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One Thing Leads To Another: Untangling The Relationship Between Depression And Pain In Outpatients With Serious Illness, Oladele Osisami, Gulcan Bagcivan, Deborah Ejem, Gisella A. Mancarella, J. Nicholas Dionne-Odom, Elizabeth Kvale, Rodney Tucker, Marie A. Bakitas

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

pp. 25-27

https://www.uab.edu/inquiro/issues/past-issues/volume-10/one-thing-leads-to-another-untangling-the-relationship-between-depression-and-pain-in-outpatients-with-serious-illness

Central Projections Of Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells In The Macaque Monkey, J. A. Treffalls, K. Q. Chang, P. D. Gamlin

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

pp. 17-20

https://www.uab.edu/inquiro/issues/past-issues/volume-10/central-projections-of-intrinsically-photosensitive-retinal-ganglion-cells-in-the-macaque-monkey

Inquiro 10 (End Matter), Inquiro Staff

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

pp. 34-40

Autophagy In Mitochondrial Quality Control And Proteotoxicity In Neurons, Matthew Redmann

All ETDs from UAB

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the 2nd most common neurodegenerative disorder with aging as a significant risk factor. Sharing with aging brains, postmortem PD brains exhibit cellular deficits including autophagic dysfunction, mitochondrial dysfunction, and intracellular protein aggregates of alpha-synuclein. This dissertation will focus on the interplay between these key disease features. To that end, we coupled primary cortical neuronal cultures from either rats or mice with Seahorse extracellular flux, metabolomics and biochemical techniques. Autophagy is an important cell recycling program responsible for the clearance of damaged proteins and organelles. Bafilomycin A1 and chloroquine are compounds that inhibit autophagy by targeting the …

Intervention Strategies That Support Middle School Student Transitions To High School: A Grounded Theory Study Of Best Practices Identified By Middle School Principals, Larry Parker Haynes

All ETDs from UAB

INTERVENTION STRATEGIES THAT SUPPORT MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT TRANSITIONS TO HIGH SCHOOL: A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY OF BEST PRACTICES IDENTIFIED BY MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPALS LARRY PARKER HAYNES DOCTOR OF EDUCATION ABSTRACT Adolescent students experience many challenges as they navigate their way through psychological, physiological, and emotional transformations with the onset of puberty (Wigfield, Lutz, & Wagner, 2005). Because the majority of the research investigates the transition from elementary to middle school, more research is necessary in regard to how middle school and high school environments can reinforce needs of students all the way through the middle-school-to-high-school transition (Caskey, 2011; Uvaas & …

A Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial To Compare Free Gingival Grafts And Connective Tissue Grafts Around Implants With A Lack Of Keratinized Mucosa, Jeffrey Thomas Hsu

All ETDs from UAB

A PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL TO COMPARE FREE GINGIVAL GRAFTS AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE GRAFTS AROUND IMPLANTS WITH A LACK OF KERATINIZED MUCOSA JEFFREY T HSU PERIODONTOLOGY ABSTRACT Although evidence is equivocal regarding the need for keratinized mucosa around dental implants, the consensus among researchers and clinicians is that peri-implant keratinized mucosa is beneficial to the health and stability of the implant prosthesis. An adequate width of keratinized mucosa (WKM) provides a resistant barrier to bacterial infiltration, facilitates restorative procedures, improves esthetic outcomes, patient comfort, and ease of oral hygiene. Many surgical approaches have been used to increase WKM around dental …

Research On Freshman And Sleeping Habits (Refresh): Effects Of A Text Message Based Sleep Intervention On Sleep Quality And Sleep Hygiene Behaviors In College Students, Kathryn E. Jones

All ETDs from UAB

Background: Sleep is fundamental to overall health and wellbeing. While poor sleep habits have the potential to affect individuals in all phases of life, college students may experience unique challenges related to sleep health as they undergo a significant transition in their life. Lack of understanding regarding the function of sleep and lack of education regarding healthy sleep practices may hinder college students from getting sufficient quality sleep. Sleep health educational interventions on college campuses are rare. Advances in technology, such as text messaging, offer novel ways of providing educational interventions for a variety of health issues. The field of …

Osteoblast And Chondrocyte Specific Contribution Of The Runx2 Gene During The Development Of Cleidocranial Dysplasisa, Kayla Renee King

