Digital Commons Network^™

Rafinesque And Transylvania’S First Botanical Garden, Charles T. Ambrose

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Five Early American Botanists: Works And Opinions Of Rafinesque, Charles T. Ambrose

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Alterations In Multiple Measures Of White Matter Integrity In Normal Women At High Risk For Alzheimer's Disease, Brian T. Gold, David K. Powell, Anders H. Andersen, Charles D. Smith

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

There is evidence that disruption of white matter (WM) microstructure is an early event in the course of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the neurobiological bases of WM microstructural declines in presymptomatic AD are unknown. In the present study we address this issue using a multimodal imaging approach to the study of presymptomatic AD. Participants were 37 high-risk (both family history of dementia and one or more APOE4 alleles) women and 20 low-risk (neither family history nor APOE4) women. Groups were matched for age, education, neuropsychological performance, and vascular factors that could affect white matter. Whole-brain analyses of diffusion tensor imaging …

Educational Innovations: Categories Of Bulletin Board Postings Designed To Increase Awareness Of Contemporary Pharmaceutical Policy Issues, Jacob T. Painter, Joseph L. Fink Iii

Pharmacy Practice and Science Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this project was to categorize and classify bulletin board postings pertaining to pharmaceutical policy from both the professional and lay press.

METHODS: Bulletin board postings were used to supplement in-class discussion to keep students, faculty and staff up-to-date on emerging trends. A bulletin board located in the main classroom area of the College of Pharmacy Building where students would pass by on the way to class and congregate during break periods was used to display articles from various sources concerning topics related to pharmaceutical policy. Information is presented about the primary subject matters addressed …

Service Technician Working Alone Dies After Being Assaulted, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

One late fall evening in 2009, a 53 year-old male technician was working alone at a repair shop. At approximately 9:45 PM, the technician returned to the shop with his dinner from a nearby fast-food establishment. He spread his dinner on the work bench and began eating when apparently he was attacked from behind. His attacker used a knife and cut the technician’s carotid artery and jugular vein on the left side of his neck. The attacker fled, and the technician used a cell phone to call 911, emergency medical services (EMS). When EMS arrived, they found the technician dead …

Ph-Sensitive Mucoadhesive Film-Forming Gels And Wax-Film Composites Suitable For Topical And Mucosal Delivery Of Molecules, Russell J. Mumper, Michael Jay

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Patents

The present invention relates to pH-sensitive mucoadhesive film-forming gels and wax-film composites suitable for topical and mucosal delivery of molecules of interest, namely active pharmaceuticals. The gels comprise a pharmaceutically acceptable pH-sensitive polymer that responds to a lowering of pH by precipitating into films when in contact with the skin or mucosal surface. The films also comprise an adhesive polymer that allows the film to remain in contact with the tissue for an extended period of time. The wax-film composites comprise a bi-layer film having both the said pH-sensitive mucoadhesive layer to promote strong adherence to the skin and mucosal …

The Mir-15/107 Group Of Microrna Genes: Evolutionary Biology, Cellular Functions, And Roles In Human Diseases, John R. Finnerty, Wang-Xia Wang, Sébastien S. Hébert, Bernard R. Wilfred, Guogen Mao, Peter T. Nelson

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Faculty Publications

The miR-15/107 group of microRNA (miRNA) gene is increasingly appreciated to serve key functions in humans. These miRNAs regulate gene expression involved in cell division, metabolism, stress response, and angiogenesis in vertebrate species. The miR-15/107 group has also been implicated in human cancers, cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer's disease. Here we provide an overview of the following: (1) the evolution of miR-15/107 group member genes; (2) the expression levels of miRNAs in mammalian tissues; (3) evidence for overlapping gene-regulatory functions by different miRNAs; (4) the normal biochemical pathways regulated by miR-15/107 group miRNAs; and (5) the roles played …

Gilvocarcin Gene Cluster, Recombinant Production And Use Thereof, Jürgen Rohr, Carsten Fischer

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Patents

A nucleic acid molecule encoding the gilvocarcin V gene cluster and subunits thereof. Recombinant vectors and host cells comprising a nucleic acid compound encoding the gilvocarcin V gene cluster or subunits thereof. Host cells comprising recombinant vectors encoding the gilvocarcin polyketide synthase and gilvocarcin post-PKS modifying enzymes from Streptomyces griseoflavus can be used to produce gilvocarcin and functional gilvocarcin mutants, analogs and derivatives thereof with application as antibiotics, anticancer agents, immunosuppressants, antivirals, and neuroprotective agents.

