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Religion And Sprituality In The Practice Of Public Administration, James Coe Walker Jan 2007

Religion And Sprituality In The Practice Of Public Administration, James Coe Walker

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Until very recently very little attention has been paid to the role played by religion and spirituality in the practice of public administration. This reflects the strictly secular understanding of the profession that has dominated it since its inception. This deeply held understanding does not reflect the way public administration is actually practiced in the United States. A survey of American Society of Public Administration (ASPA) members currently involved in the active practice of public administration found that 58% of the practitioners surveyed reported that “Religious values guide my decisions,” and over 74% report that they feel “called” to a …

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Models Of Disparity Gradient Estimation In The Visual Cortex, Alexander Zotov Jan 2007

Models Of Disparity Gradient Estimation In The Visual Cortex, Alexander Zotov

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The binocular disparity of an object slanted in depth from the frontoparallel plane is not constant and changes with coordinate. Objects oriented in such way have non-zero disparity gradient. The processes that take place in the brain to recover disparity gradient and to create the correct perception of slant in depth are not well understood. Changes in local disparity are an obvious disparity gradient cue. Here, we consider an alternative means of disparity gradient detection exploiting the differential projection of oriented edges to each eye. Two retinal images of an object slanted in depth differ by the amount of horizontal …

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A Comparative Study Of Nonextraction Treatment Efficiency Using Conventional Edgewise Brackets And Self-Ligating Brackets, Chad R. Reddick Jan 2007

A Comparative Study Of Nonextraction Treatment Efficiency Using Conventional Edgewise Brackets And Self-Ligating Brackets, Chad R. Reddick

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No abstract provided.

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Stability Of Clones Over Two Decades And The Role Of Murm In Penicillin Resistance And Evolution Of Streptococcus Pneumoniae, Dorothy Broughton Payne Jan 2007

Stability Of Clones Over Two Decades And The Role Of Murm In Penicillin Resistance And Evolution Of Streptococcus Pneumoniae, Dorothy Broughton Payne

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No abstract provided.

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B Cell Clonal Abundance And Madcam-1 Mediate Affinity Maturation And Fate Of Germinal Center B Cells, Thuc-Vy L. Le Jan 2007

B Cell Clonal Abundance And Madcam-1 Mediate Affinity Maturation And Fate Of Germinal Center B Cells, Thuc-Vy L. Le

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No abstract provided.

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Breast Cancer Chemoprevention With The Natural Polyphenols Resveratrol And Genistein, Alone And In Combination, Timothy Glynn Whitsett Jan 2007

Breast Cancer Chemoprevention With The Natural Polyphenols Resveratrol And Genistein, Alone And In Combination, Timothy Glynn Whitsett

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No abstract provided.

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Procedures For Predicting Pressures Inside Cores, Leonard Winardi Jan 2007

Procedures For Predicting Pressures Inside Cores, Leonard Winardi

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No abstract provided.

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Prenatal Lead Exposure In Karachi: Magnitude, Determinants And Effect On Birth Weight, Naveed Zafar Janjua Jan 2007

Prenatal Lead Exposure In Karachi: Magnitude, Determinants And Effect On Birth Weight, Naveed Zafar Janjua

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No abstract provided.

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The Recovery Experience For Persons With A Myocardial Infarction And Their Spouses/Partners, Vicki Lynnette Bingham Jan 2007

The Recovery Experience For Persons With A Myocardial Infarction And Their Spouses/Partners, Vicki Lynnette Bingham

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Coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in Americans today, affects both genders in numerous ethnic populations. This life-threatening event causes both physical and emotional distress for persons with a myocardial infarction (MI), as well as for their spouses or partners and thus possibly forces them on a spiritual journey. The purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of the ways in which spirituality is defined and experienced by both persons with an MI and their spouses/partners during the recovery process. The method utilized in this study was a qualitative approach using interpretative phenomenology from a Heideggerian …

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Localization And Function Of G2e3, William Samuel Brooks Jan 2007

