Digital Commons Network^™

A Dangerous Polymer: Organic Synthesis Of Poly(Glutamine), Corbain Swain

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Functional Characterization Of Rai1 In Zebrafish, Joshua S. Beach

Theses and Dissertations

Smith-Magenis Syndrome (SMS; OMIM #182290) is a multiple congenital abnormality and intellectual disability (ID) disorder caused by either an interstitial deletion of the 17p11.2 region containing the retinoic acid induced-1 (RAI1) gene or a mutation of the RAI1 gene. Individuals diagnosed with SMS typically present characteristics such as ID, self-injurious behavior, sleep disturbance, ocular and otolaryngological abnormalities, craniofacial and skeletal abnormalities, neurological and behavioral abnormalities, as well as other systemic defects and manifestations. Previous work by Vyas in 2009 showed temporal expression of rai1 in zebrafish embryos as early as 9 hpf. We hypothesize that there is maternal …

Taxonomy And Molecular Epidemiology Of Echinococcus Granulosus Sensu Lato, Thomas Romig, Dennis Ebi, Marion Wassermann

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Echinococcus granulosus, formerly regarded as a single species with a high genotypic and phenotypic diversity, is now recognized as an assemblage of cryptic species, which differ considerably in morphology, development, host specificity (including infectivity/pathogenicity for humans) and other aspects. This diversity is reflected in the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes and has led to the construction of phylogenetic trees and hypotheses on the origin and geographic dispersal of various taxa. Based on phenotypic characters and gene sequences, E. granulosus (sensu lato) has by now been subdivided into E. granulosus sensu stricto (including the formerly identified genotypic variants G1-3), …

Evolution Of Hematophagous Habit In Triatominae (Heteroptera: Reduviidae), Fernando Otálora-Luna, Antonio J. Pérez-Sánchez, Claudia Sandoval, Elis Aldana

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

All members of Triatominae subfamily (Heteroptera: Reduviidae), potential vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, etiologic agent of the Chagas disease, feed on blood. Through evolution, these bugs have fixed special morphological, physiological, and behavioral aptations (adaptations and exaptations) adequate to feed on blood. Phylogeny suggests that triatomines evolved from predator reduvids which in turn descended from phytophagous hemipterans. Some pleisiomorphic traits developed by the reduvid ancestors of the triatomines facilitated and modeled hematophagy in these insects. Among them, mouthparts, saliva composition, enzymes, and digestive symbionts are the most noticeable. However, the decisive step that allowed the shift from predation to hematophagy …

Tuberculosis As A Metaphor For Isolation: An Interdisciplinary Examination Of Tuberculosis, Stefanie Pavlick 15

Honor Scholar Theses

No abstract provided.

Examining The Relationship Between Type And Extent Of After-School Care Use And High Bmi In Children Ages 5-17, Morgan E.B. Chojnacki

DNP Projects

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and after-school care use in school age children and adolescents in Kentucky. The specific aims of this study were to examine differences in BMI groups (high versus normal/low) by: a) type and b) extent of after-school care use.

Methods: Parents of children age 5-17 years were administered a 21-item survey which assessed the amount of time their children spent in specific types of after-school care. BMI of the child/adolescent participants were obtained at the time of the survey. High BMI was defined …

Characterization Of Co-Circulating Swine Influenza A Viruses In North America And The Identification Of A Novel H1 Genetic Clade With Antigenic Significance, Tavis K. Anderson, Brian A. Campbell, Martha I. Nelson, Nicola S. Lewis, Alicia Janas Martindale, Mary Lea Killian, Amy L. Vincent

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Multiple genetically and antigenically distinct hemagglutinin genes of the H1 and H3 influenza A virus (IAV) subtypes co-circulate in North American swine. This diversity has evolved by repeated transmission of IAVs from humans to swine and subsequent antigenic drift in swine. To understand the evolutionary dynamics of these diverse HA lineages in North American swine, we undertook a phylogenetic analysis of 1576 H1 and 607 H3 HA gene segments, as well as 834 N1 and 1293 N2 NA gene segments, and 2126 M gene segments. These data revealed yearly co-circulation of H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 viruses, with three HA clades …

