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Man Enough: Exploring The Gendered Experiences Of High-Achieving Black Men In Higher Education, Christopher E. Jones Jan 2021

Man Enough: Exploring The Gendered Experiences Of High-Achieving Black Men In Higher Education, Christopher E. Jones

All ETDs from UAB

Research regarding Black males in higher education has become an important endeavor for colleges and universities seeking to increase their graduation rates. Much of the previous research and practices have used a deficit-based approach explaining Black males’ low levels of academic achievement as primarily the result of them being underprepared. This ignores the contributions of Black males who do excel academically while minimizing the role their racialized gender plays in their outcomes. This dissertation focuses on an anti-deficit approach by exploring how high-achieving Black college males’ perceptions of manhood and masculinity have contributed to their overall academic success. Even though …


Viral Load Is Not A Predictor For Hearing Loss In Children With Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection, Nazia Kabani Jan 2021

Viral Load Is Not A Predictor For Hearing Loss In Children With Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection, Nazia Kabani

All ETDs from UAB

Background: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is a leading non-genetic cause of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in children. Most infants (~90%) with cCMV have no clinical abnormalities at birth (asymptomatic cCMV), but 10-15% of these children develop SNHL. Due to lack of biomarkers, it is currently not possible to identify asymptomatic infants at-risk for hearing loss.Objective: To determine whether newborn viral load (VL) levels are predictive of hearing loss in children with asymptomatic cCMV. Methods: As part of the NIDCD CHIMES study, newborns at seven U.S. medical centers were screened for CMV by saliva PCR and enrolled in a follow-up study …


Heads Or Tails? Structural Studies Of Host Interaction And Molecular Piracy In Bacteriophages, James Lewis Kizziah Jan 2021

Heads Or Tails? Structural Studies Of Host Interaction And Molecular Piracy In Bacteriophages, James Lewis Kizziah

All ETDs from UAB

Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic human pathogen dependent mainly on bacteriophages (phages) for dissemination of the virulence factors that contribute to its pathogenicity. Most phages have double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genomes which are packaged into protein capsids attached to tails of varying morphology to form their complete virion structures. S. aureus pathogenicity islands (SaPIs) are highly specialized mobile genetic elements that encode various virulence factors and have been named molecular pirates for their ability to parasitize certain helper phages. SaPI1 is capable of hijacking virions constructed by the helper phage 80α, partly by altering the size of the capsid to only …


Inducible T Cell Costimulator Stabilizes Regulatory T Cell Phenotype And Controls Host-Microbiota Interactions To Reduce Susceptibility To Intestinal Inflammation, Ashley Elizabeth Landuyt Jan 2021

Inducible T Cell Costimulator Stabilizes Regulatory T Cell Phenotype And Controls Host-Microbiota Interactions To Reduce Susceptibility To Intestinal Inflammation, Ashley Elizabeth Landuyt

All ETDs from UAB

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified a loss-of-function mutation in the gene encoding inducible T cell costimulator ligand (ICOSL) as correlating with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The reason for this association was largely unknown. ICOS signals have been implicated in controlling the dynamics of regulatory T (Treg) cells, which are essential to intestinal homeostasis. Compared to WT mice, ICOS-deficient mice possessed fewer Treg cells in the colonic lamina propria (cLP). The deficit in ICOS-deficient Treg cell numbers was attributable to preferential loss of Foxp3 expression. Bisulfite sequencing revealed that ICOS-deficient Treg cells did not demethylate conserved noncoding sequence 2 …


Mucus Matters: Mucociliary Physiology In Chronic Lung Diseases, Jacelyn Emily Peabody Lever Jan 2021

Mucus Matters: Mucociliary Physiology In Chronic Lung Diseases, Jacelyn Emily Peabody Lever

All ETDs from UAB

The mucociliary escalator is an innate defense mechanism in the lung comprised of the ciliated, pseudostratified epithelium that lines the conducting airways and the mucus that sits atop the cilia. Mucus traps inhaled particulate matter/pathogens, and the cilia brush works in concert to propel the mucin gel proximally. Therefore, proper mucociliary physiology is critical to maintaining lung health. A metachronal wave propagated across the epithelium can occur when the phase of the ciliary stroke is shifted in time relative to its neighbors. Metachrony has been hypothesized to help overcome the viscoelastic forces required for the propulsion of mucus. Still, its …