Localization And Function Of G2e3, William Samuel Brooks

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A microarray study was performed which identified G2E3 as a novel, putative ubiquitin ligase that was both G2/M-specific in expression and down regulated at the transcriptional level following DNA damage by γ-irradiation. The initial characterization of this protein is described herein. G2E3 is composed of three PHD/RING (plant homoedomain/really interesting new gene) domains within its amino-terminal half and a carboxy-terminal HECT (homologous to E6AP carboxy-terminus) domain. G2E3 is regulated in part by its subcellular localization. The protein normally resides within the nucleoplasm of cultured cells and distinctly within the nucleolus of HeLa cells. G2E3 is a nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling protein with …

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Loss Of Pias3 Expression In Glioblastoma Multiforme Tumors:Implications For Stat-3 Activation And Gene Expression, Emily Claire Brantley Jan 2007

Loss Of Pias3 Expression In Glioblastoma Multiforme Tumors:Implications For Stat-3 Activation And Gene Expression, Emily Claire Brantley

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Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common form of cancer in the central nervous system in adults. Because of the infiltrative and aggressive nature of GBM, current treatments including surgical resection, radiation and chemotherapy provide little benefit to patients diagnosed with this tumor. Median survival, after treatment, is less than one year. Despite advances in the basic understanding of cancer biology, this poor prognosis has remained virtually unchanged for several decades. Given the continuing difficulty of clinical treatment of GBMs, a molecular appreciation of relevant signaling pathways has grown. Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (STATs) function to activate gene …

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Characterization Of A Novel Acetyltransferase Found Only In Pathogenic Strains Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, David K. Crossman Jan 2007

Characterization Of A Novel Acetyltransferase Found Only In Pathogenic Strains Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, David K. Crossman

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Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), is still a major threat to the human population. Roughly one third of the world population is asymptomatically infected and two million people die each year of TB. Effective treatments are available as a multi-drug regimen, but there is an ever increasing problem with the rise of multi-drug resistant strains that newer drug targets and a better understanding of how M. tuberculosis affects the host need to be elucidated. The primary target of M. tuberculosis in the human host is the macrophage where M. tuberculosis secretes virulence factors that inhibit various signal …

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Determinants Of Hospital Affiliation With Health Care Networks, Ting-Huan Chang Jan 2007

Determinants Of Hospital Affiliation With Health Care Networks, Ting-Huan Chang

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Since the 1990s, integrated health care delivery systems have proliferated rapidly in the U.S., but little research has been devoted to studying why hospitals decide to join such systems (e.g., health care networks or systems). The aim of this study was to identify environmental and organizational factors that encourage freestanding hospitals to affiliate with health care networks. Specifically, the relationships of hospital affiliation choice to environmental munificence, environmental uncertainty and organizational resources were examined. Additionally, the moderating effects of hospital setting on these relationships were also investigated. A nonexperimental, longitudinal design was used, with the individual hospital as the unit …

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The Role Of The Cytoskeleon In Achr Clustering, G Clement Dobbins Jan 2007

The Role Of The Cytoskeleon In Achr Clustering, G Clement Dobbins

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The human brain contains billions of neurons which are designed to receive and integrate a range of electrical and biochemical signals. The ability to convey information between these cells depends on synapses. A precise apposition between the pre and post synapse must exist for efficient transmission to occur. The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) has become a model for studying synaptogenesis. Although much is known about the steps in NMJ formation, only recently have there been insights into the mechanism behind NMJ development. Much of this research has focused on how acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) at the postsynapse form clusters directly apposed to …

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A Study Into The Protein/Protein Interactions Involved In Hiv-1 Capsid Assembly, Chanel Catherine Douglas Jan 2007

A Study Into The Protein/Protein Interactions Involved In Hiv-1 Capsid Assembly, Chanel Catherine Douglas

