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The Effects Of P-Glycoprotein Deficiency On Intestinal Integrity And Homeostasis, Elizabeth Marie Staley Jan 2009

The Effects Of P-Glycoprotein Deficiency On Intestinal Integrity And Homeostasis, Elizabeth Marie Staley

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THE EFFECTS OF P-GLYCOPROTEIN DEFICIENCY ON INTESTINAL INTEGRITY AND HOMEOSTASIS ELIZABETH M. STALEY MICROBIOLOGY ABSTRACT P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is an ATP-binding transmembrane pump associated with substrate extrusion in cells of epithelial and hematopoietic lineage. Polymorphisms in multidrug resistance genes (MDR), which encode this protein, are associated with development of inflammatory bowel disease in patient subsets. Furthermore, FVB/N animals deficient in P-gp expression develop spontaneous colitis. Disease in FVB.mdr1a-/- animals is reported to be the result of P-gp deficiencies in intestinal epithelial cells. We developed a neonatal model of bone marrow reconstitution to accurately evaluate the contribution of P-gp deficiencies in either …

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Genetic Complexity And Population Diversity Of Plasmodium Falciparum In The Peruvian Amazon, Patrick Lee Sutton Jan 2009

Genetic Complexity And Population Diversity Of Plasmodium Falciparum In The Peruvian Amazon, Patrick Lee Sutton

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GENETIC COMPLEXITY AND POPULATION DIVERSITY OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM IN THE PERUVIAN AMAZON PATRICK LEE SUTTON MICROBIOLOGY GRADUATE PROGRAM ABSTRACT Characterizing the genetic complexity of immunologically relevant proteins, expressed during the life cycle of P. falciparum, is essential for identifying and advancing potential vaccine candidates. The current malaria immunity paradigm is rooted in high transmission studies which have investigated the impact of high genetic diversity on the development of humoral responses. Given the dynamic nature of malaria parasites, especially their ability to acclimate to change, it is likely that regions of low transmission do not share the same malaria immunity paradigm …

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Regulation Of Tissue Remodeling Through The Calreticulin Binding Domain Of Thrombospondin-1, Mariya Ts'ana Sweetwyne Jan 2009

Regulation Of Tissue Remodeling Through The Calreticulin Binding Domain Of Thrombospondin-1, Mariya Ts'ana Sweetwyne

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Thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) is a multifunctional matricellular protein released by platelets in response to injury and secreted by cells under stress. TSP1 is cleaved into functional N- and C-terminal domain fragments, which have paradoxical actions with respect to angiogenesis, cell survival, and cell adhesion. Wound healing studies by others demonstrated that TSP1 knockout mice have delayed rates of wound closure, which was attributed to actions of the C-terminal domain. We wished to investigate the specific role of the N-terminal domain in tissue remodeling. Previously, we established that a sequence (aa 17-35) in the N-terminal domain of TSP1 induces focal adhesion disassembly, …

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The Role Of Gbf1 In Golgi Biogenesis And Secretory Traffic., Tomasz Szul Jan 2009

The Role Of Gbf1 In Golgi Biogenesis And Secretory Traffic., Tomasz Szul

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The secretory pathway within a cell consists of series of membrane compartments connected by shuttling secretory vesicles containing cargo that travel from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) though ER-to-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC), the Golgi apparatus, and endosomal compartment to the plasma membrane (PM). The Golgi specific brefeldin A (BFA)-resistant factor 1 GBF1 has been identified as an important factor involved in traffic between ER and Golgi and within the Golgi apparatus. GBF1 belongs to a family of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) that stimulate the exchange of GDP for GTP on small GTPases, ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs). The exchange of the nucleotide activates …

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Characterization Of The Induction And Regulation Of Early B Cell Development, Melissa Ann Thal Jan 2009

Characterization Of The Induction And Regulation Of Early B Cell Development, Melissa Ann Thal

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Hematopoiesis is a highly regulated process directed by the microenvironment or niche in the bone marrow and the transcription factors those signals activate. Gene knockout experiments have identified critical cytokine signals and transcription factors required for promoting the differentiation of a hematopoietic stem cell to a B cell, but the regulatory mechanisms have yet to be fully elucidated. In early B cell development, a transcriptional hierarchy exists wherein E2A proteins activate early B-cell factor (Ebf1), which in turn activates expression of the B cell commitment factor, Pax5. In our studies, we use IL-7 receptor alpha chain (IL-7Rα) knockout animals that …

