Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Tak1 In Pancreatic Cancer Development, Qianghua Xia

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States and the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Pancreatic cancer is a big challenge in large due to the lack of early symptoms. In addition, drug resistance is a major obstacle to the success of chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer. The underlying mechanism of drug resistance in human pancreatic cancers is not well understood. Better understanding of the mechanism of molecular pathways in human pancreatic cancers can help to identify the novel therapeutic target candidates, and develop the new preventive and clinic strategies to improve patient …

Definition Of The Landscape Of Chromatin Structure At The Frataxin Gene In Friedreich’S Ataxia, Eunah Kim

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA) is caused by the transcriptional silencing of the frataxin (FXN) gene. FRDA patients have expansion of GAA repeats in intron 1 of the FXN gene in both alleles. A number of studies demonstrated that specific histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) affect either histone modifications at the FXN gene or FXN expression in FRDA cells, indicating that the hyperexpanded GAA repeat may facilitate heterochromatin formation. However, the correlation between chromatin structure and transcription at the FXN gene is currently limited due to a lack of more detailed analysis. Therefore, I analyzed the effects of the hyperexpanded GAA …

Strengthening Families: Parents' Voices On Discipline And Child Rearing, Elizabeth M. Breshears

Journal of Family Strengths

This qualitative study conducted semi-structured, multi-session focus groups and interviews with twenty-seven participants to explore in-depth, participant constructs of child discipline and punishment methods and reasons for the continuing support for corporal punishment of U.S. children. The research assumed that parents want to parent well and utilized the strengths perspective as the instrument to listen to participants' voices. Narratives revealed that participants were thoughtful about discipline and parenting strategies and viewed their parent role as a serious commitment. Non-violent discipline strategies, particularly communication, were often used. However, parents generally framed use of physical punishment as “when children need spanking” versus …

Child Welfare Workers’ Perceptions Of The Influence Of The Organizational Environment On Permanency Decisions For Families, Belinda Smith, Rhonda Wells-Wilbon

Journal of Family Strengths

The findings of this study suggest that while child welfare workers are consistently distracted by competing priorities from unexpected events, most are committed, and to understand perspectives is more inclusive and may improve retention rates. Notably, while it is recognized that permanency decisions are not made in an intellectual, legal or clinical vacuum and certain traditional aspects of the bureaucratic structure do not impact decision making, this study advances the body of knowledge on child welfare decision making. Examined in this study are child welfare case workers’ perceptions of the extent to which the organizational environment influences the permanency decisions …

Saturday Morning Television Advertisements Aired On English And Spanish Language Networks Along The Texas-Mexico Border, Cristina S. Barroso, Dianeth Rodriguez, Perla L. Camacho

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Objectives: The aim of this content analysis study is to characterize the TV advertisements aired to an at-risk child population along the Texas-Mexico border.

Methods: We characterized the early Saturday morning TV advertisements aired by three broadcast network categories (U.S. English language, U.S. Spanish language, and Mexican Spanish language) in Spring 2010. The number, type (food related vs. non-food related), target audience, and persuasion tactics used were recorded. Advertised foods, based on nutrition content, were categorized as meeting or not meeting current dietary guidelines.

Results: Most commercials were non-food related (82.7%, 397 of 480). The majority of the prepared foods …

Dispelling The Myth: What Parents Really Think About Sex Education In Schools, Susan R. Tortolero, Kimberly Johnson, Melissa Peskin, Paula M. Cuccaro, Christine Markham, Belinda F. Hernandez, Robert C. Addy, Ross Shegog, Dennis H. Li

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Background: School-based sex education is effective in reducing risky sexual behavior among adolescents that may lead to unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. However, most sex education policies in the US do not support evidence-based programs. Understanding parental attitudes around sex education is crucial to overcoming perceived barriers to implementing school-based sex education. Little research has been published on the opinions of parents in Texas, which accounts for 12% of the nation’s teen births. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine whether Texas parents favor teaching sex education in schools, in what grades they think sex education should …

