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An Ethnobotanical Survey In Selected Towns Of The Mediterranean Subregion (Turkey), Gali̇p Akaydin, Işil Şi̇mşek, Zeki̇ye Ceren Arituluk, Erdem Yeşi̇lada

Turkish Journal of Biology

This survey was carried out by face-to-face oral interviews with 379 inhabitants who agreed to be interviewed in selected localities of the Mediterranean region: Hatay (İskenderun and Narlıca), İçel (Erdemli, Tarsus, and Silifke), and Isparta (Sav). The current study was conducted to document the ethnobotanical uses of plants. In the first step of the study, demographic profiles of the informants were evaluated. Subsequently, they were asked to state whether the plants were used for therapeutic or other purposes; then detailed information, i.e. local names, parts used, methods of preparation (decoction, infusion, poultice, ointment, etc.) was recorded; and finally the plant …

Effect Of Asiatic And Ursolic Acids On Growth And Virulence Factors Of Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli Strains, Dorota Wojnicz, Dorota Tichaczek-Goska, Marta Kicia

Turkish Journal of Biology

This work was aimed at determining the possible antimicrobial potential of asiatic acid (AA) and ursolic acid (UA) against clinical uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains (UPECs). Phylogenetic affiliations of UPECs and virulence-associated gene carriage have been identified. PCR analysis revealed that the studied E. coli strains belong to phylogenetic group B2. All bacterial isolates were grouped into 4 pathotypes. The following were determined: the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) according to CLSI; P-fimbriae synthesis, based on erythrocyte agglutination; curli fibers, by using YESCA agar with congo red; swimming motility, in motility agar; and alpha-hemolysin, on sheep’s-blood agar plates. The differences in antigrowth …

In Vivo Analysis Of Highly Conserved Nef Activities In Hiv-1 Replication And Pathogenesis, Richard L. Watkins, Wei Zou, Paul W. Denton, John F. Krisko, John L. Foster, J. Victor Garcia

Biology Faculty Publications

Background: The HIV-1 accessory protein, Nef, is decisive for progression to AIDS. In vitro characterization of the protein has described many Nef activities of unknown in vivo significance including CD4 downregulation and a number of activities that depend on Nef interacting with host SH3 domain proteins. Here, we use the BLT humanized mouse model of HIV-1 infection to assess their impact on viral replication and pathogenesis and the selection pressure to restore these activities using enforced in vivo evolution.

Results: We followed the evolution of HIV-1LAI (LAI) with a frame-shifted nef (LAINeffs) during infection of BLT mice. LAINeffs …

Equine Serum Antibody Responses To Streptococcus Equi And Streptococcus Zooepidemicus, Rafaela De Negri

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Streptococcus zooepidemicus (Sz) and Streptococcus equi (Se) share 98% DNA sequence homology, but display different pathogenic properties. Infection by one organism does not cross-protect against the other. To better understand pathogenic differences between these organisms and gain information about which proteins are expressed in horses infected experimentally with Se, intrauterine Sz or naturally with respiratory Sz we compared antibody specificities of convalescent sera using ELISA. These comparisons were based on sets of 8 and 14 immunoreactive recombinant proteins of Se strain CF32 and Sz strain NC78, respectively. Sera from donkeys that were previously naturally affected with strangles and later developed …

Biology News, Winter 2013, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Biology.

Biology News

Contents:

-- Greetings from the Department of Biology
-- Focus on UNI Biology Alumni
-- Focus on UNI Biology Students
-- Microscopes purchased with Carver Trust Grant
-- Two-headed planarian!
-- UNI Day in the Capitol on February 11, 2013
-- Letter of appreciation......
-- Dr. Kimberly Cline-Brown Receives Excellence in Teaching Award
-- Joan Smothers attends national advising meeting
-- Public speaking engagements for Biology faculty
-- Pre-Vet Club project gives aid to shelter animals
-- Faculty on Professional Development Assignment
-- Tri-Beta
-- Reconnect with the Department of Biology
-- Retiring Faculty
-- New Faculty
-- Floyds receive …

In Vitro Antimicrobial And Cytotoxic Activity Of Tamarix Dioica Roxb. Leaves, Saifullah Khan, Farman Ullah, Tahir Mahmood