All ETDs from UAB

The Runx2 transcription factor is essential for the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into functional chondrocytes and osteoblasts. In humans, the haploinsufficiency of the Runx2 gene is associated with cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD). The CCD is characterized by short stature, open sutures and fontanels in the skull, hypoplastic clavicles and supernumerary teeth. Skeletal elements disrupted in CCD patients are developed by intramembranous and/or endochondral ossification. However, the cell type specific roles of the Runx2 gene in the development of CCD-associated skeletal defects remain unknown. The main goal of this research was to define the specific role of the Runx2 gene in …

The Role Of Hur In Astrocytes In Spinal Cord Injury, Thaddaeus Kwan

All ETDs from UAB

Neuroinflammation is a defining event during the acute phase of spinal cord injury (SCI). The inflammatory cascade is initiated by activated glial cells such as astrocytes and microglia in the milieu of the injured tissue through release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, matrix metalloproteinases, and reactive oxygen species. These soluble factors produce cytotoxicity to neurons and other cells either directly or indirectly by promoting permeabilization of the blood-spinal cord barrier, edema and subsequent ischemia. These factors also serve to recruit and activate additional glia and peripheral immune cells. The mRNAs of many of these soluble factors such as TNFα, IL-1β, CXCL1, and …

Nanoindentation Properties Of Newly Formed Bone Surrounding Dental Implants Treated With E7-Modified Rbmp-2 Peptides, Ryan Doud

All ETDs from UAB

Statement of Purpose: Use of titanium dental implants for treatment of partial or total edentulism has been well documented since the 1980s with consistent long term results. Osseointegration of these implants can be complicated by insufficient bone after healing of extraction sockets or systemic conditions such as osteoporosis or diabetes. Surface modifications, such as grit blasting (mechanical abrasion) or calcium phosphate (CaP) (chemical treatment) can improve healing time and bone quality around an implant. Our study combined a CaP coating with recombinant bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rBMP-2) mimetic peptide and the polyglutamate domain E7. We used nanoindentation to compare the elastic …

Investigating Gender Differences In The Metabolism Of Ketamine, Elise Erb

All ETDs from UAB

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that was developed for use as a short-acting anesthesia. It has a history of being a drug of abuse and is currently a Schedule III drug. Ketamine is being investigated as an antidepressant due to its fast-action and long-lasting effects in comparison to other antidepressants. The exact mechanism of action of ketamine on the brain that results in the antidepressant effects is currently unknown, as is the reason for differences in the way males and females respond to ketamine. Dr. Lori McMahon, Allie Widman, and Nateka Jackson in the Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology Department …

The Function Of Protein Kinase Ck2 In Cd4 T Cell Differentiation And Autoimmunity, Sara Ann Gibson

All ETDs from UAB

Protein kinase CK2 is a highly conserved serine/threonine kinase essential for cell viability. CK2 exhibits immense pleiotropy and has well characterized interactions with canonical cytosolic signaling pathways such as PI3K/Akt/mTOR and JAK/STAT. These pathways are critical for CD4+ T cell function, and further are known to be aberrantly active in the T cell-driven autoimmune disease Multiple Sclerosis, but little is known as to how CK2 functions in CD4+ T cells or in the context of autoimmune diseases. The current dissertation examines the understudied T cell-specific functions of CK2 utilizing two approaches, pharmacologic inhibition and genetic deletion. We discovered CK2 to …

Marine, Jennifer Danielle Glassford

All ETDs from UAB

Marine is a nonfiction work written as memoir. Major themes coursing through this body of work include family, fear of failure, self-awareness, self-reliance and female empowerment.

Associations Among Perceived Stress, Pain Sensitivity, And Physiological Reactivity Following An Acute Noxious Stressor, Hailey Waddell Bulls

All ETDs from UAB

We recommend using HCCM estimators to estimate the variance of a regression model

Long-Term Effects Of Early Parental Divorce On Parent-Child Relationships, Mental Health, And Alcohol Use, Tuba Demir Dagdas

All ETDs from UAB

The primary objective of this study was to fill a gap by examining the effects of early parental divorce on multi-dimensional views of parent-child relationships (e.g. support, strain, contact), mental health, and alcohol consumption among adult children. Many studies have shown that parental divorce has impacts on children’s well-being, however, few studies have examined the long-term effects of parental divorce on adult health. Thus, this study aimed to examine the effects of early parental divorce on adult children’s depressive symptoms and alcohol use via relationships with parents. Drawing from the life course paradigm and the stress process model, I examined …

