Digital Commons Network^™

Quantitative Assessment Of Blood Coagulation By Cold Atmospheric Plasma, Caitlin Heslin, Daniela Boehm, Vladimir Milosavljevic, Michelle Laycock, Patrick J. Cullen, Paula Bourke

Articles

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is produced by ionizing a chosen gas, thereby creating charged and reactive species. The reactive species generated are capable of inducing a range of biomedically relevant interactions including blood coagulation. However, the underlying biochemical processes of plasma-assisted blood coagulation are largely unknown, and data quantifying blood clot formation or the impact of system parameters on the intensity of the blood clot are scarce. In this study, blood coagulation was quantified by measuring hemoglobin absorbance. System parameters of the kINPen plasma jet were investigated and compared, including treatment time, distance from the plasma source and gas flow …

Seeing Is Believing: Optical Computed Tomography (Oct) And Histologic Analysis To Define Pathophysiology Of “Very”, Very Late Stent Thrombosis Occurring More Than 7 Years After Drug Eluting Stent Implantation, Antony G. Kaliyadan, Md, Alec Vishnevsky, Md, Henry Siu, Md, David Fishman, Md, John Farber, Md, Nicholas Ruggiero Ii, Md, Michael P. Savage, Md

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Case Presentation

• 58-year-old male with prior non-ST elevation MI with PCI performed using a sirolimus eluting stent placed in a large OM1 branch 86 months prior presented with five hours chest pain similar to prior MI >7 years earlier.
• Additional history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, non-compliance with antiplatelet therapy and active tobacco abuse at time of presentation.
• Patient reported self-discontinuation of medications (aspirin (time unknown), statin, beta blocker) and resumed smoking.
• Clopidogrel was discontinued by his primary physician 97 days prior to presentation
• Initial electrocardiogram revealed a lateral ST elevation MI and the patient was taken to the cardiac catheterization lab …

Differential Spatial Repositioning Of Activated Genes In Biomphalaria Glabrata Snails Infected With Schistosoma Mansoni, Halime D. Arican-Goktas, Wannaporn Ittiprasert, Joanna M. Bridger, Matty Knight

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Schistosomiasis is an infectious disease infecting mammals as the definitive host and fresh water snails as the intermediate host. Understanding the molecular and biochemical relationship between the causative schistosome parasite and its hosts will be key to understanding and ultimately treating and/or eradicating the disease. There is increasing evidence that pathogens that have co-evolved with their hosts can manipulate their hosts' behaviour at various levels to augment an infection. Bacteria, for example, can induce beneficial chromatin remodelling of the host genome. We have previously shown in vitro thatBiomphalaria glabrata embryonic cells co-cultured with schistosome miracidia display genes changing their …

2014 Scas Annual Meeting Program

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Genotypic And Phenotypic Characterization Of Aerosolized Bacteria Collected From African Dust Events, Christina A. Wilson, Robin L. Brigmon, Chris Yeager, Garriet W. Smith, Shawn W. Polson

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Twenty-one bacteria were isolated and characterized from air samples collected in Africa and the Caribbean by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Isolates were selected based on preliminary characterization as possible pathogens. Identification of the bacterial isolates was achieved using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) profiling, the BIOLOG Microlog^® System (carbon substrate assay), and repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP)-PCR analysis. The majority of isolates (18/21) were identified as species of the genus Bacillus. Three isolates were classified within the Bacillus cereus senso lato group, which includes Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus thuringiensis, and Bacillus …

Remembering To Perform Actions In The Future: Can Intentions Pop Into Mind?, Gilles O. Einstein

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Role Of Vitamin A In Retinal Diseases, Rosalie K. Crouch, Masahiro Kono, Peter H. Tang

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Vitamin A has an essential role in vision in that it forms the photosensitive pigments that absorb light and initiate the visual process. However, vitamin A and its analogues also have critical roles in maintaining the structural integrity of the retina. Disruption of the metabolism of vitamin A results in several blinding diseases. This review focuses on our recent studies on the role of a protein critical to the processing of vitamin A, RPE65. The absence or dysfunction of this protein causes the childhood blinding disease Leber congenital amaurosis.

