Digital Commons Network^™

Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar State: A Diabetic Emergency, Rachel Fisher

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS) is an acute complication associated with diabetes mellitus. HHS has been known by several other names in the past. These labels include Hyperosmolar Nonketotic Coma, Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Coma, and Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar Nonketotic Syndrome (Hackel, 2014). HHS is characterized by severe hyperglycemia, profound dehydration, and is often accompanied by altered mental status. Less than 1% of diabetes-related admissions are due to HHS, but mortality rates are estimated to be 10% to 20% (Lenahan & Holloway, 2015). HHS typically affects the older adult population, with the average age of HHS patients being 60 years (Collopy, Kivlehan, & …

Levels Of 8-Oxodg Predict Hepatobiliary Pathology In Opisthorchis Viverrini Endemic Settings In Thailand., Prasert Saichua, Anna Yakovleva, Christine Kamamia, Amar R. Jariwala, Paul J. Brindley, Jeffrey M. Bethony, + 8 More

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Opisthorchis viverrini is distinct among helminth infections as it drives a chronic inflammatory response in the intrahepatic bile duct that progresses from advanced periductal fibrosis (APF) to cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Extensive research shows that oxidative stress (OS) plays a critical role in the transition from chronic O. viverrini infection to CCA. OS also results in the excision of a modified DNA lesion (8-oxodG) into urine, the levels of which can be detected by immunoassay. Herein, we measured concentrations of urine 8-oxodG by immunoassay from the following four groups in the Khon Kaen Cancer Cohort study: (1) O. viverrini negative individuals, (2) …

Cardiac Tamponade, Ashley Miner

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

The topic the author chose to research is cardiac tamponade. Cardiac tamponade occurs when fluid builds up in the pericardial cavity, which is the cavity that surrounds the heart. Cardiac tamponade can occur due to various reasons, including myocardial infarctions, pericarditis, traumas, and placement of pacer wires. Palpitations, chest pain, and shortness of breath are common symptoms that occur with cardiac tamponade. Pericardiocentesis and a pericardial window are two interventions that are commonly used to treat cardiac tamponade. Cardiac tamponade is a medical emergency and without any intervention, may lead to cardiac arrest and possible death. The author chose cardiac …

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Understanding Has Led To Exciting Treatments, William Metz

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Pulmonary fibrosis can be described as an excessive amounts of fibrous connective lung tissue in the lung. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF) is the most common form of interstitial lung disease(ILD). When an obvious cause cannot be determined, a diagnosis of Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is made. The mean survival for patients is approximately 3-5 years from time of diagnosis. IPF is found primarily in men over 50 years of age, with a history of cigarette smoking with concurrent environmental and occupational inhalation exposures(Leslie, 2011, p. 592). Pulmonary fibrosis has been identified by early pathologists at the beginning of the last century. During …

Cervical Spinal Cord Injury, Melissa Schimmel

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

A spinal cord injury (SCI) can occur at any level of the spinal cord. A SCI involves an interruption between the brain and the body due to an injury or damage to the spinal cord (Sheppard Center, 2011, p1.). The location and extent of the injury is important because it will determine the severity and extent of dysfunction. The higher the injury is to the spinal cord, the more severe the loss of motor function (Sheppard Center, 2011, p.4). The spinal cord injuries are classified by based on the extent of injury, motor and sensory losses. The injury is considered …

Dualism And Doctrine, Dov Fox, Alex Stein

Indiana Law Journal

What kinds of harm among those that tortfeasors inflict are worthy of compensation? Which forms of self-incriminating evidence are privileged against government compulsion? What sorts of facts constitute a criminal defendant’s intent? Existing doctrine pins the answer to all of these questions on whether the injury, facts, or evidence at stake are “mental” or “physical.” The assumption that operations of the mind are meaningfully distinct from those of the body animates fundamental rules in our law.

A tort victim cannot recover for mental harm on its own because the law presumes that he is able to unfeel any suffering arising …

A Genetic Porcine Model Of Cancer, Lawrence B. Schook, Tiago V. Collares, Wenping Hu, Ying Liang, Fernanda M. Rodrigues, Laurie A. Rund, Kyle M. Schachtschneider, Fabiana K. Seixas, Kuldeep Singh, Kevin D. Wells, Eric M. Walters, Randall S. Prather, Christopher M. Counter