Investigating Pathological Features Of Tdp-43 In Neurodegeneration, Joshua Mathew Marcus Jan 2021

Investigating Pathological Features Of Tdp-43 In Neurodegeneration, Joshua Mathew Marcus

All ETDs from UAB

Transactivation response element (TAR) DNA binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) is an essential RNA-binding protein required for coordinating multiple aspects of RNA metabolism. TDP-43 is multifunctional in both nuclear and cytoplasmic cellular compartments and shuttling in and out of the nucleus is an integral part of TDP-43 function. Nuclear depletion and cytoplasmic accumulation of TDP-43, aggregation of TDP-43 within inclusion bodies in the cytoplasm, and aberrant post-translational modifications and truncation of TDP-43 are all common pathological features of neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Localization of TDP-43 is connected to essential …


Omics Discovery For Cardiometabolic Traits In African Americans, Bre Ashanti Minniefield Jan 2021

Omics Discovery For Cardiometabolic Traits In African Americans, Bre Ashanti Minniefield

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Research shows African Americans are more likely to suffer from a chronic disease compared to other American populations. Due to the fact that African Americans are extremely underrepresented within human health research, the potential biological causes of the racial/ethnic differences are not well understood. Some of these health differences may be due to genomic variations within either the mitochondrial genome, nuclear genome, or both. To aid the revolution of inclusive human health research, we examined genomic factors related to cardiometabolic diseases in African Americans.African Americans have the highest prevalence of hypertension compared to all other American populations. With the majority …


Alternative Splicing Of Anxa7 Dictates Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Fates In Glioblastoma, Sindhu Nair Jan 2021

Alternative Splicing Of Anxa7 Dictates Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Fates In Glioblastoma, Sindhu Nair

All ETDs from UAB

Alternative splicing (AS) is a tightly regulated process essential for lineage specification in complex tissues like the brain. Dysregulated splicing in glioblastoma (GBM) is a mechanism exploited by tumor cells to retain or splice out exons consequently rewiring isoform-specific protein interactions to sustain tumor phenotypes. Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) amplifications are frequent events in GBM driving tumor growth and progression and are key targets for chemotherapy. However, RTK targeting in GBM has achieved limited success predominantly due to adaptive mechanisms of resistance in a constantly evolving tumor microenvironment. Clonal populations and crosstalk between RTKs sustain heterogeneity within a tumor leading …


The Effects Of Implantoplasty On Implant Design Characteristics And Mechanical Strength, Peter Nasseh Jan 2021

The Effects Of Implantoplasty On Implant Design Characteristics And Mechanical Strength, Peter Nasseh

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Implantoplasty is defined as the mechanical removal of the implant threads and the macroscopically rough implant surface. Clinical outcomes such as probing depth and bleed-ing on probing measurements were shown to improve significantly after implantoplasty and peri-implant bone stability was achieved in the majority of the cases.This in-vitro study aims to investigate the effects of implantoplasty on the implant’s maximum compressing force and the type of failure that occurred on different implant sys-tems with different sizes, materials, collar designs and prosthetic connections. A total of 132 screw-shaped titanium implants from different manufacturers (Bi-oHorizons, Zimmer Biomet, and Nobel Biocare) and different …


Effectiveness Of Maxillary Molar Intrusion With The Invisalign System For Correction Of Anterior Open Bites, Logan Icenhour Jan 2021

Effectiveness Of Maxillary Molar Intrusion With The Invisalign System For Correction Of Anterior Open Bites, Logan Icenhour

All ETDs from UAB

Objective: The purpose of this study is twofold: To assess the amount of molar intrusion that can be predictably be achieved with clear aligners (Invisalign, Align Technology, Santa Clara, CA, USA) and to quantitatively document the dental and skeletal changes resulting from anterior open bite correction. Methods: This retrospective case-series study analyzed lateral cephalograms of 23 adult anterior open bite patients treated with Invisalign. Pre-treatment (IN) and post-treatment (FN) cephalograms were traced to determine changes as a result of treatment. 13 different variables were measured, 6 angular and 7 linear. All patients were treated consecutively by a single, experienced Invisalign …