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The aim of this work was to build an understanding of the protein/protein interactions involved in HIV-1 capsid assembly as it relates to the condensation of capsid within the virion. This was undertaken in an attempt to (i) understand how capsid subunits recognize and interact with each other, (ii) gain insight into the protein-protein interactions involved in the process, and (iii) determine if the protein-protein interactions involved in virus cap-sid assembly can be used as a target for viral inhibition. Within this dissertation you will find two approaches to this investigation. The first examines the role of electrostatics in the …

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The Molecular Biology Of Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination In Reptiles, Keela Dodd Jan 2007

The Molecular Biology Of Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination In Reptiles, Keela Dodd

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Temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) is a type of environmental sex determination in which the egg’s incubation temperature determines the sex of the embryo. The exact physiology of TSD is not yet understood. Hormones and temperaturetriggered genes have been hypothesized to play a role. This study evaluates putative male and female factors that may play a role in TSD. Regarding female factors, this study evaluates clutch sensitivity to estradiol-17β and an aromatase inhibitor, and estradiol- 17β’s potential role in müllerian duct differentiation. Regarding male factors, this study also quantifies SOX9 mRNA during TSD in untreated and estradiol-17β treated embryos. In the …

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Factors Associated With Sexual Debut And Depression Among Adolescents In Rural Jamaica, Olaniyi J. Ekundayo Jan 2007

Factors Associated With Sexual Debut And Depression Among Adolescents In Rural Jamaica, Olaniyi J. Ekundayo

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Individual and family factors have been hypothesized to influence adolescent sexual behavior and depression, but the extent to which this is true for adolescents in Jamaica as a whole and for those in rural areas in particular, has not been well studied. The objective of this dissertation was to identify individual and family factors associated with sexual debut and depression among rural Jamaican adolescents. To elucidate these factors and to provide information to guide future interventions, we analyzed data on 748 adolescents attending public high schools in the rural parish of Hanover, Jamaica. Multivariate logistic regression was used to predict …

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Sexual Violence And Correlates Among Women In Hiv Discordant Union, Uganda, Donath Emusu Jan 2007

Sexual Violence And Correlates Among Women In Hiv Discordant Union, Uganda, Donath Emusu

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We sought to estimate the prevalence of sexual violence and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), identify risk factors for sexual violence and STDs among women in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) discordant unions, and investigate the lived experiences of sexual violence among women in HIV discordant unions attending post-test club services at AIDS Information Centers (AICs) in Uganda. We carried out a prospective cohort study of women in HIV discordant and HIV negative concordant unions after disclosure of their HIV serostatus. We estimated prevalence of STDs in the two study cohorts and compared them for occurrence of risk factors for sexual violence …

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Molecular Determinants Of Picrotoxin Inhibition, Brian E. Erkkila Jan 2007

Molecular Determinants Of Picrotoxin Inhibition, Brian E. Erkkila

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PTX is a non-competitive antagonist of many LGICs, and its site of action is believed to be within the ion-conducting pore. This study will examine, through the use of mutagenesis, electrophysiology and homology modeling, the binding interaction between the LGIC receptors and the PTX molecule. The data provides evidence that an interaction between the PTX molecule and uncharged polar amino acids at the 6’ level of the M2 transmembrane domain are essential for PTX inhibition. While the work will focus on the γ-aminobutyric type A receptor, the pharmacological and structural relevance is attributable to the LGIC family as a whole.

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Characterization, Community Structure And Ecological Importance Of Sponge-Associated Bacteria, Patrick M. Erwin Jan 2007

Characterization, Community Structure And Ecological Importance Of Sponge-Associated Bacteria, Patrick M. Erwin

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The study of sponge-bacteria symbioses is emerging as a prominent field in marine biology and biotechnology, with implications ranging from a fundamental understanding of sponge ecology and insight into the evolution of prokaryote-eukaryote symbiotic interactions to natural products prospecting and bioactive metabolite synthesis. The research conducted herein integrates molecular genetic techniques with ecological methodologies to address fundamental issues of sponge-microbe associations. Bacterial communities associated with the marine sponges Hymeniacidon heliophila and Xestospongia sp. were compared to microbial assemblages from ambient seawater and the sympatric tunicate, Didemnum sp, using replicated clone libraries of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and terminal restriction …

