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In Vivo And In Vitro Pathogenesis Of Francisella Asiatica In Tilapia Nilotica (Oreochromis Niloticus), Esteban Soto Jan 2010

In Vivo And In Vitro Pathogenesis Of Francisella Asiatica In Tilapia Nilotica (Oreochromis Niloticus), Esteban Soto

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Francisella asiatica is a Gram negative, facultative intracellular pathogen that causes fish francisellosis. In this project, homologues to the F. tularensis iglABCD genes were found present in F. asiatica. As few as 23 F. asiatica bacteria injected in the peritoneum were found capable of causing mortalities in tilapia nilotica (Oreochromis niloticus), and even fewer were enough to cause pathological changes. We examined the in vivo and in vitro interaction of F. asiatica wild type (WT) and a ÄiglC strain with tilapia and tilapia head kidney derived macrophages (HKDM). The ÄiglC was found to be attenuated following intraperitoneal and immersion challenges …

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Bioaerosols And The Risk Of Upper Respiratory Infection In Dental Hygienists, Christen Rebecca Gautreau Jan 2010

Bioaerosols And The Risk Of Upper Respiratory Infection In Dental Hygienists, Christen Rebecca Gautreau

LSU Master's Theses

Multitudes of pathogenic and infectious microbes are known to spread via contaminated aerosols. Dental personnel have an increased incidence of respiratory infections. Ultrasonic scaling procedures are reported to produce the largest amounts of contaminated aerosols of any dental procedure. The goal of the current study was to see if dental hygienists are at an increased risk of respiratory infections during the performance of their job and to see if certain dental procedures had a significant effect on this risk. This study was conducted at the Dental Hygiene Clinic of the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry in New Orleans, LA. …

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Itraconazole Loaded Poly (Lactic-Co-Glycolic) Acid Nanoparticles For Improved Antifungal Activity, Nipur Rajan Patel Jan 2010

Itraconazole Loaded Poly (Lactic-Co-Glycolic) Acid Nanoparticles For Improved Antifungal Activity, Nipur Rajan Patel

LSU Master's Theses

PLGA (polylactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles containing the hydrophobic antifungal Itraconazole (ITZ) were developed to address the need for more efficient means of treating fungal infections. PLGA-ITZ nanoparticles were synthesized using an oil-in-water emulsion evaporation method. The nanoparticles morphology (TEM), size and size distribution, zeta potential (DLS), encapsulation efficiency (UV-VIS), release profile, and antifungal activity were characterized. The blank NPs and loaded PLGA-ITZ NPs were spherical with diameters of 201±5 nm, 232±1 nm and 223±36 nm at 0%, 12.5% and 25% loadings, respectively. All synthesized particles measured a negative zeta potential ranging from -28 to -33 mV. The maximum encapsulation efficiency of …

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The Rise Of The Surgical Age In The Treatment Of Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Case Study Of The Mississippi State Sanatorium, Ashley Baggett Jan 2010

The Rise Of The Surgical Age In The Treatment Of Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Case Study Of The Mississippi State Sanatorium, Ashley Baggett

LSU Master's Theses

The historiography of tuberculosis, “TB,” covers four periods in the United States. During the Victorian Age, TB was classified as consumption. After Robert Koch’s discovery of the tubercle bacillus in the 1882, the germ theory took precedence. The early 1900s saw the rise of the Sanatorium Age, and finally, the antibiotic revolution of the 1940s and 1950s began the current understanding of the disease. Missing from this periodization is an era in which surgery took precedence as the preferred treatment for tuberculosis. This study corrects the historiography by arguing for a recognizable Surgical Age in the 1930s and 1940s. With …

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Optimization And Toxocologic Effects Of Cancer Immuno-Electrogene Therapy Using A Tumor-Targeted Interleukin-12 Gene Construct, Scott Douglas Reed Jan 2010

Optimization And Toxocologic Effects Of Cancer Immuno-Electrogene Therapy Using A Tumor-Targeted Interleukin-12 Gene Construct, Scott Douglas Reed

