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Siegal Named Interim Chair Of The Department Of Genetics, Paige Dorman

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No abstract provided.

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Common Birth Control Shot Linked To Risk Of Hiv Infection, Jeff Hansen

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Study Examines Obesity And Reproductive Status Of Zoo Elephants, Staff

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Discoveries In The Making Series Returns, Haley Herfurth

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No abstract provided.

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Burke And Hare: The Ghoulish Duo That Advanced The Study Of Human Anatomy, Jennifer Wells

Vulcan Historical Review

pp. 51-61

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Basics Of Musculoskeletal Health In Dentistry: An Overview, Drashti Shah, Ankit Arora, Padmaja Arora

Books

This book is an overview of the basics of musculoskeletal health amongst dentists which is the most commonly targeted profession of musculoskeletal pain and its consequences. This book also covers the common areas of pain, aeitiolgy, the study stating specialty specific areas of pain due to repetitive work of dental specialties andalso mentions the measures of prevention and consequences if being neglected, i.e. in general stating importance of musculoskeletal health amongst dentists.

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Uab Magazine - Fall 2018, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

UAB Magazine

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Uab Magazine - Spring 2018, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

UAB Magazine

No abstract provided.

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Diginol: A Joule-Heated Binary-Partitioned Nitinol Actuator Design And Testing Methodology, Martin Dawson Holland, Douglas H. Ross

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Section 5: Mechanics; pp. 142-149

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Overcoming Obesity-Induced Immunotherapeutic Impairment, Shannon Boi

All ETDs from UAB

Obesity affects ~40% of United States adults and is linked to the development of multiple health-related complications. Obesity is a major risk factor for developing renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the most common type of renal cancer. Metastatic RCC has poor five-year survivals, therefore, new, efficacious therapeutics are needed. One avenue is immunomodulation to generate tumor-specific, systemic anti-tumor responses that are long-lasting against local, metastatic, and recurrent tumors. Despite encouraging results, immunotherapeutic treatment of RCC is underwhelming. Cytokine therapies are largely toxic, while newly FDA-approved ‘checkpoint blockade’ (CB) antibodies have responses <50%. Here, we present a strategy employing a T cell priming therapy (AdTR/CpG) upstream of CB administration. Combinatorial use resulted in improved anti-tumoral immune responses, significantly reduced tumor burdens, and extended overall survival in pre-clinical RCC. Importantly, this approach was more efficacious than either single agent(s). Pre-clinical therapy development is often accomplished using lean, healthy animals–thus, to improve translatability we examined immune responses in the context of obesity as a major patient comorbidity. Subsequently, we investigated AdTR/CpG/CB in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. Tumor/treatment-naïve DIO mice exhibited obesity-associated features; i.e., increased leptin/insulin and serum cytokines. These effects were not dependent on high-fat diet administration as mice resistant to weight gain had minimal alterations in these factors, and were similar to mice maintained on standard chow. As previously identified, 80% of DIO mice bearing renal tumors failed to respond to AdTR/CpG. AdTR/CpG/CB-treatment dramatically improved response rates against DIO tumors, however, decreased obese responder percentages were observed in both combinatorial therapies and was independent of high fat diet administration alone. Impaired response rates were not model or immunotherapy-specific as similar reductions in tumor clearance were seen in models of melanoma and sarcoma. Furthermore, responses were not due to initial T cell priming or unequal precursor CD8+ T cell frequencies. Detrimental changes in the tumor microenvironment underscored failure in obese mice and revealed therapeutic success was defined by a T cell-myeloid cell-inversion profile, supported by immunogenetic and flow cytometric analyses. Thus, we demonstrate a novel combinatorial approach for improving checkpoint-based outcomes, and identify the ability of host obesity to impede therapy-induced anti-tumor immunity.