Financial Performance Of Participating Hospitals In Accountable Care Organizations, Abdulrhman Alzhrani Jan 2021

Financial Performance Of Participating Hospitals In Accountable Care Organizations, Abdulrhman Alzhrani

All ETDs from UAB

The study examines the influence of accountable care organizations ACO participation on hospital financial performance. It poses two research questions: 1) how does ACO participation influence hospital financial performance? 2) How do organizational factors- hospital size, electronic health records (EHR) utilization, and ambulatory services- moderate the relationship between hospital ACO participation and financial performance? The study used longitudinal sample of general and surgical hospitals operating in United States from 2009 to 2017. The data were obtained from several sources including American Hospital Association (AHA), AHA survey of care system and payment, hospital cost reports, AHA information technology and Area Health …


The Effects Of Pubertal Timing On Psychosocial Outcomes In Adulthood, Marlon Goering Jan 2021

The Effects Of Pubertal Timing On Psychosocial Outcomes In Adulthood, Marlon Goering

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Pubertal timing has been shown to be an important predictor of adolescents’ engagement in delinquent activities, development of depressive symptoms, and academic success. Less understood is whether early or off-time pubertal timing put adolescents at risk for detrimental outcomes. Additionally, little is known about whether the effects of pubertal timing dissipate during adolescence or persist into adulthood and what underlying mechanisms may explain any persisting effects and whether these effects vary by sex. The present study aimed to answer these questions in an understudied population of predominantly African American males and females, focusing on peer deviance and school connectedness as …


An Airway Analysis Of Patients Diagnosed With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Compared To A Control Group, Matt Gibson Jan 2021

An Airway Analysis Of Patients Diagnosed With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Compared To A Control Group, Matt Gibson

All ETDs from UAB

Introduction: The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is affected in 30-45%% of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) patients, with all JIA subtypes at risk for TMJ involvement. JIA patients with TMJ involvement may present with altered craniofacial morphology, including micrognathia, mandibular retrognathia, a hyperdivergent mandibular plane angle, and skeletal anterior open bite. These features are also commonly present and associated with non-JIA pediatric patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Materials and Methods: The study comprised of a group of 32 JIA patients and a group of 32 healthy control subjects. CBCT images were taken for all patients and were imported into Dolphin Imaging …


Risk Of Coronary Heart Disease In Blood Of Marrow Transplant Survivors, Radhika Gangaraju Jan 2021

Risk Of Coronary Heart Disease In Blood Of Marrow Transplant Survivors, Radhika Gangaraju

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Background: Blood or marrow transplant (BMT) recipients are vulnerable to accelerated atherosclerosis due to prior exposure to chemotherapy and radiation, and consequent long-term cardiovascular morbidity, such as coronary heart disease (CHD). A comprehensive evaluation of the risk of late-occurring CHD in adult BMT survivors and the associated risk factors has not been performed. Patients and Methods: Using the Blood or Marrow Transplant Survivor Study (BMTSS), we analyzed the incidence and risk factors for CHD in patients who underwent BMT between 1974 and 2014, and survived ≥2 years. The risk of CHD was examined in BMT survivors as compared to 1,131 …


Sialylation As A Novel Mechanism Of Radiation Resistance In Rectal Cancer, Mary Smithson Jan 2021

Sialylation As A Novel Mechanism Of Radiation Resistance In Rectal Cancer, Mary Smithson

All ETDs from UAB

Locally advanced rectal cancer is treated with chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery. Most patients do not have a complete response to chemoradiotherapy, and the resistance mechanisms are poorly understood. We investigated the role of ST6GAL-1 in therapeutic resistance. ST6GAL-1 is a sialytransferase that adds the negatively charged sugar, sialic acid (Sia), to cell surface proteins in the Golgi altering their function. We hypothesized that ST6GAL-1 mediates resistance to chemoradiation in rectal cancer by inhibiting apoptosis. Patient derived xenograft (PDX) and organoid models of rectal cancer as well as rectal cancer cell lines SW837 and SW620 were assessed for ST6GAL-1 protein with …


Maxillary And Mandibular Expansion Treatment With Invisalign First: A Retrospective Study Of Virtual Prediction Versus Clinical Outcomes, Laura Constanza Rey Londono Jan 2021

