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Comparison Of Response To Treatment Of Unilateral And Bilateral Varicocelectomy, Ercan Öğreden, Ural Oğuz, Abdullah Çirakoğlu, Erhan Demi̇relli̇, Erdal Benli̇, Orhan Yalçin Jan 2017

Comparison Of Response To Treatment Of Unilateral And Bilateral Varicocelectomy, Ercan Öğreden, Ural Oğuz, Abdullah Çirakoğlu, Erhan Demi̇relli̇, Erdal Benli̇, Orhan Yalçin

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: We aimed to compare the results of unilateral and bilateral varicocele surgery. Materials and methods: In two referral hospitals, the data of 180 patients who were treated with unilateral and bilateral microscopic varicocelectomy were retrospectively analyzed. Sperm parameters and spontaneous pregnancy rates were compared in patients who underwent bilateral and unilateral microscopic varicocelectomy. Results: The mean age was 29.6 (17-46) years. While 82 patients underwent unilateral varicocelectomy (Group I), 98 patients underwent bilaterally varicocelectomy (Group II). Forty (48.8%) spontaneous pregnancies occurred in Group I and 59 (60.2%) in Group II. When we analyzed sperm parameters, the rate of increase …


Evaluation Of Dental Technician's Pneumoconiosis Using Chest X-Rayand Hrct: Correlation Between Radiological And Functional Findings, Recai̇ Ergün, Di̇lek Ergün, Ender Evci̇k, Begüm Ergan Jan 2017

Evaluation Of Dental Technician's Pneumoconiosis Using Chest X-Rayand Hrct: Correlation Between Radiological And Functional Findings, Recai̇ Ergün, Di̇lek Ergün, Ender Evci̇k, Begüm Ergan

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: This study aimed to compare high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings with those of chest X-ray (CXR) and to evaluate the relationship of pulmonary function test (PFT) parameters with HRCT and CXR findings in cases of dental technician's pneumoconiosis. Materials and methods: CXR, PFT, and HRCT data of 89 dental technicians who were diagnosed with pneumoconiosis were retrospectively evaluated. Results: The cases of 24 dental technicians (27%) classified as normal (Category 0) based on CXR were evaluated as Category 1 according to HRCT. There was an inverse correlation of PFT parameters with nodular profusion score in CXR and all HRCT …


Nitrate-Rich Beetroot Juice Selectively Lowers Ambulatory Pressures And Ldl Cholesterol In Uncontrolled But Not Controlled Hypertension: A Pilot Study., Conor Kerley, Eamon Dolan, Liam Cormican Jan 2017

Nitrate-Rich Beetroot Juice Selectively Lowers Ambulatory Pressures And Ldl Cholesterol In Uncontrolled But Not Controlled Hypertension: A Pilot Study., Conor Kerley, Eamon Dolan, Liam Cormican

Articles

Background Dietary nitrate has been shown to increase nitrate/nitrite levels in multiple populations, with potential blood pressure lowering effects. However, there are few reports among hypertensives. Aims We aimed to assess the effect of daily nitrate in subject with controlled hypertension vs. uncontrolled hypertension. Methods On day 0, hypertensives wore an ambulatory BP monitor (ABPM) for 24h and fasting blood was taken. Subjects then consumed concentrated beetroot juice (12.9mmol nitrate) for 14 consecutive days. On day 14 subjects consumed their last nitrate dose after fasting blood was drawn and again had an ABPM for 24h. Results According to baseline ABPM, …


Vitamin D Improves Selected Metabolic Parameters But Not Neuropsychological Or Quality Of Life Indices In Osa: A Pilot Study, Conor Kerley, Katrina Hutchinson, Jessica Branham, Aisling Mcgowan, John Faul, Liam Cormican Jan 2017

Vitamin D Improves Selected Metabolic Parameters But Not Neuropsychological Or Quality Of Life Indices In Osa: A Pilot Study, Conor Kerley, Katrina Hutchinson, Jessica Branham, Aisling Mcgowan, John Faul, Liam Cormican