Hepatitis C Virus Core-Derived Peptides Inhibit Genotype 1b Viral Genome Replication Via Interaction With Ddx3x, Chaomin Sun, Cara T. Pager, Guangxiang Luo, Peter Sarnow, Jamie H. D. Cate

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

The protein DDX3X is a DEAD-box RNA helicase that is essential for the hepatitis C virus (HCV) life cycle. The HCV core protein has been shown to bind to DDX3X both in vitro and in vivo. However, the specific interactions between these two proteins and the functional importance of these interactions for the HCV viral life cycle remain unclear. We show that amino acids 16-36 near the N-terminus of the HCV core protein interact specifically with DDX3X both in vitro and in vivo. Replication of HCV replicon NNeo/C-5B RNA (genotype 1b) is significantly suppressed in HuH-7-derived cells expressing green fluorescent …

The Appalachian Regional Development Act And Economic Change, James P. Ziliak

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

The Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 is one of the longest serving place-based regional development programs in the U.S., and is the largest in terms of geographic scope. I use county-level data from the 1960 thru 2000 Decennial Censuses to evaluate the effect of ARDA on poverty rates and real per capita incomes in Appalachia. The intent to treat parameter is identified in a difference-in-difference-in-difference framework by comparing outcomes in Appalachia to her border counties. Additional knowledge of which counties were solely eligible for highway development funds under ARDA from those counties eligible for both highway as well as …

Materials For Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms: Molecular Pharmaceutics And Controlled Release Drug Delivery Aspects, Heidi M. Mansour, Minji Sohn, Abeer Al-Ghananeem, Patrick P. Deluca

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Controlled release delivery is available for many routes of administration and offers many advantages (as microparticles and nanoparticles) over immediate release delivery. These advantages include reduced dosing frequency, better therapeutic control, fewer side effects, and, consequently, these dosage forms are well accepted by patients. Advances in polymer material science, particle engineering design, manufacture, and nanotechnology have led the way to the introduction of several marketed controlled release products and several more are in pre-clinical and clinical development.

Sialic Acid Transport And Catabolism Are Cooperatively Regulated By Siar And Crp In Nontypeable Haemophilus Influenzae, Jason W. Johnston, Haider Shamsulddin, Anne-Frances Miller, Michael A. Apicella

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The transport and catabolism of sialic acid, a critical virulence factor for nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae, is regulated by two transcription factors, SiaR and CRP.

RESULTS: Using a mutagenesis approach, glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN-6P) was identified as a co-activator for SiaR. Evidence for the cooperative regulation of both the sialic acid catabolic and transport operons suggested that cooperativity between SiaR and CRP is required for regulation. cAMP was unable to influence the expression of the catabolic operon in the absence of SiaR but was able to induce catabolic operon expression when both SiaR and GlcN-6P were present. Alteration of helical phasing supported …

Deficient Liver Biosynthesis Of Docosahexaenoic Acid Correlates With Cognitive Impairment In Alzheimer's Disease, Giuseppe Astarita, Kwang-Mook Jung, Nicole C. Berchtold, Vinh Q. Nguyen, Daniel L. Gillen, Elizabeth Head, Carl W. Cotman, Daniele Piomelli