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St6gal-I Sialyltransferase Regulates The Activity Of Surface Receptors To Control Cell Signaling In Cancer And Immune Cells, Andrew Holdbrooks

All ETDs from UAB

Among the four classes of biological macromolecules, glycans are essential for proper cellular functioning. However, our knowledge of the contribution of these sugars, including the glycosyltransferases that add them, to cell signaling is limited. This dissertation focuses on the role of the ST6Gal-I sialyltransferase in modulating receptor-mediated signal transduction in cancer and inflammation. ST6Gal-I is a Golgi enzyme that conjugates α2-6-linked sialic acids to N-linked glycans on select glycoproteins. Through its sialylation of surface receptors, ST6Gal-I activity can significantly modify their function. The first section of this dissertation concentrates on the ST6Gal-I-mediated regulation of the signaling pathway of TNFR1, which …

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The Association Between Perceived Discrimination And Depressive Symptomatology Among The Children Of Caribbean Immigrants, Fabrice Stanley Julien

All ETDs from UAB

Caribbean societies often speak to the in-between, acknowledging the race categories that exist between and within the “black” or “white” designations. But outside of this context and particularly in American society, individuals from the Caribbean pursue identity through a more categorical approach. What influences these decisions is often the occupied status of families. These occupied statuses offer different advantages and disadvantages, which can inform perceptions/experiences of daily stressors. Using a modified version of Pearlin’s stress process model, this research assesses how ethnic self-identification colors perceptions of stressors such as discrimination, and how this in turn influences one’s depressive symptomatology. Using …

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Novel Mediators Of The Blood Pressure Response To Acute Psychosocial Stress In Health And Disease, Brandon Fox

All ETDs from UAB

Psychosocial stress occurs in response to threatening or uncertainty-provoking stimuli and triggers a complex physiological reaction that facilitates survival and adaptation. In the cardiovascular system, acute psychosocial stress elicits a rapid increase in blood pressure, and importantly, cumulative exposure to psychosocial stress is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The present studies examined the impact of psychosocial stress on the cardiovascular system in both health and disease. Circulating endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels are induced by psychosocial stress. We hypothesized that endothelium-derived ET-1 contributes to the pressor response to stress via activation of the endothelin A (ETA) receptor. Vascular endothelium-specific ET-1 knockout …

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Centrifugal Microfluidics For Label-Free Isolation Of Leukocytes Subpopulations From Whole Blood, Yuxi Sun

All ETDs from UAB

Leukocytes carry critical information regarding the immediate immune and inflammation status of the patients. Analysis of leukocytes requires isolation from blood since the leukocytes only consist <1% of all blood cells. Commonly used isolation processes exploit physical or biochemical differences between different cell types to enable separations. Current isolation methods inevitably subject cells to physical or biochemical stress that can activate leukocytes and change their natural state. Thus, information contained within isolated leukocytes is a combination of the natural state of the cell and an artifact of the isolation process. Microfluidics which takes advantage of scaling effects within microscale structures can ensure rapid and gentle alternatives to conventional isolation methods and is ideal for sorting, and analysis of cells and particles. The precise control of flow/particles and scaling effects of microfluidics have been applied for blood cells sorting and isolation. However, the limited processing capability and throughput as well as complex fabrication and operations have hampered widespread adoption of these approaches for replacement of conventional methods. My goal was to develop a simple yet powerful microfluidic tool that enables rapid separation of leukocytes while ensuring sufficient throughput, and minimizing isolation process induced activation without the need any sample pre-processing. This project is divided into two specific aims: i) to miniaturize the conventional density gradient centrifugation using centrifugal microfluidics for PBMC isolation and evaluate separation efficiency and activation status of isolated cells in comparison to conventional techniques; ii) develop new approach for PBMC sorting using microfluidic phase partitioning to enable separation of cells based on differences in cell surface energy. For specific aim 1, PBMCs were isolated based on differences in densities using microfluidic density gradient centrifugation. We show that PBMCs can be isolated from 100µl whole blood within 5 minutes. Evaluation of leukocyte activation via profiling of expression of surface integrins and chemokine receptors shows that our microfluidic approach significantly reduced PBMC activation in comparison to conventional isolation approaches. In specific aim 2, we sought to isolate cells based on differenced in surface energy using two-phase partitioning of dextran (DEX) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Proof of concept demonstrations was accomplished using with polystyrene and silicon dioxide microbeads which represent a mixture of white blood cells and red blood cells. The DEX and PEG mixtures were introduced into a circular channel and phase separated under centrifugal force into unique DEX and PEG phases. The bead mixture was isolated via differences in their affinity to the two phases.