Sglt2 Inhibitors For Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Treatment, Raymond A. Plodkowski, Megan E. Mcgarvey, Heather M. Huribal, Keith Reisinger-Kindle, Bradley Kramer, Mordecai Solomon, Quang T. Nguyen

College of Osteopathic Medicine (TUN) Publications and Research

SGLT2 inhibitors are plausible second-line drugs that provide powerful additional A1c-lowering effects while inducing weight loss without hypoglycemia.

Dysregulation Of Micrornas In Blood As Biomarkers For Diagnosing Prostate Cancer, Rhonda W. Daniel

Theses and Dissertations

Prostate cancer is the most common noncutaneous cancer among men, yet current diagnostic methods are insufficient and more reliable diagnostic markers need to be developed. The answer that can bridge this gap and enable more efficient diagnoses may lie in microRNAs. These small, single stranded RNA molecules impact protein expression at the translational level and regulate important cellular pathways. Dysregulation of these small RNA molecules can have tumorigenic effects on cells and lead to many types of cancers.

Currently the Prostate-Stimulating Antigen (PSA) is used as a diagnostic marker for prostate cancer. However, many factors can elevate PSA levels such …

Hypothyroidism And The Development Of Hypertension, Kaleb Short

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Low thyroid hormone (TH) in adulthood is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including risk of hypertension. The Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR), exhibits alterations in thyroid function when compared to normotensive controls. Interestingly, inhibiting thyroid gland function before 4 weeks of age prevented hypertension in the SHR, indicating that TH is involved in the etiology of SHR hypertension. However, these studies utilized tail-cuff photoplethysmography (PPG), which is known to have stress-induced artifacts, and did not compare effects in the normotensive parent strain Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat. Therefore, it is uncertain whether TH is responsible for an elevation in baseline …

The Prospective Association Between Positive Psychological Well-Being And Diabetes, Julia K. Boehm, Claudia Trudel-Fitzgerald, Mika Kivimaki, Laura D. Kubzansky

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective: Positive psychological well-being has protective associations with cardiovascular outcomes, but no studies have considered its association with diabetes. This study investigated links between well-being and incident diabetes.

Methods: At study baseline (1991-1994), 7,800 middle-aged British men and women without diabetes indicated their life satisfaction, emotional vitality, and optimism. Diabetes status was determined by self-reported physician diagnosis and oral glucose tolerance test (screen detection) at baseline and through 2002-2004. Incident diabetes was defined by physician-diagnosed and screen-detected cases combined and separately. Logistic regression estimated the odds of developing diabetes controlling for relevant covariates (e.g., demographics, depressive symptoms). Models …

The Impact Of Climate Change On Human Health, Mary Snow, Richard Snow

Publications

Climate change is impacting human health. An obvious effect of a warmer environment is more frequent and severe heat waves. During the European heat wave of 2003, there were an estimated 35,000 more deaths than normal in the first two weeks of August. Many of the deaths resulted from cardiovascular complications among the elderly. As heat waves become more commonplace in the future, so will the number of heat strokes and the onset of other cardiovascular problems. Higher summertime temperatures also increase tropospheric ozone concentrations which in turn affects people with asthma and causes lung and heart damage. Increases in …

Curcumin: A Folklore Remedy From Kitchen On The Way To Clinic As Cancer Drug, Debasish Bandyopadhyay

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

Numerous compounds are widely distributed in nature and many of these possess medicinal/biological/pharmacological activity. Curcumin, a polyphenol derived from the rhizomes (underground stems) of Curcuma longa Linn (a member of the ginger family, commonly known as turmeric) is a culinary spice and therapeutic used in India for thousands of years to induce color and flavor in food as well as to treat a wide array of diseases. The origin of turmeric as spice and folklore medicine is so old that it is lost in legend. Curcumin has many beneficial pharmacological effects which includes, but are not limited with, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, …

