severe …

Maternal Biomarkers Of Endothelial Dysfunction And Preterm Delivery, Xinhua Chen, Theresa O Scholl

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

BACKGROUND: Endothelial dysfunction is key to the development of atherosclerosis. Preterm delivery foreshadows later maternal cardiovascular disease (CVD), but it is not known if endothelial dysfunction also occurs. We prospectively measured circulating biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction in pregnant women with preterm or term delivery.

METHODS: We conducted a case-control study nested within a large prospective epidemiological study of young, generally healthy pregnant women. Women who delivered preterm (gestation, n = 240) and controls who delivered at term (n = 439) were included. Pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia were analyzed separately. Circulating endothelial dysfunction biomarkers included soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), vascular …

Comparison Of Two Different Sprint Interval Training Work-To-Rest Ratios On Acute Metabolic And Inflammatory Responses, Christopher R. Harnish

Theses and Dissertations

High intensity exercise is believed to yield greater results on health and human performance than moderate intensity exercise. Extensive research indicates that not only do high-intensity interval training (HIT) and sprint interval training (SIT) produce significant improvements in cardiovascular fitness and disease, they may be more effective at improving long-term metabolic function, including insulin sensitivity (Si), by producing more mitochondria. Moreover, compliance rates for HIT and SIT participation are reported to be the same or better than traditional moderate intensity exercise. Because lack of time is often cited as major hindrance to exercise participation, SIT is also seen as a …

Effect Of Fluid Loss Following Hemodialysis On Tibialis Anterior Muscle Strength In People With End-Stage Renal Disease, Anuradha Sawant

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of fluid loss following hemodialysis (HD) on tibialis anterior (TA) strength in participants with end-stage renal disease. Issues concerning measures of skeletal muscle hydration and efficacy of exercise as an anabolic intervention were also addressed.

METHODS: Data from published literature were combined in a meta-analysis to establish efficacy of exercise in participants on HD. Three clinical studies were undertaken using data acquired from healthy volunteers and participants on HD. Hydration of the calf muscles was estimated using bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS) [extracellular (ECF) and intracellular (ICF) fluid] …

Nf1 Loss And Ras Hyperactivation In Oligodendrocytes Induce Nos-Driven Defects In Myelin And Vasculature, Debra A. Mayes, Tilat A. Rizvi, Haley E. Titus-Mitchell, Rachel Oberst, Georgianne M. Ciraolo, Charles V. Vorhees, Andrew P. Robinson, Stephen D. Miller, Jose A. Cancelas, Anat O. Stemmer-Rachamimov, Nancy Ratner

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

Patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and Costello syndrome Rasopathy have behavioral deficits. In NF1 patients, these may correlate with white matter enlargement and aberrant myelin. To model these features, we induced Nf1 loss or HRas hyperactivation in mouse oligodendrocytes. Enlarged brain white matter tracts correlated with myelin decompaction, downregulation of claudin-11, and mislocalization of connexin-32. Surprisingly, non-cell-autonomous defects in perivascular astrocytes and the blood-brain barrier (BBB) developed, implicating a soluble mediator. Nitric oxide (NO) can disrupt tight junctions and gap junctions, and NO and NO synthases (NOS1-NOS3) were upregulated in mutant white matter. Treating mice with the NOS inhibitor …

The Effects Of Acute High- And Low-Intensity Exercise On Hsp70 And Hsp90 Accumulation In Rat Skeletal Myofibres And Vasculature, Hana Kowalchuk

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Exercise induces cytoprotective stress proteins in blood vessels (BV) and skeletal myofibres. The localization and extent of induction with different exercise intensities is unclear. Rats (n=10 per group) were run at high (HIEX; 30m/min) versus low-intensity exercise (LOEX; 15m/min) for 1hr, sacrificed 24hr later. Sections of the white portion of the vastus were immunofluorescently stained for Hsp70 and Hsp90. It was hypothesized that: 1) a greater abundance of Hsp70 and Hsp90 would be observed in BVs following HIEX, 2) due to earlier recruitment, larger BVs would have a more robust response than small BVs, 3) more myofibres surrounding BVs expressing …

