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Regulation Of Cell Death By Autophagy In Glial Neoplasms, Latika R. Kohli Jan 2012

Regulation Of Cell Death By Autophagy In Glial Neoplasms, Latika R. Kohli

All ETDs from UAB

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are aggressive malignancies of the peripheral nervous system. The majority of MPNSTs arise in patients of the autosomal dominant genetic disorder neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) although they also arise sporadically. In the absence of any effective chemotherapeutic options and with surgery constituting the mainstay of treatment, MPNST patients face an extremely poor prognosis. This underscores the need to develop novel therapeutic strategies against this tumor type. It is well accepted that the crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis can be exploited to derive maximal therapeutic benefit, especially through combinatorial therapies. However, this interaction is extremely …

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Factors Associated With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Mild Traumatic Brain Injury In Veterans Of Operations Iraqi Freedom And Enduring Freedom: The Role Of Neuropsychological Assessment, Donald R. Labbe Jan 2012

Factors Associated With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Mild Traumatic Brain Injury In Veterans Of Operations Iraqi Freedom And Enduring Freedom: The Role Of Neuropsychological Assessment, Donald R. Labbe

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Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have been referred to as "signature injuries" among veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). The aims of the current study were to identify demographic and injury related variables associated with the co-occurrence of mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) and PTSD and to identify neuropsychological assessment measures that differentiate individuals with mTBI from those with co-occurring mTBI and PTSD. A total of 81 OIF/OEF veterans participated in this study comprising the mTBI (n=21) and combined (n=60) groups. The results of logistic regression analyses indicated that Caucasians were …

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The Effects Of Psychological Stress, Depressive Symptoms, And Cortisol On Body Mass And Central Adiposity In 10-To12-Year-Old Children, Hong-Thuy Lam Jan 2012

The Effects Of Psychological Stress, Depressive Symptoms, And Cortisol On Body Mass And Central Adiposity In 10-To12-Year-Old Children, Hong-Thuy Lam

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The percentage of children with elevated body mass and central adiposity has tripled in the U.S. over the past thirty years. While physical factors, such as decreased physical activity and poor nutrition, have been noted to influence elevated body mass and central adiposity in school-aged children, less is known about psychological factors, such as psychological stress and depressive symptoms, especially in 10-to12-year-old children. Further, it has been suggested that cortisol, a biomarker of psychological stress, plays a role in the underlying mechanism that links psychological stress and depressive symptoms to increased body mass and central adiposity, but this has not …

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Mechanism Of Nfi-C Functionin During Tooth Root Formation, Ejvis Lamani Jan 2012

Mechanism Of Nfi-C Functionin During Tooth Root Formation, Ejvis Lamani

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Currently, very little is known regarding tissue-specific gene regulation during the later stages of tooth development, especially those associated with root formation. Re-cent studies have identified nuclear factor I-C (NFI-C) as a critical factor for root for-mation in mammals. NFI-C functions as a cellular transcription factor and adenovirus DNA replication factor. Its role in root formation first became evident when Nfi-c null mice were shown to lack molar roots. A similar phenotype of incomplete or absent root formation is observed in patients with the autosomal dominant disease Radicular Dentin Dysplasia (RDD; MIM125400) also known as Rootless Teeth or Dentin Dysplasia …

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Academic Realignment: An Investigation Of Change Within A New Academic Unit At A Research University, Abbygail Tull Langham Jan 2012

Academic Realignment: An Investigation Of Change Within A New Academic Unit At A Research University, Abbygail Tull Langham

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Even in normal times, limited resources require U.S. universities to be more open to change. In late 2007, however, a global recession, the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s, intensified constraints on higher education. To achieve intended outcomes, leaders at colleges and universities often reorganize or realign their organizations during challenging times. Indeed, one public doctorate-granting research university with very high research activity in the southeastern United States has responded to the economic crisis by realigning four academic schools into one large college. Scholarly inquiry was needed to understand the impact of this realignment. The purpose of this …

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Development Of An Adenoviral Vector Platform For Selective Gene Delivery To Neurons, Travis Benjamin Lewis Jan 2012

Development Of An Adenoviral Vector Platform For Selective Gene Delivery To Neurons, Travis Benjamin Lewis

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Parkinson disease (PD) is a devastating movement disorder affecting between 500,000 and 1,000,000 individuals in the United States alone, and for which there is currently no cure. Therapies such as dopamine replacement help initially, but with disease progression these lose efficacy and do not alter the underlying degenerative process. Gene therapy is the delivery of exogenous genetic material to correct an underlying disorder. A major advantage of this approach is the ability to distribute potent therapies to specific targets over an extended duration, properties necessary for the treatment of progressive degenerative diseases such as PD. A number of clinical trials …