Articles

Study Objectives: Our group and others have reported a high rate of vitamin D deficiency in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), where vitamin D levels (25(OH) D) correlate negatively with OSA severity and some of its associated metabolic alterations. Data regarding vitamin D supplementation in OSA are lacking. We wanted to evaluate the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on OSA symptoms and metabolic parameters. Methods: We conducted a pilot, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of daily supplementation with 4,000 IU vitamin D3 (D3) or placebo (PL). We studied 19 Caucasian adults (14 male, mean age 55 y, mean body mass index [BMI] …


Regulation Of Hnrnpa1 By Micrornas Controls The Mir-18a–K-Ras Axis In Chemotherapy-Resistant Ovarian Cancer, Cristian Rodriguez-Aguayo, Paloma Del C Monroig, Roxana S Redis, Emine Bayraktar, Maria I Almeida, Cristina Ivan, Enrique Fuentes-Mattei, Mohammed H Rashed, Arturo Chavez-Reyes, Bulent Ozpolat, Rahul Mitra, Anil K Sood, George A Calin, Gabriel Lopez-Berestein Jan 2017

Regulation Of Hnrnpa1 By Micrornas Controls The Mir-18a–K-Ras Axis In Chemotherapy-Resistant Ovarian Cancer, Cristian Rodriguez-Aguayo, Paloma Del C Monroig, Roxana S Redis, Emine Bayraktar, Maria I Almeida, Cristina Ivan, Enrique Fuentes-Mattei, Mohammed H Rashed, Arturo Chavez-Reyes, Bulent Ozpolat, Rahul Mitra, Anil K Sood, George A Calin, Gabriel Lopez-Berestein

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The regulation of microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis, function and degradation involves a range of mechanisms, including interactions with RNA-binding proteins. The potential contribution of regulatory miRNAs to the expression of these RNA interactor proteins that could control other miRNAs expression is still unclear. Here we demonstrate a regulatory circuit involving oncogenic and tumor-suppressor miRNAs and an RNA-binding protein in a chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer model. We identified and characterized miR-15a-5p and miR-25-3p as negative regulators of hnRNPA1 expression, which is required for the processing of miR-18a-3p, an inhibitor of the


A Novel Approach To Identifying A Neuroimaging Biomarker For Patients With Serious Mental Illness, Alok Madan, J Christopher Fowler, Michelle A Patriquin, Ramiro Salas, Philip R Baldwin, Kenia M Velasquez, Humsini Viswanath, David L Molfese, Carla Sharp, Jon G Allen, Susan Hardesty, John M Oldham, B Christopher Frueh Jan 2017

A Novel Approach To Identifying A Neuroimaging Biomarker For Patients With Serious Mental Illness, Alok Madan, J Christopher Fowler, Michelle A Patriquin, Ramiro Salas, Philip R Baldwin, Kenia M Velasquez, Humsini Viswanath, David L Molfese, Carla Sharp, Jon G Allen, Susan Hardesty, John M Oldham, B Christopher Frueh

Staff and Researcher Publications

Serious mental illness (SMI) is disabling, and current interventions are ineffective for many. This exploratory study sought to demonstrate the feasibility of applying topological data analysis (TDA) to resting-state functional connectivity data obtained from a heterogeneous sample of 235 adult inpatients to identify a biomarker of treatment response. TDA identified two groups based on connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and striatal regions: patients admitted with greater functional connectivity between these regions evidenced less improvement from admission to discharge than patients with lesser connectivity between them. TDA identified a potential biomarker of an attenuated treatment response among inpatients with SMI. Insofar …


Multiethnic Genome-Wide Meta-Analysis Of Ectopic Fat Depots Identifies Loci Associated With Adipocyte Development And Differentiation, Audrey Y. Chu, Xuan Deng, Virginia A. Fisher, Alexander Drong, Yang Zhang, Mary F. Feitosa, Ching-Ti Liu, Olivia Weeks, Audrey C. Choh, Qing Duan, Thomas D. Dyer Jan 2017

