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The Nutrient Intake Of Homeless Women Of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Emily D. Popma-Metsaars

Masters Theses

Background Homeless individuals comprise about 1% of the American population with 1/3 of this particular population being women. And despite the potential for hunger, the homeless population has a similar prevalence of overweight/obese as other Americans. The Heartside neighborhood of Grand Rapids is a very low-income area of the city, inhabited by the poor and homeless. The Food Access in Michigan Project is studying the relationship between food insecurity and food environments in Michigan.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of the diet of homeless women in Heartside. This study examined the level of food …

Effects Of Fatty Acid Structure On Endothelial Cell Expression Of Connexin43, Albert E. Sowers Iii

Masters Theses

The epidemic of obesity-related metabolic and cardiovascular diseases is linked to elevated fatty acids (FA). Epidemiological data argue that trans FA contribute to the development and progression of these disease processes. Previous work suggests the similarity in structure between saturated and trans FA may stimulate inflammation through trans FA interactions with toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). To evaluate the impact of trans FA on cardiovascular health, the response of endothelial cells to trans FA was evaluated. Specifically, responses to the 18-carbon trans FA elaidic acid (EA) were compared to the same length cis FA oleic acid (OA). Endothelial cells were exposed …

The Crebh In Hepatic Lipid And Lipoprotein Metabolism: Implication For The Pathogenesis Of Hyperlipidemia And Metainflammation, Miaoyun Zhao

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Hyperlipidemia is reemerging as an important cardiovascular disease risk factor and other metabolic disorders, such as obesity, insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes. Hepatic de novo lipogenesis is controlled by a family of the b-zip transcription factors, the sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs), which targets downstream genes involved in free fatty acids, triglycerides and cholesterol synthesis. Regulation of SREBPs signaling is controlled by a cluster of the ER membrane-bound proteins, the insulin induced gene-1(Insig-1) and gene-2 (Insig-2) and the SCAP protein. The cAMP responsive element binding protein H (CREBH) is a recently identified member of this family. CREBH is selectively and …

Mapping The Spatial And Temporal Dynamics Of Sensorimotor Integration During The Perception And Performance Of Wallowing, Megan E. Cuellar

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Similar to other complex sequences of muscle activity, swallowing relies heavily upon ‘sensorimotor integration.’ It is well known that the premotor cortex and primary sensorimotor cortices provide critical sensorimotor contributions that help control the strength and timing of swallowing muscle effectors. However, the temporal dynamics of sensorimotor integration remains unclear, even when performed normally without neurological compromise. Recent advances in EEG analysis blind source separation techniques via independent component analysis offer a novel and exciting opportunity to measure cortical sensorimotor activity in realtime during swallowing, concurrently with muscle activity during swallow initiation. In the current study, mu components were identified, …

Mrp4-Dependent Regulation Of Fibroblast Migration, Chandrima Sinha

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Roles of cyclic nucleotides and cyclic nucleotide-dependent signaling molecules in regulating several signaling pathways including cell migration have long been known. However, the new and revolutionary concept is that it is not just the absence or presence of cyclic nucleotides, but a highly coordinated balance between these molecules regulates cell migration. Multi-drug resistance protein 4 (MRP4), is a member of the large family of ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter proteins, that localizes to the plasma membrane and functions as a nucleotide efflux transporter and thus plays a pivotal role in the regulation of intracellular cyclic nucleotide dynamics. In our study …

Postural Sway And Brain Hemispheric Power Spectral Density Under Different Attentional Focus Conditions, Sharon Jalene

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences, if any, in the root mean square error (RMSE) of postural sway and hemispheric power spectral density (PSD) in the alpha and beta bands (8-12Hz and 12-25Hz) during different conditions of attentional focus (i.e., internal focus (IF), and external focus (EF) and a control condition (C)). Previous studies have shown that the adoption of IF and EF significantly alter motor performance and that EF promotes automaticity (Wulf, 2013). Sports performance and balance studies utilizing EEG spectral analyses report increased alpha oscillations during expert performance and stable balance and increased beta …