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Design Of An Underground Storage Tank Involving Water Collection For Water Reuse To Irrigate The Campus Green Area Of The Uab Campus, Zhuo Li Jan 2012

Design Of An Underground Storage Tank Involving Water Collection For Water Reuse To Irrigate The Campus Green Area Of The Uab Campus, Zhuo Li

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The UAB Campus Recreation Center is located in the Birmingham city block whose boundaries are University Blvd., 10th Avenue South, 14th Street South, and 16th Street South. The water supply of the UAB Campus Recreation Center is based on a natural underground water source, which is use such needs as pool water. The underground water is continuously pumped from its foundation in order to avoid flooding the basement of the Recreation Center. As a result, in addition to the water usage of the Recreation Center, the additional water pumped underground could be utilized to irrigate the campus green area. A …

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Regulation Of P27kip1 By Trip6 And Its Implications In Cancer Progression, Victor T G Lin Jan 2012

Regulation Of P27kip1 By Trip6 And Its Implications In Cancer Progression, Victor T G Lin

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TRIP6 is a focal adhesion molecule that functions as an adaptor protein to mediate diverse cellular functions, including motility and antiapoptotic signaling, through a wide variety of protein-protein interactions. We were able to characterize a novel interaction between TRIP6 and p27KIP1, a CDK inhibitor which can both suppress and promote tumorigenesis, depending on its regulation. TRIP6 expression specifically promotes the AKT-mediated phosphorylation of p27KIP1 at T157, which leads to its cytosolic retention, and accelerates the protein turnover rate of p27KIP1. We also found that phosphorylation of T157 by itself promotes cell motility and can be linked to the formation of …

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Multiscale Modeling Of The Mouse Femur, Shannon Lisenbee Jan 2012

Multiscale Modeling Of The Mouse Femur, Shannon Lisenbee

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This paper seeks to advance the knowledge base for bones and how they respond to mechanical stimuli through the use of multiscale modeling. First, a simple but effective approach for segmenting bone from computed tomography images using MATLAB is presented. Using edge detection and gradient operators to identify areas of bone within an image allows for much more accurate and consistent bone segmentation than simpler techniques like thresholding. This technique is applied to the femur of a female mouse for use in further modeling and testing. Next a representative volume element (RVE) for lamellar cortical bone is created based on …

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The Effect Of Acetylcholine Receptor Activation On The Response Properties Of Retinal Ganglion Cells, Ye Long Jan 2012

The Effect Of Acetylcholine Receptor Activation On The Response Properties Of Retinal Ganglion Cells, Ye Long

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Acetylcholine (ACh) is the first identified neurotransmitter and acts in areas including the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and the central nervous system (CNS). The effects of ACh are mediated by nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs), both of which are extensively distributed in CNS, including the retina. The expression and distribution of nicotinic AChRs (nAChRs) and muscarinic AChRs (mAChRs) have been studied with RT-PCR, western blot, and immunohistochemical techniques in the retinas of different species (Kaneda et al., 1995; Keyser et al., 2000; Yamada et al., 2003; Strang et al., 2005; Dmitrieva et al., 2007; Liu et al., 2009; Strang …

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Regulation Of Membrane Traffic By The Big2 Member Of Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors, Jason Lowery Jan 2012

Regulation Of Membrane Traffic By The Big2 Member Of Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors, Jason Lowery

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Vesicular transport is an essential cellular process that facilitates the movement of molecules within a cell. The importance of vesicular transport is highlighted by numerous human diseases that result from mutations affecting protein trafficking. The Brefeldin A-inhibited guanine nucleotide exchange factor 2 (BIG2) has emerged as a key regulator of protein trafficking within the late secretory pathway, between the trans-Golgi Network (TGN) and endosomal compartments and within the recycling endosomal pathway. Mutations in BIG2 lead to Autosomal Recessive Periventricular Heterotopia with Microcephly (ARPHM), a disorder characterized by severe brain malformations. BIG2 stimulates nucleotide exchange of GDP for GTP on ADP-ribosylation …

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The Effects Of Media Violence On Anxiety In Emerging Adults, Anjana Madan Jan 2012

The Effects Of Media Violence On Anxiety In Emerging Adults, Anjana Madan

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Media violence exposure is associated with anxiety among children and younger adolescents, but less is known about its effects on anxiety in emerging adults. This experimental study examines whether media violence exposure affects state anxiety and physiological reactivity (as measured through systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and mean arterial pressure) in emerging adult college students, as well as whether these effects are moderated by previous violence exposure (both in real life and through media). In the present study, participants viewed either violent or nonviolent high-action movie clips, had their physiological reactivity monitored while viewing the clips, and …