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation includes a comprehensive current review of reversible electroporation (EP) and other related physical gene transfection techniques; an overview of results of electrochemogene therapy (ECGT) used to treat naturally occurring spontaneous neoplasms in dogs; and the results of comprehensive, pre-clinical toxicology testing of electrogene therapy (EGT) of a tumor-targeted version of interleukin-12 (IL-12) in mice. Intralesional bleomycin (BLM) and feline interleukin-12 (fIL-12) DNA injection combined with trans-lesional EP resulted in complete cure of two recurrent oral squamous cell carcinomas and an acanthomatous ameloblastoma in a series of six cases of spontaneous neoplasia in pet dogs. The three remaining dogs, …

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The Amino Terminus Of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Glycoprotein K (Gk) Modulates Gb-Mediated Virus-Induced Cell Fusion And Virion Egress, Vladimir N. Chouljenko, Arun V. Iyer, Sona Chowdhury, Dmitry V. Chouljenko, Konstantin G. Kousoulas Dec 2009

The Amino Terminus Of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Glycoprotein K (Gk) Modulates Gb-Mediated Virus-Induced Cell Fusion And Virion Egress, Vladimir N. Chouljenko, Arun V. Iyer, Sona Chowdhury, Dmitry V. Chouljenko, Konstantin G. Kousoulas

Faculty Publications

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)-induced cell fusion is mediated by viral glycoproteins and other membrane proteins expressed on infected cell surfaces. Certain mutations in the carboxyl terminus of HSV-1 glycoprotein B (gB) and in the amino terminus of gK cause extensive virus-induced cell fusion. Although gB is known to be a fusogenic glycoprotein, the mechanism by which gK is involved in virus-induced cell fusion remains elusive. To delineate the amino-terminal domains of gK involved in virus-induced cell fusion, the recombinant viruses gKΔ31-47, gKΔ31-68, and gKΔ31-117, expressing gK carrying in-frame deletions spanning the amino terminus of gK immediately after the …

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Edwardsiella Ictaluri Encodes An Acid-Activated Urease That Is Required For Intracellular Replication In Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus) Macrophages, Natha J. Booth, Judith B. Beekman, Ronald L. Thune Nov 2009

Edwardsiella Ictaluri Encodes An Acid-Activated Urease That Is Required For Intracellular Replication In Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus) Macrophages, Natha J. Booth, Judith B. Beekman, Ronald L. Thune

Faculty Publications

Genomic analysis indicated that Edwardsiella ictaluri encodes a putative urease pathogenicity island containing the products of nine open reading frames, including urea and ammonium transporters. In vitro studies with wild-type E. ictaluri and a ureG::kan urease mutant strain indicated that E. ictaluri is significantly tolerant of acid conditions (pH 3.0) but that urease activity is not required for acid tolerance. Growth studies demonstrated that E. ictaluri is unable to grow at pH 5 in the absence of urea but is able to elevate the environmental pH from pH 5 to pH 7 and grow when exogenous urea is available. Substantial …

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Genome Degradation In Brucella Ovis Corresponds With Narrowing Of Its Host Range And Tissue Tropism, Renee M. Tsolis, Rekha Seshadri, Renato L. Santos, Felix J. Sangari, Juan M. García Lobo, Maarten F. De Jong, Qinghu Ren, Garry Myers, Lauren M. Brinkac, William C. Nelson, Robert T. Deboy, Samuel Angiuoli, Hoda Khouri, George Dimitrov, Jeffrey R. Robinson, Stephanie Mulligan, Richard L. Walker, Philip E. Elzer, Karl A. Hassan, Ian T. Paulsen May 2009

Genome Degradation In Brucella Ovis Corresponds With Narrowing Of Its Host Range And Tissue Tropism, Renee M. Tsolis, Rekha Seshadri, Renato L. Santos, Felix J. Sangari, Juan M. García Lobo, Maarten F. De Jong, Qinghu Ren, Garry Myers, Lauren M. Brinkac, William C. Nelson, Robert T. Deboy, Samuel Angiuoli, Hoda Khouri, George Dimitrov, Jeffrey R. Robinson, Stephanie Mulligan, Richard L. Walker, Philip E. Elzer, Karl A. Hassan, Ian T. Paulsen