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

The large size of the pig and its similarity in anatomy, physiology, metabolism, and genetics to humans make it an ideal platform to develop a genetically defined, large animal model of cancer. To this end, we created a transgenic "oncopig" line encoding Cre recombinase inducible porcine transgenes encoding KRAS^G12D and TP^53R167H, which represent a commonly mutated oncogene and tumor suppressor in human cancers, respectively. Treatment of cells derived from these oncopigs with the adenovirus encoding Cre (AdCre) led to KRAS^G12D and TP^53R167H expression, which rendered the cells transformed in culture and tumorigenic when engrafted into …

Neural Plasticity In Response To Intervention In Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Sheryl Jayne Stevens

Dissertations (1934 -)

Current theories of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) suggest that they may develop from the transactional interaction between biological risk factors and environmental processes (Dawson et al., 2009). Due to the brain’s experience-expectant nature, one’s degree of social exposure may have a significant impact on their brain development and behavioral presentation. In addition to the primary critical neurodevelopmental period identified in early childhood, recent research has demonstrated a second period of substantial neurodevelopment during the adolescent period (Sisk & Foster, 2004). This study investigated the neural and behavioral impact of participation in an empirically validated behavioral intervention (The Program for the …

Effects Of Cocaine Sensitization On Drug Self-Administration, Mesocorticolimbic Sapap Levels, And Prefrontal Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors, Kyle Christopher Summers

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Towards the goal of improving the knowledge base of how drugs of abuse function to create addicts and using currently uninvestigated areas of this knowledge base, we focused our research studies the male albino rat, and strived to explain how cocaine sensitization alters particular molecular mechanisms in the mesocorticolimbic system related to glutamate receptors, SAPAPs, and affects drug self-administration. Taking all the previously discussed research studies into consideration, we hypothesized that low-dose cocaine self-administration would yield a significant elevation in drug seeking behavior for psychostimulant sensitized animals. For specific changes at the PSD, we hypothesized that acute cocaine exposure and/or …

Outcomes Of Comatose Cardiac Arrest Survivors With And Without St-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Importance Of Coronary Angiography., Karl B. Kern Md, Kapildeo Lotun, Nainesh C. Patel Md, Michael R. Mooney Md, Ryan D. Hollenbeck Md, John A. Mcpherson Md, Paul W. Mcmullan Md, Barbara Unger Rn, Chiu-Hsieh Hsu, David B. Seder Md

Department of Medicine

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare outcomes and coronary angiographic findings in post-cardiac arrest patients with and without ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

BACKGROUND: The 2013 STEMI guidelines recommend performing immediate angiography in resuscitated patients whose initial electrocardiogram shows STEMI. The optimal approach for those without STEMI post-cardiac arrest is less clear.

METHODS: A retrospective evaluation of a post-cardiac arrest registry was performed.

RESULTS: The database consisted of 746 comatose post-cardiac arrest patients including 198 with STEMI (26.5%) and 548 without STEMI (73.5%). Overall survival was greater in those with STEMI compared with those without (55.1% vs. …

Taranis Functions With Cyclin A And Cdk1 In A Novel Arousal Center To Control Sleep In Drosophila., Dinis J.S. Afonso, Die Liu, Daniel R. Machado, Huihui Pan, James E.C. Jepson, Dragana Rogulja, Kyunghee Koh

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Sleep is an essential and conserved behavior whose regulation at the molecular and anatomical level remains to be elucidated. Here, we identify TARANIS (TARA), a Drosophila homolog of the Trip-Br (SERTAD) family of transcriptional coregulators, as a molecule that is required for normal sleep patterns. Through a forward-genetic screen, we isolated tara as a novel sleep gene associated with a marked reduction in sleep amount. Targeted knockdown of tara suggests that it functions in cholinergic neurons to promote sleep. tara encodes a conserved cell-cycle protein that contains a Cyclin A (CycA)-binding homology domain. TARA regulates CycA protein levels and genetically …

Concordance Of The Montreal Cognitive Assessment With Standard Neuropsychological Measures, Sally J. Vogel, Sarah J. Banks, Jeffrey Cummings, Justin B. Miller

School of Medicine Faculty Research

Introduction: The concordance of the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) with more comprehensive neuropsychological measures remains unclear. This study examined the individual MoCA domains with more comprehensive and commonly used neuropsychological measures to determine the degree of overlap. Methods: Data included individuals seen in an outpatient neurology clinic specializing in neurodegenerative disease who were administered the MoCA and also underwent neuropsychological assessment (n = 471). A principal component analysis with varimax rotation was completed using the MoCA domain scores and comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation measures. Results: Four factors emerged accounting for 55.6% of the variance: (1) visuospatial/executive functioning; (2) memory; (3) attention; …

