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Enzymology And Molecular Biology Of Bile Acid 7alpha- And 7beta- Dehydroxylation By The Intestinal Bacteria Clostridium Scindens And Clostridium Hylemonae, Jason Michael Ridlon

Theses and Dissertations

The collective microbial genomes within our gut(microbiome) represent a powerful metabolic force, leading many authors to call our GI flora an "organ within an organ", and the metagenomic sequencing of our microbiome, "the second human genome project". Bile acids, endogenously produced by the host liver, represent both a strong selective pressure for potential colonizers, aswell as substrates for microbial metabolism. Indeed, microbes have evolved enzymes to deconjugate bile salts, epimerize bile acid hydroxyl groups, and 7alpha-dehydroxylateprimary bile acids. The products of microbial 7alpha-dehydroxylation, secondary bile acids, are suggested by numerous lines of evidence to be involved in promoting colon carcinogenesis. …

Green Chairs, Fictional Phalluses, Infiltration, And Love On The Rocks: Medical Imaging Artifacts Blown Up, Lynn Koller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This text outlines and applies a methodology for deciphering problems and producing new information by analyzing the artifacts produced by medical imaging technologies - text and images - using practices gleaned from Surrealists, semiologists, and visual artists, emphasizing its own form as being the product of the apparatuses that produce it and therefore untrustworthy. Its basic assumption is that every text contains the information necessary to solve problems of all sorts, though because of the limitations of this text in both form and authorial intellect, we may only reach a starting point for a solution herein. In this regard, we …

Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy Of Intraoral And Oropharyngeal Mass Lesions, Husain A. Saleh, Lewis Clayman, Haitham Masri

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy has been rarely used in oral and oropharyngeal lesions. The goal of this study was to assess the value and accuracy of FNA biopsy in the diagnosis of oral and oropharyngeal lesions particularly in regards to discriminating benign from malignant tumors.

Methods

Sixteen cases of FNA biopsies obtained of various intraoral and oropharyngeal masses or lesions performed at our institution during the eight-year period from 1998 to 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. The aspiration cytologic diagnoses were correlated with the histologic examination of the corresponding resected lesions.

Results

Sixteen cases of intraoral lesions evaluated …

Characterization And Comparison Of Cell Frequency, Growth, And Multipotential Differentiation Of Adult Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Derived From Equine Bone Marrow And Adipose Tissue, Martin Andreas Vidal

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Equine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and adipose tissue-derived stromal cells (ASCs) were compared for frequency within their respective tissues, cell doubling characteristics and differentiation multipotential in culture based on histochemical staining and compositional analysis. Equine MSCs and ASCs from young adult horses were harvested and isolated from sternal bone marrow and supragluteal subcutaneous adipose tissue, respectively, and grown up to passage 10 (P10) to determine cell doubling characteristics. Limit dilution assays were performed on primary and passaged (P2, P4) MSCs and ASCs to determine the frequency of colony forming units with a fibroblastic phenotype (CFU-F), and the frequency …

Investigation Of Social Connectedness In A College Population And Its Relationship To Perceived Stress And Health Symptoms, Sanya Sholetta Whittaker

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated factors related to social connectedness and social support in a college population. Participants in the study were 486 volunteer students at the University of North Florida. All data were collected through a world wide web surveying program that allowed each participant to complete surveys on computers from any location. The surveys administered were the Social Connectedness Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), the Perceived Stress Scale 10, the Patient Health Questionnaire 15 (PHQ15), and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale- Revised (CESD-R) along with a demographics questionnaire. Results show that participants in …

The Effect Of Pparγ Activation By Pioglitazone On The Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Pge2 And No Production: Potentialunderlying Alteration Of Signaling Transduction, Bin Xing

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Microglia-mediated neuroinflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Uncontrolled microglia activation produces major proinflammatory factors including cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) that may cause dopaminergic neurodegeneration. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonist pioglitazone has potent antiinflammatory property. We hypothesize pioglitazone protects dopaminergic neuron from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neurotoxicity by interacting with relevant signal pathways, inhibiting microglial activation and decreasing inflammatory mediators.

First, the neuroprotection of pioglitazone was explored. Second, the signaling transductions such as jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and the interference with these pathways by pioglitazone were investigated. Third, the effect of …

Role Of The Reactive Oxygen Species Peroxynitrite In Traumatic Brain Injury, Ying Deng

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is cytotoxic to the cell and is known to contribute to secondary cell death following primary traumatic brain injury (TBI). We described in our study that PN is the main mediator for both lipid peroxidation and protein nitration, and occurred almost immediately after injury. As a downstream factor to oxidative damage, the peak of Ca2+-dependent, calpainmediated cytoskeletal proteolysis preceded that of neurodegeneration, suggesting that calpain-mediated proteolysis is the common pathway leading to neuronal cell death. The time course study clearly elucidated the interrelationship of these cellular changes following TBI, provided window of opportunity for pharmacological intervention. …

