Digital Commons Network^™

Energy Stress Causes Chaperones To Assemble Into Cytoplasmic Complexes, Kimberly J. Cope

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The majority of proteins require molecular chaperones to assist their folding into tertiary and quaternary structures. Certain stresses can compromise the weak hydrophobic forces responsible for these structures and lead to protein unfolding, misfolding, and aggregation. Aggregates of proteins are hallmarks of devastating diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases. Fortunately, bacteria, plants, and fungi have a potent disaggregase, named Hsp104 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Recently, heat-induced aggregates, termed Q-bodies, were found to contain three molecular chaperones: Hsp70, Hsp104, and Hsp42. Their coalescence from small puncta into larger inclusions required Hsp104. During glucose deprivation, a stress that isn’t known to …

Outpatient Management Of Heart Failure In The United States, 2006-2008, Kailash Mosalpuria, Sunil K Agarwal, Sirin Yaemsiri, Bredy Pierre-Louis, Samir Saba, Rene Alvarez, Stuart D Russell

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Better outpatient management of heart failure might improve outcomes and reduce the number of rehospitalizations. This study describes recent outpatient heart-failure management in the United States.

We analyzed data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey of 2006–2008, a multistage random sampling of non-Federal physician offices and hospital outpatient departments.

Annually, 1.7% of all outpatient visits were for heart failure (51% females and 77% non-Hispanic whites; mean age, 73 ± 0.5 yr). Typical comorbidities were hypertension (62%), hyperlipidemia (36%), diabetes mellitus (35%), and ischemic heart disease (29%). Body weight and blood pressure were recorded in about 80% of visits, and …

A National Survey Of Parent Support Legislation And Regulations, Nancy P. Correa, Bethanie Van Horne, Bracewell & Giuliani Llp, Christopher Greeley, Angelo P. Giardino

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

Introduction: Parent education has a positive impact on children, parents, families, and the community. CHILDREN AT RISK and Bracewell & Giuliani LLP conducted a policy scan of state statutes regarding parent education.

Methodology: To identify state statutes that address parent education, we conducted a search of statutes in all 50 states using keywords and the online legal research systems. After all state-level policies were ascertained, we selected the most relevant statutes to parent education and identified major themes.

Results: The policy scan identified statutes regarding non-mandated parent education in 40 out of the 50 states. Common themes include: home visitation …

Is It Time To Do More Homework On The Impact Of Childhood Obesity On Academic Achievement?, Shreela V. Sharma

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

Purpose: To provide commentary on the research article “Impact of Pediatric Obesity on Grades in Elementary School,” by Craig A. Johnston, Jennette P. Moreno, Sandra A. Stansberry, and Deborah Woehler .

Findings: In this cross-sectional study the authors examine the association between weight status and math, science and reading grades among 798 2^nd grade children in Texas. The authors show that academic performance, specifically math grades are lower in obese students compared to normal weight students. Finally, the authors propose several physiological and psychological mechanisms including the potential for teacher bias and lower expectations from children who are obese. …

Informing Parent Targeted Interventions To Promote Increased Physical Activity Among Youth, Teresia O'Connor

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

Invited Commentary on "Examining the Disconnect Between Parents' Perceptions and Reality Regarding the Physical Activity Levels of Their Children."

Impact Of Pediatric Obesity On Grades In Elementary School, Craig A. Johnston, Jennette P. Moreno, Tzu-An Chen, Sandra A. Stansberry, Deborah Woehler

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

Objective: The current study examines the relationship between obesity and academic performance among second grade students. We hypothesized that students who were overweight or obese would have poorer grades than students who were normal weight.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Seven elementary schools from a southeast Texas Independent School District.

Participants: The sample was composed of 798 ethnically and racially diverse elementary school children. Students were classified as normal weight, overweight, and obese.

Main Outcome Measures: Differences in cumulative grades (math, science, and reading) across weight classifications were examined using sex, race/ethnicity, and school socioeconomic level as covariates. Additionally, all subject areas …

Project Passport: An Integrated Group-Centered Approach Targeting Pregnant Teens And Their Partners, Ruth S. Buzi, Peggy B. Smith, Constance M. Wiemann, Melissa F. Peskin, Mariam R. Chacko, Claudia Kozinetz A.