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Use Of The 15-Second Lateral Step-Up For Comparison Of Hip Function Between Two Surgical Approaches For Intramedullary Nailing Of Femur Fractures, Lydia A. Futch Jan 2007

Use Of The 15-Second Lateral Step-Up For Comparison Of Hip Function Between Two Surgical Approaches For Intramedullary Nailing Of Femur Fractures, Lydia A. Futch

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Study Type: Cohort, between and within group comparison Objective: To determine the efficacy of the 15-second lateral step-up (15-SLSU) test for comparing hip function between patients treated with two different intramedullary nailing (IMN) approaches for femur fractures. In addition, to determine whether the 15-SLSU detects differences in hip function between the surgical and non-surgical limb of subjects treated with IMN. Background: Historically, two surgical approaches have been used for IMN of femur fractures. Determining tests that can detect whether various surgical approaches result in differences in hip function is important for making decisions about treatment. Methods and Measures: Subjects were …

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Pneumococcal Choline-Binding Protein A: Its Role In Virulence And Its Utility As A Streptococcus Pneumoniae Vaccine Antigen, David Tawayne Glover Jan 2007

Pneumococcal Choline-Binding Protein A: Its Role In Virulence And Its Utility As A Streptococcus Pneumoniae Vaccine Antigen, David Tawayne Glover

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Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. S. pneumoniae is a leading cause of pneumonia, meningitis, septicemia, and otitis media. Although all age groups can be affected, children and the elderly are espccially susceptible to infection. Currently there is a conjugate vaccine available for use, but this vaccine only contains capsular polysaccahride antigens from the seven most prevelant S. pneumoniae serotypes. The use of the conjugate vaccine has led to serotype shift, with more disease being caused by non-vaccine serotype bacteria. The studies presented in this dissertation identify and characterize a novel S. penumoniae vaccine candidate …

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On The Dynamical, Geometric, And Arithmetic Properties Of Euclidean Lattices, Lee Michael Goswick Jan 2007

On The Dynamical, Geometric, And Arithmetic Properties Of Euclidean Lattices, Lee Michael Goswick

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This dissertation consists of three papers concerning certain aspects of Euclidean lattices. The first two examine dynamical properties of 2D billiards in the lattices Z2 and Z2 ∪(1/2, 1/2) + Z2. The third explores arithmetic and geometric properties of Z3 by exploiting the algebraic structure of the quaternions and the Gaussian integers.

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Localization Properties For The Unitary Anderson Model, Eman F. Hamza Jan 2007

Localization Properties For The Unitary Anderson Model, Eman F. Hamza

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We study a unitary version of the one-dimensional Anderson model, given by a five diagonal deterministic unitary operator multiplicatively perturbed by a random phase matrix. This operator models the time evolution of an electron in a one-dimensional metal ring subject to a magnetic field that linearly increases with time. We fully characterize positivity and vanishing of the Lyapunov exponent for this model for arbitrary distributions of the random phases. This includes Bernoulli distributions, where in certain cases a finite number of critical spectral values, with vanishing Lyapunov exponent, exists. Thus, we prove that for all non-trivial distributions the model has …

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Competition In Multistable Vision Is Attribute-Specific, Jon K. Grossmann Jan 2007

Competition In Multistable Vision Is Attribute-Specific, Jon K. Grossmann

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Ambiguous figures are visual stimuli with multiple competing interpretations. The different possible interpretations are mutually exclusive, and perception fluctuates from one interpretation to the next over time. Natural scenes are inherently ambiguous as well. A pair of two-dimensional retinal images does not instantaneously provide sufficient information to deduce the full three-dimensional layout and identities of objects in the scene. We investigate how the visual system uses internally stored models of objects and scenes to interpret and understand visual information. Ambiguous figures provide an experimental microdomain in which to investigate this top-down process in vision. In one set of experiments, we …