Telemetric Blood Pressure Assessment In Angiotensin Ii-Infused Apoe-/- Mice: 28 Day Natural History And Comparison To Tail-Cuff Measurements, Christopher M. Haggerty, Andrea C. Mattingly, Ming C. Gong, Wen Su, Alan Daugherty, Brandon K. Fornwalt

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a disease of the aortic wall, which can progress to catastrophic rupture. Assessment of mechanical characteristics of AAA, such as aortic distensibility, may provide important insights to help identify at-risk patients and understand disease progression. While the majority of studies on this topic have focused on retrospective patient data, recent studies have used mouse models of AAA to prospectively evaluate the evolution of aortic mechanics. Quantification of aortic distensibility requires accurate measurement of arterial blood pressure, particularly pulse pressure, which is challenging to perform accurately in murine models. We hypothesized that volume/pressure tail-cuff measurements of …

Antibacterial Characterization Of Novel Synthetic Thiazole Compounds Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Pseudintermedius, Haroon Mohammad, P.V. N. Reddy, Dennis Monteleone, Abdelrahman S. Mayhoub, Mark S. Cushman, G. Kenitra Hammac, Mohamed N. Seleem

Department of Comparative Pathobiology Faculty Publications

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is a commensal organism of companion animals that is a significant source of opportunistic infections in dogs. With the emergence of clinical isolates of S. pseudintermedius (chiefly methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP)) exhibiting increased resistance to nearly all antibiotic classes, new antimicrobials and therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. Thiazole compounds have been previously shown to possess potent antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus of human and animal concern. Given the genetic similarity between S. aureus and S. pseudintermedius, this study explores the potential use of thiazole compounds as novel antibacterial agents against methicillin-sensitive S. pseudintermedius (MSSP) and …

Testing Multiple Hypotheses Through Imp Weighted Fdr Based On A Genetic Functional Network With Application To A New Zebrafish Transcriptome Study, Jiang Gui, Casey S. Greene, Con Sullivan, Walter Taylor, Jason H. Moore, Carol Kim

Dartmouth Scholarship

In genome-wide studies, hundreds of thousands of hypothesis tests are performed simultaneously. Bonferroni correction and False Discovery Rate (FDR) can effectively control type I error but often yield a high false negative rate. We aim to develop a more powerful method to detect differentially expressed genes. We present a Weighted False Discovery Rate (WFDR) method that incorporate biological knowledge from genetic networks. We first identify weights using Integrative Multi-species Prediction (IMP) and then apply the weights in WFDR to identify differentially expressed genes through an IMP-WFDR algorithm. We performed a gene expression experiment to identify zebrafish genes that change expression …

Strategic Distribution Of The Mitochondrial Ca2+ Uniporter In Cardiac Mitochondria, Sergio De La Fuente, Caitlin Vail, Elorm J. Agra, Kira Holmstrom, Junhui Sun, Jyotsna Mishra, Toren Finkel, Elizabeth Murphy, Shey-Shing Sheu, György Csordás

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Background:

1) Control of the mitochondrial ATP production by SR-derived Ca²⁺ signals includes local, nanodomain Ca²⁺ transfer from ryanodine receptors (RyR2) to the mitochondrial matrix (excitation-bioenergetics coupling).

2) Ca²⁺ crosses the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) via the mtCU, a low-affinity Ca²⁺-activated Ca²⁺ channel complex.

3) The surface area of cardiac IMM is extensively enhanced by cristae folding; however, mitoplast patch clamp studies showed mtCU current density the lowest amongst a range of tissues (Fieni 2012. Nat Commun).

Low Level Lead Exposure Impairs Attentional Set Shifting Task Performance Depending Upon Sex And Developmental Periods Of Exposure, L.S. Neuwirth, D.W. Anderson, J. S. Schneider

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Introduction

Exposure to low levels of lead (Pb) impairs a variety of cognitive processes. Although children exposed to Pb developmentally present with a variety of cognitive impairments that include deficits in learning, memory, language, and executive functioning, experimental work on Pb toxicity in rats has focused mostly on learning and memory deficits and less on executive functions. However, detrimental effects on executive functioning could lead to or even underlie a variety of other cognitive problems attributed to Pb exposure. In this study, we examined the ability of Long Evans rats (control and Pb-exposed: 150ppm Pb-acetate in food given perinatally (gestation …

Visual Feedback Dominates The Sense Of Agency For Brain-Machine Actions, Nathan Evans, Steven Gale, Aaron Schurger, Olaf Blanke