Multiethnic Genome-Wide Meta-Analysis Of Ectopic Fat Depots Identifies Loci Associated With Adipocyte Development And Differentiation, Audrey Y. Chu, Xuan Deng, Virginia A. Fisher, Alexander Drong, Yang Zhang, Mary F. Feitosa, Ching-Ti Liu, Olivia Weeks, Audrey C. Choh, Qing Duan, Thomas D. Dyer

School of Medicine Publications

Variation in body fat distribution contributes to the metabolic sequelae of obesity. The genetic determinants of body fat distribution are poorly understood. The goal of this study was to gain new insights into the underlying genetics of body fat distribution by conducting sample-size weighted fixed-effects genome-wide association meta-analyses in up to 9,594 women and 8,738 men for six ectopic fat traits in European, African, Hispanic, and Chinese ancestry populations, with and without sex stratification. In total, 7 new loci were identified in association with ectopic fat traits (ATXN1, UBE2E2, EBF1, RREB1, GSDMB, GRAMD3 and ENSA; PATXN1 and UBE2E2 …


Immunogenicity And Protective Efficacy Of The Dar-901 Booster Vaccine In A Murine Model Of Tuberculosis, Timothy Lahey, Dominick Laddy, Krystal Hill, Jacqueline Schaeffer Dec 2016

Immunogenicity And Protective Efficacy Of The Dar-901 Booster Vaccine In A Murine Model Of Tuberculosis, Timothy Lahey, Dominick Laddy, Krystal Hill, Jacqueline Schaeffer

Dartmouth Scholarship

The development of a novel tuberculosis vaccine is a leading global health priority. SRL172, an inactivated, whole-cell mycobacterial vaccine, was safe, immunogenic and reduced the incidence of culture-confirmed tuberculosis in a phase III trial in HIV-infected and BCG immunized adults in Tanzania. Here we describe the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of DAR-901, a booster vaccine against tuberculosis manufactured from the same seed strain using a new scalable method.


Comparative Genetic Screens In Human Cells Reveal New Regulatory Mechanisms In Wnt Signaling, Andres M. Lebensohn, Ramin Dubey, Leif Neitzel, Ofelia Tacchelly-Benites Dec 2016

Comparative Genetic Screens In Human Cells Reveal New Regulatory Mechanisms In Wnt Signaling, Andres M. Lebensohn, Ramin Dubey, Leif Neitzel, Ofelia Tacchelly-Benites

Dartmouth Scholarship

The comprehensive understanding of cellular signaling pathways remains a challenge due to multiple layers of regulation that may become evident only when the pathway is probed at different levels or critical nodes are eliminated. To discover regulatory mechanisms in canonical WNT signaling, we conducted a systematic forward genetic analysis through reporter-based screens in haploid human cells. Comparison of screens for negative, attenuating and positive regulators of WNT signaling, mediators of R-spondin-dependent signaling and suppressors of constitutive signaling induced by loss of the tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli or casein kinase 1α uncovered new regulatory features at most levels of the …


Revealing The Dual Streams Of Speech Processing, Julius Fridriksson, Grigori Yourganov, Leonardo Bonilha, Alexandra Basilakos, Dirk B. Den Ouden, Chris Rorden Dec 2016

Revealing The Dual Streams Of Speech Processing, Julius Fridriksson, Grigori Yourganov, Leonardo Bonilha, Alexandra Basilakos, Dirk B. Den Ouden, Chris Rorden

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

Several dual route models of human speech processing have been proposed suggesting a large-scale anatomical division between cortical regions that support motor–phonological aspects vs. lexical–semantic aspects of speech processing. However, to date, there is no complete agreement on what areas subserve each route or the nature of interactions across these routes that enables human speech processing. Relying on an extensive behavioral and neuroimaging assessment of a large sample of stroke survivors, we used a data-driven approach using principal components analysis of lesion-symptom mapping to identify brain regions crucial for performance on clusters of behavioral tasks without a priori separation into …


Initiator Trna Genes Template The 3' Cca End At High Frequencies In Bacteria., David H. Ardell, Ya-Ming Hou Dec 2016

Initiator Trna Genes Template The 3' Cca End At High Frequencies In Bacteria., David H. Ardell, Ya-Ming Hou

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: While the CCA sequence at the mature 3' end of tRNAs is conserved and critical for translational function, a genetic template for this sequence is not always contained in tRNA genes. In eukaryotes and Archaea, the CCA ends of tRNAs are synthesized post-transcriptionally by CCA-adding enzymes. In Bacteria, tRNA genes template CCA sporadically.