Diabetes Mellitus And Hypercholesterolemia Are Risk Factors For Alzheimer’S Disease And Appear To Affect The Integrity Of The Blood Brain Barrier, Jacqueline Dash

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Studies have shown that the vascular risk factors common to diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia are also risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It is currently unknown how these diseases are associated with AD, but they may cause a leak in the blood brain barrier (BBB), which is one of the hallmarks of AD. In this preliminary study, over 150 pig brain slides were tested for the expression levels of tight junction proteins occludin and claudin V in the BBB microvasculature. There were three groups of pig brains used in this study namely, control pigs, pigs with diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia …

Mid-Morning Break And Poster Sessions: Psychological And Physiological Responses To Gambling Cues In Pathological Gamblers, Stephen P. Sharman Mr, Eve Limbrick-Oldfield, Mike R. Aitken, Henrietta Bowden-Jones, Luke Clark

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Introduction

Gamblers experience exposure to gambling cues on a daily basis, ranging from celebrity-endorsed TV commercials, to walking past a high street bookmaker. Research on substance addictions indicates that these cues are likely to activate urges / cravings to gamble.

Wulfert et al (2005) found higher ratings of subjective excitement following a horse race with a wager on in students, Kushner et al (2008) used frequent gamblers in a simulated casino environment and found positive anticipation and positive priming increased urges to gamble, however these studies used only a single self report item to measure craving. Ashrafioun et al (2012) …

Gender Differences In Frontal Plane Lower Extremity Kinetic Variability During Landing, Andrew Nordin

Interdisciplinary Research Scholarship Day

Investigations of human movement variability have been used as a
means of exploring neuromotor functioning, where performance variability is
thought to provide the system with flexibility and a mechanism for adaptation to
movement repetition [1,2,4,6]. Operationally, variability has been considered to
fall within optimal limits (Figure 1), while excessively high or low variability has
been implicated in injury susceptibility [1,2,4,6]. Landing has been explored
due to a high incidence of injury in athletic performance, as well as the ability
to easily control task demands through increases in landing height [3,4].
The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate changes in …

Lateralized Difference In Tympanic Membrane Temperature: Emotion And Hemispheric Activity, Ruth E. Propper, Tad T. Brunyé

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We review literature examining relationships between tympanic membrane temperature (TMT), affective/motivational orientation, and hemispheric activity. Lateralized differences in TMT might enable real-time monitoring of hemispheric activity in real-world conditions, and could serve as a corroborating marker of mental illnesses associated with specific affective dysregulation. We support the proposal that TMT holds potential for broadly indexing lateralized brain physiology during tasks demanding the processing and representation of emotional and/or motivational states, and for predicting trait-related affective/motivational orientations. The precise nature of the relationship between TMT and brain physiology, however, remains elusive. Indeed the limited extant research has sampled different participant populations …

Investigating Adenosine’S Role In Controlling The Cerebral Metabolic Rate Of Oxygen Following Hypoxia-Ischemia, Mustafa Ridha

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) has been shown to be an early indicator of hypoxia-ischemia (HI); however, the mechanisms controlling post-HI CMRO2 are not clear. One potential mechanism is the activation of the adenosine A1 receptor due to increased adenosine concentrations during the insult. The present study investigated if the specific adenosine A1 antagonist, DPCPX, would reduce the typical reduction in CMRO2 and electrical cortical activity following HI. Measurements of CMRO2 and electrical cortical activity were obtained on piglets by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG), respectively. The post-HI measurements of CMRO2 and mean aEEG background voltage …

Sex Differences In Cell Death And Steroid Hormone Receptors In Cortical Explants, Amanda L. Trout

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Estrogens, such as the biologically active 17-b estradiol (E2) have many actions in the male and female brain. Not only does E2 regulate reproductive behavior in adults, it organizes and activates the brains of younger animals in a sex-specific manner. In addition, many human studies have shown E2 to provide protection against a variety of neurological disorders, including stoke. These studies have been controversial and depend largely on the type and timing of hormone replacement. Animal studies are much less controversial and clearly demonstrate a neuroprotective role for E2 following ischemic brain injury. Because much of E2 neuroprotection requires sex …

Regulation Of Alpha Synuclein Following Chronic Methamphetamine Administration In Guinea Pigs: Correlation With Memory And Synaptic Plasticity, Adnouse Blanc

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Methamphetamine (METH) is a highly addictive drug of abuse that has a severe impact on neuronal changes in the brain including modulations of plasticity, cognitive dysfunction, as well as memory impairment. These changes can be seen as modifications in the expression of biochemical markers associated with synaptic plasticity. One such marker associated with memory impairment is alpha synuclein (α-syn). Alteration of α-syn expression has been linked to memory impairment in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Here we assess the effect of chronic METH treatment in correlation to cognitive functions.