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

Objective: To describes the development of Project Passport, a perinatal intervention designed to reduce negative outcomes among pregnant teens. Methods: A logic model guided the planning, development and evaluation plan for the intervention. It included the selection of health goals, behaviors to be targeted, determinants of the selected behaviors, and activities to impact each selected determinant. Results: The process resulted in the formulation of an intervention that incorporates CenteringPregnancy, a group model of prenatal care, Positive Youth Development components, and male involvement. The evaluation examines the effectiveness of the intervention in enhancing health, educational and psychosocial outcomes among …

Factors Associated With Physical Activity In Kindergarten Children, Carol Hammonds

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Reversing obesity is an urgent public health need for children: worldwide, in 2011 more than 40 million children under the age of five were either overweight or obese. Increasing intensity and duration of physical activity is a strategy to aid in preventing and reducing obesity. A minimum of 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity is recommended for children. School settings, such as full-day kindergarten, where 74% of children in the United States are enrolled, provide opportunities for population-based interventions to increase physical activity, yet little objective data exist on current levels of physical activity in …

How Do Black Nulliparous Women Cognitively Construct Birth?, Marianne F. Moore

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

A focused ethnography was conducted to determine the cognitive constructions about birth described by nulliparous Black women in an urban area of the Southwestern US; also, during postpartum, how do these women reconcile expectations with the actual birth? Semi-structured interviews were conducted before birth and after birth.

Women, 16 or older, 17 - 33 weeks carrying a singleton fetus and without anomalies or problems like pre-gestational diabetes, NYHA Cardiac Class III/IV, cancer, renal failure, or sickle cell anemia that eliminated vaginal birth were sequentially recruited and sampled in an affiliated ultrasound clinic. Women scheduled for an anatomy scan were approached. …

Imbalance Between Neutrophil Elastase And Elafin Promotes Breast Cancer Growth And Progression, Joseph Anthony Caruso

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Elafin, an endogenous serine protease inhibitor, is a critical component of the epithelial barrier against neutrophil elastase (NE) activity. The central hypothesis examined in this dissertation was that elafin has tumor suppressive properties in breast cancer. In support of this hypothesis, immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis revealed that elafin was downregulated in the majority of invasive breast tumors and a subset of pre-invasive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) compared to elafin expression in the normal mammary epithelium. To understand the role of elafin in the mammary epithelium and the impetus for its downregulation during breast tumorigenesis, primary and immortalized human mammary epithelial …

Anti-Gd2 Etoposide-Loaded Immunoliposomes For The Treatment Of Gd2 Positive Tumors, Brandon S. Brown

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Systemic chemotherapeutics remain the standard of care for most malignancies even though they frequently suffer from narrow therapeutic index, poor serum solubility, and off-target effects. Monoclonal antibodies that specifically bind antigens overexpressed on many tumors such as the ganglioside, GD2, can be conjugated to drug-loaded liposomes to create a targeted drug delivery system. In this study, we have encapsulated etoposide, a topoisomerase inhibitor effective against a wide range of cancers, in surface modified liposomes decorated with anti-GD2 antibodies. We characterized the properties of the liposomes using a variety of methods including dynamic light scattering, electron microscopy, and Fourier transformed infrared …

Regulation Of The Candida Albicans Arginine Biosynthetic Pathway, Claudia Jimenez Lopez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Candida albicans is the most importan thuman-associatedfungus.It is a commensal microorganism but also an opportunistic pathogen able to cause superficial infections aswellaslife-threateninginfectionswhich are associated with a highmortalityrateof 50%. The interactions between C. albicans and the cells of the mammalian innate immune system, which confer the most important protecting mechanisms against disseminated infections, are very dynamic and determine the success of C. albicans as a pathogen. Transcriptional profiling has shown that phagocytosis of C. albicans by macrophages results primarily in the activation of alternative carbon metabolism pathways suggesting that the pathogen is exposed to a glucose poor environment. Changes in …

Related Resources

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

Related Resources for Accountable Communities.

Solvitur Ambulando: It Is Solved By Walking, Megan Dickerson

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

Though a significant portion of the conversation around “play provision” focuses on the quality and availability of community playgrounds, the majority of children’s play occurs in transitional spaces: sidewalks and other spaces not designed for children but used by children daily. This Perspective from the Field briefly reviews the late 19^th century roots of the American playground and argues that though a focus on playground provision may draw attention to the importance of safe play spaces, a focus on playgrounds alone is limiting. Given playgrounds’ historical rootings, the omnipresent KFC (Kit, Fence and Carpet) playground begins to seem a …

Real School Gardens Program: Learning Gardens And Teacher Training To Improve Student Engagement And Academic Performance In Low-Performing Elementary Schools, Jeanne Mccarty

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

Children who grow up in poverty are less likely to graduate high school, enter college and find economic stability. REAL School Gardens believes the right educational opportunities – ones that engage and motive children to learn – can break this cycle. The REAL School Gardens Program builds learning gardens and offers teacher training to improve academic engagement and performance in low-income elementary schools. Since its launch, REAL School Gardens has partnered with 92 low-income schools, and preliminary findings show that 84% of students experiencing hands-on academic lessons in a REAL School Garden report high levels of engagement, specifically in math …

Socioeconomic And Cultural County-Level Factors Associated With Race/Ethnic Differences In Body Mass Index In 4th Grade Students In Texas, Jennifer J. Salinas, Manasi S. Shah, Jennifer L. Gay, Ken Sexton, Eileen Nehme, Dorothy Mandell, Deanna M. Hoelscher

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

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between county-level socioeconomic environment and the propensity to be overweight or obese by race/ethnic group in a sample of fourth grade children the Texas public school system.