Maxillary And Mandibular Expansion Treatment With Invisalign First: A Retrospective Study Of Virtual Prediction Versus Clinical Outcomes, Laura Constanza Rey Londono

All ETDs from UAB

Introduction: The purpose of this retrospective study is to evaluate the maxillary and mandibular expansion achieved with Invisalign First (Align Technology, San Jose, CA) in growing children. Methods: Clinical stereolithography (STL) models of 32 patients in the mixed dentition stage, treated with the Invisalign First, were extracted from the ClinCheck software and analyzed in Dolphin imaging (version 11.95 Premium, Chatsworth, Calif) at three timepoints: T1 (initial records), T2 (virtual outcome prediction), and T3 (achieved outcome). The recorded measurements included: upper and lower primary intercanine and permanent intermolar width, upper and lower primary intercanine and permanent intermolar gingival width, upper arch …


An Analysis Of Preterm Birth Related To Sars-Cov-2 Infection By Race, Madeleine B. Mcgwin Jan 2021

An Analysis Of Preterm Birth Related To Sars-Cov-2 Infection By Race, Madeleine B. Mcgwin

All ETDs from UAB

Research investigating the association between pregnant women with COVID-19 infection and adverse birth outcomes, including preterm birth, having been contradicting. Individual differences between study populations, e.g., racial composition, may explain some of these inconsistencies. The aim of the present study is to determine if the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and pre-term birth varies according to race. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Vizient Clinical Data Base/Research Manager (CDB/RM). The study participants were women who gave birth in one of the Vizient facilities between March 2020 and January 2021. A positive COVID-19 test status was the primary exposure …


The Role Of Cd38 In Anti-Tumor Immunity And Tumor Immune Evasion, Panpan Yuan Jan 2021

The Role Of Cd38 In Anti-Tumor Immunity And Tumor Immune Evasion, Panpan Yuan

All ETDs from UAB

CD38 is a multifunctional protein that is expressed in many immune cells, modulating NAD metabolism, inflammation and oxidative stress. Recent studies suggest that CD38 is also implicated in tumor immunosuppression. However, the role of CD38 in anti-tumor immunity and tumor immune evasion, and mechanisms involved, are still unclear. We hypothesized that CD38 expression by immune cells constricts T cell-mediated anti-tumor immune responses and promotes tumor cell immune evasion. We investigated whether mice lacking CD38 (CD38-/-) had impaired tumor growth in subcutaneous, intraperitoneal and intravenous syngeneic tumor models. CD38-/- mice showed no difference in subcutaneous B16 melanoma tumor growth and pulmonary …


Disparities, Telemedicine, And Covid-19: Rhetorical Approaches To Health And Medicine For Positive Behavior Change In Older African American Women, Audrey S. Wrenn Jan 2021

Disparities, Telemedicine, And Covid-19: Rhetorical Approaches To Health And Medicine For Positive Behavior Change In Older African American Women, Audrey S. Wrenn

All ETDs from UAB

Overlapping exigencies experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic illustrate the need for adaptable and flexible public health responses that include cultural perspectives and lived experiences of specific groups. The rhetoric surrounding COVID-19 has proven to be multifocal because of the social and environmental experiences occurring simultaneously. Americans experienced periods of civil unrest, unequitable health care, overall lifestyle changes, and an immediate shift to telehealth use as the pandemic unfolded. This research examines telehealth engagement during the pandemic among African American (AA) women ages 75 and older to indicate the benefits and challenges to patient care in a virtual environment and from …


Experience-Dependent Plasticitiy Of Functional Connectivity In Human Visual Cortex Following Central Vision Loss, Leland Lanelle Fleming Jan 2021

Experience-Dependent Plasticitiy Of Functional Connectivity In Human Visual Cortex Following Central Vision Loss, Leland Lanelle Fleming

All ETDs from UAB

The human brain is shaped by a dynamic interplay between innate factors and life experiences. Neuroscience has long grappled with understanding this relationship, particularly with regard to how changes in experience impact the brain during adulthood. This question is especially important in the context of macular degeneration, a disease that causes significant visual impairment and drastically alters day-to-day visual experiences for individuals afflicted by the disease. Specifically, people with macular degeneration lose the ability to use vision in the center of the visual field, the region of the retina with the highest spatial resolution. Subsequently, these individuals must rely on …