Faculty Publications

Brucella ovis is a veterinary pathogen associated with epididymitis in sheep. Despite its genetic similarity to the zoonotic pathogens B. abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis, B. ovis does not cause zoonotic disease. Genomic analysis of the type strain ATCC25840 revealed a high percentage of pseudogenes and increased numbers of transposable elements compared to the zoonotic Brucella species, suggesting that genome degradation has occurred concomitant with narrowing of the host range of B. ovis. The absence of genomic island 2, encoding functions required for lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, as well as inactivation of genes encoding urease, nutrient uptake and utilization, and outer …

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Adhesion Of Jurkat Cells In Defined Media And Substrates, Sarah De Leo May 2009

Adhesion Of Jurkat Cells In Defined Media And Substrates, Sarah De Leo

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

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A Functional Type I Topoisomerase From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Teesta Jain, Benjamin J. Roper, Anne Grove Mar 2009

A Functional Type I Topoisomerase From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Teesta Jain, Benjamin J. Roper, Anne Grove

Faculty Publications

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes a putative topoisomerase with sequence similarity to the eukaryotic type IB topoisomerase from Vaccinia virus. Residues in the active site are conserved, notably Tyr292 which would be predicted to form the transient covalent bond to DNA. Results: The gene encoding the P. aeruginosa topoisomerase I was cloned and expressed in E. coli. The enzyme relaxes supercoiled DNA, while a mutant containing a Tyr292 to Phe substitution at the active site was found to be catalytically inert. This is consistent with the role of Tyr in forming the covalent intermediate. Like Vaccinia topoisomerase, the P. aeruginosa topoisomerase …

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Growth-Regulated Expression Of A Bacteriocin, Produced By The Sweet Potato Pathogen Streptomyces Ipomoeae, That Exhibits Interstrain Inhibition, Jing Wang, Kevin L. Schultyp, Gregg S. Pettis Mar 2009

Growth-Regulated Expression Of A Bacteriocin, Produced By The Sweet Potato Pathogen Streptomyces Ipomoeae, That Exhibits Interstrain Inhibition, Jing Wang, Kevin L. Schultyp, Gregg S. Pettis

Faculty Publications

Certain strains of the bacterial sweet potato pathogen Streptomyces ipomoeae produce the bacteriocin ipomicin, which inhibits other sensitive strains of the same species. Within the signal-sequence-encoding portion of the ipomicin structural gene ipoA exists a single rare TTA codon, which is recognized in Streptomyces bacteria by the temporally accumulating bldA leucyl tRNA. In this study, ipomicin was shown to stably accumulate in culture supernatants of 5. ipomoeae in a growth-regulated manner that did not coincide with the pattern of ipoA expression. Similar growth-regulated production of ipomicin in Streptomyces coelicolor containing the cloned ipoA gene was found to be directly dependent …

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Oral Vaccination With Microencapsuled Strain 19 Vaccine Confers Enhanced Protection Against Brucella Abortus Strain 2308 Challenge In Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus Elaphus), Angela M. Arenas-Gamboa, Thomas A. Ficht, Donald S. Davis, Philip H. Elzer, Melissa Kahl-Mcdonagh, Alfredo Wong-Gonzalez, Allison C. Rice-Ficht Jan 2009

Oral Vaccination With Microencapsuled Strain 19 Vaccine Confers Enhanced Protection Against Brucella Abortus Strain 2308 Challenge In Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus Elaphus), Angela M. Arenas-Gamboa, Thomas A. Ficht, Donald S. Davis, Philip H. Elzer, Melissa Kahl-Mcdonagh, Alfredo Wong-Gonzalez, Allison C. Rice-Ficht

Faculty Publications

Bison (Bison bison) and elk (Cervus elaphus nekoni) in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA), USA, are infected with Brucella abortus, the causative agent of bovine brucellosis, and they serve as a wildlife reservoir for the disease. Bovine brucellosis recently has been transmitted from infected elk to cattle in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho and has resulted in their loss of brucellosisfree status. An efficacious Brucella vaccine with a delivery system suitable for wildlife would be a valuable tool in a disease prevention and control program. We evaluated Strain 19 (S19) in a sustained release vehicle consisting of alginate microspheres containing live …