Methods: The data used come from the School Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) surveillance study – a surveillance study of school-aged children in Texas. The outcome variable used was Body Mass Index (BMI) categorized as underweight/normal/healthy, overweight, and obese. Exposure variables were derived from county-level Hispanic and Black concentration and socioeconomic data using the Human Security Index (HSI) as a framework. We made comparisons between Non-Hispanic White, Black …

Accountable Communities: A Concept Broader Than Health Care, Angelo P. Giardino, Robert D. Sanborn

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

Angelo Giardino and Robert Sanborn's introduction for Volume 4, Issue 2: Accountable Communities: Healthier Neighborhoods, Healthier Children.

Attributing Meaning To Online Social Network Analysis For Tailored Socio-Behavioral Support Systems, Sahiti Myneni

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Ubiquitous online social networks provide us with a unique opportunity to deliver scalable interventions for the support of lifestyle modifications in order to change behaviors that predispose toward cancer and other diseases. At the same time these networks act as rich data sources to inform our understanding of end-user needs. Traditionally, social network analysis is based on communication frequency among members. In this work, I introduce communication content as a complementary frame for studying these networks.

QuitNet, an online social network developed to provide smoking cessation support is considered for analysis. Qualitative coding, automated content analysis, and network analysis were …

Mtorc1 Signaling In Memory Formation And Dysfunction, Natalia S. Rozas De O'Laughlin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway integrates cellular availability of growth factors, energy and amino acids to regulate protein synthesis and autophagy. The mTORC1 pathway has also been shown to be required for memory consolidation, and its dysregulation is associated with many neurological disorders. MTORC1 is negatively regulated by the tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC1/2). When ATP and growth factors are available, TSC1/2 is inhibited and mTORC1 activity can be restored. In a complementary regulatory pathway, amino acids signal to mTORC1 through the Rag GTPases and Ragulator complex, which modulate the translocation of mTORC1 from the cytoplasm to …

Altered Ovarian Cancer Metabolism Increases Neuronal N-Acetylaspartate To Promote Tumor Growth, Behrouz Zand

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Altered metabolism is a well-established trait in many cancers, and is an emerging hallmark of cancer. Recent resurgence of cancer metabolism studies has identified dysregulated metabolic pathways that produce novel oncometabolites in various cancers. However, large scale studies of dysregualted high grade serous epithelial ovarian cancers (HGSOC) are unknown.

Materials and Methods: Following IRB approval, metabolic profiling of 101 HGSOC patients and 15 normal ovaries were obtained using GC/LC mass spectrometry from 2 U.S. academic centers to identify highly up-regulated metabolites. Samples from a cohort of 135 and 208 patients from a single institution were evaluated for gene expression …

T-Cell Treatments For Solid And Hematological Tumors, Drew C. Deniger

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Cell-based therapies have demonstrated potency and efficacy as cancer treatment modalities. T cells can be dichotomized by their T cell receptor (TCR) complexes where alpha/beta T cells (95% of T cells) and gamma/delta T cells (+T cells proliferated to clinically significant numbers and ROR1⁺ tumor cells were effectively targeted and killed by both ROR1-specific CAR⁺ T cell populations, although ROR1RCD137 were superior to ROR1RCD28 in clearance of leukemia xenografts in vivo. The second specific aim focused on generating bi-specific CD19-specific CAR⁺ gamma/delta T cells with polyclonal TCRgamma/delta repertoire on CD19⁺ artificial antigen presenting cells (aAPC). …

Novel Inducers Of Gliotoxin Production In Aspergillus Fumigatus, Taylor J. Schoberle

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Secondary metabolites are produced by numerous organisms and can either be benign to humans or harmful. Genes involved in the synthesis and transport of these secondary metabolites are frequently found in gene clusters, which are often located in subtelomeric regions of the chromosome. These clusters are often coordinately regulated, being almost exclusively dependent on transcription factors that are located within the clusters themselves. Secondary metabolites are also regulated by a variety of factors, including nutritional factors, environmental factors and developmental processes. Gliotoxin, which is produced by a variety of Aspergillus species, Trichoderma species, and Penicillium species, exhibits immunosuppressive properties and …

Development And Characterization Of An In Vitro Four-Species Anaerobic Dental Biofilm Model, Fernando Andrade