Highly Variable Recessive Lthal Or Nearly Lethal Mutation Rates During Germ-Line Development Of Male Drosophila Melanogaster, Jian-Jun Gao, Xue-Rong Pan, Jing Hu, Li Ma, Jian-Min Wu, Ye-Lin Shao, Sara A Barton, Ronny C Woodruff, Ya-Ping Zhang, Yun-Xin Fu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Each cell of higher organism adults is derived from a fertilized egg through a series of divisions, during which mutations can occur. Both the rate and timing of mutations can have profound impacts on both the individual and the population, because mutations that occur at early cell divisions will affect more tissues and are more likely to be transferred to the next generation. Using large-scale multigeneration screening experiments for recessive lethal or nearly lethal mutations of Drosophila melanogaster and recently developed statistical analysis, we show for male D. melanogaster that (i) mutation rates (for recessive lethal or nearly lethal) are …

Obstetrical Forceps: History, Mystery, And Morality, Ronald L. Young

Houston History of Medicine Lectures (2006-2012)

The history of obstetrical forceps has almost always been one cloaked in controversy after a long history of being shrouded in mystery. Forceps have a long history and have evolved from facilitating the delivery of dead fetuses to aiding in the delivery and survival of live babies. In the middle of all of this arises the story of the Chamberlain family whose contribution was enormous but whose behaviors pushed at the envelope of (at least) our present-day concepts of medical ethics. This lecture traces an interesting story that spans a millennium.

Determining The Roles Of Dendritic Cells And Icam-1 In The Transpresentation Of Il-15 To Cd8 T Cells, Spencer W. Stonier

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The maintenance and generation of memory CD8 T cells is dependent on the cytokine IL-15. IL-15 is delivered by a novel mechanism termed transpresentation: IL-15 is presented by a cell expressing IL-15Ralpha to the CD8 T cell which responds via IL-2Rbeta/gamma_c. The identity of what cells transpresent IL-15 to support the survival and homeostatic proliferation of memory CD8 T cells is unknown. Using a transgenic mouse model that limits IL-15 transpresentation to DCs, I have demonstrated that DCs transpresent IL-15 to CD8 T cells. DCs transpresent IL-15 to CD8 T cells during the contraction of an immune response …

Developmental Deregulation And Tumorigenesis Inhibition In 14-3-3zeta Knockout Mouse, Jun Yang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Cancer is second leading cause of death in the United States. Improving cancer care through patient care, research, education and prevention not only saves lives, but reduces health care cost as well. Breast cancer is the most leading cause of cancer incidence and cancer related death in women of the United States. 14-3-3s are a family of conserved proteins ubiquitously expressed in all eukaryotic organisms. They form complexes with hundreds of proteins by binding to specific phospho-serine/threonine containing motifs. In this way they regulate a variety of cellular processes and are involved in many human diseases especially cancer to our …

Determining The Roles Of Dendritic Cells And Icam-1 In The Transpresentation Of Il-15 To Cd8 T Cells, Spencer W. Stonier

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The maintenance and generation of memory CD8 T cells is dependent on the cytokine IL-15. IL-15 is delivered by a novel mechanism termed transpresentation: IL-15 is presented by a cell expressing IL-15Ralpha to the CD8 T cell which responds via IL-2Rbeta/gamma_c. The identity of what cells transpresent IL-15 to support the survival and homeostatic proliferation of memory CD8 T cells is unknown. Using a transgenic mouse model that limits IL-15 transpresentation to DCs, I have demonstrated that DCs transpresent IL-15 to CD8 T cells. DCs transpresent IL-15 to CD8 T cells during the contraction of an immune response …

The Role Of Acidic Fibroblast Growth Factor And Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 4 In High Grade Serous Carcinoma, Tarrik Zaid

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: High grade serous carcinoma whether ovarian, tubal or primary peritoneal, continues to be the most lethal gynecologic malignancy in the USA. Although combination chemotherapy and aggressive surgical resection has improved survival in the past decade the majority of patients still succumb to chemo-resistant disease recurrence. It has recently been reported that amplification of 5q31-5q35.3 is associated with poor prognosis in patients with high grade serous ovarian carcinoma. Although the amplicon contains over 50 genes, it is notable for the presence of several members of the fibroblast growth factor signaling axis. In particular acidic fibroblast growth factor (FGF1) …

Echogenic Liposomes For Nitric Oxide Delivery And Breast Cancer Treatment, Soo Yeon Lee Female

