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Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Review Of Current Treatments, Yosef Lewis

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a syndrome that develops infrequently in patients that experience a minor or severe trauma to a bodily extremity. CRPS has two subtypes; Type-I and II, both are clinically characterized by hyperalgesia. During its acute stage, CRPS hyperalgesia is clinically characterized by edema in the subcutaneous tissues of the epidermis, allodynia, and localized bone resorption. In the later chronic stage, hyperalgesia is aroused by the disregulation of blood flow to the extremity and permanent dystonic and trophic changes to the skin. Because the epidemiology and central causation of CRPS remains unknown until today, health professionals …

Transfusion Of Cxcr4-Primed Endothelial Progenitor Cells Reduces Cerebral Ischemic Damage And Promotes Repair In Db/Db Diabetic Mice, Ji Chen, Jianying Chen, Shuzhen Chen, Cheng Zhang, Liangqing Zhang, Xiang Xiao, Avik Das, Yuhui Zhao, Bin Yuan, Mariana Morris, Bin Zhao, Yanfang Chen

Pharmacology and Toxicology Faculty Publications

This study investigated the role of stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α)/CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) axis in brain and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), and explored the efficacy of CXCR4 primed EPCs in treating ischemic stroke in diabetes. The db/db diabetic and db/+ mice were used in this study. Levels of plasma SDF-1α and circulating CD34+CXCR4+ cells were measured. Brain SDF-1α and CXCR4 expression were quantified at basal and after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). In in vitro study, EPCs were transfected with adenovirus carrying null (Ad-null) or CXCR4 (Ad-CXCR4) followed with high glucose (HG) treatment for 4 days. For pathway block …

Hypoxia-Sensitive Gene Expression In The Gastrocnemius Muscle Following Chronic Hind Limb Ischemia, Andrew Tilton

Biological Sciences

Chronic ischemia, caused by the formation atherosclerotic plaque occlusions in major conduit arteries, is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in western societies. Vascular remodeling can help compensate for the adverse effects of atherosclerotic plaque formation. Vascular remodeling relies heavily on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a critical protein that contributes to all forms of vascular formation and remodeling including angiogenesis, arteriogenesisand vasculogenesis. VEGF itself is up-regulated by the transcription factor, hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α), which becomes activated in low oxygen environments.

Through the use of animal chronic hindlimb ischemia models, these genes can be evaluated as …

Biological Mechanisms And Clinical Implications Of Bcr-Abl-Induced Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress And Cell Survival In Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, Hui Zhang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a myeloproliferative disorder, represents approximately 15-20% of all adult leukemia. The development of CML is clearly linked to the constitutively active protein-tyrosine kinase BCR-ABL, which is encoded by BCR-ABL fusion gene as the result of chromosome 9/22 translocation (Philadelphia chromosome). Previous studies have demonstrated that oxidative stress-associated genetic, metabolic and biological alterations contribute to CML cell survival and drug refractory. Mitochondria and NAD(P)H oxidase (NOX) are the major sources of BCR-ABL-induced cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. However, it is still unknown how CML cells maintain the altered redox status, while escaping from the persistent oxidative …

Anorexia Nervosa: Current Research From A Biological Perspective, Udy Tropp

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Eating disorders are viewed as serious mental illnesses, carrying significant, life-threatening medical and psychiatric implications, including morbidity and mortality. According to the Academy of Eating Disorders, anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder. The American Psychiatric Association (2004) claims that approximately three percent of the United States female population has a clinically relevant eating disorder. Risk of premature death is 6-12 times higher in women with anorexia as compared to the general population, and it has become the third most common form of chronic illness among adolescent women aged 15 to 19 years. Although the prevalence …

Ischemia Impairs Vasodilation In Skeletal Muscle Resistance Artery, Kyle Remington Struthers

Master's Theses

Functional vasodilation in arterioles is impaired with chronic ischemia. We sought to examine the impact of chronic ischemia and age on skeletal muscle resistance artery function. To examine the impact of chronic ischemia, the femoral artery was resected from young (2-3mo) and adult (6-7mo) mice and the profunda femoris artery diameter was measured at rest and following gracilis muscle contraction 14 days later using intravital microscopy. Functional vasodilation was significantly impaired in ischemic mice (14.4±4.6% vs. 137.8±14.3%, p<0.0001 n=8) and non-ischemic adult mice (103.0±9.4% vs. 137.8±14.3%, p=0.05 n=10). In order to analyze the cellular mechanisms of the impairment, a protocol was developed to apply pharmacological agents to the experimental preparation while maintaining tissue homeostasis. Endothelial and smooth muscle dependent vasodilation were impaired with ischemia, 39.6 ± 13.6% vs. 80.5 ± 11.4% and 43.0 ± 11.7% vs. 85.1 ± 10.5%, respectively. From this data, it can be supported that smooth muscle dysfunction is the reason for the observed impairment in arterial vasodilation.