RESULTS: In order to understand the variation in how prokaryotic tRNA genes template CCA, we re-annotated tRNA genes in tRNAdb-CE database version 0.8. Among 132,129 prokaryotic tRNA genes, initiator tRNA genes template CCA at the highest average frequency (74.1%) over all functional classes except selenocysteine and …


An Examination Of The Neural Unreliability Thesis Of Autism, John Butler, Sophie Molholm, Gizely Andrade, John J. Foxe Dec 2016

An Examination Of The Neural Unreliability Thesis Of Autism, John Butler, Sophie Molholm, Gizely Andrade, John J. Foxe

Articles

An emerging neuropathological theory of Autism, referred to here as “the neural unreliability thesis,” proposes greater variability in moment-to-moment cortical representation of environmental events, such that the system shows general instability in its impulse response function. Leading evidence for this thesis derives from functional neuroimaging, a methodology ill-suited for detailed assessment of sensory transmission dynamics occurring at the millisecond scale. Electrophysiological assessments of this thesis, however, are sparse and unconvincing. We conducted detailed examination of visual and somatosensory evoked activity using high-density electrical mapping in individuals with autism (N = 20) and precisely matched neurotypical controls (N = 20), recording …


Cardiac Specific Overexpression Of Mitochondrial Omi/Htra2 Induces Myocardial Apoptosis And Cardiac Dysfunction., Ke Wang, Yuexing Yuan, Xin Liu, Wayne Bond Lau, Lin Zuo, Xiaoliang Wang, Lu Ma, Kun Jiao, Jianyu Shang, Wen Wang, Xinliang Ma, Huirong Liu Dec 2016

Cardiac Specific Overexpression Of Mitochondrial Omi/Htra2 Induces Myocardial Apoptosis And Cardiac Dysfunction., Ke Wang, Yuexing Yuan, Xin Liu, Wayne Bond Lau, Lin Zuo, Xiaoliang Wang, Lu Ma, Kun Jiao, Jianyu Shang, Wen Wang, Xinliang Ma, Huirong Liu

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

Myocardial apoptosis is a significant problem underlying ischemic heart disease. We previously reported significantly elevated expression of cytoplasmic Omi/HtrA2, triggers cardiomyocytes apoptosis. However, whether increased Omi/HtrA2 within mitochondria itself influences myocardial survival in vivo is unknown. We aim to observe the effects of mitochondria-specific, not cytoplasmic, Omi/HtrA2 on myocardial apoptosis and cardiac function. Transgenic mice overexpressing cardiac-specific mitochondrial Omi/HtrA2 were generated and they had increased myocardial apoptosis, decreased systolic and diastolic function, and decreased left ventricular remodeling. Transiently or stably overexpression of mitochondria Omi/HtrA2 in H9C2 cells enhance apoptosis as evidenced by elevated caspase-3, -9 activity and TUNEL staining, which …


Seeing The Invisible: Revealing Atrial Ablation Lesions Using Hyperspectral Imaging Approach, Narine Muselimyan, Luther Swift, Huda Asfour, Tigran Chahbazian, Ramesh Mazhari, Marco Mercader, Narine Sarvazyan Dec 2016

Seeing The Invisible: Revealing Atrial Ablation Lesions Using Hyperspectral Imaging Approach, Narine Muselimyan, Luther Swift, Huda Asfour, Tigran Chahbazian, Ramesh Mazhari, Marco Mercader, Narine Sarvazyan

Pharmacology and Physiology Faculty Publications

Background

Currently, there are limited means for high-resolution monitoring of tissue injury during radiofrequency ablation procedures.