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Dental caries is the most common chronic disease worldwide. It is characterized by the demineralization of tooth enamel caused by acid produced by cariogenic dental bacteria growing on tooth surfaces, termed bacterial biofilms. Cariogenesis is a complex biological process that is influence by multiple factors and is not attributed to a sole causative agent. Instead, caries is associated with multispecies microbial biofilm communities composed of some bacterial species that directly influence the development of a caries lesion and other species that are seemingly benign but must contribute to the community in an uncharacterized way. Clinical analysis of dental caries and …

Correction Of Cystic Fibrosis-Specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Jacquelin Hanh Bui

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Cystic Fibrosis (CF), affecting 1 in 3,500 live births in the US, is a disease caused by aberrant expression of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmemebrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR). While a multi-organ disease, CF-related complications and degradation of the lung is the leading cause of mortality. There are treatments to combat treatments but none that are curative. Recent advances in reprogramming and the ability to genetically modify the resulting induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have provided an alternative to conventional gene therapies thus far attempted for CF. Here we describe the in vitro generation of iPSCs starting from fibroblast cells obtained from …

Novel Therapeutic Targets Identified By High-Throughput Technologies For Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Christine Shiang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) are characterized by the lack of or reduced expression of the estrogen and progesterone receptors, and normal expression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. The lack of a well-characterized target for treatment leaves only systemic chemotherapy as the mainstay of treatment. Approximately 60-70% of patients are chemosensitive, while the remaining majority does not respond. Targeted therapies that take advantage of the unique molecular perturbations found in triple-negative breast cancer are needed. The genes that are frequently amplified or overexpressed represent potential therapeutic targets for triple-negative breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to …

Interaction Between Brk And Her2 In Breast Cancer, Midan Ai

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

INTERACTION BETWEEN BRK AND HER2 IN BREAST CANCER

Midan Ai, Ph.D.

Supervisory Professor: Zhen Fan, M.D.

Breast tumor kinase (Brk) is a nonreceptor protein-tyrosine kinase that is highly expressed in approximately two thirds of breast cancers but is not detectable or is expressed at very low levels in normal mammary epithelium. Brk plays important roles in promoting proliferation, survival, invasion, and metastasis of breast cancer cells, but the mechanism(s) of which remain largely unknown. Recent studies showed that Brk is frequently co-overexpressed with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) and is physically associated with HER2 in breast cancer. The mechanism …

Acceleration Of The Panin Development In Mice Expressing Oncogenic K-Ras Due To A High Fat Diet, Bincy Philip

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Obesity is postulated to be one of the major risk factors for pancreatic cancer, and recently it was indicated that an elevated body mass index (BMI correlates strongly with a decrease in patient survival. Despite the evident relationship, the molecular mechanisms involved are unclear. Oncogenic mutation of K-Ras is found early and is universal in pancreatic cancer. Extensive evidence indicates oncogenic K-Ras is not entirely active and it requires a triggering event to surpass the activity of Ras beyond the threshold necessary for a Ras-inflammation feed-forward loop. We hypothesize that high fat intake induces a persistent low level inflammatory response …

Addressing The Challenges Of Child And Family Homelessness, Kerri Tobin, Joseph Murphy

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

Homeless children in families comprise the fastest-growing group of homeless persons in the United States. Indeed, the American Academy of Pediatrics considers homelessness to be an issue with which pediatricians should be concerned. In this article, we review existing literature to provide a background for researchers, policymakers, and social service providers hoping to understand the phenomenon of child and family homelessness and various strategies used to address it. We begin with a definition and description of the population of homeless families with children. We then offer a broad consideration of the effects of child and family homelessness, from physical health …

Family Matters: Links Between Family Structure And Early Child Health, Laura L. Freeman, Mackenzie Brewer

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

This paper reviews the research of the past two decades that addresses the relationship between family structure and early child health outcomes. Specifically, we focus on family structure’s influence on child health during pregnancy, birth, and infancy. We briefly summarize the most pervasive changes to family structure in the US during recent decades and discuss how early child health is linked to future outcomes for children and adults. We review research that highlights the mechanisms linking family structure to early child health and identify key risk and protective factors for children from the prenatal period through infancy. We conclude with …

Family Structure And Obesity Among U.S. Children, Jennifer M. Augustine Ph.D., Rachel T. Kimbro

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

Child obesity in the U.S. is a significant public health issue, particularly among children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Thus, the roles of parents’ human and financial capital and racial and ethnic background have become important topics of social science and public health research on child obesity. Less often discussed, however, is the role of family structure, which is an important predictor of child well-being and indicator of family socioeconomic status. The goal of this study, therefore, is to investigate how preschool aged children’s risk of obesity varies across a diverse set of family structures and whether these differences in obesity are …