A Quantitative Synthesis Of The Medicinal Ethnobotany Of The Malinké Of Mali And The Asháninka Of Peru, With A New Theoretical Framework, Nathaniel Bletter

Publications and Research

Background: Although ethnomedically and taxonomically guided searches for new medicinal plants can improve the percentage of plants found containing active compounds when compared to random sampling, ethnobotany has fulfilled little of its promise in the last few decades to deliver a bounty of new, laboratory-proven medicinal plants and compounds. It is quite difficult to test, isolate, and elucidate the structure and mechanism of compounds from the plethora of new medicinal plant uses described each year with limited laboratory time and resources and the high cost of clinical trials of new drug candidates.

Methods: A new quantitative theoretical framework of mathematical …

Quercetin Ingestion Does Not Alter Cytokine Changes In Athletes Competing In The Western States Endurance Run, David Nieman, Dru Henson, J. Mark Davis, Charles Dumke, Sarah J. Gross Gowin, D. Paul Jenkins, E. Angela Murphy, Martin D. Carmichael, John C. Quindry, Steven R. Mcanulty, Lisa S. Mcanulty, Alan C. Utter, Eugene P. Mayer

Integrative Physiology and Athletic Training Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to measure the influence of quercetin on plasma cytokines, leukocyte cytokine mRNA, and related variables in ultramarathoners competing in the 160-km Western States Endurance Run (WSER). Sixty-three runners were randomized to quercetin and placebo groups and under double-blinded methods ingested 1000 mg/day quercetin for 3 weeks before the WSER. Thirty-nine of the 63 subjects (n = 18 for quercetin, n = 21 for placebo) finished the race and provided blood samples the morning before the race and 15–30 min postrace. Significant prerace to postrace WSER increases were measured for nine proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory …

Human Genetics Studies: The Case For Group Rights, Laura S. Underkuffler

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Validity Of The Clinical Assessment Of Depression With The Brief Symptom Inventory, Carlie West

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Depression is a disorder frequently noted in college students that can affect multiple aspects of one's life, ranging from physical health issues to interpersonal relationship difficulties. Therefore, it is imperative that the depressive symptoms of college students be identified, evaluated, and treated. This investigation explored the validity of a newly published self-report narrow-band measure of depression, the Clinical Assessment of Depression (CAD; Bracken & Howell, 2004) with an existing broad-band measure, the Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis, 1993). College students 18 to 52 years of age (n = 280) enrolled in undergraduate courses in psychology at a south central Kentucky university …

The Depiction Of Alcohol Tobacco And Other Substances In Children's G & Pg-Rated Animated Films Post 2000, Lindsay F. Graham

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study will analyze the depiction of alcohol, tobacco, and other substances in G and PG-rated animated films from November 1, 2000 to December 31, 2005. These films will include those released in theaters and video in English, at least 60 minutes in length, and of the animated genre during this five-year window. There is evidence that due to recent societal pressures facing the Motion Picture Association of America and their rating guidelines, the presence of alcohol and tobacco in children's animated Grated films has lessened. These incidents of exposure have since moved up the rating totem pole to receive …

Effects Of Tricalcium Phosphate Coated Titanium On Adjacent Early Bone Formation, Bristol Williams

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Dental implants are the gold standard of restorative dentistry today. Implants have been used for several years in Orthopedics. Dental implants are an important treatment option for several patients today. When a patient is fully or partially dentate, they are given the opportunity to restore their dentition in ways similar to their natural oral cavity. The past literature states that titanium is one of the first metals used in implant placement. There have been many improvements made on this material. Most modifications have been used in order to promote more bone growth around these implants. Several different coating materials have …

Silver Doped Hydroxyapatite Coating On Titanium Surfaces And Its Effect On Early Bone Response And Osseointegration, Nicole Besu

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The clinical success of dental implants is determined mostly by surface properties of implants and interactions with surrounding tissues. Furthermore, clinical success of dental implants is directed by implant surfaces and bone cell responses that promote osseointegration and long-term stability. Hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated Titanium (Ti) implants have been widely used due to its effect on bone response. However, microbial infection is common. One material known to have anti-microbial properties is silver (Ag). However, the effects Ag has on osteoblastic activity as well as decrease bacterial load has yet to be determined.