Objective

To develop the next generation of visualization catheters that can reveal irreversible atrial muscle damage caused by ablation and identify viability gaps between the lesions.

Methods

Radiofrequency lesions were placed on the endocardial surfaces of excised human and bovine atria and left ventricles of blood perfused rat hearts. Tissue was illuminated with 365nm light and a series of images were acquired from individual spectral bands within 420-720nm range. By extracting spectral profiles of individual pixels and spectral unmixing, the relative contribution of ablated …


Modelling Random Antibody Adsorption And Immunoassay Activity, Dana Mackey, Eilis Kelly, Robert Nooney Dec 2016

Modelling Random Antibody Adsorption And Immunoassay Activity, Dana Mackey, Eilis Kelly, Robert Nooney

Articles

One of the primary considerations in immunoassay design is optimizing the concentration of capture antibody in order to achieve maximal antigen binding and, subsequently, improved sensitivity and limit of detection. Many immunoassay technologies involve immobilization of the antibody to solid surfaces. Antibodies are large molecules in which the position and accessibility of the antigen-binding site depend on their orientation and packing density. In this paper we propose a simple mathematical model, based on the theory known as random sequential adsorption (RSA), in order to calculate how the concentration of correctly oriented antibodies (active site exposed for subsequent reactions) evolves during …


Multipoint Genome-Wide Linkage Scan For Nonword Repetition In A Multigenerational Family Further Supports Chromosome 13q As A Locus For Verbal Trait Disorders, D. T. Truong, L. D. Shriberg, S. D. Smith, K. L. Chapman, A. R. Scheer-Cohen, M. M.C. Demille, A. K. Adams, Alejandro Q. Nato Jr., E. M. Wijsman, J. D. Eicher, J. R. Gruen Dec 2016

Multipoint Genome-Wide Linkage Scan For Nonword Repetition In A Multigenerational Family Further Supports Chromosome 13q As A Locus For Verbal Trait Disorders, D. T. Truong, L. D. Shriberg, S. D. Smith, K. L. Chapman, A. R. Scheer-Cohen, M. M.C. Demille, A. K. Adams, Alejandro Q. Nato Jr., E. M. Wijsman, J. D. Eicher, J. R. Gruen

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Verbal trait disorders encompass a wide range of conditions and are marked by deficits in five domains that impair a person’s ability to communicate: speech, language, reading, spelling, and writing. Nonword repetition is a robust endophenotype for verbal trait disorders that is sensitive to cognitive processes critical to verbal development, including auditory processing, phonological working memory, and motor planning and programming. In the present study, we present a six-generation extended pedigree with a history of verbal trait disorders. Using genome-wide multipoint variance component linkage analysis of nonword repetition, we identified a region spanning chromosome 13q14–q21 with LOD = 4.45 between …


Genomics And Csf Analyses Implicate Thyroid Hormone In Hippocampal Sclerosis Of Aging, Peter T. Nelson, Yuriko Katsumata, Kwangsik Nho, Sergey C. Artiushin, Gregory A. Jicha, Wang-Xia Wang, Erin L. Abner, Andrew J. Saykin, Walter A. Kukull, Alzheimer’S Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (Adni), David W. Fardo Dec 2016

Genomics And Csf Analyses Implicate Thyroid Hormone In Hippocampal Sclerosis Of Aging, Peter T. Nelson, Yuriko Katsumata, Kwangsik Nho, Sergey C. Artiushin, Gregory A. Jicha, Wang-Xia Wang, Erin L. Abner, Andrew J. Saykin, Walter A. Kukull, Alzheimer’S Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (Adni), David W. Fardo

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

We report evidence of a novel pathogenetic mechanism in which thyroid hormone dysregulation contributes to dementia in elderly persons. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on chromosome 12p12 were the initial foci of our study: rs704180 and rs73069071. These SNPs were identified by separate research groups as risk alleles for non-Alzheimer’s neurodegeneration. We found that the rs73069071 risk genotype was associated with hippocampal sclerosis (HS) pathology among people with the rs704180 risk genotype (National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center/Alzheimer’s Disease Genetic Consortium data; n = 2113, including 241 autopsy-confirmed HS cases). Furthermore, both rs704180 and rs73069071 risk genotypes were associated with widespread brain …


