Digital Commons Network^™

Three New Species Of Sesioctonus Viereck (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Agathidinae) From Peru, Lidia Sulca, Michael J. Sharkey

Entomology Faculty Publications

Three new species of Sesioctonus (Braconidae: Agathidinae) are described and illustrated, i.e., Sesioctonus huggerti, Sesioctonus wayquecha, and Sesioctonus bina. Two new Peruvian species records for Sesioctonus are reported: Sesioctonus longinoi and Sesioctonus diazi. A revised key to all known species of Sesioctonus is presented.

Scavenger Receptor Cd36 Expression Contributes To Adipose Tissue Inflammation And Cell Death In Diet-Induced Obesity, Lei Cai, Zhen Wang, Ailing Ji, Jason M. Meyer, Deneys R. Van Der Westhuyzen

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: The enlarged adipose tissue in obesity is characterized by inflammation, including the recruitment and infiltration of macrophages and lymphocytes. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of the scavenger receptor CD36 in high fat diet-induced obesity and adipose tissue inflammation and cell death.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Obesity and adipose tissue inflammation was compared in CD36 deficient (CD36 KO) mice and wild type (WT) mice fed a high fat diet (60% kcal fat) for 16 weeks and the inflammatory response was studied in primary adipocytes and macrophages isolated from CD36 KO and WT mice.

RESULTS: Compared to WT …

Bis-Quaternary Ammonium Salts And Methods For Modulating Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors, Peter Crooks, Linda P. Dwoskin, Guangrong Zheng, Sangeetha Sumithran, Marharyta Pivavarchyk

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Patents

Provided are bis-quaternary ammonium compounds which are modulators of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Also provided are methods of using the compounds for modulating the function of a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, and for the prevention and/or treatment of central nervous system disorders, substance use and/or abuse, and or gastrointestinal tract disorders.

Shoc2 Is Targeted To Late Endosomes And Required For Erk1/2 Activation In Egf-Stimulated Cells, Emilia Galperin, Lina Abdelmoti, Alexander Sorkin

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Shoc2 is the putative scaffold protein that interacts with RAS and RAF, and positively regulates signaling to extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2). To elucidate the mechanism by which Shoc2 regulates ERK1/2 activation by the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR), we studied subcellular localization of Shoc2. Upon EGFR activation, endogenous Shoc2 and red fluorescent protein tagged Shoc2 were translocated from the cytosol to a subset of late endosomes containing Rab7. The endosomal recruitment of Shoc2 was blocked by overexpression of a GDP-bound H-RAS (N17S) mutant and RNAi knockdown of clathrin, suggesting the requirement of RAS activity and …

Inducible Cre Transgenic Mouse Strain For Skeletal Muscle-Specific Gene Targeting, John J. Mccarthy, Ratchakrit Srikuea, Tyler J. Kirby, Charlotte A. Peterson, Karyn A. Esser

Center for Muscle Biology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The use of the Cre/loxP system for gene targeting has been proven to be a powerful tool for understanding gene function. The purpose of this study was to create and characterize an inducible, skeletal muscle-specific Cre transgenic mouse strain.

METHODS: To achieve skeletal muscle-specific expression, the human α-skeletal actin promoter was used to drive expression of a chimeric Cre recombinase containing two mutated estrogen receptor ligand-binding domains.

RESULTS: Western blot analysis, PCR and β-galactosidase staining confirmed that Cre-mediated recombination was restricted to limb and craniofacial skeletal muscles only after tamoxifen administration.

CONCLUSIONS: A transgenic mouse was created that allows …

Eye Size At Birth In Prosimian Primates: Life History Correlates And Growth Patterns, Joshua R. Cummings, Magdalena N. Muchlinski, E. Christopher Kirk, Susan J. Rehorek, Valerie B. Deleon, Timothy D. Smith

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Primates have large eyes relative to head size, which profoundly influence the ontogenetic emergence of facial form. However, growth of the primate eye is only understood in a narrow taxonomic perspective, with information biased toward anthropoids.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We measured eye and bony orbit size in perinatal prosimian primates (17 strepsirrhine taxa and Tarsius syrichta) to infer the extent of prenatal as compared to postnatal eye growth. In addition, multiple linear regression was used to detect relationships of relative eye and orbit diameter to life history variables. ANOVA was used to determine if eye size differed according to activity …

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Carbon Foams For Repair And Reconstruction Of Bone Defects, Brock Holston Marrs, Rodney Andrews, Larry Cunningham Jr.