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Reduced brain levels of docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3), a neurotrophic and neuroprotective fatty acid, may contribute to cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease. Here, we investigated whether the liver enzyme system that provides docosahexaenoic acid to the brain is dysfunctional in this disease. Docosahexaenoic acid levels were reduced in temporal cortex, mid-frontal cortex and cerebellum of subjects with Alzheimer's disease, compared to control subjects (P = 0.007). Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores positively correlated with docosahexaenoic/α-linolenic ratios in temporal cortex (P = 0.005) and mid-frontal cortex (P = 0.018), but not cerebellum. Similarly, liver docosahexaenoic acid content was lower in Alzheimer's …

Public Health Systems And Services Research: Bridging The Practice-Research Gap., F. Douglas Scutchfield, Cynthia D. Lamberth

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Public health practitioners understand the principles of evidence-based practice

and the science that should drive their efforts to improve the community’s

health through the implementation of science-driven public health programs.

However, the translation of research to practice still has numerous barriers.

This commentary provides suggestions to strengthen the link between research

and practice.

Hiv-1 Reactivation Induced By The Periodontal Pathogens Fusobacterium Nucleatum And Porphyromonas Gingivalis Involves Toll-Like Receptor 2 And 9 Activation In Monocytes/Macrophages, Octavio A. Gonzalez, Mengtao Li, Jeffrey L. Ebersole, Chifu B. Huang

Center for Oral Health Research Faculty Publications

Although oral coinfections (e.g., periodontal disease) are highly prevalent in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-positive (HIV-1⁺) patients and appear to positively correlate with viral load levels, the potential for oral bacteria to induce HIV-1 reactivation in latently infected cells has received little attention. We showed that HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter activation can be induced by periodontopathogens in monocytes/macrophages; nevertheless, the mechanisms involved in this response remain undetermined. Since Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), TLR4, and TLR9 activation have been involved in HIV-1 recrudescence, we sought to determine the role of these TLRs in HIV-1 reactivation induced by …

Forage News [2010-09], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Lexington Welcomes National Hay Association
• Barren County to Host State Forage Field Day
• Know Your Hay Quality
• Mob Grazing or Ultra High Density Stocking
• New Items on Forage Website
• Grazing Graduates
• Who says "Cats" can't Attend U.K. Grazing School
• It's not too late for N on Grasses
• Choose the Best Forage Variety for Fall Planting
• Potential for High Nitrates

Insulin Resistance In African-American And Caucasian Women: Differences In Lipotoxicity, Adipokines, And Gene Expression In Adipose Tissue And Muscle, Latasha M. Smith, Aiwei Yao-Borengasser, Tasha Starks, Mark Tripputi, Philip A. Kern, Neda Rasouli

Clinical and Translational Science Faculty Publications

Objectives: We tested whether African-American (AA) women are different from Caucasian women in regard to lipotoxicity, adipokines, and gene expression in adipose tissue and muscle.

Design: Insulin sensitivity (S_I), plasma adipocytokine levels, intramyocellular lipid (IMCL), and the expression of candidate genes in adipose tissue and muscle were measured in AA and Caucasian women.

Setting: This study was performed in an ambulatory general clinical research center.

Subjects: Subjects were healthy, nondiabetic AA and Caucasian women.

Interventions: There were no interventions.

Main Outcome Measures: Comparison of S_I, IMCL, plasma adiponectin, and the expression of candidate genes regulating adipogenesis, …

Association Between Chronic Liver And Colon Inflammation During The Development Of Murine Syngeneic Graft-Versus-Host Disease, Jason Anthony Brandon, Jacqueline Perez-Rodriguez, C. Darrell Jennings, Donald A. Cohen, Vishal J. Sindhava, Subbarao Bondada, Alan M. Kaplan, J. Scott Bryson

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

The murine model of cyclosporine A (CsA)-induced syngeneic graft-versus-host disease (SGVHD) is a bone marrow (BM) transplantation model that develops chronic colon inflammation identical to other murine models of CD4⁺ T cell-mediated colitis. Interestingly, SGVHD animals develop chronic liver lesions that are similar to the early peribiliary inflammatory stages of clinical chronic liver disease, which is frequently associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Therefore, studies were initiated to investigate the chronic liver inflammation that develops in the SGVHD model. To induce SGVHD, mice were lethally irradiated, reconstituted with syngeneic BM, and treated with CsA. All of the SGVHD animals …