An Intersectional Perspective On Stigma As A Barrier To Effective Hiv Self-Management And Treatment For Hiv-Infected African American Women, Kimberly Adams Tufts

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Among those who are HIV-infected and striving to live well with HIV, African American women have poorer health outcomes and represent a higher portion of those women who die from HIV-related causes. Those health inequalities have been associated with the presence of social determinants of health such as stigma. This analytical review asserts that stigmas precipitated by gender, race, and class in the context of HIV-related stigma constitute substantial barriers to active engagement in HIV self-management, care, and treatment for HIV-infected African American women. The utility of the intersectionality framework for analyzing how these various stigmas interact to create unique …

Effects Of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor And Its Signaling Pathway On Sensory Neuronal Activation During Colitis, Fiza Hashmi

Theses and Dissertations

Visceral hypersensitivity is the heightened response to sensory stimuli. Visceral sensations are transmitted through primary afferent neurons in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and the sensitization of the neural pathway leads to modification in spinal ascending and descending neurons. The aim of this investigation is to determine the effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its signaling pathway on sensory neuronal activation during colitis. In order to evaluate this, levels of calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP), a neuropeptide marker for nociceptive transmission, and phosphorylated cAMP-response element binding protein (pCREB), a molecular switch in neuronal plasticity, were studied in response to BDNF …

Vitamin C: A Potential Regulator Of Inflammatory Response, Bassem M. Mohammed

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Neutrophils (PMNs) and Macrophages are the first responders recruited consecutively to the site of injury/inflammation. PMNs’ response/fate as well as macrophage reprogramming ultimately determine the course of resolution of inflammation. Physiologic wound healing has a significant inflammatory component. An exaggerated inflammation however is self-defeating leading to delayed healing. Parenteral vitamin C (VitC) attenuated inflammation in murine sepsis models and in patients with sepsis. However information about the mechanisms by which VitC regulates these events is limited.

Methods: Humanized mice lacking VitC synthesis capability (Gulo^-/-) were used. VitC sufficient and deficient mice were challenged with sterile inflammation, or …

Dual Pi3k/Mtor Inhibition With Bez235 Augments The Therapeutic Efficacy Of Doxorubicin In Cancer Without Influencing Cardiac Function, David E. Durrant

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer continues to be a leading cause death in the United States despite improved treatments. Cancerous lesions form after acquiring oncogenic driver mutations or losing tumor suppressor function in normal cells. Traditional therapies have included use of genotoxic substances that take advantage of the increased growth rate and loss of tumor suppressor function to cause cell death. One such drug is the anthracycline antibiotic doxorubicin (DOX). DOX interchelates into DNA and disrupts transcriptional machinery while also poisoning topoisomerase II. This results in single and double stranded DNA breaks, which if severe enough leads to either necrotic or apoptotic cell death. …

Identification Of Candidate Genes For Craniosynostosis, Karen Rymer

Theses and Dissertations

Craniosynostosis is a disorder characterized by the premature fusing of cranial sutures in an infant. Premature closure of these sutures can lead to detrimental consequences on the development of a child. The two broad categories of craniosynostosis are classified as syndromic and nonsyndromic. Nonsyndromic craniosynostosis involves only the fusion of one or more sutures, whereas syndromic craniosynostosis involves other abnormalities throughout the body of the affected individual. Two of the families analyzed in this study were of the syndromic nature, and known FGFR mutations were discovered. However, phenotypical features documented in association with these mutations differed from our individuals. Two …

Slavery, Agriculture, And Malaria In The Arabian Peninsula, Benjamin Reilly

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

In Slavery, Agriculture, and Malaria in the Arabian Peninsula, Benjamin Reilly illuminates a previously unstudied phenomenon: the large-scale employment of people of African ancestry as slaves in agricultural oases within the Arabian Peninsula. The key to understanding this unusual system, Reilly argues, is the prevalence of malaria within Arabian Peninsula oases and drainage basins, which rendered agricultural lands in Arabia extremely unhealthy for people without genetic or acquired resistance to malarial fevers. In this way, Arabian slave agriculture had unexpected similarities to slavery as practiced in the Caribbean and Brazil.