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Enhanced Immune Response Of Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus) To Live Rb51 Vaccine Strain Using Composite Microspheres, Angela M. Arenas-Gamboa, Thomas A. Ficht, Donald S. Davis, Philip H. Elzer, Alfredo Wong-Gonzalez, Allison C. Rice-Ficht Jan 2009

Enhanced Immune Response Of Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus) To Live Rb51 Vaccine Strain Using Composite Microspheres, Angela M. Arenas-Gamboa, Thomas A. Ficht, Donald S. Davis, Philip H. Elzer, Alfredo Wong-Gonzalez, Allison C. Rice-Ficht

Faculty Publications

Brucellosis is an important zoonotic disease of nearly worldwide distribution. The occurrence of the infection in humans is largely dependent on the prevalence of brucellosis in animal reservoirs, including wildlife. The current vaccine used for cattle Brucella abortus strain RB51, has proven ineffective in protecting bison (Bison bison) and elk (Cervus nelsoni) from infection and abortion. To test possible improvements in vaccine efficacy, a novel approach of immunization was examined from April 2004 to November 2006 using alginate composite microspheres containing a nonimmunogenic, eggshell-precursor protein of the parasite Fasciola hepatica (Vitelline protein B, VpB) to deliver live vaccine strain RB51. …

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Current Status Of Sperm Cryopreservation In Biomedical Research Fish Models: Zebrafish, Medaka, And Xiphophorus, Huiping Yang, Terrence R. Tiersch Jan 2009

Current Status Of Sperm Cryopreservation In Biomedical Research Fish Models: Zebrafish, Medaka, And Xiphophorus, Huiping Yang, Terrence R. Tiersch

Faculty Publications

Aquarium fishes are becoming increasingly important because of their value in biomedical research and the ornamental fish trade, and because many have become threatened or endangered in the wild. This review summarizes the current status of sperm cryopreservation in three fishes widely used in biomedical research: zebrafish, medaka, and live-bearing fishes of the genus Xiphophorus, and will focus on the needs and opportunities for future research and application of cryopreservation in aquarium fish. First, we summarize the basic biological characteristics regarding natural habitat, testis structure, spermatogenesis, sperm morphology, and sperm physiology. Second, we compare protocol development of sperm cryopreservation. Third, …

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Production And Application Of Antibodies Produced Against The Flagella And Hemolysin Of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus, Shreya Datta Jan 2009

Production And Application Of Antibodies Produced Against The Flagella And Hemolysin Of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus, Shreya Datta

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a marine bacterium which is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis due to consumption of raw or undercooked bivalve molluscan shellfish in United States and is considered an important seafood-borne pathogen throughout the world. The conventional methods for enumerating this bacteria from seafood is laborious and time consuming, hence the objective of our study was to develop antibody based method which would be sensitive, user-friendly and less time consuming to detect and enumerate Vibrio parahaemolyticus from oysters. In order to condense time and material two rapid and specific antibody based test methods were developed. In the first …

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Ecological Risk Models For Visceral Leishmaniais [Sic] In Bahia, Brazil And Diagnosis Of Trypanosoma Cruzi Infection In Dogs In South Central Louisiana, Prixia Nieto Jan 2009

Ecological Risk Models For Visceral Leishmaniais [Sic] In Bahia, Brazil And Diagnosis Of Trypanosoma Cruzi Infection In Dogs In South Central Louisiana, Prixia Nieto

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Three predictive models were developed within a geographic information system using earth observing satellite remote sensing (RS), the Genetic Algorithm for Rule-Set Prediction (GARP) and the growing degree day-water budget (GDD-WB) concept to predict the distribution and potential risk of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the State of Bahia, Brazil. The objective was to define the environmental suitability of the disease as well as to obtain a deeper understanding of the eco-epidemiology of VL by associating environmental and climatic variables with disease prevalence. The RS, the GARP model and the GDD-WB model, using different analysis approaches and with the same human …

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A Multi-Function, Disposable, Microfluidic Module For Mutation Detection, Tae Yoon Lee Jan 2009