Bpab, A Novel Protein Encoded By The Lyme Disease Spirochete's Cp32 Prophages, Binds To Erp Operator 2 Dna, Logan H. Burns, Claire A. Adams, Sean P. Riley, Brandon L. Jutras, Amy Bowman, Alicia M. Chenail, Anne E. Cooley, Laura A. Haselhorst, Alisha M. Moore, Kelly Babb, Michael G. Fried, Brian Stevenson

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Borrelia burgdorferi produces Erp outer surface proteins throughout mammalian infection, but represses their synthesis during colonization of vector ticks. A DNA region 5′ of the start of erp transcription, Operator 2, was previously shown to be essential for regulation of expression. We now report identification and characterization of a novel erp Operator 2-binding protein, which we named BpaB. erp operons are located on episomal cp32 prophages, and a single bacterium may contain as many as 10 different cp32s. Each cp32 family member encodes a unique BpaB protein, yet the three tested cp32-encoded BpaB alleles all bound to the same DNA …

Training For Equipment Maintenance And Repair, Sam Powdrill, Ismael Cordero, V Srinivasan

Health and Clinical Sciences Faculty Publications

In order to ensure the that equipment functions well, both equipment users and the equipment maintenance and repair team must be trained. Users must be trained in basic care and maintenance of equipment, and the equipment team must be trained to undertake repairs and more complex maintenance tasks.

Mip/Mtmr14 And Muscle Aging, Scott K. Powers, Michael B. Reid

Physiology Faculty Publications

No abstract.

Identification Of A Unique Core Domain Of Par-4 Sufficient For Selective Apoptosis Induction In Cancer Cells, Vivek M. Rangnekar

Radiation Medicine Faculty Patents

The present invention relates to Par-4 mutants which cause apoptosis in cancer cells which are sensitive to Par-4 and also induce apoptosis in cancer cells which are resistant to Par-4. The present invention also relates to methods of using the Par-4 mutant to treat certain cancers, as well as to kits, vectors, and polypeptides for same.

Inhibition Of Allogeneic Inflammatory Responses By The Ribonucleotide Reductase Inhibitors, Didox And Trimidox, Mohammed S. Inayat, Ismail S. El-Amouri, Mohammad Bani-Ahmad, Howard L. Elford, Vincent S. Gallicchio, Oliver R. Oakley

Health and Clinical Sciences Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Graft-versus-host disease is the single most important obstacle facing successful allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Even with current immunosuppressive therapies, morbidity and mortality rates are high. Current therapies including cyclosporine A (CyA) and related compounds target IL-2 signaling. However, although these compounds offer great benefit, they are also associated with multiple toxicities. Therefore, new compounds with a greater efficacy and reduced toxicity are needed to enable us to overcome this hurdle.

METHODS: The allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) is a unique ex vivo method to study a drug's action on the initial events resulting in T-cell activation and proliferation, …

Thinking Outside The Curve, Part Ii: Modeling Fetal-Infant Mortality, Richard Charnigo, Lorie W. Chesnut, Tony Lobianco, Russell S. Kirby

Statistics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Greater epidemiologic understanding of the relationships among fetal-infant mortality and its prognostic factors, including birthweight, could have vast public health implications. A key step toward that understanding is a realistic and tractable framework for analyzing birthweight distributions and fetal-infant mortality. The present paper is the second of a two-part series that introduces such a framework.

METHODS: We propose estimating birthweight-specific mortality within each component of a normal mixture model representing a birthweight distribution, the number of components having been determined from the data rather than fixed a priori.