Scas Officers And Council Members 2014-2015

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Unbiased Analysis Of Pancreatic Cancer Radiation Resistance Reveals Cholesterol Biosynthesis As A Novel Target For Radiosensitisation., Joshua J. Souchek, Michael J. Baine, Chi Lin, Satyanarayana Rachagani, Suprit Gupta, Sukhwinder Kaur, K Lester, D Zheng, S Chen, Lynette Smith, A Lazenby, Sonny L. Johansson, Maneesh Jain, Surinder K. Batra

Journal Articles: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

BACKGROUND: Despite its promise as a highly useful therapy for pancreatic cancer (PC), the addition of external beam radiation therapy to PC treatment has shown varying success in clinical trials. Understanding PC radioresistance and discovery of methods to sensitise PC to radiation will increase patient survival and improve quality of life. In this study, we identified PC radioresistance-associated pathways using global, unbiased techniques.

METHODS: Radioresistant cells were generated by sequential irradiation and recovery, and global genome cDNA microarray analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed genes in radiosensitive and radioresistant cells. Ingenuity pathway analysis was performed to discover cellular pathways …

A Rational Framework For Evaluating The Next Generation Of Vaccines Against Mycobacterium Avium Subspecies Paratuberculosis, John P. Bannantine, Murray E. Hines Ii, Luiz E. Bermudez, Adel M. Talaat, Srinand Sreevatsan, Judith R. Stabel, Yung-Fu Chang, Paul M. Coussens, Raúl G. Barletta, William C. Davis, Desmond M. Collins, Yrjö T. Gröhn, Vivek Kapur

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Since the early 1980s, several investigations have focused on developing a vaccine against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), the causative agent of Johne's disease in cattle and sheep. These studies used whole-cell inactived vaccines that have proven useful in limiting disease progression, but have not prevented infection. In contrast, modified live vaccines that invoke a Th1 type immune response, may improve protection against infection. Spurred by recent advances in the ability to create defined knockouts in MAP, several independent laboratories have developed modified live vaccine candidates by transcriptional mutation of virulence and metablolic genes in MAP. In order to accelerate …

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 …

A Comparison Of The Who 2004 And 2010 Classification Systems In Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (Pancreatic Net), James P. Casey, Md, Aakanksha Asija, Md, Anthony J. Prestipino, M.D., Jocelyn A. Sendecki, Md, Jonathan Brody, Md, Harish Lavu, Md, Jordan M. Winter, Md, Charles Yeo, Md, Ashwin R. Sama, Md, Madhaven V. Pillai, Md

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Pancreatic NETs are rare tumors with multiple classification systems. Previous classification systems included tumor size, histologic grade, mitoses, Ki67, and metastases. The current WHO 2010 system utilizes mitotic rate and Ki67% to assign a grade. We compared the WHO 2004 and 2010 classification systems in predicting mortality and metastasis.

Pathologic parameters were used to classify 50 cases of Pancreatic NET according to the WHO 2004 and WHO 2010 systems. The relationship between the WHO 2004 and WHO 2010 grading was investigated using an exact Chi squared test. WHO grade categorization was next explored by vital status, by the exact method, …

Transcriptome Profiling Of Spinal Muscular Atrophy Motor Neurons Derived From Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells., Miho Maeda, Ashlee W Harris, Brewster F Kingham, Casey J Lumpkin, Lynn M Opdenaker, Suzanne M Mccahan, Wenlan Wang, Matthew E R Butchbach

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

Proximal spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an early onset, autosomal recessive motor neuron disease caused by loss of or mutation in SMN1 (survival motor neuron 1). Despite understanding the genetic basis underlying this disease, it is still not known why motor neurons (MNs) are selectively affected by the loss of the ubiquitously expressed SMN protein. Using a mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) model for severe SMA, the RNA transcript profiles (transcriptomes) between control and severe SMA (SMN2+/+;mSmn-/-) mESC-derived MNs were compared in this study using massively parallel RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). The MN differentiation efficiencies between control and severe SMA mESCs …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Cell Membrane, Ali Naserallah, Valentinas Gruzdys, Xue-Long Sun

Undergraduate Research Posters 2014

Cell membrane plays critical cellular functions in both physiological and pathological pathways and thus is important target for both basic and applied biomedical research. The domain structure features of cell membrane strongly affect the functions of membrane embedded biomolecules such as proteins and carbohydrates. However, understanding the structural aspects of membrane effects on the embedded biomolecule’s function have not been able easily to do due to limited approaches available. We have engaged in fabrication of cell membrane mimetic systems for functional analysis of membrane proteins and cell surface carbohydrates [1,2]. Thrombomodulin (TM), an endothelial integral membrane protein, plays central roles …