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Marginal Zone B-Cell Precursors As Cellular Agents For Type I Ifn Promoted Antigen Transport, John Hsien Wang Jan 2009

Marginal Zone B-Cell Precursors As Cellular Agents For Type I Ifn Promoted Antigen Transport, John Hsien Wang

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Type I IFN is a known pro-inflammatory cytokine that is associated with the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). At the level of B-cell regulation, current literature primarily attributes the formation of autoantibodies at the post-germinal center stage when type I IFN is known to promote plasmablast differentiation. However, our findings here point to a type I IFN effect at the pre-germinal stage. Type I IFN promotes T-dependent antibody response, activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) expression, germinal center formation, all of which are processes before the onset of plasmablast differentiation. We have determined a subset of splenic transitional B-cells, that is …

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A Novel & Efficient Method To Produce High Titers Of Infectious Hpv In Organotypic Cultures Of Primary Human Keratinocytes, Hsu-Kun Wang Jan 2009

A Novel & Efficient Method To Produce High Titers Of Infectious Hpv In Organotypic Cultures Of Primary Human Keratinocytes, Hsu-Kun Wang

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Infections by the high-risk human papillomavirus type 18 (HPV-18) or type 16 (HPV-16) can lead to cancers of the anogenital tract. Because the propagation of HPVs is restricted to differentiated human squamous epithelia, experimental studies of the productive program are conducted in organotypic cultures. The current methods are of low efficiency and time consuming and have relied on immortalized epithelial cell lines that do not support efficient viral DNA amplification or virion production, compromising HPV genetic analyses and obscuring normal virus-host cell interactions. I used Cre-loxP site-specific recombination to develop a relatively simple, fast and highly efficient system to produce …

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Understanding The Regulatory Mechanisms Of Ubp-M And H2a Deubiquitination In Chromatin And Cellular Functions, Heui Yun Joo Jan 2009

Understanding The Regulatory Mechanisms Of Ubp-M And H2a Deubiquitination In Chromatin And Cellular Functions, Heui Yun Joo

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Posttranslational modifications of histones regulate important chromatin and cellular functions. Among them, ubiquitination of histone H2A is correlated to transcriptional repression, such as HOX gene silencing and X chromosome inactiviation. Little was known about the removal of ubiquitin from histones, the enzyme(s) involved and its function in chromatin dynamics. We have identified the protein Ubp-M (USP16) to be the H2A- and nucleosome-specific deubiquitinase. We also demonstrated that Ubp-M-mediated H2A deubiquitination is involved in cell cycle progression to M-phase, HOX gene expression, and posterior development in Xenopus laevis. Furthermore, we have also purified USP12 and USP46 which contain an Ubp-M independent …

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A System Genetics Analysis Of Energy Metabolism Traits In Drosophila Melanogaster, Patricia Paola Jumbo-Lucioni Jan 2009

A System Genetics Analysis Of Energy Metabolism Traits In Drosophila Melanogaster, Patricia Paola Jumbo-Lucioni

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Obesity is emerging as a global public health problem and it has shown to precede and predict the development of type 2 diabetes, a complex disease that has also reached epidemic proportions in the US and worldwide. Despite that obesity-related traits are highly heritable, the genetic basis underlying their natural variation and the loci playing pleiotropic roles among organismal traits have not been fully elucidated. The overall goals of these present studies were: to shed light on the architecture of the genetic co-expression networks regulating variations in obesity-related traits, elucidate the extent to which they are regulated by pleiotropic loci, …

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Sustained Pupil Constriction Following Brief Light Exposure: Relation To Retinal Health, Laxmikanth Kankipati Jan 2009

Sustained Pupil Constriction Following Brief Light Exposure: Relation To Retinal Health, Laxmikanth Kankipati

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The pupillary light reflex (PLR) is an indispensable clinical measure of visual, neurological and autonomic function which, until recently, was thought to be driven by only rods and cones. In 2000, a novel subset of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) was discovered that express melanopsin and are intrinsically photosensitive (ipRGC). These ipRGCs contribute to the PLR and are responsible for the sustained pupilloconstriction observed following light offset (the post-illumination pupil response (PIPR)). The primary goal of this project was to examine the PIPR in a broad sample of the general human population. Using a newly-developed, wide-field optical system, we demonstrate that …

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Effects Of Daily Versus 30-Day Continuous Contact Lens Wear On Tear Cytokine Levels, Lucy Ebunoluwa Kehinde Jan 2009