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A Role For P63 In The Regulati On Of Cell Cycle Progression And Cell Death, Eric Scott Helton Jan 2007

A Role For P63 In The Regulati On Of Cell Cycle Progression And Cell Death, Eric Scott Helton

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p63 is a member of the p53 family of transcription factors that is a critical regulator of epithelial development. Studies have shown that p63 does not appear to function as a classical tumor suppressor like p53. Instead, the expression pattern of p63 in cancers suggests that p63 retains the potential to function as either a tumor suppressor or an onco-protein. Here, we provide evidence describing the transcriptional activity of the p63 isoforms and provide mechanisms whereby p63 function is regulated in a context dependent manner. Our data shows that both the ΔNp63 and TAp63 variants retain the potential to regulate …

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Prostate Cancer Chemoprevention With Genistein And Resveratrol In Models Of Spontaneously Developing Prostate Cancer, Curt E. Harper Jan 2007

Prostate Cancer Chemoprevention With Genistein And Resveratrol In Models Of Spontaneously Developing Prostate Cancer, Curt E. Harper

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Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among men in the United States. The goal of this research was to investigate the potential of three nutriceutical polyphenols, genistein, resveratrol, and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), to suppress prostate cancer. Cancer chemoprevention and mechanism of action studies were carried out in transgenic models of prostate cancer. In TRansgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate (TRAMP) model, resveratrol suppressed poorly differentiated tumors by 86%, whereas EGCG suppressed precancerous lesions, but failed to prevent late-stage prostate cancer. Agents that were chemopreventive in the TRAMP model were subsequently evaluated alone, and in combination, in the …

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Fuzzy Systems Simulation: Models, Foundations, And Systems Development, Leonard J. Jowers Jan 2007

Fuzzy Systems Simulation: Models, Foundations, And Systems Development, Leonard J. Jowers

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Simulations of modeled systems are e®ective tools for evaluating system attributes; fuzzy logic provides for simulation of systems with inherent uncertainties. This re- search to advance simulation of fuzzy systems involves several studies in a planned sequence. Continuous fuzzy system modeling activities constitute a ¯rst stage of re- search action, a natural °ow from earlier work on modeling discrete fuzzy systems; the notion of using crisp simulation to carry out fuzzy computations is at the heart of the work. This activity requires choosing tools and problems with which to demon- strate feasibility and broad applicability of the approach. Some fundamental …

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Characterization Of A Global Regulatory Pathway In Streptococcus Pneumoniae, Greer E. Kaufman Jan 2007

Characterization Of A Global Regulatory Pathway In Streptococcus Pneumoniae, Greer E. Kaufman

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Streptococcus pneumoniae is a versatile organism that adapts to many different environments in the host. S. pneumoniae can asymptomatically colonize the nasopharynx of humans. However, dissemination of the bacterium from the nasopharynx to different locations in the body can lead to invasive diseases such as pneumonia, bacteremia, and meningitis. How S. pneumoniae modulates factors that are important for survival in these niches has not been well characterized. In the studies described here, we propose that S. pneumoniae may modulate gene expression in these niches by sensing the different glu-cose concentrations via carbon catabolite control protein A (CcpA). Initially we characterized …

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Mcmv Induced Cerebellar Maldevelopment, Thadeus B. Koontz Jan 2007

Mcmv Induced Cerebellar Maldevelopment, Thadeus B. Koontz

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Congenital Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in infants and children. While most of the systemic damage incurred by the infant in the course of the infection resolves without permanent consequence, the pathological manifestations of infection in the central nervous system (CNS) are often permanent. Children born with congenital HCMV infection may exhibit hearing loss and cognitive impairment in various degrees. These neurological disabilities are correlated with pathological findings in various permutations including infection of the inner ear, ventricular calcifications, ventriculomegaly, microgyria, lissencephaly, and cerebellar hypoplasia. To develop a therapeutic or preventive strategy, HCMV …

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