Genetic And Chemical Dissection Of Bloodbrain Barrier Development In Zebrafish, Robyn Anne Umans

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) maintains a homeostatic environment as well as prohibits the entrance of xenobiotics into the brain. Because of these qualities, drug delivery is a fundamental challenge for the treatment of many diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). Along with limiting the access of therapeutics into the brain, the BBB is also impaired in CNS pathologies. Understanding the molecular cues that are essential for healthy BBB development and integrity may reveal targets for drug delivery leading to decreased progression or possible treatment of many detrimental CNS diseases. While the central features of the BBB have been accepted, …

Ahr-Related Activities In A Creosote-Adapted Population Of Adult Atlantic Killifish, Fundulus Heteroclitus, Two Decades Post-Epa Superfund Status, Josephine Wojdylo

All Dissertations

Atlantic killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, have adapted to, or at least developed a level of resistance to creosote-based polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found at the Atlantic Wood (AW) superfund site in the southern branch of the Elizabeth River, VA USA. Historically, 90+% of the mummichogs at this site have hepatic lesions of varying severity, and 30+% of these fish have tumors of various origin. Many xenobiotics, including select PAHs found at the Atlantic Wood site, are ligands for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which is a promiscuous ligand-dependent transcription factor involved in developmental regulation, environmental sensing, and induction of a suite …

Plasticity In The Contribution Of T Cell Receptor Variable Region Residues To Binding Of Peptide-Hla-A2 Complexes, Sheena N. Smith, Daniel Sommermeyer, Kurt H. Piepenbrink, Sydney J. Blevins, Helga Bernhard, Wolfgang Uckert, Brian M. Baker, David M. Kranz

Food for Health: Publications

One hypothesis to account for MHC-restriction by T cell receptors (TCRs) holds that there are several evolutionary-conserved residues in TCR variable regions that contact MHC. While this ‘germline-codon’ hypothesis is supported by various lines of evidence, it has been difficult to test. The difficulty stems in part from the fact that TCRs exhibit low affinities for pep/MHC, thus limiting the range of binding energies that can be assigned to these key interactions using mutational analyses. To measure the magnitude of binding energies involved, here we used high affinity TCRs engineered by mutagenesis of CDR3. The TCRs included a high-affinity, MART-1/ …

Unencapsulated Streptococcus Pneumoniae From Conjunctivitis Encode Variant Traits And Belong To A Distinct Phylogenetic Cluster, Michael D. Valentino, Abigail Manson Mcguire, Jason W. Rosch, Paulo J.M Bispo, Corinna Burnham, Christine M. Sanfilippo, Robert A. Carter, Michael E. Zegans, Bernard Beall, Ashlee M. Earl, Elaine I. Tuomanen, Timothy W. Morris, Wolfgaang Haas, Michael S. Gilmore

Dartmouth Scholarship

Streptococcus pneumoniae, an inhabitant of the upper respiratory mucosa, causes respiratory and invasive infections as well as conjunctivitis. Strains that lack the capsule, a main virulence factor and the target of current vaccines, are often isolated from conjunctivitis cases. Here we perform a comparative genomic analysis of 271 strains of conjunctivitis-causing S. pneumoniae from 72 postal codes in the United States. We find that the vast majority of conjunctivitis strains are members of a distinct cluster of closely related unencapsulated strains. These strains possess divergent forms of pneumococcal virulence factors (such as CbpA and neuraminidases) that are not shared with …

A Pilot Study On The Use Of Lecture Tools To Enhance The Teaching Of Pharmacokinetics And Pharmacodynamics, Hollie I. Swanson, Michael T. Piascik

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are essential topics contained within the medical curriculum and are highly amenable to active-learning approaches. In this pilot study, we incorporated Lecture Tools, a cloud-based audience response system, into a lecture-based graduate course. Lecture Tools was used by both the instructors and the students during peer presentations. Advantages noted by the instructors include the versatility of the questions that can be presented and the ease with which student assessment can be conducted. Student surveys revealed that, overall, the use of Lecture Tools enhanced student attentiveness and engagement and facilitated student participation in questions and answers. Some disadvantages …