The Impact Of Blimp1 On Etreg Stability And The Tumor Microenvironment, Michael Dixon Jan 2021

The Impact Of Blimp1 On Etreg Stability And The Tumor Microenvironment, Michael Dixon

All ETDs from UAB

CD4+ Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells are responsible for maintaining immunological homeostasis and self-tolerance through the regulation of immune responses against foreign and self-antigens, and they comprise both central Treg and effector Treg (eTreg) subsets. Because of their ability to suppress potent immune responses, eTreg cells expressing the transcription factor Blimp1 are frequently recruited to the tumor microenvironment (TME) to suppress anti-tumor responses by tumor infiltrating effector cells. Here, we demonstrate in murine transplantable tumor models that Blimp1 is required for intratumoral eTreg stability and that loss of Blimp1 by intratumoral eTreg cells results in their reduced suppressive activity and …


Challenges For Nurse Anesthetists Re-Entering Practice Following Substance Use Disorder Treatment, T'Anya Marye Carter Jan 2021

Challenges For Nurse Anesthetists Re-Entering Practice Following Substance Use Disorder Treatment, T'Anya Marye Carter

All ETDs from UAB

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a persistent, relapsing condition that is present in approximately 10% of anesthesia providers, who, compared to other healthcare providers, face a greater risk of developing an SUD by virtue of constant access to medications. The ability of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to obtain employment or maintain employment after treatment for SUD treatment is not well documented. CRNAs in recovery from SUD in the United States experience challenges when attempting to return to work following treatment for SUD for reasons yet to be identified. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore the …


How Inflammation, High-Density Lipoproteins, And Genes Affect The Relationship Between Apol1 And Kidney Outcomes, Ninad S. Chaudhary Jan 2021

How Inflammation, High-Density Lipoproteins, And Genes Affect The Relationship Between Apol1 And Kidney Outcomes, Ninad S. Chaudhary

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Over the past decade, the discovery of novel genetic loci on chromosome 22q, apolipoprotein-L1 (APOL1), has given insights into the racial differences in kidney outcomes at the population level. APOL1 risk alleles are unique to African ancestry and confer increased susceptibility to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) especially among individuals without diabetes. However, the diseases do not occur in all who inherit these alleles. Current efforts are driven towards identifying the factors that can interact with APOL1 in the development of kidney diseases. This dissertation investigated whether the association between APOL1 and kidney outcomes is affected by inflammatory markers (AIM1), high-density …


Diagnostic And Treatment Dilemma In Patient With Bleeding Varices And Portal Vein Thrombosis, Melissa Ruck, Nessy Abraham-Phillip Jan 2021

Diagnostic And Treatment Dilemma In Patient With Bleeding Varices And Portal Vein Thrombosis, Melissa Ruck, Nessy Abraham-Phillip

UAB Huntsville Research Day - All Presentations

2021 oral presentation


Lahti Named Chair Of The Department Of Psychiatry And Behavioral Neurobiology, Alicia Rohan Dec 2020

Lahti Named Chair Of The Department Of Psychiatry And Behavioral Neurobiology, Alicia Rohan

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No abstract provided.


Sustained Cellular Immune Dysregulation In Individuals Recovering From Covid-19, Jeff Hansen Dec 2020

Sustained Cellular Immune Dysregulation In Individuals Recovering From Covid-19, Jeff Hansen

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No abstract provided.


Uab Earns Women's Choice Award "Best Hospital" Designation For Six Areas, Alicia Rohan Dec 2020

Uab Earns Women's Choice Award "Best Hospital" Designation For Six Areas, Alicia Rohan

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No abstract provided.


Lahti Named Chair Of The Department Of Psychiatry And Behavioral Neurobiology, Jessica Martindale Dec 2020

Lahti Named Chair Of The Department Of Psychiatry And Behavioral Neurobiology, Jessica Martindale

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No abstract provided.


Rudraraju Leads Team To Second Place In Aha Covid-19 Challenge, Adam Pope Dec 2020

Rudraraju Leads Team To Second Place In Aha Covid-19 Challenge, Adam Pope

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No abstract provided.


A Safe Holiday Connection, Alicia Rohan Dec 2020

A Safe Holiday Connection, Alicia Rohan

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No abstract provided.