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Recent advances in neuroscience and engineering have led to the development of technologies that permit the control of external devices through real-time decoding of brain activity (brain-machine interfaces; BMI). Though the feeling of controlling bodily movements (sense of agency; SOA) has been well studied and a number of well-defined sensorimotor and cognitive mechanisms have been put forth, very little is known about the SOA for BMI-actions. Using an on-line BMI, and verifying that our subjects achieved a reasonable level of control, we sought to describe the SOA for BMI-mediated actions. Our results demonstrate that discrepancies between decoded neural activity and …

Connectivity Measures Are Robust Biomarkers Of Cortical Function And Plasticity After Stroke, Jennifer Wu, Erin Burke Quinlan, Lucy Dodakian, Alison Mckenzie, Nikhita Kathuria, Robert J. Zhou, Renee Augsburger, Jill See, Vu H. Lee, Ramesh Srinivasan, Steven C. Cramer

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Valid biomarkers of motor system function after stroke could improve clinical decision-making. Electroencephalography-based measures are safe, inexpensive, and accessible in complex medical settings and so are attractive candidates. This study examined specific electroencephalography cortical connectivity measures as biomarkers by assessing their relationship with motor deficits across 28 days of intensive therapy. Resting-state connectivity measures were acquired four times using dense array (256 leads) electroencephalography in 12 hemiparetic patients (7.3 ± 4.0 months post-stroke, age 26–75 years, six male/six female) across 28 days of intensive therapy targeting arm motor deficits. Structural magnetic resonance imaging measured corticospinal tract injury and infarct volume. …

Arsenic Inhibits Dna Mismatch Repair By Promoting Egfr Expression And Pcna Phosphorylation, Dan Tong, Janice Ortega, Christine Kim, Jian Huang, Liya Gu, Guo-Min Li

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

Both genotoxic and non-genotoxic chemicals can act as carcinogens. However, while genotoxic compounds lead directly to mutations that promote unregulated cell growth, the mechanism by which non-genotoxic carcinogens lead to cellular transformation is poorly understood. Using a model non-genotoxic carcinogen, arsenic, we show here that exposure to arsenic inhibits mismatch repair (MMR) in human cells, possibly through its ability to stimulate epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of proliferating cellular nuclear antigen (PCNA). HeLa cells exposed to exogenous arsenic demonstrate a dose- and time-dependent increase in the levels of EGFR and tyrosine 211-phosphorylated PCNA. Cell extracts derived from arsenic-treated …

Desmin Common Mutation Is Associated With Multi-Systemic Disease Manifestations And Depletion Of Mitochondria And Mitochondrial Dna., Elizabeth M. Mccormick, Lawrence C. Kenyon, Marni J. Falk

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Desmin (DES) is a major muscle scaffolding protein that also functions to anchor mitochondria. Pathogenic DES mutations, however, have not previously been recognized as a cause of multi-systemic mitochondrial disease. Here, we describe a 45-year-old man who presented to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Mitochondrial-Genetics Diagnostic Clinic for evaluation of progressive cardiac, neuromuscular, gastrointestinal, and mood disorders. Muscle biopsy at age 45 was remarkable for cytoplasmic bodies, as well as ragged red fibers and SDH positive/COX negative fibers that were suggestive of a mitochondrial myopathy. Muscle also showed significant reductions in mitochondrial content (16% of control mean for citrate synthase …

Amyloid Peptide Inactivating Enzyme To Treat Alzheimer's Disease Peripherally, Louis B. Hersh, Hanjun Guan

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Patents

Methods for treatment and/or prevention of Alzheimer's disease comprising inactivating peripheral AP in serum to a reduce A(3 in the brain. Methods comprise expression of amyloid peptide inactivating enzyme on bone marrow cells; and coupling of amyloid peptide inactivating enzyme to hematopoietic cells.

Lipid Regulation As A Critical Factor In The Development Of Alzheimer's Disease, Michael A. Castello

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the United States, representing around eighty percent of all cases. For more than two decades, researchers have been led by the amyloid cascade hypothesis, which assumes that accumulation of the amyloid peptide Aβ, derived by proteolytic processing from the amyloid precursor protein (APP), is the key pathogenic trigger in AD. To date, therapies have largely focused on removing Aβ from the brain, an approach that has produced disappointing clinical outcomes. I present an alternative hypothesis in which Aβ production and aggregation is a symptom of a larger, systemic disease …

Nonparametric Inference In Hidden Markov Models Using P-Splines, Roland Langrock, Thomas Kneib, Alexander Sohn, Stacy L. Deruiter