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"Oh! Susannah", Kate Jayroe

Nelle (literary magazine)

pp. 91-96

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Heart Failure In A Contemporary Biracial Cohort, Matthew Mefford

All ETDs from UAB

Heart failure (HF) is the inability of the heart to meet the perfusion needs of the body. HF is a leading contributor to the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and remains a public health concern. Hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor for the prevention and management of HF. Hypertension develops earlier, is less controlled, and has a stronger association with some CVD and renal outcomes among blacks versus whites. These disparities may extend to HF. In addition, adults with HF often have complex treatment regimens due to multimorbidity, making medication adherence an issue. The goal of this dissertation was …

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Religion/Spirituality And Mental Health/ Well-Being Among Women Living With Hiv, Haley Medved Kendrick

All ETDs from UAB

Depression among people living with HIV (PLWH) is associated with social factors such as employment, poor adherence to HIV medication and treatment, and HIV disease progression. However, estimates of prevalence rates of depression among PLWH vary widely, from 1% to 48%. Women living with HIV (WLWH) often report spirituality as an important factor in coping with stressors associated with HIV infection. Spirituality has been found to be associated with social involvement, effective coping, decreased stress, psychological adjustment, and positive mental health outcomes among PLWH. The current study aims to longitudinally examine trends of spirituality and mental health/well-being in the lives …

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Diet, Physical Activity, And Healthy Aging In People Living With Hiv, Josh Newson Muhammad

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As life expectancy for people living with HIV (PLWH) has increased, healthy aging in this community has become an emerging public health concern. Although the benefits of adopting healthy diets and regular physical activity are well-documented, implementing strategies for lifestyle modifications among older PLWH remains a challenge. The complex milieu of social, physiological and economic burdens encountered by PLWH exposes this population to increased risk for adverse health outcomes, especially from preventable metabolic diseases. The interaction of diet, physical activity and social determinants of health in persons who are HIV positive is an understudied area. The aim of this dissertation …

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Neuropeptide Y Cells Regulate Anxiety Behavior, Katelynn Corder

All ETDs from UAB

Dysregulation of the GABAergic system has long been implicated in anxiety disorders. Classic anxiolytic drugs, such as benzodiazepines, increase GABAergic transmission by modulating GABA¬A receptors, relieving anxiety symptoms. However, these treatments are not always effective and are often accompanied by negative side effects. Glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) is the enzyme responsible for producing GABA. Recent studies have shown that when the isoform GAD67 is reduced in specific brain regions or GABAergic subtypes, differential anxiety effects were found. These studies suggest that targeting specific GABAergic cell subtypes may provide a more effective treatment for anxiety disorders. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is an abundant …

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Post-Transcriptional Regulation Of Myeloid Cell Leukemia 1 In Cancers, Jia Cui

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Apoptosis, a highly regulated process of programmed cell death, is essential for maintaining normal tissue homeostasis. Myeloid cell leukemia 1 (MCL1), an anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family protein, lies at the center of apoptosis regulation. Overexpression of MCL1 has been identified as a key contributor to tumorigenesis and further enables resistance to anti-cancer chemotherapies and radiation. Due to the critical roles of MCL1 in cancer, it is essential to understand the regulatory mechanisms of MCL1 expression in cells. Previous studies have detailed how MCL1 expression is controlled by multiple mechanisms. However, characterization of the post-transcriptional regulation of MCL1 mRNA has been poorly …

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Psychological Well-Being And Smoking Cessation, Christopher Thorne

All ETDs from UAB

Introduction: The substantial death toll from smoking combined with the low success rates of current treatment approaches warrants further investigation into mechanisms that promote cessation. While the role of negative affect has been studied extensively in relationship to smoking cessation, the role of psychological well-being (PWB; e.g., life satisfaction, optimism, positive affect, purpose in life, resilience) has received little attention. Treatment outcomes might improve with a better understanding of PWB’s role in smoking cessation. Methods: Relationships between smoking and PWB were examined in three studies. First, using panel data from the biennial, longitudinal Health and Retirement Study, I developed separate …

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Immune Modulation Of Pain And Recovery Via Diet, Stacie Totsch

All ETDs from UAB

Chronic pain is the most common disability in the United States. Additionally, one out of three adults in America are obese and obesity and pain are often comorbid. Obesity is an inflammatory state due to the release of pro-inflammatory mediators from adipose tissue. Generally, obesity is a result of a poor-quality diet. Specific dietary components and patterns are independent activators of the immune system and can exacerbate the obesity-induced inflammatory state. It is known that immune system activation is a critical aspect in the development and progression of many chronic pain conditions. To address a general lack of preclinical investigations …

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Novel Insights Into Neurofibromin Function And Human Neurofibromatosis Type 1 Mutations Using Genetically Engineered Mouse Models, Ashley Nicole Turner