Chip-Seq And In Vivo Transcriptome Analyses Of The Aspergillus Fumigatus Srebp Srba Reveals A New Regulator Of The Fungal Hypoxia Response And Virulence, Dawoon Chung, Bridget M. Barker, Charles C. Carey, Brittney Merriman

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Aspergillus fumigatus sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) SrbA belongs to the basic Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) family of transcription factors and is crucial for antifungal drug resistance and virulence. The latter phenotype is especially striking, as loss of SrbA results in complete loss of virulence in murine models of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). How fungal SREBPs mediate fungal virulence is unknown, though it has been suggested that lack of growth in hypoxic conditions accounts for the attenuated virulence. To further understand the role of SrbA in fungal infection site pathobiology, chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by massively parallel DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq) was …

Body Mass Index Or Body Fat! Which Is A Better Obesity Scale For Pakistani Population?, Syeda Sadia Fatima, Rehana Rehman, Bushra Chaudhry

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Ojective: To compare two methods of classifying obesity based on body mass index and body fat percentage.
Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2012 to August 2013 at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi. Male and female volunteers between the ages 15-65 years were selected using simple random sampling. They were classified into different groups for body mass index and body fat percentage measured through bioelectrical impedance scale. The subjects were sub-grouped into underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese. SPSS 11 was used for statistical analysis.
Results: The mean age of the 828 healthy volunteers was 25.67±10.10 years. A …

Er-Associated Degradation And Cadmium Dependent Rescue Of Pca1, Nathan Smith

Department of Biochemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Protein synthesis and proper folding is an essential process for all organisms. In eukaryotes proteins of the secretory pathway are synthesized and inserted into the lumen or membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum. Eukaryotic cells maintain a mechanism for removal of proteins unable to fold properly. This process is known as ER-associated degradation (ERAD). A poorly functioning ERAD can lead to a build-up of misfolded proteins which has been implicated in several degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Parkinson’s. Thus, the study of how proteins are recognized, extracted from the ER, and degraded is essential for determining methods …

Helicobacter-Pylori Negative Gastritis In Children—A New Clinical Enigma, Yoram Elitsur, Deborah L. Preston

Biochemistry and Microbiology

The decrease in the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection in children in the world gave rise to a new pathological finding termed as Hp-negative gastritis. Unfortunately, the term “Hp-negative gastritis” has not been identified as a pathological process and has the status of a “second cousin”; in most publications it was never mentioned as a subject to be dealt with, but was “left over” data that was never the topic of the manuscripts’ discussions. Only recently has the topic captured the attention of the pathologists who described this phenomenon in adults, yet the pathological and/or clinical spectrum or significance …

Mmu-Mir-615-3p Regulates Lipoapoptosis By Inhibiting C/Ebp Homologous Protein., Yasuhiro Miyamoto, Amy S Mauer, Swarup Kumar, Justin L. Mott, Harmeet Malhi

Journal Articles: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Lipoapoptosis occurring due to an excess of saturated free fatty acids such as palmitate is a key pathogenic event in the initiation of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Palmitate loading of cells activates the endoplasmic reticulum stress response, including induction of the proapoptotic transcription factor C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP). Furthermore, the loss of microRNAs is implicated in regulating apoptosis under conditions of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The aim of this study was to identify specific microRNAs regulating CHOP expression during palmitate-induced ER stress. Five microRNAs were repressed under palmitate-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress conditions in hepatocyte cell lines (miR-92b-3p, miR-328-3p, miR-484, miR-574-5p, …

Management Of A Dka Patient With Severe Metabolic And Ketoacidosis With Chronic Renal Insufficiency, Brian Albany