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An Examination Of The Relationship Between The External Environment And Care Coordination, Olena Mazurenko Jan 2012

An Examination Of The Relationship Between The External Environment And Care Coordination, Olena Mazurenko

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This study addressed a gap in the care coordination literature by exploring the factors predictive of care coordination, with particular attention to the external environment. The first paper of this dissertation conducted a systematic review of empirical studies that looked at the predictors of care coordination. Based on the 22 papers that fulfilled the inclusion criteria, the evidence to support the relationships between care coordination and factors that are predictive of care coordination was shown to be weak to moderate depending on the types of factors you look at. This study has revealed a significant inconsistency in how predictors of …

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The Effects Of Venlafaxine On Functional Recovery Following Spinal Cord Injury, Don E. Mccormick Jan 2012

The Effects Of Venlafaxine On Functional Recovery Following Spinal Cord Injury, Don E. Mccormick

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Spinal cord injury (SCI) can significantly alter a person's physical and psychological health over their lifetime. Depression in persons with SCI is often treated with antidepressants which alter serotonergic and adrenergic signaling, both regulators of plasticity. However, the effects of antidepressants functional recovery after SCI have never been evaluated. Therefore, we hypothesize that antidepressant therapy would alter functional recovery and neuropathic pain behaviors in a SCI rodent model. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of venlafaxine (VEN) administration on functional recovery in the rehabilitation setting using a SCI rodent model. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats received a …

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The Effects Of Direct To Consumer Advertising On Healthcare Utilization Among Medicaid Children With Asthma, Luceta C. Mcroy Jan 2012

The Effects Of Direct To Consumer Advertising On Healthcare Utilization Among Medicaid Children With Asthma, Luceta C. Mcroy

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National guidelines recommend treatment of asthma with preventive long term medication, but adherence remains low, resulting in high healthcare utilization among those affected by the chronic disease. The increase in DTCA since the easing of restrictions by the FDA in 1997 has prompted much debate on the effects of the DTCA, with critics arguing that it is harmful while proponents see many benefits such as increased medication adherence. This study examines the impact of DTCA on healthcare utilization and asthma medication use by combining Medicaid administrative data and a national advertising data set on asthma medication from 1999 to 2002. …

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A Study Of Early Adopters Of Innovation, John B. Mcwhorter Jan 2012

A Study Of Early Adopters Of Innovation, John B. Mcwhorter

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This research study focused on identification of environmental and organizational variables that influence the rate of adoption of administrative innovation in organizations, and specifically hospitals that have adopted nurse magnet programs. The study identified both organizational and environmental factors as statistically significant among early adopters of magnet programs in hospitals, with organizational influences stronger than environmental influences in determining the rate of adoption of innovation. Organizational complexity, size, control of domain, presence of a competitor, and available resources were the factors identified as influencing the early adoption of innovation among hospitals.

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Socioeconomic Patterning Of Obesity Among African American Women In The Jackson Heart Study, Tonya Moore Jan 2012

Socioeconomic Patterning Of Obesity Among African American Women In The Jackson Heart Study, Tonya Moore

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Objectives: The purpose of this study was to expand upon what has been observed in literature about obesity and its ties to socioeconomic status (SES) among African American Women (AAW) participants of the Jackson Heart Study (JHS). Methods: This secondary analysis was a sub-study of the JHS and focused on four SES variables: education, income, occupation and wealth; and five outcome variables: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT). Two analytic samples were created in order to examine data collected during Exam 1 (2000-2004) and Exam 2 (2005-2008). …

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A Repeated Measures Quantitative Prospective Inquiry Into The Change In Medical Student Self-Reported Empathy In Clinical Rotations, Kristina T C Panizzi Woodley Jan 2012

A Repeated Measures Quantitative Prospective Inquiry Into The Change In Medical Student Self-Reported Empathy In Clinical Rotations, Kristina T C Panizzi Woodley

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This dissertation study examined whether or not there were quantitative changes in medical student self-reported empathy scores over time and across gender within third- and fourth-year cohorts enrolled in an integrated curriculum at a Southeastern U.S. medical school. The dependent variable was quantitative empathy scores at time 1 and time 2 using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE, medical student S-Version). Primary independent variables were cohort year and gender. Variables of clinical campus site, rotation orientation category, and specialty interest orientation category were also explored. The study found that empathy increased for the third-year complete cohort but decreased for the …