A Novel Codon-Optimized Siv Gag-Pol Immunogen For Gene-Based Vaccination, Catherine M. Crosby, Eric A. Weaver, Reeti Khare, Michael A. Barry Dec 2016

A Novel Codon-Optimized Siv Gag-Pol Immunogen For Gene-Based Vaccination, Catherine M. Crosby, Eric A. Weaver, Reeti Khare, Michael A. Barry

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) is a robust pathogen used in non-human primates to model HIV vaccines. SIV encodes a number of potential vaccine targets. By far the largest and most conserved protein target in SIV is its gag-pol protein that bears many epitopes to drive multivalent immune T cell responses. While gag-pol is an attractive antigen, it is only translated after a frame shift between gag and pol with the effect that gag and pol are expressed at an approximate 10/1 ratio. The codon bias of native lentiviral genes are also mismatched with the abundance of tRNAs in mammalian cells …


Final Design Report: Allergen Mixing Assistant (Ama) Micro-Refrigeration Redesigning, Mitchell Parks, Minwoo (Michael) Suh Dec 2016

Final Design Report: Allergen Mixing Assistant (Ama) Micro-Refrigeration Redesigning, Mitchell Parks, Minwoo (Michael) Suh

Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

Allergen Mixing Assistant (AMA) by Xtract Solutions is a device designed to more “effectively refrigerate, organize, and mix allergenic extracts”. Although Xtract Solutions intended the product to be fully automated, the company has decided against its automation and declared its current design as a minimum viable product whose components are too expensive, difficult to source and complex. Therefore, Cal Poly AMA design team - Mitchell Parks and Minwoo Suh - has decided to replace these expensive components with much more economical alternatives as shown below:

Stirling cooler

→

Thermoelectric (Peltier) cooler

Custom Arduino

Controller Card

→

TEC Thermostat *** …


Investigation Of Radiation Injury In The Esophagus From Definitive Chemoradiation Therapy Using Novel Imaging Biomarkers, Joshua S. Niedzielski Dec 2016

Investigation Of Radiation Injury In The Esophagus From Definitive Chemoradiation Therapy Using Novel Imaging Biomarkers, Joshua S. Niedzielski

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Radiation injury in the esophagus occurs with high frequency from the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Radiation esophagitis is an acute normal tissue toxicity that negatively affects treatment efficacy by limiting dose and potentially interrupting radiation therapy. Clinical quantification of this toxicity is typically achieved by utilizing physician grading scales, assigning complication severity on an ordinal scale of symptom presentation and/or physician chosen interventions. These criteria are subjective in nature, both from the physician assigning the grade and the patient reporting the symptom. Furthermore, radiation therapy planning guidelines for the esophagus are derived from toxicity prediction models utilizing …


Regulation Of Cancer Metastasis By Protein Kinase D1: A Global Regulatory Cascade, Aditya Ganju Dec 2016

Regulation Of Cancer Metastasis By Protein Kinase D1: A Global Regulatory Cascade, Aditya Ganju

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Protein Kinase D1 (PKD1) is a serine threonine kinase which is downregulated in Prostate, Breast and Colon Cancer. It functions as a tumor suppressor in different cancer cells. Downregulation of PKD1 is known to be associated with aggressiveness of the cancer. PKD1 is known to regulate many key oncogenic signaling pathways such as E-cadherin, β-catenin and Androgen Receptor signaling pathways. Aberrant expression of these oncogenic pathways leads to transformation of cells from normal to malignant phenotype, thereby leading to increased proliferation, growth and metastasis to distant organs of these cancer cells. Literature evidence also points to the fact that E-cadherin …


The Nucleolar Protein Nucleophosmin Undergoes Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation With Arginine-Rich Nucleolar Proteins Through Weak, Multivalent Electrostatic Interactions, Jaclyn Alicia Cika Dec 2016