Turkish Journal of Biology

Medicinal plants have been in use for thousands of years for treatment of different types of diseases and a large inventory of useful drugs has been isolated from them. The aim of our study is to investigate a new and effective plant possessing antimicrobial activity. The crude extracts of Tamarix dioica Roxb. leaves, as well as fractions of the extract in various solvents, were investigated against standard strains of bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Shigella flexneri, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhi, and Staphylococcus aureus and fungi Candida glabrata, Aspergillus niger, Trichophyton rubrum, Candida tropicalis, and Aspergillus fumigatus. For in …

Evolutionary Biology For The 21st Century, Jonathan B. Losos, Stevan J. Arnold, Gill Bejerano, E. D. Brodie, David Hibbett, Hopi E. Hoekstra, David P. Mindell, Antónia Monteiro, Craig Moritz, H. Allen Orr, Dmitri A. Petrov, Susanne S. Renner, Robert E. Ricklefs, Pamela S. Soltis, Thomas L. Turner

Biology

Theodosius Dobzhansky famously proclaimed that “nothing makes sense in biology except in the light of evolution." Though Dobzhansky's statement is sometimes dismissed by biologists in other fields as self-promotion, recent advances in many areas of biology have shown it to be prophetic. For example, genomics, which emerged mostly from molecular biology, is now steeped in evolutionary biology. Evolutionary theory helps to explain our origins, our history, and how we function as organisms and interact with other life forms, all of which are crucial to understanding our future (e.g., [1]–[5]). Evolutionary approaches have helped reconstruct the history of …

Population Models, Jessica Hauer

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

This thesis will examine mathematical interpretations of biological situations through the study of differential equations. It will first explore the interactions of the lynx and hare populations in Canada based on data retrieved by the Hudson Bay Company. The purpose of this study is to find a suitable mathematical model, namely that of a three-variable Lotka-Volterra system. Also, the paper will explore short-term infectious disease models as they relate to particular epidemics throughout history, including the Iowa Mumps outbreak of 1966 and the Bubonic Plaque. The thesis will then work to make sense of the rise and fall patterns in …

Can Antibiotics From Recently Discovered Marine Actinobacteria Slow The Tide Of Antibiotic Resistance?, Lorraine Susan Tangeman

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Actinobacteria, one phylum of gram positive bacteria, are found throughout all the environments on earth. Actinobacteria have long been studied for the benefits they provide, both to their environment and to humans, and have a great capacity for adaptation and evolution. They decompose organic matter, replenishing nutrients into the soil, and as such are important members of the food chain. Humans benefit from the exploitation of Actinobacterial metabolites as antimicrobial drugs. These antimicrobials have been effectively utilized for decades in the fight against infectious disease. Despite the success of this drug arsenal we are now in the midst of an …

Worms, Nematoda, Scott Lyell Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Nematodes are the most speciose phylum of metazoa on earth. Not only do they occur in huge numbers as parasites of all known animal groups, but also they are found in the soils, as parasites of plants, and in large numbers in the most extreme environments, from the Antarctic dry valleys to the benthos of the ocean. They are extremely variable in their morphological characteristics, with each group showing morphological adapta­tions to the environment that they inhabit. Soil-dwelling forms are extremely small; many marine species have long and complex setae; and parasitic species man­ifest amazingly great reproductive potential and large …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Kaposi’S Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Infection In A Sample Of Men Who Have Sex With Men In Eastern China, T. Zhang, H. Lin, V. Minhas, W. Zhu, Charles Wood, N. He

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and related factors in men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. A total of 208 subjects were recruited from eastern China from 2008 to 2009. Plasma samples were collected and screened for KSHV, HIV and syphilis. Overall, KSHV seroprevalence was 32.7% in the subjects. About 92.7% of subjects reported having ever had anal sex with a man, of whom 67.8% had receptive anal sex and 77.9% had insertive anal sex. About 93.1% of the study participants reported having had oral sex with a man, of whom …

Identifying Requirements For The Invasion Of A Tick Species And Tick-Borne Pathogen Through Ticksim, Holly Gaff, Robyn Nadolny

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ticks and tick-borne diseases have been on the move throughout the United State over the past twenty years. We use an agent-based model, TICKSIM, to identify the key parameters that determine the success of invasion of the tick and if that is successful, the success of the tick-borne pathogen. We find that if an area has competent hosts, an initial population of ten ticks is predicted to always establish a new population. The establishment of the tick-borne pathogen depends on three parameters: the initial prevalence in the ten founding ticks, the probability that a tick infects the longer-lived hosts and …