The Use Of Elastin-Like Polypeptides As A Drug Carrier Material: A Compatibility Study, Michael G. Price, John P. Gavin, Eric Helm, James T. Cole, Nolan Holland

Undergraduate Research Posters 2014

Stimuli responsive self-assembling nanoparticles of elastin-like polypeptides are promising platforms for targeted drug delivery and release. These particles spontaneously assemble from elastin-like polypeptide building blocks in solution. The nanoparticles stably self-assemble under specific temperature, salt, and pH conditions and can dissociate upon changing of these conditions. With appropriate design, the surface of the particles can be decorated with labels that cause them to accumulate in specific diseased tissues. In addition, the size of the particles is appropriate to minimize undesirable rapid clearance from the body. In this study, we are testing the ability of the elastin-like polypeptide core to store …

Enhanced Expression Of Codon Optimized Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis Antigens In Lactobacillus Salivarius, Christopher D. Johnston, John P. Bannatine, Rodney Govender, Lorraine Endersen, Daniel Pletzer, Helge Weingart, Aidan Coffey, Jim O'Mahony, Roy D. Sleator

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

It is well documented that open reading frames containing high GC content show poor expression in A+T rich hosts. Specifically, G+C-rich codon usage is a limiting factor in heterologous expression of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) proteins using Lactobacillus salivarius. However, re-engineering opening reading frames through synonymous substitutions can offset codon bias and greatly enhance MAP protein production in this host. In this report, we demonstrate that codon-usage manipulation of MAP2121c can enhance the heterologous expression of the major membrane protein (MMP), analogous to the form in which it is produced natively by MAP bacilli. When heterologously over-expressed, antigenic determinants …

The Significance Of Dynamical Architecture For Adaptive Responses To Mechanical Loads During Rhythmic Behavior, Kendrick M. M. Shaw, David N. Lyttle, Jeffrey P. Gill, Miranda J. Cullins, Jeffrey M. Mcmanus, Hui Lu, Peter J. Thomas, Hillel J. Chiel

Faculty Scholarship

Many behaviors require reliably generating sequences of motor activity while adapting the activity to incoming sensory information. This process has often been conceptually explained as either fully dependent on sensory input (a chain reflex) or fully independent of sensory input (an idealized central pattern generator, or CPG), although the consensus of the field is that most neural pattern generators lie somewhere between these two extremes. Many mathematical models of neural pattern generators use limit cycles to generate the sequence of behaviors, but other models, such as a heteroclinic channel (an attracting chain of saddle points), have been suggested. To explore …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Bioactivity Of Carboxylic Acid-Functionalized Titanium Dioxide Nanobelts, Raymond F. Hamilton, Nianqiang Wu, Chengcheng Xiang, Ming Li, Feng Yang, Michael Wolfarth, Dale W. Porter, Andrij Holian

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Surface modification strategies to reduce engineered nanomaterial (ENM) bioactivity have been used successfully in carbon nanotubes. This study examined the toxicity and inflammatory potential for two surface modifications (humic acid and carboxylation) on titanium nanobelts (TNB).

Methods: The in vitro exposure models include C57BL/6 alveolar macrophages (AM) and transformed human THP-1 cells exposed to TNB for 24 hrs in culture. Cell death and NLRP3 inflammasome activation (IL-1β release) were monitored. Short term (4 and 24 hr) in vivo studies in C57BL/6, BALB/c and IL-1R null mice evaluated inflammation and cytokine release, and cytokine release from ex vivo cultured AM. …

Loss Of Miro1-Directed Mitochondrial Movement Results In A Novel Murine Model For Neuron Disease., Tammy T Nguyen, Sang S Oh, David Weaver, Agnieszka Lewandowska, Dane Maxfield, Max-Hinderk Schuler, Nathan K Smith, Jane Macfarlane, Gerald Saunders, Cheryl A Palmer, Valentina Debattisti, Takumi Koshiba, Stefan Pulst, Eva L Feldman, György Hajnóczky, Janet M Shaw