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Liposomes, also known as nontoxic, biodegradable, and non-immunogenic therapeutic delivery vehicles, have been proposed as a carrier for drugs and antitumor agents in cancer chemotherapy. Echogenic liposomes (ELIP) have the potential to entrap air or bioactive gas to enhance acoustic reflectivity in ultrasound and are used as a contrast agent. The innovative part of this study is based on a novel concept to encapsulate nitric oxide (NO) gas into ELIP, deliver it to breast cancer cells, and control its release via direct ultrasound exposure. Studies on the effect of NO in tumor biology have shown that a high levels of …

Stat3 Controls The Neutrophil Migratory Response To Cxcr2 And Its Ligand Mip-2 (Cxcl2), Hoainam Nguyen-Jackson

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Among the first white blood cells to respond to bacterial and fungal infections, neutrophils are produced in the bone marrow, released into circulating blood, and recruited to inflamed tissue. The cytokine granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G��CSF) is used clinically to induce neutrophil mobilization from the marrow. This process was previously demonstrated to require the STAT3 transcription factor (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3), the principal signaling molecule activated upon G-CSF-binding of its receptor, but the mechanism was unknown. The chemokines KC (Cxcl1) and MIP-2 (Cxcl2), and their shared receptor CXCR2 (l8rb), also stimulate neutrophil mobilization, in contrast to SDF-1 (Cxcl12), …

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Maternal And Umbilical Cord Blood From Pregnant Hispanic Women Living In Brownsville, Texas, Ken Sexton, Jennifer J Salinas, Thomas J Mcdonald, Rose M Z Gowen, Rebecca P Miller, Joseph B Mccormick, Susan P Fisher-Hoch

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Venous blood was drawn from 35 pregnant Hispanic women living in Brownsville, Texas, and matched cord blood was collected at birth. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to measure concentrations of 55 individual PAHs or groups of PAHs. Results indicate that these women and their fetuses were regularly exposed to multiple PAHs at comparatively low concentrations, with levels in cord blood generally exceeding levels in paired maternal blood. While the possibility of related adverse effects on the fetus is uncertain, these exposures in combination with socioeconomically-disadvantaged and environmentally-challenging living conditions raise legitimate public health concerns.

Emotional Climate, Feeding Practices, And Feeding Styles: An Observational Analysis Of The Dinner Meal In Head Start Families, Sheryl O Hughes, Thomas G Power, Maria A Papaioannou, Matthew B Cross, Theresa A Nicklas, Sharon K Hall, Richard M Shewchuk

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: A number of studies conducted with ethnically diverse, low-income samples have found that parents with indulgent feeding styles had children with a higher weight status. Indulgent parents are those who are responsive to their child's emotional states but have problems setting appropriate boundaries with their child. Because the processes through which styles impact child weight are poorly understood, the aim of this study was to observe differences in the emotional climate created by parents (including affect, tone of voice, and gestures) and behavioral feeding practices among those reporting different feeding styles on the Caregiver's Feeding Styles Questionnaire. A secondary …

Aua Guideline For The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome, Philip M Hanno, David Allen Burks, J Quentin Clemens, Roger R Dmochowski, Deborah Erickson, Mary Pat Fitzgerald, John B Forrest, Barbara Gordon, Mikel Gray, Robert Dale Mayer, Diane Newman, Leroy Nyberg, Christopher K Payne, Ursula Wesselmann, Martha M Faraday

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: To provide a clinical framework for the diagnosis and treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review of the literature using the MEDLINE® database (search dates 1/1/83-7/22/09) was conducted to identify peer reviewed publications relevant to the diagnosis and treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. Insufficient evidence-based data were retrieved regarding diagnosis and, therefore, this portion of the Guideline is based on Clinical Principles and Expert Opinion statements. The review yielded an evidence base of 86 treatment articles after application of inclusion/exclusion criteria. These publications were used to create the majority of the treatment portion …

Ms 101 Guide To Robert W. Miller, Md Papers (1921-2006), Robert W. Miller (1921-2006)