The Nucleolar Protein Nucleophosmin Undergoes Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation With Arginine-Rich Nucleolar Proteins Through Weak, Multivalent Electrostatic Interactions, Jaclyn Alicia Cika

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Nucleoli are nuclear membrane-less organelles that are the sites for ribosome biogenesis and serve as sensors of cellular stress. Weak, multivalent protein-protein interactions and interactions between disordered, low complexity domains (LCDs) and rRNA have been shown to promote liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) in vitro, suggesting a basis for the liquid-like behavior of nucleoli. Nucleophosmin (NPM1), a multifunctional and highly abundant nucleolar protein, exhibits structural features associated with LLPS suggesting a role in nucleolar organization. Specifically, NPM1 forms a pentamer through its N-terminal oligomerization domain and can bind to rRNA through its C-terminal nucleic acid binding domain. Multiple acidic tracts throughout …


Endosomal Trafficking As A Determinant Of Antifungal Tolerance In The Pathogenic Fungus Candida Albicans, Arturo Luis Luna Dec 2016

Endosomal Trafficking As A Determinant Of Antifungal Tolerance In The Pathogenic Fungus Candida Albicans, Arturo Luis Luna

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Several important antifungal drugs inhibit the synthesis of ergosterol, a lipid that modulates the thickness, fluidity and permeability of fungal cell membranes. These include the azole antifungals, which block ergosterol biosynthesis by inhibiting lanosterol demethylase (Erg11p). The resulting depletion of cellular ergosterol and the accumulation of ‘toxic’ sterol intermediates are both thought to cause plasma membrane dysfunction and ultimately growth arrest. However, the effects of ergosterol depletion upon the function of intracellular membranes and organelles are not well described. The purpose of this study was to characterize the effects of azole treatment upon the integrity of the Candida albicans vacuole, …


The Role Of The Mir-200 Family On The Tumor Suppressor Rassf2 And The Effect On Mapk Pathway Activity In Colorectal Cancer., Jane V. Carter Dec 2016

The Role Of The Mir-200 Family On The Tumor Suppressor Rassf2 And The Effect On Mapk Pathway Activity In Colorectal Cancer., Jane V. Carter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigated the role of the miR-200 family in normal colon epithelial (CCD 841) and Dukes’ C (HT-29) colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines. Our aim was to characterize expression of the miR-200 family (miR-200a, miR-200b, miR-200c, miR-141, and miR-429) in colorectal cell lines, study their effect on the tumor suppressor Ras Associated Domain-Containing Protein (RASSF) 2 and on subsequent activity within the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. We wanted to determine whether regulation of miR-200 family members could change cell behavior towards more “cancer-like” in a normal colon epithelium (CCD 841) cell line, or less “cancer-like” in a …


Evaluating Cardiovascular Dysfunction During Increased Activity And Exercise Rehabilitation Following Incomplete Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury In The Adult Rat., Kathryn A. Harman Dec 2016

Evaluating Cardiovascular Dysfunction During Increased Activity And Exercise Rehabilitation Following Incomplete Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury In The Adult Rat., Kathryn A. Harman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in whole-body dysfunction. While the majority of SCI research is focused on improving locomotor function after injury, cardiovascular (CV) disease continues to be the leading cause of morbidity in the chronic SCI patient population. The combination of injury-induced destruction of autonomic pathways, maladaptive plasticity within lumbosacral circuits, and the progressive decline in physical fitness contribute to the poor CV status of SCI individuals. Currently, there is little emphasis on implementing appropriately-timed acute rehabilitation techniques aimed to curtail maladaptive remodeling and improve CV outcomes. Furthermore, no pre-clinical or clinical studies have investigated the most appropriate time-course …


The Role Of Nicotine, A7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors And Extracellular Matrix Remodeling In Pulmonary Fibrosis., Glenn Ward Vicary Dec 2016

The Role Of Nicotine, A7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors And Extracellular Matrix Remodeling In Pulmonary Fibrosis., Glenn Ward Vicary