This book synthesizes for the first time a body of …

Prolonged Fatigue In Ukraine And The United States: Prevalence And Risk Factors, Fred Friedberg, Nathan L. Tintle, Jake Clark, Evelyn Bromet

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Background: Prolonged, severe, unalleviated fatigue may be disabling whether it occurs on its own or in conjunction with medical or psychiatric conditions. This paper compares the prevalence and correlates of prolonged fatigue in general population samples in Ukraine versus the US. Methods: Population surveys were conducted in 2002 in both Ukraine (Ukraine World Mental Health [WMH] Survey) and the US (National Comorbidity Survey-Replication; NCS-R). Both surveys administered the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0), which contained modules assessing: neurasthenia (prolonged fatigue); mood, anxiety, and alcohol/drug use disorders; chronic medical conditions; and demographic characteristics. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine …

Altered Intraerythrocytic Development Phenotypes Of Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium Falciparum Confer A Fitness Advantage, Amanda Hott

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Resistance to artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) has emerged in southeast Asia threatening the most widely used treatment against antimalarial-resistant Plasmodium falciparum worldwide. Artemisinin resistance has been associated with a reduced rate of parasite clearance following treatment with an ACT and is attributed to increased survival of ring-stage parasites. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in kelch gene (K13) has been associated with delayed in vivo clearance half-life of artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum and is the only known molecular marker of resistance. The absence of reliable in vitro phenotypes for artemisinin resistance has limited our understanding of the resistance mechanism(s) and fitness costs, therefore …

Liver Perilipin 5 Expression Worsens Hepatosteatosis But Not Insulin Resistance In High Fat-Fed Mice, Michelle B. Trevino, David Mazur-Hart, Yui Machida, Timothy King, Joseph Nadler, Elena V. Galkina, Arjun Poddar, Sucharita Dutta, Yumi Imai

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Perilipin 5 (PLIN5) is a lipid droplet (LD) protein highly expressed in oxidative tissues, including the fasted liver. However, its expression also increases in nonalcoholic fatty liver. To determine whether PLIN5 regulates metabolic phenotypes of hepatosteatosis under nutritional excess, liver targeted overexpression of PLIN5 was achieved using adenoviral vector (Ad-PLIN5) in male C57BL/6J mice fed high-fat diet. Mice treated with adenovirus expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) (Ad-GFP) served as control. Ad-PLIN5 livers increased LD in the liver section, and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry revealed increases in lipid classes associated with LD, including triacylglycerol, cholesterol ester, and phospholipid classes, …

The Physiological Stress Response Caused By Hypoxia And Reperfusion Injury In Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) And Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus), Amanda C. Reynolds

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Approximately five million people in the United States are affected by cardiovascular related diseases yearly contributing to 300,000 annual deaths, making CVD the leading cause of mortality worldwide. It has been suggested that apoptosis (programmed cell death) contributes to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. When blood flow is reduced or cut off from the heart, usually by a thrombus, this results in oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) to the cardiomyocytes (heart cells). In response to this hypoxic stress, cardiomyocytes will undergo apoptosis. Since many species of fish can survive levels of hypoxia that would be fatal to mammals, fish are an ideal …

Ebola Preparedness - An Ed Perspective, Bettina Laier

All Publications

No abstract provided.