Twenty-nine guinea pigs (male, 150-250 g) were …

Is Laparoscopic Gastric Banding An Effective Treatment For Obesity In Adolescents And Adults As Measured By Physical Function?, Shawna Mccormick

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not “Is laparoscopic gastric banding an effective treatment for obesity in adolescents and adults as measured by physical functioning?”

STUDY DESIGN: Review of all English language primary studies from 2009, 2010, and 2011.

DATA SOURCES: Two randomized control trials and one cohort study were found using PubMed, Medline, and OVID.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: There were multiple outcomes measured in the studies but the outcome of concern is quality of life post-operatively, specifically, physical functioning as measured by surveys including SF-36, Moorehead-Ardelt, BAROS, and CHQ CF-50. …

Effects Of Dietary Magnesium On Testicular Histology, Steroidogenesis, Spermatogenesis And Oxidative Stress Markers In Adult Rats, Amar K. Chandra, Pallav Sengupta, Haimanti Goswami, Mahitosh Sarkar

Pallav Sengupta, PhD

Human Cerebrovascular Endothelial Cell Responses In Severe Sepsis, Christopher J. Blom

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is an independent predictor of mortality in severe sepsis patients. Mechanisms of SAE are poorly characterized. Pro-inflammatory mediators are up-regulated in blood plasma of severe sepsis patients and may lead to activation/dysfunction of cerebrovascular endothelial cells (CMEC) of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) – potentially contributing to brain dysfunction. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects/mechanisms of both human severe sepsis blood plasma (hSSP; 20% v/v) and a mixture of 8 cytokines/chemokines that mimicked physiological concentrations of cytokines/chemokines in hSSP (cytomix; SSCM) on human-derived CMEC (hCMEC/D3) activation/dysfunction

in vitro. hSSP-stimulation up-regulated hCMEC/D3 pro-adhesive …

Antioxidant Rescue Of Nf1/Ras-Induced Myelin And Vasculature Dysfunction, Debra A. Mayes, Tilat A. Rizvi, Shyra J. Miller, Rachel Oberst, Anat Stemmer-Rachamimov, Nancy Ratner

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Synthetic Aβ Peptide Oligomers And Fluorinated Solvents On Kv1.3 Channel Properties And Membrane Conductance, Maria I. Lioudyno, Matteo Broccio, Yuri Sokolov, Suhail Rasool, Jessica Wu, Michael T. Alkire, Virginia Liu, J. Ashot Kozak, Philip R. Dennison, Charles G. Glabe, Mathias Lösche, James E. Hall

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

The impact of synthetic amyloid β (1–42) (Aβ_1–42) oligomers on biophysical properties of voltage-gated potassium channels Kv 1.3 and lipid bilayer membranes (BLMs) was quantified for protocols using hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) or sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as solvents prior to initiating the oligomer formation. Regardless of the solvent used Aβ_1–42 samples contained oligomers that reacted with the conformation-specific antibodies A11 and OC and had similar size distributions as determined by dynamic light scattering. Patch-clamp recordings of the potassium currents showed that synthetic Aβ_1–42 oligomers accelerate the activation and inactivation kinetics of Kv 1.3 current with no significant effect …

Is Laughter The Best Medicine? An Evaluation Of The Physiological Effects Of Laughter, Annette Dalezman

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Laughter directly affects one’s physiology. Laughter causes various muscle contractions which, in turn, affect body systems. Specifically, the cardiovascular, immune, and respiratory systems are impacted by laughter. Stress levels and pain tolerance thresholds are also directly impacted by laughter. Research has been done on the effects of laughter in patients with cancer, dementia, and atopic dermatitis. Based on the review of multiple experiments, a direct correlation between laughter and multiple body systems and diseases seems to exist.