Mechanism Of Cytomegalovirus-Induced Mucosal Inflammation, Evida Adiko Dennis

All ETDs from UAB

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an opportunistic β-herpesvirus that causes severe mucosal inflammation in recipients of organ and stem cell transplants, HIV-1-infected subjects, and persons with inflammatory bowel disease. The gastrointestinal mucosa is among the most common sites of CMV inflammatory disease, and the inflammatory lesions associated with CMV mucosal infection contain infected macrophages and increased levels of macrophage-derived cytokines, implicating mucosal macrophages in the inflammatory process. Paradoxically, in healthy human intestinal mucosa, macrophages are profoundly down-regulated for pro-inflammatory responses (inflammation anergy) due to stromal TGF-β-induction of Smad signaling and inactivation of NF-κB. To elucidate the mechanism whereby CMV promotes macrophage-mediated mucosal …

Inquiro 10 (Complete Issue), Inquiro Staff

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

https://www.uab.edu/inquiro/issues/past-issues/volume-10

Section 1: Design, Ectc Coordinating Committee

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Proceedings of the 17th Annual Early Career Technical Conference, November 3, 2017. School of Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; pp. 1-26

A Study Of Two Different Spider Spring Balancers Used For Cryocooler Operations, Madhurima Maddela, Samuel Misko, Lee Moradi

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Section 1: Design; pp. 21-25

Development And Pilot Testing Of A Behavioral Intervention For Chronic Pain Tailored To Individuals With Hiv, Jessica Merlin

All ETDs from UAB

Background. Chronic pain is a common and disabling comorbidity in individuals living with HIV. Behavioral interventions are among the most effective and safe nonpharmacologic treatments for chronic pain. However, the success of a behavioral intervention is influenced by how well it is tailored to the target population’s biological, psychological, and social context. Given well-documented psychosocial vulnerabilities among persons with HIV, it is critical to develop a behavioral intervention for chronic pain tailored to this population. Objective. To use qualitative methods to investigate patient preferences for the structure and delivery of a behavioral intervention for chronic pain in individuals with HIV. …

Characterization Of Spinal Cord Injury And Spinal Cord Injury Induced Neuropathic Pain, Amanda Mohaimany-Aponte

All ETDs from UAB

Spinal cord injury (SCI) affects between 40 and 80 million people globally. Within the United States over 400,000 individuals live with SCI, and annually over 17,000 individu-als are added to this population. SCI patients are afflicted with a myriad of issues, one of which being SCI induced neuropathic pain (SCI-NP). Up to 80% of SCI patients go on to develop SCI-NP, which has been shown to last chronically and present itself as evoked pain, spontaneous pain, or a combination of both. SCI-NP is a top concern for SCI pa-tients, often listed before functional recovery. SCI-NP has been shown to greatly …

Identification Of The Microrna Mir-101a And Its Target Ezh2 As Contributors To Rodent Anxiety-Like Behavior, Joshua Cohen

All ETDs from UAB

Anxiety disorders are the most commonly diagnosed mental illness in the United States. Yet current treatment options are of limited efficacy, resulting in chronic disability for many patients. A greater mechanistic understanding of the neural states that cause anxiety behavior is necessary to develop better treatments for anxiety disorders. Since rodent models provide greater opportunity for investigating cellular and molecular under-pinnings of anxiety-like behavior, the present studies utilized rats bred for High Response to novelty (High Responders, HRs) and Low Response to novelty (Low Responders, LRs) which naturally exhibit low and high levels of anxiety respectively. Because the HR/LR anxiety …

Tgf-Β Regulates The Stability Of Sox9 In Cartilage, George Coricor

All ETDs from UAB

One out of two people in the U.S. will experience some form of Osteoarthritis (OA) in their lifetime. Members of the Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily are important factors that stimulate chondrocyte matrix biosynthesis. Mice with a dominant-negative mutation of the TGF-βIIR develop a degenerative joint disease resembling OA. Another key chondrogenic factor, SOX9, is important for maintaining chondrocyte function. SOX9 and TGF-β receptors are decreased in OA patients. Our overall hypothesis is that TGF-β regulates SOX9 to maintain articular cartilage. We utilized two cell culture models for these experiments, ATDC5 cells, and primary bovine articular chondrocytes. We showed that …

Elucidating The Cellular Function Of The N-Terminal Domain Of Tyrosyl-Dna Phosphodiesterase I, Selma Marcela Cuya

All ETDs from UAB

Tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase I (Tdp1) is a conserved eukaryotic DNA repair enzyme that removes adducts from DNA-ends. This includes DNA topoisomerase I (Top1)-DNA covalent complexes reversibly stabilized by camptothecins (CPTs). Tdp1s two-step catalytic cycle requires the action of its nucleophilic histidine (Hisnuc) that detaches the adduct by forming a Tdp1-DNA adduct, and its general acid/base histidine (Hisgab) to activate water, thereby releasing Tdp1 from the DNA-end. Tdp1 expression is associated with genomic instability, cancer etiology, chemotherapeutic resistance, and SCAN1-neurodegeneration, via Tdp1HisgabArg catalytic mutant. Our lab has characterized substitutions of the catalytic histidines in both yeast and human cell models. These substitutions …