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Hidden Markov models (HMMs) are flexible time series models in which the distribution of the observations depends on unobserved serially correlated states. The state-dependent distributions in HMMs are usually taken from some class of parametrically specified distributions. The choice of this class can be difficult, and an unfortunate choice can have serious consequences for example on state estimates, and more generally on the resulting model complexity and interpretation. We demonstrate these practical issues in a real data application concerned with vertical speeds of a diving beaked whale, where we demonstrate that parametric approaches can easily lead to overly complex state …

Molecular Mechanisms That Govern Human Cardiac Stem Cell Age Disparity, Tania Fuentes

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Transplantation of adult endogenous cardiovascular progenitor cells for heart repair results in some clinical benefit, however these stem cells lack the regenerative capacity unique to neonatal cardiovascular stem cells. The goal of this work was to identify mechanisms that contribute to the decline of cardiac stem cell regenerative ability with age and investigate novel therapeutic strategies to improve cardiac stem cell function. When comparing neonatal and adult cardiovascular stem cell clones, both cell types were capable of cardiomyogenic differentiation. However, the expression levels of forty-one microRNAs were significantly altered with age. Expression differences were correlated with reduced proliferation and a …

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Reduces Vx-809 Stimulated F508del-Cftr Chloride Secretion By Airway Epithelial Cells, Bruce A. Stanton, Bonita Coutermarsh, Roxanna Barnaby, Deborah Hogan

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that chronically infects the lungs of 85% of adult patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Previously, we demonstrated that P. aeruginosa reduced wt-CFTR Cl secretion by airway epithelial cells. Recently, a new investigational drug VX-809 has been shown to increase F508del-CFTR Cl secretion in human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells, and, in combination with VX-770, to increase FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second) by an average of 3-5% in CF patients homozygous for the F508del-CFTR mutation. We propose that P. aeruginosa infection of CF lungs reduces VX-809 + VX-770- stimulated F508del-CFTR Cl secretion, and …

Correlating Cellular And Diagnostic Yield Of Endobiliary Brush Cytology To Fine Needle Aspiration Using A New Large Caliber Endobiliary Brush In Suspected Pancreaticobiliary Malignancies - A Single Center Retrospective Review, Matthew Sullivan Do, Joan Collette Crn, Shashin Shah Md, Hiral N. Shah Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Antibacterial Evaluation Of Polygonum Multiflorum, Andy S. Demianicz

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Polygonum multiflorum, commonly known as Chinese Knotweed, is a tonic herb primarily used to enhance bodily functions. Recently, it has been shown to contain strong antioxidant, antibacterial and antiviral activity. The extract from the roots of Chinese Knotweed was used to assess its antibacterial properties against a broad spectrum of bacterial species, including 5 Gram-positive (B. cereus, B. megaterium, S. epidermidis, S. mutans and S. pyogenes) and 4 Gram-negative (E. aerogenes, E. coli, P. vulgaris and P. aeruginosa). Microtiter assays were carried out to evaluate the antibacterial activity of Chinese Knotweed at 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and 2.5% concentrations in order …

Functional Analysis Of The Molluscum Contagiosum Virus Mc160 Death Effector Domain-Containing Protein Rxdl Motif, Sarah Weber

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV) is a member of the Poxviridae family that causes benign skin lesions. MCV lesions persist on average for 8-12 months in otherwise healthy individuals. MCV lesions are characterized by reduced inflammation. The persistence and reduction of inflammation at the site of MCV lesions have been attributed to MCV immune evasion genes. MCV encodes two death effector domain (DED) containing proteins, MC159 and MC160. DEDs are found in cellular proteins such as FADD and procaspase-8. These cellular proteins are involved in several innate immune responses such as apoptosis and activation of interferon (IFN). Presumably, MC159 and …

Endothelin-1 Promotes Bovine Corneal Endothelial Cell Proliferation Via A Mapk Pathway: Implications For Keratopathy And Deturgescence, Brandon C. Farmer

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The corneal endothelium is vital in maintaining the functions of the cornea, namely hydration, thickness, and transparency. Diseases that impair the corneal endothelium are currently remedied solely via surgery. These surgeries present obstacles to patients of underserved areas due to cost, ineffectiveness, and lack of access. Trachoma, an infection which can cause corneal opacities, is the leading cause of infectious blindness in the world. In order to eradicate trachoma, epidemiological data is needed. Three villages in Kasigau, Kenya were studied to quantify the occurrence of trachoma in the region. The three villages were found to have adequate access to antibiotics …