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Using Mouse Models To Investigate Ciliopathies, Raymond Carl Pasek Jan 2012

Using Mouse Models To Investigate Ciliopathies, Raymond Carl Pasek

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Cilia and flagella are microtubule based organelles found on nearly every cell type in the mammalian body. Flagella have an essential role in sperm locomotion and reproduction, while motile cilia have a known role in fluid movement in the brain, lungs, and portions of the female reproductive tract. While the role of most primary cilia remained unknown for decades, they are now recognized as being essential to mammalian development, renal homeostasis, and satiety, just to name a few. Because of their widespread presence and importance, dysfunction of cilia and flagella can lead to a variety of human diseases, collectively referred …

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Targeting Mitochondrial Function In Diabetic Nephropathy, Colin Reily Jan 2012

Targeting Mitochondrial Function In Diabetic Nephropathy, Colin Reily

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TARGETING MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION IN DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY The incidence of diabetes has increased to epidemic proportions over the last 50 years, due to a complex interaction of lifestyle and dietary factors. Changes in physical activity, caloric intake, and the composition of foods consumed over the last century are thought to interact with metabolic syndrome prone subpopulations leading ultimately to diabetes. It is widely accepted that chronic hyperglycemia in the blood characterizes the diabetic condition. Since the discovery of insulin therapy in the first half of the 20th century, diabetics have extended their lifespan considerably, but at the cost of increased morbitity …

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Molar Distalization To Resolve Class Ii Malocclusion: A Cephalometric Study Utilizing The Carriere Distalizer, Careybeth Hayes Rivers Jan 2012

Molar Distalization To Resolve Class Ii Malocclusion: A Cephalometric Study Utilizing The Carriere Distalizer, Careybeth Hayes Rivers

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Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the short-term skeletal and dental effects that occur as a result of Class II malocclusion correction utilizing the Carrière Distalizer as compared to best-matched controls. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort cephalometric study using lateral cephalometric films of 25 (14 male, 11 female, average age 13y 6m) class II patients consecutively treated with the Carrière Distalizer compared with 36 (19 male, 17 female, 13y 2m) untreated class II control subjects from a historical database best-matched based upon age, sex and skeletal classifications. Pretreatment and posttreatment lateral head films were analyzed with …

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Cystine/Glutamate Transporters As Prognostic & Therapeutic Markers Of Primary Brain Tumors, Stephanie Marie Robert Jan 2012

Cystine/Glutamate Transporters As Prognostic & Therapeutic Markers Of Primary Brain Tumors, Stephanie Marie Robert

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Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are the most prevalent and aggressive malignant brain tumors. Current treatment - a combination of radiation, chemotherapy and resection - has limited effectiveness and offers poor prognosis. In this study, we examined the roles of system xc- (SXC) and excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs), which transport the amino acids cystine and glutamate, on tumor growth, neurotoxicity, and peritumoral seizure activity. Tissue micro-arrays from 45 patients were examined by immuno-histochemistry, comparing tumor-bearing tissue and adjacent normal brain. Using a novel flank tumor propagation technique, we chose 3 glioma samples with varying SXC and EAAT expression levels to study …

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Factors Associated With Participant Retention In A Behavioral Weight Loss Study, Cathy C. Roche Jan 2012

Factors Associated With Participant Retention In A Behavioral Weight Loss Study, Cathy C. Roche

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Participant retention in longitudinal research is gaining increasing attention. By identifying factors associated with participant retention, programs can be better designed to promote effective weight loss. This study examines factors associated with participant retention. The Anderson Behavioral Model provided the conceptual framework for the study. The sample consisted of secondary data abstracted from the research records of 316 participants in the University of Alabama at Birmingham cohort of the Look Action for Health in Diabetes (AHEAD) trial. The Look AHEAD trial is a randomized controlled trial designed to investigate the long-term effects of interventions aimed at producing weight loss in …

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Studies In Public Health Systems And Services Research: Three Papers Examining The Market Environment, Quality Improvement, And Community Partnerships, Valerie A. Yeager Jan 2012

Studies In Public Health Systems And Services Research: Three Papers Examining The Market Environment, Quality Improvement, And Community Partnerships, Valerie A. Yeager

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This dissertation, comprised of three publishable manuscripts, addresses various identified gaps in the literature focused on public health systems and services research. Public health systems and services research includes studies that examine the organization, financing and delivery of public health services in communities, and the impact of these services on public health. Specifically, this dissertation focuses on three topics: (1) the measurement of the health care market environment of local public health departments, (2) community characteristics related to quality improvement strategies in local public health environments, and (3) the longitudinal changes in public health partnerships and how these partnerships relate …