The Germ Theory Of Dystopias: Fears Of Human Nature In 1984 And Brave New World, Clea D. Harris

Scripps Senior Theses

This project is an exploration of 20^th century dystopian literature through the lens of germ theory. This scientific principle, which emerged in the late 19^th century, asserts that microorganisms pervade the world; these invisible and omnipresent germs cause specific diseases which are often life threatening. Additionally, germ theory states that vaccines and antiseptics can prevent some of these afflictions and that antibiotics can treat others. This concept of a pervasive, invisible, infection-causing other is not just a biological principle, though; in this paper, I argue that one can interpret it as an ideological framework for understanding human existence …

Evaluation Of A Mobile Phone Image-Based Dietary Assessment Method In Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, Megan E. Rollo, Susan Ash, Philipa Lyons-Wall, Anthony W. Russell

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Image-based dietary records have limited evidence evaluating their performance and use among adults with a chronic disease. This study evaluated the performance of a 3-day mobile phone image-based dietary record, the Nutricam Dietary Assessment Method (NuDAM), in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Criterion validity was determined by comparing energy intake (EI) with total energy expenditure (TEE) measured by the doubly-labelled water technique. Relative validity was established by comparison to a weighed food record (WFR). Inter-rater reliability was assessed by comparing estimates of intake from three dietitians. Ten adults (6 males, age: 61.2 ± 6.9 years old, BMI: 31.0 …

Functional Conservation Of An Ancestral Pellino Protein In Helminth Species, Christopher Cluxton, Brian Caffrey, Gemma Kinsella, Paul Moynagh, Mario Fares, Padraic Fallon

Articles

The immune system of H. sapiens has innate signaling pathways that arose in ancestral species. This is exemplified by the discovery of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway using free-living model organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster. The TLR pathway is ubiquitous and controls sensitivity to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) in eukaryotes. There is, however, a marked absence of this pathway from the plathyhelminthes, with the exception of the Pellino protein family, which is present in a number of species from this phylum. Helminth Pellino proteins are conserved having high similarity, both at the sequence and predicted structural protein level, with that …

Improving Education Opportunity, Health, And Quality Of Life Of Orphans And Vulnerable Children: The Sustainable Action Against Hiv And Aids In Communities (Sahacom), Siyan Yi, Pheak Chhoun, Samantha Brant, Kelley Kita, Sovannary Tuot

Aims: This study evaluated the impact of the Sustainable Action against HIV and AIDS in Communities (SAHACOM) project in improving education opportunity, health, and quality of life of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Cambodia.

Study Design: Operational intervention study.

Place and Duration of the Study: Five provinces in Cambodia, from 2010 to 2014.

Methodology: A two-stage cluster sampling method was used to select 756 OVC at midterm and 785 OVC at end line for face-to-face interviews. Outcome indicators from end line (2014) were compared to those obtained at midterm (2012). Where possible, the data were also compared with data …

Aids-Related Stigma And Mental Disorders Among People Living With Hiv: A Cross-Sectional Study In Cambodia, Siyan Yi, Pheak Chhoun, Samedy Suong, Carinne M. Brody, Sovannary Tuot

Background: AIDS-related stigma and mental disorders are the most common conditions in people living with HIV (PLHIV). We therefore conducted this study to examine the association of AIDS-related stigma and discrimination with mental disorders among PLHIV in Cambodia.

Methods: A two-stage cluster sampling method was used to select 1,003 adult PLHIV from six provinces. The People Living with HIV Stigma Index was used to measure stigma and discrimination, and a short version of general health questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to measure mental disorders. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted.

Results: The reported experiences of discrimination in communities …

The N-Glycosylation Of Immunoglobulin G As A Novel Biomarker Of Parkinson’S Disease, Alyce Christine Russell

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

For neurodegenerative diseases, interventions during the early stages of the disease, before significant neurodegeneration has occurred, are associated with an increased probability of slowing or halting the disease process. In order to intervene early, it is essential that an accurate diagnosis is obtained and that disease progression can be monitored. This is particularly relevant for Parkinson’s disease (PD; International Classification of Diseases version 10) because significant neurodegeneration has already occurred by the time the clinical motor symptoms are present. Therefore, the development of translatable, high-throughput biomarkers for large scale population screening is a crucial area of research. Of promise are …