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty Patents

The present invention relates to a tissue scaffold and a method of preparing a tissue scaffold for implantation. The tissue scaffold includes a body having a graphite foam core. At least a first portion of the external surface of that graphite foam core is covered by a composite material to provide additional mechanical strength to the scaffold.

Distribution, Elimination, And Biopersistence To 90 Days Of A Systemically Introduced 30 Nm Ceria-Engineered Nanomaterial In Rats, Robert A. Yokel, Tu C. Au, Robert Macphail, Sarita S. Hardas, D. Allan Butterfield, Rukhsana Sultana, Michael Goodman, Michael T. Tseng, Mo Dan, Hamed Haghnazar, Jason M. Unrine, Uschi M. Graham, Peng Wu, Eric A. Grulke

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Nanoceria is used as a catalyst in diesel fuel, as an abrasive in printed circuit manufacture, and is being pursued as an antioxidant therapeutic. Our objective is to extend previous findings showing that there were no reductions of cerium in organs of the mononuclear phagocyte (reticuloendothelial) system up to 30 days after a single nanoscale ceria administration. An ~5% aqueous dispersion of citrate-stabilized 30 nm ceria, synthesized and characterized in-house, or vehicle, was iv infused into rats terminated 1, 7, 30, or 90 days later. Cageside observations were obtained daily, body weight weekly. Daily urinary and fecal cerium outputs were …

Pyrosequencing The Bemisia Tabaci Transcriptome Reveals A Highly Diverse Bacterial Community And A Robust System For Insecticide Resistance, Wen Xie, Qing-Shu Meng, Qing-Jun Wu, Shao-Li Wang, Xin Yang, Ni-Na Yang, Ru-Mei Li, Xiao-Guo Jiao, Hui-Peng Pan, Bai-Ming Liu, Qi Su, Bao-Yun Xu, Song-Nian Hu, Xuguo Zhou, You-Jun Zhang

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) is a phloem-feeding insect poised to become one of the major insect pests in open field and greenhouse production systems throughout the world. The high level of resistance to insecticides is a main factor that hinders continued use of insecticides for suppression of B. tabaci. Despite its prevalence, little is known about B. tabaci at the genome level. To fill this gap, an invasive B. tabaci B biotype was subjected to pyrosequencing-based transcriptome analysis to identify genes and gene networks putatively involved in various physiological and toxicological processes.

METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using Roche 454 pyrosequencing, …

Population Genetic Structure Of Aedes Polynesiensis In The Society Islands Of French Polynesia: Implications For Control Using A Wolbachia-Based Autocidal Strategy, Corey L. Brelsfoard, Stephen L. Dobson

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Aedes polynesiensis is the primary vector of Wuchereria bancrofti in the South Pacific and an important vector of dengue virus. An improved understanding of the mosquito population genetics is needed for insight into the population dynamics and dispersal, which can aid in understanding the epidemiology of disease transmission and control of the vector. In light of the potential release of a Wolbachia infected strain for vector control, our objectives were to investigate the microgeographical and temporal population genetic structure of A. polynesiensis within the Society Islands of French Polynesia, and to compare the genetic background of a laboratory strain …

Paramyxovirus Fusion And Entry: Multiple Paths To A Common End, Andres Chang, Rebecca Ellis Dutch

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The paramyxovirus family contains many common human pathogenic viruses, including measles, mumps, the parainfluenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus, and the zoonotic henipaviruses, Hendra and Nipah. While the expression of a type 1 fusion protein and a type 2 attachment protein is common to all paramyxoviruses, there is considerable variation in viral attachment, the activation and triggering of the fusion protein, and the process of viral entry. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the understanding of paramyxovirus F protein-mediated membrane fusion, an essential process in viral infectivity. We also review the role of the other surface glycoproteins …

Personal Construction Of Cough Medicine Among Young Substance Abusers In Hong Kong, Daniel T. L. Shek

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Although cough medicine abuse is a growing problem in many places, there is no study examining the views of young substance abusers toward cough medicine. The objective of this study was to examine personal constructions of cough medicine abusers via the repertory grid tests (N = 11). Several observations are highlighted from the study. First, personal constructions of cough medicine were mixed, including the benefits and harmful effects of its abuse. Second, although the informants perceived cough medicine to be addictive and harmful, they perceived cough medicine to be less addictive and less harmful than did heroin. Third, while the …

Rapid Spread Of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus In China Is Aided Differentially By Two Invasive Whiteflies, Huipeng Pan, Dong Chu, Wenqian Yan, Qi Su, Baiming Liu, Shaoli Wang, Qingjun Wu, Wen Xie, Xiaoguo Jiao, Rumei Li, Nina Yang, Xin Yang, Baoyun Xu, Judith K. Brown, Xuguo Zhou, Youjun Zhang