In this study, the effect of Ag-doped HA coatings on …

College Athletes’ Human Figure Drawings, Kaitlin Taggart

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The demands of both lean and non-lean sports upon male athletes can lead to body image dissatisfaction and eating disorders. This study explored whether the Human Figure Drawing (HFD) is a valid method for assessing male college athletes’ body image. A total of 86 male athletes who were competitive on a lean (cross-country or wrestling) or non-lean (football or ice hockey) sport participated in the study. The score recorded on the Male Body Attitude Scale (MBAS) (Tylka, Bergeron, & Schwartz, 2005), a 24-question survey administered to each participant, focused specifically on assessing muscularity, body fat, and height attitudes of these …

Dutch Women's Perceptions Of Childbirth In The Netherlands, Taralyn R. Johnson, Lynn Clark Callister, Donna S. Freeborn, Renea L. Beckstrand, Katinka Huender

Faculty Publications

Purpose: To explore the lived experience of childbirth in Dutch women who had given birth at home in the Netherlands.

Methods: Qualitative study using audiotaped interviews with 14 women.

Results: Themes included the advantages of giving birth in the home, where the women felt more in control of their environment; the difficulty and normalcy of the pain associated with giving birth; the feelings of fulfillment and empowerment that come with childbirth and motherhood; and the importance of the supportive role of the midwife–caregiver.

Nursing Implications: Women in a culture different from that of the United States who gave birth at …

Paradoxical Antiproliferative Effect By A Murine Mammary Tumor-Derived Epithelial Cell Line, Esteban N. Gurzov, Sanaa M. Nabha, Hamilto Yamamoto, Hong Meng, O Graciela Scharovsky, R Daniel Bonfil

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Despite significant advancement in breast cancer therapy, there is a great need for a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in breast carcinogenesis and progression, as well as of the role of epigenetic contributions from stromal cells in mammary tumorigenesis. In this study, we isolated and characterized murine mammary tumor-derived epithelial and myofibroblast cell lines, and investigated the in vitro and in vivo effect of cellular soluble factors produced by the epithelial cell line on tumor cells.

Methods

Morphology, immunophenotype, cytogenetics, invasiveness, and tumorigenicity of epithelial (LM-234ep) and myofibroblast (LM-234mf) cell lines isolated from two murine mammary adenocarcinomas …

Psychiatric Rating Scales In Urdu: A Systematic Review, Syed Ahmer, Rafey A. Faruqui, Anita Aijaz

Department of Psychiatry

Background: Researchers setting out to conduct research employing questionnaires in non-English speaking populations need instruments that have been validated in the indigenous languages. In this study we have tried to review the literature on the status of cross-cultural and/or criterion validity of all the questionnaires measuring psychiatric symptoms available in Urdu language.Methods: A search of Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and http://www.pakmedinet.com was conducted using the search terms; Urdu psychiatric rating scale, and Urdu and Psychiatry. References of retrieved articles were searched. Only studies describing either cross-cultural or criterion validation of a questionnaire in Urdu measuring psychiatric symptoms were included.Results: Thirty two …

Cell-Specific Irf-3 Responses Protect Against West Nile Virus Infection By Interferon-Dependent And -Independent Mechanisms, Stephane Daffis, Melanie A. Samuel, Brian C. Keller, Michael Gale Jr., Michael S. Diamond

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells And The Insulin-Like Growth Factor System In Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy, Sudipto Mukherjee

All ETDs from UAB

The goal of this study was to determine the influence, if any, of the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) on retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell tractional force generation and the contributions of vitreous insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) towards control of IGF activity. Another objective was to evaluate RPE cells as a potential source of all six high-affinity IGFBPs and to determine if IGFBP biosynthesis is modulated in concert with phenotype changes and growth factor stimuli known to be present in disease. RPE generate tractional forces in response to IGF-I and -II with IGF-I being the more potent stimulus. Differential …

Diabetes Self-Management In The Migrant Latino Population, Dawn Weiler, Janice D. Crist

Nursing Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article will present an in-depth exploration and synthesis of current literature that informs nursing knowledge of diabetes self-management for the migrant Latino population. Extensive research in diabetes care has been conducted, however, there is a significant knowledge gap related to the factors that influence the achievement of glycemic control and self-management practices of the Latino population. Based on well-documented disparities in complications and health outcomes among Latinos when compared with White Americans, there is sufficient evidence to question whether traditional White beliefs about self-management are successful or appropriate for the Latino population in general and migrants specifically. Traditional models …

Unruly Corporeality: Aids, Immigration And The Imagined Australian Body, Zoë Anderson

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Particular bodies within the Australian nation can be seen to threaten to disrupt and destabilize dominant notions of cultural citizenship. Understood through intricate intersections of ethnicity, gender and sexuality, 'Australianness' - and its correlation to the geographical nation - is constantly monitored. Crucial here is the manner in which boundaries of whiteness, and 'true Australianess', are reconstituted, fuelling avoidance of the ambiguities of national belonging and ensuring the enduring pathologisation of the 'un'Australian. In particular, discursive associations between HIV/AIDS and the 'foreign' as perceived contaminates to the nation operate to reinforce these understandings. Here, the threat of disease both informs, …

Exile, Identity, And Artistic Creation: An Arts Based Phenomenological Study With Immigrant Women: A Dissertation, Vera Heller

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This arts based phenomenological study with immigrant women explores the migratory and creative processes from the perspective of the Hero's archetype, viewed by Jung as a template for individuation. Its objective is to gain further insight into the contribution of art therapy to healing the fragmentation of identity inherent in the transition between two - often radically different - cultures.