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The median survival for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients from diagnosis is a dismal 3 years. This condition is characterized by pulmonary fibroproliferation and excess production and disordered deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins resulting in obliteration of the original tissue architecture, loss of lung function and eventual death due to respiratory failure. The main hindrance to the development of effective treatments against pulmonary fibrosis is the late detection of its progression and is often of unknown cause. Tobacco smoke represents the most important environmental factor linked to the development of pulmonary fibrosis, with over 60% of IPF patients current …


A Biologically Active Tnf-Alpha Inhibitor Fails To Suppress Colitis In Balb/C Mice, Stephanie E. Biel Dec 2016

A Biologically Active Tnf-Alpha Inhibitor Fails To Suppress Colitis In Balb/C Mice, Stephanie E. Biel

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Tumor necrosis factor a (TNFα), a potent inflammatory cytokine, has long been established as a major driving force for pathologic inflammation. Currently, anti-TNFα therapies are the standard in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) management; however, one-third of IBD patients fail to respond to anti-TNFα therapies. Previous data from this lab indicate that TNFα Converting Enzyme (TACE) inhibition does not ameliorate colitis in BALB/C mice. Thus, we hypothesized that TNFα is not a critical component in the BALB/C model of colitis. To test this, acute colitis was induced in BALB/C mice by consumption of 5% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in drinking water …


Development Of Activity In The Mouse Visual Cortex., Jing Shen, Matthew T Colonnese Nov 2016

Development Of Activity In The Mouse Visual Cortex., Jing Shen, Matthew T Colonnese

Pharmacology and Physiology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


A Generalized Framework For Computational Design And Mutational Scanning Of T-Cell Receptor Binding Interfaces, Timothy P. Riley, Cory M. Ayres, Lance M. Hellman, Nishant K. Singh, Michael Cosiano, Jennifer M. Cimons, Michael J. Anderson, Kurt H. Piepenbrink, Brian G. Pierce, Zhiping Weng, Brian M. Baker Nov 2016

A Generalized Framework For Computational Design And Mutational Scanning Of T-Cell Receptor Binding Interfaces, Timothy P. Riley, Cory M. Ayres, Lance M. Hellman, Nishant K. Singh, Michael Cosiano, Jennifer M. Cimons, Michael J. Anderson, Kurt H. Piepenbrink, Brian G. Pierce, Zhiping Weng, Brian M. Baker

Food for Health: Publications

T-cell receptors (TCRs) have emerged as a new class of therapeutics, most prominently for cancer where they are the key components of new cellular therapies as well as soluble biologics. Many studies have generated high affinity TCRs in order to enhance sensitivity. Recent outcomes, however, have suggested that fine manipulation of TCR binding, with an emphasis on specificity may be more valuable than large affinity increments. Structure-guided design is ideally suited for this role, and here we studied the generality of structure-guided design as applied to TCRs. We found that a previous approach, which successfully optimized the binding of a …


5-Hydroxymethylcytosine Localizes To Enhancer Elements And Is Associated With Survival In Glioblastoma Patients, Kevin C. Johnson, E. Andres Houseman, Jessica E. King, Katharine M. Von Herrmann, Camilo E. Fadu, Brock C. Christensen Nov 2016

5-Hydroxymethylcytosine Localizes To Enhancer Elements And Is Associated With Survival In Glioblastoma Patients, Kevin C. Johnson, E. Andres Houseman, Jessica E. King, Katharine M. Von Herrmann, Camilo E. Fadu, Brock C. Christensen

Dartmouth Scholarship

Glioblastomas exhibit widespread molecular alterations including a highly distorted epigenome. Here, we resolve genome-wide 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in glioblastoma through parallel processing of DNA with bisulfite and oxidative bisulfite treatments. We apply a statistical algorithm to estimate 5-methylcytosine, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine and unmethylated proportions from methylation array data. We show that 5-hydroxymethylcytosine is depleted in glioblastoma compared with prefrontal cortex tissue. In addition, the genomic localization of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in glioblastoma is associated with features of dynamic cell-identity regulation such as tissue-specific transcription and super-enhancers. Annotation of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine genomic distribution reveal significant associations with RNA regulatory processes, immune function, stem cell maintenance and …