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Defective mitochondrial distribution in neurons is proposed to cause ATP depletion and calcium-buffering deficiencies that compromise cell function. However, it is unclear whether aberrant mitochondrial motility and distribution alone are sufficient to cause neurological disease. Calcium-binding mitochondrial Rho (Miro) GTPases attach mitochondria to motor proteins for anterograde and retrograde transport in neurons. Using two new KO mouse models, we demonstrate that Miro1 is essential for development of cranial motor nuclei required for respiratory control and maintenance of upper motor neurons required for ambulation. Neuron-specific loss of Miro1 causes depletion of mitochondria from corticospinal tract axons and progressive neurological deficits mirroring …

Diminished Humoral Responses Against And Reduced Gene Expression Levels Of Human Endogenous Retrovirus-K (Herv-K) In Psoriasis, Rashmi Gupta, Henri-Alexandre Michaud, Xue Zeng, Maya Debbaneh, Sarah T. Arron, R. Brad Jones, Christopher E. Ormsby, Douglas F. Nixon, Wilson Liao

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Ifn-Gamma Au-Rich Element Removal Promotes Chronic Ifn-Gamma Expression And Autoimmunity In Mice, Deborah L. Hodge, Cyril Berthet, Vincenzo Coppola, Wolfgang Kastenmüller, Matthew D. Buschman, Paul M. Schaughency, Hidekazu Shirota, Anthony J. Scarzello, Jeff J. Subleski, Miriam R. Anver, John R. Ortaldo, Fanching Lin, Della A. Reynolds, Michael E. Sanford, Philipp Kaldis, Lino Tessarollo, Dennis M. Klinman, Howard A. Young

United States Public Health Resources

We generated a mouse model with a 162 nt AU-rich element (ARE) region deletion in the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of the interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) gene that results in chronic circulating serum IFN-γ levels. Mice homozygous for the ARE deletion (ARE-Del) (-/-) present both serologic and cellular abnormalities typical of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). ARE-Del(-/-) mice display increased numbers of pDCs in bone marrow and spleen. Addition of IFN-γ to Flt3-ligand (Flt3L) treated in vitro bone marrow cultures results in a 2-fold increase in pDCs with concurrent increases in IRF8 expression. Marginal zone B (MZB) cells and marginal zone …

Predation Risk, Elk, And Aspen: Comment, Robert L. Beschta, Cristina Eisenberg, John W. Laundre, William J. Ripple, Thomas P. Rooney

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Distinct Poxvirus Infections On The Specificities And Functionalities Of Cd4+ T Cell Responses., Nicholas A Siciliano, Adam R Hersperger, Aimee M Lacuanan, Ren-Huan Xu, John Sidney, Alessandro Sette, Luis J Sigal, Laurence C. Eisenlohr

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

UNLABELLED: The factors that determine CD4+ T cell (TCD4+) specificities, functional capacity, and memory persistence in response to complex pathogens remain unclear. We explored these parameters in the C57BL/6 mouse through comparison of two highly related (>92% homology) poxviruses: ectromelia virus (ECTV), a natural mouse pathogen, and vaccinia virus (VACV), a heterologous virus that nevertheless elicits potent immune responses. In addition to elucidating several previously unidentified major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II)-restricted epitopes, we observed many qualitative and quantitative differences between the TCD4+ repertoires, including responses not elicited by VACV despite complete sequence conservation. In addition, we observed functional …

Role Of Astrocyte Network In Edema After Juvenile Traumatic Brain Injury, Andrew Minoru Fukuda

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Juvenile traumatic brain injury (jTBI) is the leading cause of death and disability in young children and adolescents. Despite its lasting detrimental effects on the developing brain, no pharmacological treatment exists. One of the pathological hallmarks of jTBI is edema. Astrocytes play a key role in the edema process, and have been hypothesized that numerous astrocyte networks allow communication and propagation of edema and secondary injury spread. Two key astrocyte proteins are hypothesized to have a central role in the edema process: Aquaporin 4 (AQP4) and Connexin 43 (Cx43). AQP4 is expressed extensively in astrocyte endfeet, which surrounds the blood …