Is The Gallbladder Really Unnecessary? An Evaluation Of Gallstone Treatment, Danielle Weinberg

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

The following is the introduction of this article: The red numbers on your alarm read two o’clock AM, but you’re wide awake. A dull ache below your ribs has tossed you from the blissful ignorance of sleep into the painful reality of another nocturnal attack. As the pale streaks of daylight appear, you grit your teeth in agony while the ambulance goes over yet another bump in its rush to get you to the emergency room. A blur of white coats, lab tests, and CT scans, and then you’re staring into the bright lights above the operating table as the …

Osteopontin And Cadherin 11 Are Novel Mediators And Drug Targets For Chronic Lung Diseases, Daniel J. Schneider

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Chronic lung diseases (CLDs) are a considerable source of morbidity and mortality and are thought to arise from dysregulation of normal wound healing processes. An aggressive, feature of many CLDs is pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and is characterized by excess deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins from myofibroblasts in airways. However, factors regulating myofibroblast biology are incompletely understood. Proteins in the cadherin family contribute epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), a suggested source of myofibroblasts. Cadherin 11 (CDH11) contributes to developmental and pathologic processes that parallel those seen in PF and EMT. Utilizing Cdh11 knockout (Cdh11 -/-) mice, the goal of this …

Tamoxifen: Mechanisms Of Resistance, Cyrus Mccoy Adams

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The role of estrogen in breast cancer has been recognized for decades. The selective estrogen receptor modulator tamoxifen was the first targeted therapy for the treatment of breast cancer. It was also the first drug approved by the FDA for the reduction of breast cancer risk. While tamoxifen has extended the lives of countless patients with breast cancer, resistance to tamoxifen remains a significant clinical problem. Work over the last two decades has greatly enhanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which breast cancer cells may become resistant to tamoxifen treatment. Here I review our current understanding of the …

Methods For Detection Of Matrix Metalloproteinases As Biomarkers In Cardiovascular Disease, Viorica Lopez-Avila, Juliet Spencer

Biology Faculty Publications

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc-dependent proteolytic enzymes that degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) components like collagen, fibronectin, and laminin. While this activity is important for normal development, morphogenesis, and wound healing, deregulation of MMP activity has been implicated in a number of cardiovascular diseases, including congenital heart defects, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure. MMPs are good potential diagnostic indicators of cardiovascular disease, but current detection methods are time consuming and quite laborious. This review will discuss MMP biology, current methods for detection of MMPs from patient samples, and potential new developments in multiplexed analysis of MMPs.

Ukimwi : Hiv/Aids In Kenya, Virginia Wangui Gathua

Graduate Research Papers

This manuscript points out the deficiencies school counseling programs in Kenya for children/adolescents affected/infected by HIV/AIDS. In addition, the paper is intended to inform, guide, and encourage policy makers, program developers, and school counselors as they develop school counseling interventions for the disease. The focus of the paper is limited to children/adolescents because they bear the greatest burden of HIV/ AIDS infections. The paper also provides evidence for planning and implementation of culturally and developmentally relevant, school-based counseling interventions. The paper explores the impact of HIV/AIDS on Kenyan children/adolescents infected/affected by HIV/AIDS and points out the factors that hinder prevention …

Development Of Periapical Lesions In Immunosuppressed Rats, Phillip A. Waterman Jr.

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The pathogenesis of periapical lesions is the interaction of the oral flora with the existing host defenses. The role of bacteria has been established in endodontic disease but the contribution of the host defenses in periapical lesion formation is less clear. The purpose of this study was to compare periapical lesion development in immunosuppressed rats with that in normal rats. Thirty-five, eight-week old Sprague-Dawley rats were equally divided into seven groups. Groups 1, 2, and 3 were given weekly injections of Cytoxan, an immunosuppressive agent. Groups 4, 5, and 6 received no immunosuppressive therapy. Group 7 served as a control, …