Evaluation Of Selected Immune Response To Haemonchus Contortus In Gulf Coast Native Compared To Suffolk Lambs, Krishna P. Shakya

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Haemonchus contortus is one of the major nematode parasites causing substantial economic losses in small ruminant farming worldwide. Recently, effect of anthelmintic treatment has decreased due to an increasing problem of nematode populations that have developed resistance to anthelmintics. There are certain breeds of sheep that are identified as being relatively resistant to the parasite including Gulf Coast Native (Native) sheep. Understanding the mode of immune response that helps these breeds of sheep control infection could help design vaccines and enhance control programs. This experiment was designed to evaluate the immunological responses of Native, compared with susceptible Suffolk sheep that …

The Effect Of Walnuts Compared To Fatty Fish On Plasma And Erythrocyte Fatty Acid Composition, Lymphocyte Subsets And Inflammatory Mediators, Yu-Lan Ching

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of walnuts vs. fatty fish on circulating inflammatory markers, on lymphocyte subsets, on plasma concentrations of eicosanoids precursor polyunsaturated fatty acid and on erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition. Under controlled metabolic feeding conditions and randomized crossover (3x3 Latin-square) design, 27 subjects alternately consumed a control diet, a walnut diet (1.5 oz (42.5g) /day of walnuts, 6 times/week) or a fish diet (8 oz (226g) /week of salmon) for 4 weeks each. Consumption of the walnut diet (ALA 5.43 g/day) compared to the fish diet (EPA 170 mg/day and DHA 590 …

Cultural/Interpersonal Values And Smoking In An Ethnically Diverse Sample Of Southern California Adolescents, C. Anderson Johnson, Paula Palmer, Jennifer B. Unger, Sohaila Shakib, Peggy Gallaher, Anamara Ritt-Olson, Michele Mouttapa

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

In ethnically diverse school contexts, values from multiple cultures might influence adolescents' attitudes and behaviors. This study developed scales to assess cultural values among Southern California 6- grade adolescents (N=2281) and evaluated the associations between values and smoking. The scales assessed values salient in many Hispanic and Asian cultures: Respect for Adults (e.g., filial piety, respeto). Interpersonal Harmony (e.g., saving face, simpatia), and Differentiated Gender Roles (e.g., machismo). In cross-sectional and one-year longitudinal models. Respect for Adults and Interpersonal Harmony were associated with a lower risk of lifetime smoking. The associations were significant even after controlling for demographic characteristics, friends' …

Law, Humanities And Equipoise In The Ethics Education Of Physician Assistants, Frederick Adolf Paola

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

The humanities have been defined as a group of academic subjects united by a commitment to studying aspects of the human condition and a qualitative approach that generally prevents a single paradigm from coming to define any discipline. In the medical humanities context, the most quickly growing area is the field of literature and medicine. The use of literature in bioethics education plays a number of well-recognized educational roles. Herein, we argue that the law is relatively overemphasized in bioethics education and that one heretofore ignored yet important role of the humanities is to serve as a counterbalance to the …

Multinational Web Uses And Gratifications: Measuring The Social Impact Of Online Community Participation Across National Boundaries, Patricia Grace-Farfaglia, Ad Dekkers, Binod Sundararajan, Lois Peters, Sung-Hee Park

Nutrition Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper describes the rationale and findings from a multinational study of online uses and gratifications conducted in theUnited States,Korea, and theNetherlandsin spring 2003. Survey questions developed in three languages by native speaking researchers was presented to approximately 400 respondents in each country via the Web. Web uses and gratifications were analyzed cross-nationally in a comparative fashion focusing on involvement in different types of on-line communities. Findings indicate that demographic characteristics, cultural values, and Internet connection type emerged as critical factors that explain why the same technology is adopted differently.

Bats: Important Reservoir Hosts Of Emerging Viruses, Charles H. Calisher, James E. Childs, Hume E. Field, Tony Schountz, Kathryn V. Holmes

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

The remarkable mammals known as “bats” and “flying foxes” (order Chiroptera [“hand wing”]) may be the most abundant, diverse, and geographically dispersed vertebrates (Table 1). Although a great deal is known about them, detailed information is needed to explain the astonishing variations of their anatomy, their lifestyles, their roles in ecosystems ecology, and their importance as reservoir hosts of viruses of proven or potential significance for human and veterinary health.

Occupational Therapy Program 2006, Nova Southeastern University

Health Professions Divisions Course Catalogs and Course Descriptions

No abstract provided.