Effects Of Daily Versus 30-Day Continuous Contact Lens Wear On Tear Cytokine Levels, Lucy Ebunoluwa Kehinde

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The purpose of this investigation was to determine if 30 days of continuous contact lens wear produces a different ocular inflammatory response compared to 30 days of daily wear of Bausch & Lomb® PureVisionTM silicone hydrogel contact lenses. Eighty-five individuals wore these lenses for 30 days continuously in one eye and daily in the contralateral eye. Relative concentrations of 27 cytokines were measured in tear samples collected from the subjects using cytometric bead-based assays. Clinical tests were also conducted to correlate changes in cytokine levels to changes in clinical profiles. This study contributes to a greater understanding of the impact …

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The Effects Of Naturally-Occurring Fatigue And Task Difficulty On Effort Related Cardiovascular Response, Jason Lagory Jan 2009

The Effects Of Naturally-Occurring Fatigue And Task Difficulty On Effort Related Cardiovascular Response, Jason Lagory

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Wright's integrative analysis suggests that effort can be measured via cardiovascular (CV) response. In addition, the analysis breaks with tradition in suggesting that effort varies not with benefit alone, but also with the difficulty of the behavioral challenge at hand. Recent research has focused upon the effects of fatigue on effort related CV response, assuming that fatigue negatively affects perceived ability. Results have supported interactional predictions. Specifically, they have indicated higher levels of CV response among high- as compared to low fatigue participants when tasks were possible and worthwhile and the reverse response pattern when tasks were excessively difficult (given …

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Parental Attitudes Of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Of Adolescent Girls In Alabama, Allison G. Litton Jan 2009

Parental Attitudes Of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Of Adolescent Girls In Alabama, Allison G. Litton

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Human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. This study examined racial and socio-demographic differences between African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites in Alabama regarding HPV vaccine acceptability. This cross sectional study employed a statewide survey of Alabama parents using a random digit dial phone method conducted through the Survey Research Unit at UAB. Participants were female caregivers of adolescent girls between the ages of 10-14 years. The final sample size was 403. Analyses included descriptive statistics, cross tabulations and odds ratios to assess race/ethnicity and other subgroup differences and logistic regression of intention to vaccinate …

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Regulation Of Vh Replacement In Human Immature B Cells By B Cell Receptor (Bcr) - Mediated Signaling, Jing Liu Jan 2009

Regulation Of Vh Replacement In Human Immature B Cells By B Cell Receptor (Bcr) - Mediated Signaling, Jing Liu

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VH replacement occurs through RAG-mediated secondary recombination to change unwanted IgH genes. In this dissertation, I focused on studying the molecular mechanism that regulates VH replacement in human immature B cells. In part I, our results show that VH replacement is regulated by B cell antigen receptor (BCR) mediated signaling. Using the human EU12 mHC+ cells as an experimental model system, crosslinking BCR with F(ab')2 anti-IgM antibodies results in BCR internalization, cell proliferation arrest, and induction of VH replacement. Pretreatment of human EU12 mHC+ cells with the protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor Genistein, Syk kinase inhibitors, and a Src kinase inhibitor …

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Counterregulatory Roles Of Transforming Growth Factor (Tgf)-Beta And Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (Anp) In Pressure Overload-Induced Cardiac Remodeling And Fibrosis, Jason Anthony Lucas Jan 2009

Counterregulatory Roles Of Transforming Growth Factor (Tgf)-Beta And Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (Anp) In Pressure Overload-Induced Cardiac Remodeling And Fibrosis, Jason Anthony Lucas

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Pressure overload stress (eg. hypertension or aortic stenosis) results in excessive cardiac fibrosis, changes in left ventricular (LV) geometry, and disruption of LV contractility, ultimately leading to heart failure. We hypothesize that transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), a pro fibrogenic factor, and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), an anti fibrogenic factor, interact directly in a counterregulatory manner to balance the production of extracellular matrix (ECM) under pressure overload induced cardiac stress or hypoxia-induced pulmonary vascular adaptation. In this report, we examine structural and functional responses of the intact heart to pressure overload stress in vivo. We then utilize isolated rat pulmonary artery …

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Mechanisms Of Growth Hormone Action In Skeletal Muscle, Mahendra Devaraj Mavalli Jan 2009