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) serves as one the leading causes of mortality in diabetic patients [14]. The mortality has decreased over the past several decades due to the rapid recognition of the disease state and the improvement of management of DKA [14]. Despite a decline in mortality rates over the past twenty years from 7.96% to 0.67%, errors in management of the disease state are associated with significant morbidity and mortality [2]. Utilization of DKA protocols in the acute care setting have allowed congruency in care and delivery of effective lifesaving treatment. Despite advances in standardized DKA protocols, there still remains …

Basics Of Oncologic Type B Lactic Acidosis: Increased Awareness For Better Outcomes?, Erin E. Steiner

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

The most common and best known form of lactic acidosis, Type A, presents in the environment of tissue hypoxia. The lesser known form, Type B, does not involve tissue hypoxia, is not well understood, and very often results in death. No randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing treatment modalities currently exist (Ruiz, Singh, & Hart, 2011). Increased recognition by medical and nursing disciplines may result in quicker diagnosis, opportunity to implement treatment, possibility for RCTs, and better outcomes.

Hereditary Spherocytosis, Dolores Loeser

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Hereditary Spherocytosis (HS) is a hemolytic anemia where red blood cell membranes are spherical unlike common red blood cells, which are flat and round. In individuals with HS the spleen does not recognize these amorphous cells and destroys—rather filters—them them, making the individual anemic (MedlinePlus, 2013). HS is an autosomal dominant, or recessive autosomal inherited blood disease (Huq, Pietroni, Rahman & Alam, 2010) HS happens in 1 in 2,000 of the Caucasian population in or from Northern Europe (MedlinePlus, 2013). The proteins involved in HS are ankyrin-1, ά-spectrin, β-spectrin, band 3, and protein 4.2. Hyperbilirubinemia is a common symptoms in …

Global Burden Of Tuberculosis, Diana Moses

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major health concern not only in the United States, but in the entire world. TB is an airborne communicable infection which has affected human beings from immemorial times, evidenced by TB being found in the skeletal remains of ancient mummies (Gough & Kaufman, 2011). There are many patho physiological events in TB that concern the entire body, especially the respiratory and immunological systems. According to Knechel, TB prevalence is rising due to the increased number of patients infected with HIV, bacterial resistance to medications, increased international travel and immigration from countries with high prevalence of TB, …

The Role Of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor In Depression, Katie Mendez

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

According to The World Health Organization, depression is the fourth leading cause of total disease burden and the leading cause of disability worldwide. In the United States, results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reflect a 16.2% lifetime depression prevalence. Symptoms of depression can range from mild to severe and can be episodic or chronic. Depression has a high rate of comorbidity with multiple chronic diseases and other mental health disorders, predominately anxiety. Unfortunately, few Americans diagnosed with depression actually receive sufficient treatment and symptom management. Previous research has shown that individuals are more likely to seek treatment …

Steven-Johnson’S Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, Lindsey Grant

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Steven-Johnson’s Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) are both diseases mediated by hypersensitive immune reactions resulting in “full thickness epidermal necrosis” characterized by skin detachment. However, in SJS, there is only 10% skin surface area involvement whereas in TEN, over 30% of the skin becomes detached. TENS has a 50% mortality rate. (East-Innis & Thompson, 2013, p. 590) Why Chosen: SJS/TEN is a rare but extremely fatal disease. Initially, it is often mistaken as a simple allergic reaction to a new medication or environmental exposure because both cause truncal rashes and fevers. However, simple allergic reactions occur within days …

Necessity For Excellent Glycemic Control Before, During And After Cabg Surgery, Sheri Clouse

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

A 72 year old male patient was admitted to the hospital presenting with sharp substernal pain and pressure to the left upper chest rated a “10” out of 10. Patient complained of chest pain even at rest which was relieved by a nitroglycerin infusion. Patient had established coronary artery disease as evidenced by five prior stent placements, with the last stent placement being in 2010. The patient also presented to the Emergency Room with a blood glucose level over 600 mg/dL and because of his complaints of chest pain, was transferred to a neighboring hospital facility to have a cardiac …

Ebola, A Deadly Viral Disease Affecting The West African Country Of Sierra Leone, Unisa Seisay

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Presently, there has been an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the West African countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Guinea. The outbreak was first discovered in Guinea in March 21, 2014 and has spread to the neighboring countries. This has resulted in a lot of fatalities and is now considered a global public health concern (WHO, 2014).

Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School Of Medicine, Professional Enhancement Newsletter, Fall 2014, Darshana Shah Ph.D

Professional Enhancement News (PEN)

Fall 2014, Volume 6, Number 2

Acute Pancreatitis, Laura Payne

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Acute pancreatitis is a common diagnosis seen in intensive care units worldwide. The incidence of pancreatitis has increased over the last decade. It ranks third amongst the gastrointestinal diseases resulting in hospital admissions. The destructive complications of pancreatitis make it a life-threatening disease. If pancreatitis progresses to the severe form the mortality rate significantly increase from one percent to upwards of thirty percent. Pancreatitis is associated with high rates of morbidity, mortality, and prolonged hospital admissions(Goozen, Besselink, Santroort, & Bollen, 2013). An increased understanding of the pathophysiology of pancreatitis has changed the approach to treatment from early surgical treatment to …

Host Cell Death In Legionella Pneumophila Pathogenesis And Immunity, Wenhan Zhu

Open Access Dissertations

Legionella pneumophila is an intracellular pathogen that causes a severe, atypical pneumonia termed Legionnaires' disease. Upon entering the host cell, L. pneumophila resides in a membrane-bound vacuole, in which the bacterium evades lysosomal fusion and replicates. The establishment of the vacuole requires the Dot/Icm (Defect in organelle trafficking/ intracellular multiplication) transport system, which translocates a large number of substrates into host cells to re-orchestrate various cellular processes, such as intracellular trafficking, protein synthesis and host cell death pathways. Therefore, a key step in understanding the biology of Legionella is to dissect the mechanisms of action of the Dot/Icm substrates. By …

Effect Of Obesity And Exercise On The Expression Of The Novel Myokines, Myonectin And Fibronectin Type Iii Domain Containing 5, Jonathan M. Peterson, Ryan Mart, Cherie E. Bond

ETSU Faculty Works

Metabolic dysfunction in skeletal muscle is a major contributor to the development of type 2 diabetes. Endurance exercise training has long been established as an effective means to directly restore skeletal muscle glucose and lipid uptake and metabolism. However, in addition to the direct effects of skeletal muscle on glucose and lipids, there is renewed interest in the ability of skeletal muscle to coordinate metabolic activity of other tissues, such as adipose tissue and liver. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of endurance exercise on the expression level of two novel muscle-derived secreted factors, or myokines, …

A Dietary-Wide Association Study (Dwas) Of Environmental Metal Exposure In Us Children And Adults, Matthew A. Davis, Diane Gilbert-Diamond, Margaret R. Karagas, Zhigang Li, Jason H. Moore, Scott M. Williams, H. Robert Frost

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: A growing body of evidence suggests that exposure to toxic metals occurs through diet but few studies have comprehensively examined dietary sources of exposure in US populations.

Purpose: Our goal was to perform a novel dietary-wide association study (DWAS) to identify specific dietary sources of lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic exposure in US children and adults.

Methods: We combined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey with data from the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Intakes Converted to Retail Commodities Database to examine associations between 49 different foods and environmental metal exposure. Using blood and urinary biomarkers …

Ethanol Pharmacokinetics In Neonates And Infants, Elizabeth Marek, Pharmd., Walter K. Kraft, Md

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

Introduction:

Ethanol has been used for years in neonatal and infant liquid medications, yet the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety of ethanol in this vulnerable population have not been well characterized. The purpose of this review is to raise awareness of ethanol use as an excipient in neonatal and infant medications and to provide insight, based on the available evidence, into clearance rates of ethanol in babies. We also discuss ethanol pharmacokinetics in adults, theoretical pharmaco-kinetic changes in neonates and infants as it may apply to ethanol disposition, and case reports involving ethanol exposure in neonates and infants.

Materials and methods: …