RESULTS: We address a number of methodological issues related to our …

Diaphragm Weakness And Mechanical Ventilation – What's The Critical Issue?, Leigh Ann Callahan, Gerald S. Supinski

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

While animal studies indicate that controlled mechanical ventilation (MV) induces diaphragm weakness and myofiber atrophy, there are no data in humans that confirm MV per se produces diaphragm weakness. Whether or not diaphragm weakness results from MV, sepsis, corticosteroids, hyperglycemia, or a combination of these factors, however, is not the most important issue raised by the recent study from Hermans and colleagues. This study makes an important contribution by providing additional evidence that many critically ill patients have profound diaphragm weakness. If diaphragm weakness of this magnitude is present in most mechanically ventilated patients, a strong argument can be made …

Foreign-Born Semi Driver Dies After Driving Over Embankment, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

One summer morning in 2009, at approximately 11:30 AM, a 41 year-old male, long-haul, semi tractor-trailer driver drove off an interstate highway, over a guardrail, and continued into a wooded ravine. His trailer was empty and he was travelling to pick up a load of retail goods. The trailer disengaged from the tractor, the fuel tanks ruptured, the tractor overturned and caught fire. As the tractor overturned, the driver was ejected. A passing motorist called emergency medical (EMS) services; EMS arrived and found the driver dead at the scene.

To prevent future occurrences of similar incidents, the following recommendations have …

Cross-Reactivity Of Antibodies Against Leptospiral Recurrent Uveitis-Associated Proteins A And B (Lrua And Lrub) With Eye Proteins, Ashutosh Verma, Pawan Kumar, Kelly Babb, John F. Timoney, Brian Stevenson

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Infection by Leptospira interrogans has been causally associated with human and equine uveitis. Studies in our laboratories have demonstrated that leptospiral lipoprotein LruA and LruB are expressed in the eyes of uveitic horses, and that antibodies directed against LruA and LruB react with equine lenticular and retinal extracts, respectively. These reactivities were investigated further by performing immunofluorescent assays on lenticular and retinal tissue sections. Incubation of lens tissue sections with LruA-antiserum and retinal sections with LruB-antiserum resulted in positive fluorescence. By employing two-dimensional gel analyses followed by immunoblotting and mass spectrometry, lens proteins cross-reacting with LruA antiserum were identified to …

Does Race Based Redistricting Matter For Policy?, Ebonya Washington

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

During the 1990 congressional redistricting many states were mandated to create additional majority minority-resident districts in order to elect more minorities to Congress. Civil rights groups and Republicans cheered. The Party views Democratic districts stripped of Black voters as opportunities to repaint blue districts red. The academic literature agrees, attributing the Republican return to House control in 1994 to race based redistricting. However, this literature generally focuses on the district as the unit of analysis, a focus that is too narrow, as some districts gain Black residents while others lose them. I focus on states, the level at which redistricting …

Forage News [2010-08], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• KFGC Field Day
• Beef Bash 2010
• Grazing Sudangrass, Pearl Millet, and Sorghum Hybrids
• Intake and Digestibility of Improved Selections of Tall Fescue and Orchardgrass Hays
• Ag Groups Applaud Supreme Court Ruling on Biotech Alfalfa
• The Potential of Biofuels in Kentucky
• Calibrating your Forage Seeder Can Save Big Money when Summer Seeding

The Catalytic Function Of The Rev1 Dcmp Transferase Is Required In A Lesion-Specific Manner For Translesion Synthesis And Base Damage-Induced Mutagenesis, Ying Zhou, Jillian Wang, Yanbin Zhang, Zhigang Wang

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

The Rev1-Polζ pathway is believed to be the major mechanism of translesion DNA synthesis and base damage-induced mutagenesis in eukaryotes. While it is widely believed that Rev1 plays a non-catalytic function in translesion synthesis, the role of its dCMP transferase activity remains uncertain. To determine the relevance of its catalytic function in translesion synthesis, we separated the Rev1 dCMP transferase activity from its non-catalytic function in yeast. This was achieved by mutating two conserved amino acid residues in the catalytic domain of Rev1, i.e. D467A/E468A, where its catalytic function was abolished but its non-catalytic function remained intact. In this mutant …