Mechanisms Of Growth Hormone Action In Skeletal Muscle, Mahendra Devaraj Mavalli

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Growth hormone (GH) and insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) exert profound growth promoting actions during pre and postnatal skeletal muscle development. GH and IGF-1 seem to promote their anabolic actions by influencing skeletal muscle cell prolif-eration and fusion. However, because GH stimulates the production of IGF-1 from the liver and other GH-responsive peripheral tissues, including skeletal muscle, the individual contributions of these two growth factors to anabolic responses in skeletal muscle remains poorly defined. In this dissertation research, I sought to distinguish the mechanisms responsible for growth hormone's (GH) anabolic actions in skeletal muscle. To accomplish this, I analyzed the …

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The Distinction Between First And Higher-Order Pregnancies Among Low-Income Adolescents, Ann Elizabeth Montgomery Jan 2009

The Distinction Between First And Higher-Order Pregnancies Among Low-Income Adolescents, Ann Elizabeth Montgomery

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Rapid repeat pregnancy is defined as having a subsequent pregnancy within 2 years of the first. In the United States, approximately 30-50% of adolescent mothers will experience a repeat pregnancy within 12 to 24 months of the first birth (Sangalang, Barth, & Painter, 2006; Coard, Nitz, & Felice, 2000). The negative implications of adolescents having a first birth--most notably in the areas of "health, career, and economic conditions" (Khalili, 2005, p. 19)--are compounded when a second pregnancy occurs (Key, Barbosa, & Owens, 2001). This exploratory study addressed one of the primary gaps in the literature related to rapid repeat adolescent …

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The Antecedents And Consequences Of The Niche Approach To Healthcare Delivery, Lejon Poole Jan 2009

The Antecedents And Consequences Of The Niche Approach To Healthcare Delivery, Lejon Poole

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ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: Niche hospitals represent a growing segment in the health care industry. A niche strategy is an approach that focuses on a narrow market segment that its resources and capabilities can exploit (Porter, 1980; Powers and Khan, 2004). The purpose of the proposed study was to provide an understanding of the antecedents and consequences of the niche approach to healthcare delivery. The interaction of the niche strategy and the physician-owner as a unique bundle of resources was also examined. The subsequent model tested the relationships among generic strategies, market effects, firm effects, and financial performance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: …

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Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (Cftr) Modulators And Their Mechanistic Basis: Relevance To Emerging Therapies For Cystic Fibrosis, Louise Clare Pyle Jan 2009

Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (Cftr) Modulators And Their Mechanistic Basis: Relevance To Emerging Therapies For Cystic Fibrosis, Louise Clare Pyle

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Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a lethal genetic disorder leading to pulmonary decline and premature death. The gene responsible for CF, the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), serves as a chloride and bicarbonate channel situated at the apical cell surface of epithelia. The discovery of small molecules that augment channel gating of mutant CFTR (so-called `potentiators') represents a major theme of CF research, and offers hope for new therapeutic interventions. High-throughput screening (HTS) provides a means to test millions of agents in an unbiased manner for CFTR potentiating properties. New agents identified by HTS have undergone extensive pre-clinical and clinical …

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Effects Of Endocrine Disruptors On Biomarkers Of Reproductive Function In The Western Mosquitofish, Gambusia Affinis, Samiksha Ashok Raut Jan 2009

Effects Of Endocrine Disruptors On Biomarkers Of Reproductive Function In The Western Mosquitofish, Gambusia Affinis, Samiksha Ashok Raut

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Chemicals introduced into the environment by anthropogenic activities have the capacity to interfere with the endocrine system of living organisms and act as endocrine disrup-tors. To date, most studies have focused on estrogenic endocrine disruptors but reports of androgenic endocrine disruptors continue to increase. In the current study, the western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis was utilized as a model organism to assess the effects of some known and suspected androgenic and estrogenic endocrine disruptors on various reproductive biomarkers. The biomarkers utilized were: anal fin elongation and differen-tiation, expression of the vitellogenin gene, and sperm production in males. In the studies described …

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The Role Of Mitochondria And Plasma Membrane Ca2+ Transport Systems In Ca2+-Dependent Glutamate Release From Rat Cortical Astrocytes, Reno Cervo Reyes Jan 2009

The Role Of Mitochondria And Plasma Membrane Ca2+ Transport Systems In Ca2+-Dependent Glutamate Release From Rat Cortical Astrocytes, Reno Cervo Reyes