A Multi-Function, Disposable, Microfluidic Module For Mutation Detection, Tae Yoon Lee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Recognition of point mutations in a codon 12 of the K-ras gene, most frequently observed, is considered to be useful in the early diagnosis of several types of the human cancers. We have developed a multifunction, disposable, microfluidic module which detects low-abundant point mutations in human genomic DNA in modular architecture. Each functional component including a microfluidic PCR reactor, a passive diffusional micromixer reactor, and a microfluidic LDR reactor was separately designed and fabricated. Fluidic interconnects were also developed to make a fluidic passage between the functional components. Polycarbonate substrates were micro-molded, using hot embossing with micro-milled brass mold inserts …

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Antiviral Chemotherapeutic Agents Against Equine Herpesvirus Type 1: The Mechanism Of Antiviral Effects Of Porphyrin Derivatives, Galena V. Rybachuk Jan 2009

Antiviral Chemotherapeutic Agents Against Equine Herpesvirus Type 1: The Mechanism Of Antiviral Effects Of Porphyrin Derivatives, Galena V. Rybachuk

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is an important ubiquitous enzootic equine pathogen, causing significant economic losses to the horse industry. Despite extensive vaccination protocols, EHV-1 continues to be a major cause of epidemic abortion, perinatal mortality, respiratory disease and neurologic disease. EHV-1 infections are usually dealt with by using management practices that limit spread of the disease and secondary complications, providing symptomatic relief to infected horses, but no specific treatment is available. New therapeutic or virucidal agents could have great utility in slowing both the progression and spread of the disease in an epidemic situation. A number of porphyrins and their derivatives …

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Determination Of Minimum Safe Cooking Temperatures For Shrimp To Destroy Foodborne Pathogens, Sailaja Chintagari Jan 2009

Determination Of Minimum Safe Cooking Temperatures For Shrimp To Destroy Foodborne Pathogens, Sailaja Chintagari

LSU Master's Theses

Shrimp is one of the most common seafoods and a favorite among consumers. Like any other food there are safety concerns about shrimp. Listeria species, Salmonella species, Clostridium species and Vibrio species are among the pathogens of prime importance. Most of these pathogens can be eliminated by cooking. However, the extent of cooking and temperatures greatly influence the safety of these foods. The current study is focused on the determination of minimum cooking temperatures for shrimp to eliminate Listeria species, Salmonella species and Vibrio species. Shrimp were surface inoculated with the three different species mentioned above to about 5.00 log …

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Preparation Of The Chinese Sweet Leaf Tea Extract And Its Anti-Obesity Effect In Rodents, Gar Yee Koh Jan 2009

Preparation Of The Chinese Sweet Leaf Tea Extract And Its Anti-Obesity Effect In Rodents, Gar Yee Koh

LSU Master's Theses

The aqueous leaf extract of Rubus suavissimus (Chinese sweet leaf tea) was active in inhibiting angiogenesis, which could be used to suppress adipogenesis and cause weight loss. Following this revelation and approach, the anti-obesity effect was thoroughly investigated in normal and obese rat models. The investigations began with the preparation of quality-controlled extract. First, the crude extraction methods were examined leading to the characterization of the chemical composition. Second, the impure components were removed by alcohol precipitation and column chromatography, resulting in a standardized sweet leaf tea extract (RUS). Third, three bioavailable compounds identified from the urine analyses were re-constituted …

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Dose Titration Of Sericea Lespedeza Leaf Meal On Haemonchus Contortus Infection In Crossbred Lambs, Dana Alicia Pollard Jan 2009

Dose Titration Of Sericea Lespedeza Leaf Meal On Haemonchus Contortus Infection In Crossbred Lambs, Dana Alicia Pollard

LSU Master's Theses

Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasitism is a problem for small ruminant producers. Haemonchus contortus is the most detrimental because of substantial economic losses. Over the past decades, chemical anthelmintics have been used to control GINs. Recently, GINs have developed resistance to most anthelmintics, and now reliance on anthelmintics is not possible. Alternative control methods are needed. Also, the use of fewer chemicals in agricultural products has called for alternative methods to be less synthetic and more organic. One promising alternative method is the feeding of condensed tannin (CT) containing forages as either fresh forage or dried products such as hay, ground …

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Influence Of Tick Transmission On The Host Response To Rickettsial Infection, Soma Chowdhury Jan 2009

Influence Of Tick Transmission On The Host Response To Rickettsial Infection, Soma Chowdhury