Effects Of Maternal And Child Depressive Symptoms And Child’S Perceived Stress On Glycemic Control As Mediated By Cortisol In Prepubertal Children With Type 1 Diabetes, Sara Laubinger Davis

All ETDs from UAB

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is one of the most common diseases of childhood affecting over 167,000 children under the age of 20. Despite adequate insulin regimens and concurrent treatments, many children still have trouble achieving glycemic control as evidenced by elevated HbA1c levels. Previous research indicates that parent-child interactions and parental involvement in diabetic care influence glycemic control. However, these relationships may be impaired in mothers with depressive symptoms or in children who have high levels of depressive symptoms or perceived stress. Moreover, cortisol, a stress hormone, may mediate the proposed relationships. Therefore, the purpose of this study was …

Bullying Is Not Just For The Playground: Teacher Experiences With Administrator Mistreatment In The Workplace And Its Impact On Instruction, Tiffany Nicole Russell Thomas

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of early childhood teachers in Central Alabama who have reportedly been bullied in school settings by their administrators. The study was guided by two central research questions: (1) What is the lived experience of early childhood teachers who have been bullied in the workplace by their school administrators? (2) In what ways do early childhood teachers describe the connections between workplace bullying and its perceived effects on teaching and learning? The theoretical foundation used to conduct this study was Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system’s theory. Five early childhood teachers participated in this …

Antiseptic, Elizabeth Ann Tompkins

All ETDs from UAB

“Antiseptic” is a collection of five stories that explore the ways family dynamics shift under hardships. The collection navigates how shifts affect both children and adults. Why do some family members wither, some simply survive, while others flourish under the pressure of a difficult experience? But these stories are not looking for specific answers. Instead, the questions are starting places for developing the internal struggles of the main characters. Where those struggles take the main characters is something that the collection explores. The collection is connected not only by the thread of family, but also by the range of emotions …

Delivery Of Deoxyribonucleic Acids As Drugs: A Structural Study, Encapsulation, And Controlled Release Of G-Quadruplex Forming Deoxyoligonucleotides Of The Human Telomeric Sequence, Brenna Alyssa Tucker

All ETDs from UAB

Nucleic acids are known to play numerous important roles in the cell. Recently, interest in the delivery of DNA to treat disease, also known as gene therapy, has increased with new non-viral encapsulation strategies becoming available. Unfortunately, challenges with sufficient delivery of the DNA still plague these systems causing the need for improved DNA delivery vehicles. To overcome DNA delivery barriers, two-component poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA)/ poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVPON) microcapsules were developed using Layer-by-Layer (LbL) technology. G-quadruplex forming deoxyoligonucleotides of the human telomeric sequence were used to model the delivery of the thrombin binding aptamer (TBA), a DNA therapeutic that folds into …

Cd8+ T Lymphocyte Responses To Persistent Murine Cytomegalovirus Infection Of The Central Nervous System, Kristine Valenteros

All ETDs from UAB

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most frequent cause of congenital brain abnormalities and can lead to lifelong neurological sequalae. Although the brain is a major target in congenital CMV infection, little is known about the long-term effects of infection of the central nervous system (CNS) following acute infection and the resulting neuroimmune responses involved. Due to species-specificity of HCMV, we use a mouse model to study the pathogenesis of HCMV infection of the developing CNS. Newborn mice peripherally infected with murine CMV (MCMV) develop high levels of viremia and subsequent productive infection in the brain parenchyma. CD8+ T lymphocytes are essential …

Characterization Of Molecular Pathways Involved In The Production Of Class-Switched Antibodies, Arthur James Vanvalkenburg

All ETDs from UAB

This dissertation research describes two independent characterizations of molecular pathways involved in the manufacture of class-switched antibodies and differentiation of B cells involving the adaptor protein Hematopoietic SRC Homology 2 Domain-containing protein (HSH2) and the surface molecule CD19. HSH2 is dynamically expressed in different subsets of B cells, showing high expression in B1 and MZ B cells and low expression in GC B cells. Experiments involving HSH2 transgenic mice have determined that HSH2 may act as a rheostat regulating the production of class-switched antibodies. Various factors that stimulate B cell activation and differentiation induce HSH2 expression, although regulation of HSH2 …