All ETDs from UAB

Loss of NF1 in different developmental and cellular contexts leads to unique physiological outcomes due to loss of neurofibromin function, including embryonic lethality, sporadic cancers, and the genetic disorder NF1. Neurofibromin acts as a tumor suppressor by modulation of RAS signaling, with other functions of this multi-domain protein being less clear. Even within the monogenic disorder of NF1, the clinical heterogeneity and mutational spectrum are immense, revealing the complexity underlying this disorder. There is a huge urgency and need for NF1 therapeutic treatments, and the same urgency to develop in vivo models to better understand NF1 that can be utilized …

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Endothelialization Of Microchannels In A Three Dimensional Breast Cancer Tumor Surrogate Model, Derek Van Vessem

All ETDs from UAB

Drug discovery and testing commonly employs two dimensional (2D) human cell line monolayers for lead compound identification before becoming a candidate therapy to be studied in animal models. Culturing cells in 2D produces a homogenous disbursement of nutrients and anticancer-therapeutics resulting in a response specific to 2D that does not necessarily translate to a three dimensional (3D) response. This method unfortunately distorts the in vivo human drug response. The lack of physiologic dimensionality in 2D cell monolayers distort cellular responses relative to 3D systems that can be attributed to minimal drug approvals. Oncology drugs are the least successful with only …

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Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Breast Cancer Survivors, Jacqueline B. Vo

All ETDs from UAB

Background: There are nearly 3.5 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S., and approximately 10% are diagnosed prior to age 45 and considered “young.” The overall five-year survival rate for breast cancer survivors is approaching 90%. Living longer, many breast cancer survivors are at risk for developing cardiovascular disease due to cancer treatment, such as anthracyclines and/or trastuzumab. This study’s purpose was to examine cardiovascular disease risk, measured using excess heart age, among young breast cancer survivors. Methods: A retrospective, two-year longitudinal design was used to review electronic medical records of breast cancer survivors diagnosed between 30 and 44 years …

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Social Factors, Public Policies, And Infant Mortality, Lauren Wallace

All ETDs from UAB

Despite consistent and substantial investments, the United States’ infant mortality rate (IMR) has not decreased significantly in the 21st century and disparities between racial and ethnic groups have increased. This study investigates the impact of social and health factors, and public policies on IMR at the state level. The research aims were to: 1) evaluate which state-level social factors and public policies were associated with state IMRs using principal component (PC) analysis; and 2) evaluate whether states cluster on their PC scores and IMRs using cluster analysis. The data used were six composite index scores based on social factor and …

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Assessment Of A Peer Mentoring Program At Lawson State Community College, Teneasha Washington

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ABSTRACT Colleges and universities have begun implementing mentoring programs to offset rising attrition rates; however, the literature on the benefits of these programs is limited particularly among community colleges with peer mentoring programs serving minority students. Further limiting our understanding of post-secondary peer mentoring programs is the lack of research on mentor’s as well as mentee’s perspectives on the mentoring experience. As mentors and mentees serve in a variety of capacities within the mentoring program, it is often difficult to identify outcomes that can be assessed within the mentoring program. Although the success of peer mentoring programs is directly affected …

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The Computational Discovery Of Genetic Determinants Of Gene Regulatory Variation In Human Liver, Benjamin Todd Weaver

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From its foundations, modern genetic science has focused on understanding the causal connections between genotypes and phenotypes. The emergence of tools and techniques for microarray-based genomic science has enabled hundreds of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to rapidly uncover thousands of previously unknown links between genetic variants and complex phenotypes, including human diseases (Li et al., 2011b). The output of genomic association research has yielded significant insights into basic biology and disease, including the identification of disease DNA variants that are possibly targetable by pharmaceuticals and gene therapeutics. Despite evident successes of the GWAS paradigm, opinion is divided on the overall …

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Nf-Κb And Methyl-Lysine Signaling In The Epigenetic Regulation Of Memory, William Mitchell Webb

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Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone methylation are critical regulators of gene transcription during memory consolidation and retrieval. However, the means by which these mechanisms are themselves initiated and directed to specific gene regions, and the extent to which these marks coordinate control of gene expression, remain poorly understood. In this dissertation, we explore the role of methyl-lysine signaling in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression in two contexts. First, we investigated the role of histone H3 lysine 4 tri-methylation (H3K4me3) and DNA 5-hydroxymethylation (5hmC) during memory retrieval, finding that these marks increased globally and at CpG-enriched coding …