Manuscript Finding Aids

The Robert W. Miller, MD, papers, MS 101, includes materials from 1953 through 1998 related to the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) and the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF). Miller was the chief pediatric physician on the team that conducted the research and observations in Hiroshima. This collection encompasses this period of time in Dr. Miller's career, as well as scholarly work relating to the results of the ABCC's research. Dr. Miller donated his collection of personal and business correspondence, journal articles, book reviews, business reports, newspaper articles, pamphlets, and a book to the John P. McGovern Historical Collections and …

Effect Of Anchoring On Perceived Amniocentesis Related Miscarriage Risk Within A Latina Population, Laura E. Panos

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Most recognized pregnancies are completed without difficulty, yet there is always a 3-5% background risk to have a child with a birth defect. Amniocentesis, the most common type of prenatal diagnostic test, is used to detect chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down syndrome. Amniocentesis is associated with a risk of complications that can lead to a miscarriage, which is typically quoted to be between 1 in 300 and 1 in 500. Amniocentesis uptake rates are typically lowest within the Latina community, and although the factors related to this have been studied before, no specific conclusions have been reached.

The general population …

Atm Signaling To Tsc2: Mechanisms And Implications For Cancer Therapy, Angela Alexander

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) is a critical component of the cellular response to DNA damage, where it acts as a damage sensor, and signals to a large network of proteins which execute the important tasks involved in responding to the damage, namely inducing cell cycle checkpoints, inducing DNA repair, modulating transcriptional responses, and regulating cell death pathways if the damage cannot be repaired faithfully. We have now discovered that an additional novel component of this ATM-dependent damage response involves induction of autophagy in response to oxidative stress. In contrast to DNA damage-induced ATM activation however, oxidative stress induced ATM, occurs …

Defining The Role Of Egfr Acetylation In Cellular Processes: Clinical Implications, Hui Song

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a cell membrane tyrosine kinase receptor and plays a pivotal role in regulating cell growth, differentiation, cell cycle, and tumorigenesis.  Deregulation of EGFR causes many diseases including cancers.  Intensive investigation of EGFR alteration in human cancers has led to profound progress in developing drugs to target EGFR-mediated cancers.  While exploring possible synergistic enhancement of therapeutic efficacy by combining EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) with other anti-cancer agents, we observed that suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA, a deacetylase inhibitor) enhanced TKI-induced cancer cell death, which further led us to question whether SAHA-mediated sensitization to TKI was …

Molecular Mechanism By Which The Escherichia Coli Nucleoid Occlusion Factor, Slma, Keeps Cytokinesis In Check, Nam K. Tonthat

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Cell division or cytokinesis is one of the most fundamental processes in biology and is essential for the propagation of all living species. In Escherichia coli, cell division occurs by ingrowth of the membrane envelope at the cell center and is orchestrated by the FtsZ protein. FtsZ self-assembles into linear protofilaments in a GTP dependent manner to form a cytoskeletal scaffold called the Z-ring. The Z-ring provides the framework for the assembly of the division apparatus and determines the site of cytokinesis. The total amount of FtsZ molecules in a cell significantly exceeds the concentration required for Z-ring formation. Hence, …

Altered Responses To Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress In Pancreatic Cancer, Jennifer H. Choe

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) represents the fourth most common cause of cancer-associated death in the United States. Little progress has been made in understanding how proteotoxic stress affects rapidly proliferating pancreatic tumor cells. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress occurs when protein homeostasis in the ER lumen is perturbed. ER stress activates the unfolded protein response (UPR) to reduce the protein load in the ER. Under conditions of moderate ER stress, the UPR promotes cell cycle arrest which allows time for successful protein load reduction and enables cell survival. However, under conditions of high levels of ER stress the UPR induces cellular …

Knowledge And Perception Of The Role Of Targeted Ultrasound In Detecting Down Syndrome Among A High Risk Population, Ashley M. Henriksen

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The purpose of this study was to determine the perception and knowledge of targeted ultrasound in women who screen positive for Down syndrome in the first or second trimester, and to assess the perceived detection rate of Down syndrome by targeted ultrasound in this population.  While several studies have reported patient perceptions’ of routine ultrasound, no study has specifically examined knowledge regarding the targeted ultrasound and its role in detecting Down syndrome.  A targeted ultrasound is a special ultrasound during the second trimester offered to women who may be at a higher-than-average risk of having a baby with some type …