LSU Master's Theses

Several members of the spotted fever group (SFG) of Rickettsia are transmitted to the host through infected ixodid (hard) ticks, which can serve as both vectors and reservoirs. Multiple studies have demonstrated that ticks secrete proteins into the bite site of the host that suppress innate and adaptive immune responses. While this suppression of immune responses is beneficial to the tick, it may also be beneficial to the transmitted Rickettsia. We hypothesize that Rickettsia utilize the tick’s ability to alter the host immune response at the tick feeding site to successfully establish infection. In the current study, we analyzed how …

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A Modular Approach To High Throughput Microsystems, Pin-Chuan Chen Jan 2009

A Modular Approach To High Throughput Microsystems, Pin-Chuan Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A modular high throughput microsystem was developed using microfabrication technology and nucleic acid analysis. The purpose of developing this microsystem is to identify acute infectious disease and prevent contagious outbreak in a matter of time. This microsystem included three major components, a reagent distribution device, a 96 CFPCR array, and a multi-zone thermal system, to efficiently amplify specific DNA fragments to determine the disease status or precisely pinpoint a disease from multiple patients. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the key component in the nucleic acid analysis for disease because it can be used to amplify interested DNA fragments by repeatedly …

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Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (Qpcr) Assay As A Molecular Tool To Assess Rickettsial Replications In Tick Hosts, Andrea S. Zanetti Jan 2009

Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (Qpcr) Assay As A Molecular Tool To Assess Rickettsial Replications In Tick Hosts, Andrea S. Zanetti

LSU Master's Theses

During the past century, many species of the Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia (SFGR)have been described, especially, through the introduction of a variety of molecular techniques applied to detect rickettsiae inside of their host. In this study we developed a quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay (1) to characterize the growth and the distribution of a SFGR of unrecognized pathogenicity in naturally infected Amblyomma americanum ticks during physiological events; and (2) to terminate the influence of the host cell specificity in the replication patterns of recognized and unrecognized SFGR during a reciprocal rickettsiae challenge in both mammalian and tick cell …

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The Modification, System Software Development, Validation, And Clinical Trial Of A Novel Ankle Stiffness Testing Device, T. Tyler Clement Jan 2009

The Modification, System Software Development, Validation, And Clinical Trial Of A Novel Ankle Stiffness Testing Device, T. Tyler Clement

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this project is to modify, validate, and gather preliminary clinical data on a novel ankle stiffness device that measures stiffness (torque / degree) and range of motion (ROM) of the ankle joint complex (AJC). The initial device was designed by a mechanical engineering design group at Louisiana State University in 2006, but had not been tested on human participants. Clinical evaluation of the ankle joint is important in patients afflicted with diabetes mellitus, Hansen’s disease, or peripheral neuropathies. The combination of peripheral neuropathies, decreased ankle range of motion, and increased stiffness pose a threat to these patients, …

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Structure Of A Complete Integrin Ectodomain In A Physiologic Resting State And Activation And Deactivation By Applied Forces, Jianghai Zhu, Bing Hao Luo, Tsan Xiao, Chengzhong Zhang, Noritaka Nishida, Timothy A. Springer Dec 2008

Structure Of A Complete Integrin Ectodomain In A Physiologic Resting State And Activation And Deactivation By Applied Forces, Jianghai Zhu, Bing Hao Luo, Tsan Xiao, Chengzhong Zhang, Noritaka Nishida, Timothy A. Springer

Faculty Publications

The complete ectodomain of integrin αIIbβ3 reveals a bent, closed, low-affinity conformation, the β knee, and a mechanism for linking cytoskeleton attachment to high affinity for ligand. Ca and Mg ions in the recognition site, including the synergistic metal ion binding site (SyMBS), are loaded prior to ligand binding. Electrophilicity of the ligand-binding Mg ion is increased in the open conformation. The β3 knee passes between the β3-PSI and αIIb-knob to bury the lower β leg in a cleft, from which it is released for extension. Different integrin molecules in crystals and EM reveal breathing that appears on pathway to …

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Host-Pathogen Interactions, Insect Outbreaks, And Natural Selection For Disease Resistance, Bret D. Elderd, Jonathan Dushoff, Greg Dwyer Dec 2008