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Astrocytes, a type of glial cell in the central nervous system, are recognized for their support roles to neurons. They supply neurons with metabolites, maintain ion homeostasis and clear the synaptic space of neurotransmitters. However, it has been found that some astrocytes have receptors for neurotransmitter and neuroligands, exhibit Ca2+ excitability when stimulated via these receptors, and secrete gliotransmitters as an output of this Ca2+ excitability. In the Ca2+-dependent release of glutamate, it has been shown that the endoplasmic reticulum is the predominant source and the extracellular space is the auxiliary source of free Ca2+ necessary for triggering exocytosis. Because …

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Neuroinflammation And Fragile X Syndrome: Regulation By Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3, Christopher Joseph Yuskaitis Jan 2009

Neuroinflammation And Fragile X Syndrome: Regulation By Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3, Christopher Joseph Yuskaitis

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Neuroinflammation and Fragile X syndrome (FXS) are two particularly devastating neurologic conditions for which no adequate treatment exists and much is still unknown about the underlying cellular and molecular processes. Neuroinflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of many neurologic and psychiatric disorders, thus treatment of the underlying inflammation has broad implications. FXS is the most common cause of inherited intellectual and developmental delay and one of the few known genetic causes of autism. Neuroinflammation and FXS have potential links with glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) and its inhibitor, lithium. Therefore, the overall goal of this research was to examine the role of …

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Maintaining Healthy Eating Behaviors With Women After A Weight Management Program: A Grounded Theory Approach, Christie Zunker Jan 2009

Maintaining Healthy Eating Behaviors With Women After A Weight Management Program: A Grounded Theory Approach, Christie Zunker

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The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the process of how women maintain their weight and continue healthy eating behaviors after completing a weight management program, which emphasized low-energy density foods. This is important since many women regain weight after participating in weight management programs. Theoretical sampling strategies guided participant recruitment. Inclusion criteria were: self-reported African American or Caucasian women aged 30 and older who lost > 5% of their body weight during their participation in the EatRight weight management program at least one year ago or longer. Height and weight was measured. Participants that remained > 5% below their …

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Diffusion Pathways Through The Outer Membrane Of Mycobacteria, Olga Danilchanka Jan 2009

Diffusion Pathways Through The Outer Membrane Of Mycobacteria, Olga Danilchanka

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The extraordinary capacity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) to adapt to environmental changes during infection contributes to its success as a pathogen. While the unique outer membrane (OM) of mycobacteria functions as a permeability barrier for toxic molecules, uptake of nutrients is required to sustain viability of Mtb. Whereas hydrophobic molecules can diffuse through membranes, uptake of small hydrophilic compounds is mediated by water-filled channels, porins. For example, Msp-like porins of M. smegmatis (Ms) were shown to be required for uptake of hydrophilic beta-lactam antibiotics, which are also known to diffuse through porins in gram-negative bacteria. Because the structure of the …

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Parenting Behaviors And Adolescent Obesity, Kathy Lynne Newman Jan 2009

Parenting Behaviors And Adolescent Obesity, Kathy Lynne Newman

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PARENTING BEHAVIORS AND EARLY ADOLESCENT OBESITY KATHY NEWMAN SCHOOL OF NURSING ABSTRACT The incidence of adolescent obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years with the rate increasing from 5% to 17%. Approximately 17.0% of adolescents in the United States are obese with 4% being categorized as morbidly obese. Obesity disproportionately affects minority adolescent groups. Previous studies have examined relationships between parental behaviors and adolescent health risk behaviors, but few studies have compared these relationships across different racial/ethnic groups. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between parental nurturance, parental involvement, family cohesion, and early …

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Asc Announces Queen Latifah As Viva Health Starlight Gala Star Performer, Reporter Staff Dec 2008

Asc Announces Queen Latifah As Viva Health Starlight Gala Star Performer, Reporter Staff

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Wellness Expert Offers Tips For Sticking With Resolutions, Staff Dec 2008

Wellness Expert Offers Tips For Sticking With Resolutions, Staff

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December 22, 2008 Reporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham Dec 2008

December 22, 2008 Reporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

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Scale Back Alabama Returns With More Prize Opportunities, Reporter Staff Dec 2008

Scale Back Alabama Returns With More Prize Opportunities, Reporter Staff

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Inaugural Back Of The Envelope Awards Fund Creative Health Research, Staff Dec 2008

Inaugural Back Of The Envelope Awards Fund Creative Health Research, Staff

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