Physician Perceptions Of Risk Regarding Mood Disorders And Pharmacological Management During Pregnancy: What Is Current Practice?, Laura G. Hendon

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Mood disorders are the most common form of mental illness and one of the leading causes of morbidity worldwide.  Major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder have a lifetime prevalence of 16.2% and 4.4%, respectively.  Women comprise a substantial proportion of this population, and an estimated 500,000 pregnancies each year involve women with a psychiatric condition.  Management with psychotropic medications is considered standard of care for most patients with mood disorders.  However, many of these medications are known human teratogens.  Because pregnant women with mood disorders face a high risk of relapse if unmanaged, the obstetrician faces a unique challenge in …

Natural History Study Of Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita, Amyoplasia Type, Trisha Nichols

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Arthrogryposis or Arthrogrypsosis Multiplex Congenita (AMC) are terms used to describe the clinical finding of multiple congenital contractures. There are more than 300 distinct disorders associated with arthrogryposis. Amyoplasia is the most common type of arthrogryposis and is often referred to as the “classic” type. There is no known cause of amyoplasia and no risk factors have been identified. Moreover, there is no established diagnostic criteria, which has led to inconsistency and confusion in the medical literature. The purpose of this study was to describe the natural history of amyoplasia, to determine if there are any identifiable risk factors and …

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying The Transcriptional Regulation Of T Helper 17 And Regulatory T Cells, Gustavo Javier Martinez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

CD4⁺ T helper (Th) lymphocytes are vital for integrating immune responses by orchestrating the function of other immune cell types. Naïve Th cells can differentiate into different effector subsets that are characterized by their cytokine profile and immune regulatory functions. These subsets include Th1, Th2, Th17, natural and inducible regulatory T cells (nTreg and iTreg respectively), among others. We focused our investigation on two Th lineages, Th17 and regulatory T cells, with opposing functions in the immune system. These subsets have been suggested to be reciprocally regulated since they both require TGF-b for their development. We investigated the role …

Astrocytes From The Contused Spinal Cord Inhibit Oligodendrocyte Differentiation Of Adult Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells By Increasing The Expression Of Bone Morphogenetic Proteins, Yaping Wang, Xiaoxin Cheng, Qian He, Yiyan Zheng, Dong H Kim, Scott R Whittemore, Qilin L Cao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Promotion of remyelination is an important therapeutic strategy to facilitate functional recovery after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) or oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) has been used to enhance remyelination after SCI. However, the microenvironment in the injured spinal cord is inhibitory for oligodendrocyte (OL) differentiation of NSCs or OPCs. Identifying the signaling pathways that inhibit OL differentiation in the injured spinal cord could lead to new therapeutic strategies to enhance remyelination and functional recovery after SCI. In the present study, we show that reactive astrocytes from the injured rat spinal cord or their conditioned …

Multicentric Hepatic Ebv-Associated Smooth Muscle Tumors In An Aids Patient: A Case Report, Investigation Of Mtor Activation And Review Of The Literature, Qi Shen, Wei Feng, Michael S Long, Xiuzhen Duan, Siraya Jaijakul, Cesar A Arias, Robert E Brown, Bihong Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) - associated smooth muscle tumors (EBV-SMT) are a rare, recently recognized distinct group of mesenchymal tumors that develop exclusively in patients with immunosuppression. It is believed that tumorigenesis is, at least in part, through the activation of the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signal pathway. We describe the clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features of a multifocal hepatic EBV-SMT in a 34-year-old acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patient and investigate the activation status of the mTOR signal pathway in this tumor. In addition, we provide a review of the literature on the clinicopathologic findings of hepatic EBV-SMT in adult AIDS …

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Survival In Uninsured And Underinsured Patients, John A Harvin, George Van Buren, Kuojen Tsao, Putao Cen, Tien C Ko, Curtis J Wray

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing. The purpose of this study is to establish baseline survival in a medically-underserved population and to evaluate the effect of HCV seropositivity on our patient population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed clinicopathologic parameters from a prospective tumor registry and medical records from the Harris County Hospital District (HCHD). Outcomes were compared using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and log-rank tests.

RESULTS: A total of 298 HCC patients were identified. The median survival for the entire cohort was 3.4 mo. There was no difference in survival between the HCV …