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Transcriptional Regulation Of Gfap, Sujeong Yeo Jan 2012

Transcriptional Regulation Of Gfap, Sujeong Yeo

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Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is an astrocytic intermediate filament protein whose levels are increased in response to CNS injuries. Aim one of my thesis is to find the regulatory elements of the GFAP promoter responsible for its expression properties using a transgenic approach, since previous studies showed inconsistent results between in vitro and in vivo approaches. Two contiguous DNA segments previously implicated in transcriptional control of the GFAP gene, the B region (bp -1612 to -1489), and the C1.1 and C1.2 regions (bp -1488 to -1399), were analyzed. Block mutation of each of 4 contiguous sequences together spanning the …

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Fcrl5 Exerts Binary And Compartment-Specific Influence On Innate-Like B Cell Receptor Signaling, Zilu Zhu Jan 2012

Fcrl5 Exerts Binary And Compartment-Specific Influence On Innate-Like B Cell Receptor Signaling, Zilu Zhu

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Innate-like splenic marginal zone (MZ) and peritoneal cavity (PEC)-derived B1 B lymphocytes are the major contributors to primary humoral responses and play an important role in connecting innate and adaptive immunity, but are known to significantly differ in their B cell receptor (BCR) signaling characteristics. In mice, FCRL5 is discretely expressed by innate-like MZ and B1 B cells and is furthermore equipped with cytoplasmic ITAM-like and ITIM elements, suggesting diverse signaling potential for it. Our results showed that FCRL5 markedly inhibited BCR-mediated activation in MZ B cells, but not in PEC B1 B cells. To characterize its signaling function, a …

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Clinical Evaluation Of Treatment Of White Spot Lesions With Icon, Candace A. Cronan Jan 2012

Clinical Evaluation Of Treatment Of White Spot Lesions With Icon, Candace A. Cronan

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Introduction: Despite an increased awareness by clinicians and their attempt to aid patients in the prevention of white spot lesions, enamel demineralization continues to be a problem associated with orthodontic treatment. Current treatment options for these unaesthetic scars on the teeth range from conservative options for remineralization such as the use of fluoride and CPP-ACP to more aggressive treatment involving loss of tooth structure with microabrasion or restorations. An innovative option for treatment has recently been introduced in the form of the infiltrant resin, Icon. Icon infiltration is a minimally invasive procedure performed by a dentist that is claimed to …

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Three-Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Of The Natural Dentition, Ryan Jeffery Cox Jan 2012

Three-Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Of The Natural Dentition, Ryan Jeffery Cox

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The purpose of this study was to determine if ultra short echo time magnetic resonance imaging (UTE-MRI) technology could be used to image teeth in orthodontics. The objectives of this study were to determine the accuracy and resolution of UTE-MRI on dental morphology and its application to the field of orthodontics with respect to appliance affect on morphology. Teeth were collected from the Orthodontic clinic at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Institutional Review Board of the University of Alabama at Birmingham approved the study. High-resolution 3-Tesla UTE-MRI was preformed on sixty extracted human premolar teeth with fixed …

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Analysis Of Ergothioneine Production In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Loni Ann Guidry Jan 2012

Analysis Of Ergothioneine Production In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Loni Ann Guidry

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Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the etiological agent of tuberculosis, currently infects more than two billion people worldwide. Mtb is a highly adaptable pathogen, capable of modifying its metabolism in response to its environment. We previously showed that Mtb WhiB3 is a redox-responsive regulator of core intermediary metabolism and lipid anabolism through which it maintains redox homeostasis. In this work, through the use of metabolomic analysis and a novel radioactive thin layer chromatography assay, we discovered that WhiB3 regulates the production of the intracellular thiol ergothioneine (ergo) when using immunomodulatory lipid precursors as the major carbon source. Our results suggest that this …

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The Role Of Histone Methylation In The Medial Temporal Lobe During Long-Term Memory Formation, Swati Gupta Jan 2012

The Role Of Histone Methylation In The Medial Temporal Lobe During Long-Term Memory Formation, Swati Gupta

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Several studies have established the importance of epigenetic regulation of gene transcription in the brain during memory consolidation. Epigenetic mechanisms involve modifying the DNA or the associated histone proteins to determine the transcriptional outcome of a gene. The work encompassed in this dissertation serves as an initial investigation for the role of histone lysine methylation mechanisms in regulating gene activation and suppression in the medial temporal lobe that includes entorhinal cortex (EC), hippocampus, and amygdala during memory consolidation. To this end, we found that di-methylation of histone H3 at lysine 9 (H3K9me2) which promotes gene suppression was specific to associative …

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