Host-Pathogen Interactions, Insect Outbreaks, And Natural Selection For Disease Resistance, Bret D. Elderd, Jonathan Dushoff, Greg Dwyer

Faculty Publications

The theory of insect population dynamics has shown that heterogeneity in natural-enemy attack rates is strongly stabilizing. We tested the usefulness of this theory for outbreaking insects, many of which are attacked by infectious pathogens. We measured heterogeneity among gypsy moth larvae in their risk of infection with a nucleopolyhedrovirus, which is effectively heterogeneity in the pathogen's attack rate. Our data show that heterogeneity in infection risk in this insect is so high that it leads to a stable equilibrium in the models, which is inconsistent with the outbreaks seen in North American gypsy moth populations. Our data further suggest …

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Impacts Of Climate Variability And Future Climate Change On Harmful Algal Blooms And Human Health, Stephanie K. Moore, Vera L. Trainer, Nathan J. Mantua, Micaela S. Parker, Edward A. Laws, Lorraine C. Backer, Lora E. Fleming Nov 2008

Impacts Of Climate Variability And Future Climate Change On Harmful Algal Blooms And Human Health, Stephanie K. Moore, Vera L. Trainer, Nathan J. Mantua, Micaela S. Parker, Edward A. Laws, Lorraine C. Backer, Lora E. Fleming

Faculty Publications

Anthropogenically-derived increases in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations have been implicated in recent climate change, and are projected to substantially impact the climate on a global scale in the future. For marine and freshwater systems, increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases are expected to increase surface temperatures, lower pH, and cause changes to vertical mixing, upwelling, precipitation, and evaporation patterns. The potential consequences of these changes for harmful algal blooms (HABs) have received relatively little attention and are not well understood. Given the apparent increase in HABs around the world and the potential for greater problems as a result of climate change …

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Energy Expenditure And Adiposity In Nigerian And African-American Women, Kara E. Ebersole, Lara R. Dugas, Ramon A. Durazo-Arvizu, Adebowale A. Adeyemo, Bamidele O. Tayo, Olayemi O. Omotade, William R. Brieger, Dale A. Schoeller, Richard S. Cooper, Amy H. Luke Sep 2008

Energy Expenditure And Adiposity In Nigerian And African-American Women, Kara E. Ebersole, Lara R. Dugas, Ramon A. Durazo-Arvizu, Adebowale A. Adeyemo, Bamidele O. Tayo, Olayemi O. Omotade, William R. Brieger, Dale A. Schoeller, Richard S. Cooper, Amy H. Luke

Faculty Publications

Objective:Obesity is a prevalent condition in industrialized societies and is increasing around the world. We sought to assess the relative importance of resting energy expenditure (REE) and activity EE (AEE) in two populations with different rates of obesity.Methods and Procedures:Women of African descent between 18 and 59 years of age were recruited from rural Nigeria and from metropolitan Chicago. Total EE (TEE) was measured using the doubly labeled water (DLW) technique and REE by indirect calorimetry; AEE was calculated as the difference between TEE and the sum of REE plus a factor for the thermic effect of food. In the …

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Prevalence And Infection Load Dynamics Of Rickettsia Felis In Actively Feeding Cat Fleas, Kathryn E. Reif, Rhett W. Stout, Gretchen C. Henry, Lane D. Foil, Kevin R. Macaluso Jul 2008

Prevalence And Infection Load Dynamics Of Rickettsia Felis In Actively Feeding Cat Fleas, Kathryn E. Reif, Rhett W. Stout, Gretchen C. Henry, Lane D. Foil, Kevin R. Macaluso

Faculty Publications

Background: Rickettsia felis is a flea-associated rickettsial pathogen recurrently identified in both colonized and wild-caught cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis. We hypothesized that within colonized fleas, the intimate relationship between R. felis and C. felis allows for the coordination of rickettsial replication and metabolically active periods during flea bloodmeal acquisition and oogenesis. Methodology/Principal Findings: a quantitative real-time PCR assay was developed to quantify R. felis in actively feeding R. felis-infected fleas. In three separate trials, fleas were allowed to feed on cats, and a mean of 3.9 × 106 R. felis 17-kDa gene copies was detected for each flea. A distinct …

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