Arbovirus Persistence And Selection Of Persistent Variants Following Chronic Infection In Aedine Mosquitoes: A Comparative Study Between Ae. Aegypti And Ae. Albopictus 30 Days Post Infection With Sindbis Virus, Zoe Leah Lyski

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the present investigation two container breeding mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus were exposed to Sindbis virus (SINV). Mosquitoes were proffered a viremic bloodmeal using a vertical membrane feeder in an attempt to infect females while preserving virus-gut interactions that are speculated to be responsible for amplification and selective roles encountered in nature. Cohorts of 50 mosquitoes of each species were exposed to SINV strain TR339 or EMEM in a bloodmeal and incubated in insectary conditions for 30 days. Once infected, the mosquito remains persistently infected for life, accumulating mutations in the virus RNA genome. Plaque size variants may …

The Effect Of Exogenous Leptin On Dendritic Cell Migration And Interactions With T Cells, Amanda L. Gonzales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Obesity is a complex, chronic disease that has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and shows no indication of receding. It is a state of chronic low-grade inflammation that is initiated by morphological changes in large accumulations of adipose tissue. Leptin is a pleiotropic hormone secreted by adipose tissue, presenting a possible link between obesity and inflammation. In this study, we assessed the effect of leptin on bone marrow-derived (BM) dendritic cells (DC) (BM-DC) function, antigen presenting cells vital for the activation of naí¯ve T cells. Previous data produced in our laboratory established that the addition of leptin to …

Role Of Post-Translational Modifications In The Hiv Cofactor Activity Of Ledgf/P75, Denisse Adriana Gutierrez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

see document.

Ruthenium-Azole Complexes As Chemotherapeutic Agents Against Leishmaniasis, Eva Iniguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Poor efficacy and high toxicity of the limited treatment options demonstrate the need for the development of new chemotherapeutic agents to treat this disease. In order to respond this concern, the development of novel Ru-azole complexes as chemotherapeutic agents by inhibiting the cytochrome P-450 dependent C14-α-demethylation of lanosterol to ergosterol which is essential for the parasite survival. In addition, Ruthenium would enhance the activity of the parental drug, by helping ketoconazole/clotrimazole to cross the parasite membrane, together presenting low toxicity. The viability and citotoxicity of the Ru-azole compunds was …

Identification Of Chemotherapeutic Agents Against Leishmaniasis And Chagas' Disease, Miguel Abran Vasquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Patients with clinical manifestations of leishmaniasis and Chagas' disease rely on few drugs that have limited efficacy and considerable side effects. Expanding the diversity of available chemotherapeutic drugs for these diseases is of extreme medical importance. Enones or á,í¢-unsaturated ketones, initially developed as anti-cancer agents, are a worthy of class of compounds to test for activity against Leishmania major and Trypanosoma cruzi as these eukaryotic parasites share many of the characteristics exhibited by cancer cells. The anti-parasitic activity of a library of á,í¢-unsaturated ketones (136 derivatives) was screened against L. major as well as in mammalian cells. Three compounds (NC901, …

Where Does Neisseria Acquire Foreign Dna From: An Examination Of The Source Of Genomic And Pathogenic Islands And The Evolution Of The Neisseria Genus, Catherine Putonti, Bogdan Nowicki, Michael Shaffer, Yuriy Fofanov, Stella Nowicki

Bioinformatics Faculty Publications

This journal is now called BMC Ecology and Evolution

Background

Pathogenicity islands (PAIs) or genomic islands (GEIs) are considered to be the result of a recent horizontal transfer. Detecting PAIs/GEIs as well as their putative source can provide insight into the organism’s pathogenicity within its host. Previously we introduced a tool called S-plot which provides a visual representation of the variation in compositional properties across and between genomic sequences. Utilizing S-plot and new functionality developed here, we examined 18 publicly availableNeisseria genomes, including strains of both pathogenic and non-pathogenic species, in order to identify regions of unusual compositional properties …