Stress-Induced Cocaine Seeking Requires A Beta-2 Adrenergic Receptor-Regulated Pathway From The Ventral Bed Nucleus Of The Stria Terminalis That Regulates Crf Actions In The Ventral Tegmental Area, Oliver Vranjkovic, Paul J. Gasser, Clayton H. Gerndt, David A. Baker, John R. Mantsch

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (vBNST) has been implicated in stress-induced cocaine use. Here we demonstrate that, in the vBNST, corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) is expressed in neurons that innervate the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a site where the CRF receptor antagonist antalarmin prevents the reinstatement of cocaine seeking by a stressor, intermittent footshock, following intravenous self-administration in rats. The vBNST receives dense noradrenergic innervation and expresses β adrenergic receptors (ARs). Footshock-induced reinstatement was prevented by bilateral intra-vBNST injection of the β-2 AR antagonist, ICI-118,551, but not the β-1 AR antagonist, betaxolol. Moreover, bilateral intra-vBNST injection of …

Modeling Of The Dorsal Gradient Across Species Reveals Interaction Between Embryo Morphology And Toll Signaling Pathway During Evolution, Priscilla Ambrosi, Juan Sebastian Chahda, Hannah R. Koslen, Hillel J. Chiel, Claudia Mieko Mizutani

Faculty Scholarship

Morphogenetic gradients are essential to allocate cell fates in embryos of varying sizes within and across closely related species. We previously showed that the maternal NF-κB/Dorsal (Dl) gradient has acquired different shapes in Drosophila species, which result in unequally scaled germ layers along the dorso-ventral axis and the repositioning of the neuroectodermal borders. Here we combined experimentation and mathematical modeling to investigate which factors might have contributed to the fast evolutionary changes of this gradient. To this end, we modified a previously developed model that employs differential equations of the main biochemical interactions of the Toll (Tl) signaling pathway, which …

Histological Evaluation Of The Cryo-Destruction Of The Zona Glomerulosa (Outermost Layer) Of The Adrenal Cortex, Huda Ahmed, Jonida Pone

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The outer portion, or cortex, of the adrenal gland produces three hormones, two of which are highly critical to normal function of the body. The cortex itself is divided into three layers, each responsible for a certain hormone synthesis. The outermost layer (zona glomerulosa) produces aldosterone, a hormone involved in the regulation of body sodium, blood volume, and blood pressure. The middle layer produces co rticosterone, a hormone that is active in a variety of biological functions, and necessary for life. Due to its effects on blood volume, aldosterone has been implicated in the development of hypertension, or high blood …

Disrupted Human–Pathogen Co-Evolution: A Model For Disease, Nuri Kodaman, Rafal S. Sobota, Robertino Mera, Barbara G. Schneider, Scott M. Williams

Dartmouth Scholarship

A major goal in infectious disease research is to identify the human and pathogenic genetic variants that explain differences in microbial pathogenesis. However, neither pathogenic strain nor human genetic variation in isolation has proven adequate to explain the heterogeneity of disease pathology. We suggest that disrupted co-evolution between a pathogen and its human host can explain variation in disease outcomes, and that genome-by-genome interactions should therefore be incorporated into genetic models of disease caused by infectious agents. Genetic epidemiological studies that fail to take both the pathogen and host into account can lead to false and misleading conclusions about disease …

The Microtubule-Associated Protein, Eb1, Links Aim2 Inflammasomes With Autophagy-Dependent Secretion, Li-Jie Wang, Hsin-Yi Huang, Meng-Pin Huang, Willisa Liou, Ya-Ting Chang, Chih-Ching Wu, David M. Ojcius, Yu-Sun Chang

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Inflammasomes are multi-protein complexes that regulate chronic inflammation-associated diseases by inducing interleukin-1 β (IL-1β) secretion. Numerous components involved in inflammasome activation have been identified, but the mechanisms of inflammasome-mediated IL-1β secretion have not yet been fully explored. Here, we demonstrate that end-binding protein 1 (EB1), which is required for activation of AIM2 inflammasome complex, links the AIM2 inflammasome to autophagy-dependent secretion. Imaging studies revealed that AIM2 inflammasomes colocalize with microtubule organizing centers and autophagosomes. Biochemical analyses showed that poly(dA-dT)-activated AIM2 inflammasomes induce autophagy and IL-1β secretion in an LC3-dependent fashion. Furthermore, depletion of EB1 decreases autophagic shedding and intracellular trafficking. …