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Identification Of Molecular Regulators Of Morphogenesis During Early Development Of Xenopus, Ivan Popov

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During embryonic development of all animal species, dramatic changes in morphology occur to transform a single-celled zygote into a well-organized adult body that contains different organs positioned in stereotypical ways for the species. The processes that shape tissues and organs are called morphogenesis, and gastrulation is the first morphogenetic process in embryogenesis. During gastrulation, three germ layers are specified and a set of regionally specific cell movements act in concert to position these germ layers for proper establishment of future body plan of the developing animal. Although factors regulating cell lineage specification have been studied extensively, the molecular machinery controlling …

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Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Siegal Named Interim Chair Of The Department Of Genetics, Paige Dorman

Browse All News

Common Birth Control Shot Linked To Risk Of Hiv Infection, Jeff Hansen

Browse All News

Study Examines Obesity And Reproductive Status Of Zoo Elephants, Staff

Browse All News

Discoveries In The Making Series Returns, Haley Herfurth

Browse All News

Burke And Hare: The Ghoulish Duo That Advanced The Study Of Human Anatomy, Jennifer Wells

Vulcan Historical Review

Basics Of Musculoskeletal Health In Dentistry: An Overview, Drashti Shah, Ankit Arora, Padmaja Arora

Books

Uab Magazine - Fall 2018, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

UAB Magazine

Uab Magazine - Spring 2018, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

UAB Magazine

Diginol: A Joule-Heated Binary-Partitioned Nitinol Actuator Design And Testing Methodology, Martin Dawson Holland, Douglas H. Ross

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Overcoming Obesity-Induced Immunotherapeutic Impairment, Shannon Boi

All ETDs from UAB

St6gal-I Sialyltransferase Regulates The Activity Of Surface Receptors To Control Cell Signaling In Cancer And Immune Cells, Andrew Holdbrooks

All ETDs from UAB

The Association Between Perceived Discrimination And Depressive Symptomatology Among The Children Of Caribbean Immigrants, Fabrice Stanley Julien

All ETDs from UAB

Novel Mediators Of The Blood Pressure Response To Acute Psychosocial Stress In Health And Disease, Brandon Fox

All ETDs from UAB

Centrifugal Microfluidics For Label-Free Isolation Of Leukocytes Subpopulations From Whole Blood, Yuxi Sun

All ETDs from UAB

"Oh! Susannah", Kate Jayroe

Nelle (literary magazine)

Heart Failure In A Contemporary Biracial Cohort, Matthew Mefford

All ETDs from UAB

Religion/Spirituality And Mental Health/ Well-Being Among Women Living With Hiv, Haley Medved Kendrick

All ETDs from UAB

Diet, Physical Activity, And Healthy Aging In People Living With Hiv, Josh Newson Muhammad

All ETDs from UAB

Neuropeptide Y Cells Regulate Anxiety Behavior, Katelynn Corder

All ETDs from UAB

Post-Transcriptional Regulation Of Myeloid Cell Leukemia 1 In Cancers, Jia Cui

All ETDs from UAB

Psychological Well-Being And Smoking Cessation, Christopher Thorne

All ETDs from UAB

Immune Modulation Of Pain And Recovery Via Diet, Stacie Totsch

All ETDs from UAB

Novel Insights Into Neurofibromin Function And Human Neurofibromatosis Type 1 Mutations Using Genetically Engineered Mouse Models, Ashley Nicole Turner

All ETDs from UAB

Endothelialization Of Microchannels In A Three Dimensional Breast Cancer Tumor Surrogate Model, Derek Van Vessem

All ETDs from UAB

Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Breast Cancer Survivors, Jacqueline B. Vo

All ETDs from UAB

Social Factors, Public Policies, And Infant Mortality, Lauren Wallace

All ETDs from UAB

Assessment Of A Peer Mentoring Program At Lawson State Community College, Teneasha Washington

All ETDs from UAB

The Computational Discovery Of Genetic Determinants Of Gene Regulatory Variation In Human Liver, Benjamin Todd Weaver

All ETDs from UAB

Nf-Κb And Methyl-Lysine Signaling In The Epigenetic Regulation Of Memory, William Mitchell Webb

All ETDs from UAB

Identification Of Molecular Regulators Of Morphogenesis During Early Development Of Xenopus, Ivan Popov

All ETDs from UAB