From Where Does Neisseria Acquire Foreign Dna: An Examination Of The Source Of Genomic And Pathogenic Islands And The Evolution Of The Neisseria Genus, Catherine Putonti, Bogdan Nowicki, Michael Shaffer, Yuriy Fofanov, Stella Nowicki

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Background

Pathogenicity islands (PAIs) or genomic islands (GEIs) are considered to be the result of a recent horizontal transfer. Detecting PAIs/GEIs as well as their putative source can provide insight into the organism’s pathogenicity within its host. Previously we introduced a tool called S-plot which provides a visual representation of the variation in compositional properties across and between genomic sequences. Utilizing S-plot and new functionality developed here, we examined 18 publicly available Neisseria genomes, including strains of both pathogenic and non-pathogenic species, in order to identify regions of unusual compositional properties (RUCPs) using both a sliding window as well as …

Understanding Amphibian Decline: The Role Of Pesticides And The Pathogenic Chytrid Fungus On Amphibians And Aquatic Communities, Taegan A. Mcmahon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Amphibians are the most threatened taxon on the planet. Declines have been associated with over-exploitation, habitat loss, pollution, and pathogenic diseases, but of these factors, pollution and disease have been relatively under-studied. Here, I investigated: 1) the impacts of commonly used pesticides on aquatic communities, 2) the effect of these pesticides on amphibian susceptibility to the pathogenic chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), and 3) whether there are non-amphibian hosts of Bd and 4) how to best quantify the survival of Bd through ontogeny of the host.

In my first research chapter, I quantified the effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of …

Resistance And Tolerance To Trematode Parasites In Larval Anurans, Brittany Sears

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nearly every species on the planet has at least one parasite, which, by definition, incurs a

cost in the host. Therefore, organisms must resist parasites - preventing or reducing infections -

or tolerate parasites - reducing the costs of infection - in order to maintain their fitness despite

the presence of parasites. Here, I investigated: 1) whether parasitic, larval trematodes (cercariae)

can detect the least resistant tadpole host species, 2) a hypothetical framework for how host life

history impacts the utilization of inflammation and thus, resistance and tolerance, 3) whether a

common anesthesia technique used in experimental infections immunocompromises tadpoles, …

Innate Immune Responses To Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Age-Associated Changes, Terianne Maiko Wong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection causes ~64 million cases of respiratory disease and 200,000 deaths annually worldwide, yet there is no broadly effective prophylactic or treatment regimen. RSV can produce acute respiratory illness in patients of all ages but strikes the age extremes, infants and the elderly, with highest frequency presumably due to innate immune deficiencies. A higher morbidity and mortality has been reported for the elderly above 65 years of age, which has been attributed to immune senescence. Efforts to generate an effective vaccine have thus far been unsuccessful.

The innate immune system provides the first line of defense …

The Debate On Marine Mammals In Captivity, Lorna C. Scribner

Honors Theses

Are marine mammal species better off today because of captivity? Is captivity ethical and should it be continued? As this debate grows stronger, both of these sides of the argument offer substantial evidence in their favor. In this paper, I discuss data for both sides and evaluate the justifications of marine mammal captivity. Ideally, no matter the outcome, this research will educate the public on influential factors of wild and captive populations.

The Lyme Disease Spirochete In Tick Species Collected From Warren County, Kentucky, Cheryl C. Onwu

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The overall goal of this present study was to determine the prevalence of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, in south central Kentucky. A survey of ticks collected from a single location in Warren County, Kentucky was conducted between the months of April and June, 2010. A total of 293 ticks were collected. Three species were identified: 264 (91.7 %) of the ticks were Amblyoma americanum, 18 (6.6%) were Dermacentor variabilis, and 1 (0.35%) was Ixodes scapularis. The ten remaining ticks were immature nymphs and could not be identified. After identifying the species and sex of …

The Influence Of Ubiquitin-Related Modifier Protein Urm1 On Prion Formation, Jacob Beaver

Honors Theses

Prions are infections proteins that are auto-catalyzing (form by altering a regular protein into the structurally different prion form), and are the cause of many common diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and Bovine Spongiform encephalopathy (or Mad Cow disease). This experiment tested the effect of three different plasmids, pH317, pER62 and pmp46 on prion formation in both wild-type and Urm1 deletion mutants in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The proposed hypothesis was overexpression of the prion forming protein would increase the frequency of prion formation, as well as yield less sustainable prion amyloids (or prion aggregations) that are easier to …

Resistance Is Futile: The Bacteriocin Model For Addressing The Antibiotic Resistance Challenge, Margaret A. Riley, Sandra M. Robinson, Christopher M. Roy, Morgan Dennis, Vivian Liu, Robert Dorit

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Pathogenic bacteria resistant to many or all antibiotics already exist. With the decline in microbiological research at pharmaceutical companies, the high rate at which resistance has evolved and spread has demanded a novel approach to addressing this critical human health issue. In the present paper, we propose a new paradigm in antibiotic discovery and development, one that applies ecological and evolutionary theory to design antimicrobial drugs that are more difficult and/or more costly to resist. In essence, we propose to simply adopt the strategies invented and applied by bacteria for hundreds of millions of years. Our research focuses on bacteriocins, …

Mutations In Stat3 Associated With Human Hyper Ige Syndrome Enhance Nfκb And Mapk-Mediated Gene Expression, Nathaniel Greeley

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Hyper IgE syndrome (HIES) is a multisystem disorder resulting in bone and immune system abnormalities. It is associated with mutations in STAT3, which disrupt protein domains responsible for transcriptional function. Patients with HIES display osteoporosis and enhanced inflammatory cytokine production similar to hematopoietic Stat3-deficient mice. Since osteoclast and inflammatory cytokine genes are NFκB targets, these observations indicate a possible deregulation of NFκB signaling in both mice and humans with STAT3-deficiency. Here, we sought to examine the role of STAT3 in the regulation of NFκB-mediated gene expression through analysis of three HIES STAT3 point mutations in both hematopoietic and non- hematopoietic …

Biochemical Reconstitution Of Hemorrhagic-Fever Arenavirus Envelope Glycoprotein-Mediated Membrane Fusion, Celestine J. Thomas, Sundaresh Shankar, Hedi E. Casquilho-Gray, Joanne York, Stephen Sprang, Jack H. Nunberg

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The membrane-anchored proteins of enveloped viruses form labile spikes on the virion surface, primed to undergo large-scale conformational changes culminating in virus-cell membrane fusion and viral entry. The prefusion form of these envelope glycoproteins thus represents an important molecular target for antiviral intervention. A critical roadblock to this endeavor has been our inability to produce the prefusion envelope glycoprotein trimer for biochemical and structural analysis. Through our studies of the GPC envelope glycoprotein of the hemorrhagic fever arenaviruses, we have shown that GPC is unique among class I viral fusion proteins in that the mature complex retains a stable signal …

Constitutive Type Vi Secretion System Expression Gives Vibrio Cholerae Intra- And Interspecific Competitive Advantages, Daniel Unterweger, Maya Kitaoka, Sarah T. Miyata, Verena Bachmann, Teresa M. Brooks, Jessica Moloney, Oscar Sosa, David Silva, Jorge Duran-Gonzalez, Daniele Provenzano

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

The type VI secretion system (T6SS) mediates protein translocation across the cell membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, including Vibrio cholerae - the causative agent of cholera. All V. cholerae strains examined to date harbor gene clusters encoding a T6SS. Structural similarity and sequence homology between components of the T6SS and the T4 bacteriophage cell-puncturing device suggest that the T6SS functions as a contractile molecular syringe to inject effector molecules into prokaryotic and eukaryotic target cells. Regulation of the T6SS is critical. A subset of V. cholerae strains, including the clinical O37 serogroup strain V52, express T6SS constitutively. In contrast, pandemic strains …

West Nile Virus Seroreversion And The Influence Of Herd Immunity On Disease Risk In A Long-Term Study Of Free-Ranging Birds, Eileen M. Mckee

All Student Theses and Dissertations

The transmission and amplification of West Nile virus (WNV) is driven by the number of susceptible avian hosts. The quantity of susceptible hosts is determined by 1) recruitment of juvenile birds during the breeding season, 2) adult birds previously unexposed to WNV, and 3) adult birds with waning antibody titers. Although rarely tested, avian herd immunity and seroreversion could have a direct impact on Culex infection rate, a proxy for the reproductive number of WNV. In this study, we utilized data from a seven year study investigating WNV transmission ecology in suburban Chicago, Illinois. We tested the hypothesis that herd …