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) was introduced into China in 2006, approximately 10 years after the introduction of an invasive whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) B biotype. Even so the distribution and prevalence of TYLCV remained limited, and the economic damage was minimal. Following the introduction of Q biotype into China in 2003, the prevalence and spread of TYLCV started to accelerate. This has lead to the hypothesis that the two biotypes might not be equally competent vectors of TYLCV.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The infection frequency of TYLCV in the field-collected B. tabaci populations was investigated, the acquisition and transmission …

Seed Mucilage Improves Seedling Emergence Of A Sand Desert Shrub, Xuejun Yang, Carol C. Baskin, Jerry M. Baskin, Guangzheng Liu, Zhenying Huang

Biology Faculty Publications

The success of seedling establishment of desert plants is determined by seedling emergence response to an unpredictable precipitation regime. Sand burial is a crucial and frequent environmental stress that impacts seedling establishment on sand dunes. However, little is known about the ecological role of seed mucilage in seedling emergence in arid sandy environments. We hypothesized that seed mucilage enhances seedling emergence in a low precipitation regime and under conditions of sand burial. In a greenhouse experiment, two types of Artemisia sphaerocephala achenes (intact and demucilaged) were exposed to different combinations of burial depth (0, 5, 10, 20, 40 and 60 …

Prostate Cancer-Specific And Potent Antitumor Effect Of A Dd3-Controlled Oncolytic Virus Harboring The Pten Gene, Miao Ding, Xin Cao, Hai-Neng Xu, Jun-Kai Fan, Hong-Ling Huang, Dong-Qin Yang, Yu-Hua Li, Jian Wang, Runsheng Li, Xin-Yuan Liu

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Prostate cancer is a major health problem for men in Western societies. Here we report a Prostate Cancer-Specific Targeting Gene-Viro-Therapy (CTGVT-PCa), in which PTEN was inserted into a DD3-controlled oncolytic viral vector (OV) to form Ad.DD3.E1A.E1B(Δ55)-(PTEN) or, briefly, Ad.DD3.D55-PTEN. The woodchuck post-transcriptional element (WPRE) was also introduced at the downstream of the E1A coding sequence, resulting in much higher expression of the E1A gene. DD3 is one of the most prostate cancer-specific genes and has been used as a clinical bio-diagnostic marker. PTEN is frequently inactivated in primary prostate cancers, which is crucial for prostate cancer progression. Therefore, the Ad.DD3.D55-PTEN …

Insulin Degludec, The New Generation Basal Insulin Or Just Another Basal Insulin?, Sami N. Nasrallah, L. Raymond Reynolds

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

The advances in recombinant DNA technology have led to an improvement in the properties of currently available long-acting insulin analogs. Insulin degludec, a new generation ultra-long-acting basal insulin, currently in phase 3 clinical trials, has a promising future in clinical use. When compared to its rival basal insulin analogs, a longer duration of action and lower incidence of hypoglycemic events in both type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients has been demonstrated. Its unique mechanism of action is based on multihexamer formation after subcutaneous injection. This reportedly allows for less pharmacodynamic variability and within-subject variability than currently available insulin analogs, …

Acupuncture: The New Ancient, Connie Jennings

Year of China Events

No abstract provided.

Genetics Of Clusterin Isoform Expression And Alzheimer's Disease Risk, I-Fang Ling, Jiraganya Bhongsatiern, James F. Simpson, David W. Fardo, Steven Estus

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

The minor allele of rs11136000 within CLU is strongly associated with reduced Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk. The mechanism underlying this association is unclear. Here, we report that CLU1 and CLU2 are the two primary CLU isoforms in human brain; CLU1 and CLU2 share exons 2-9 but differ in exon 1 and proximal promoters. The expression of both CLU1 and CLU2 was increased in individuals with significant AD neuropathology. However, only CLU1 was associated with the rs11136000 genotype, with the minor "protective" rs11136000T allele being associated with increased CLU1 expression. Since CLU1 and CLU2 are predicted to encode intracellular and secreted …

Genetic Association Studies Of Copy-Number Variation: Should Assignment Of Copy Number States Precede Testing?, Patrick Breheny, Prabhakar Chalise, Anthony Batzler, Liewei Wang, Brooke L. Fridley

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Recently, structural variation in the genome has been implicated in many complex diseases. Using genomewide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays, researchers are able to investigate the impact not only of SNP variation, but also of copy-number variants (CNVs) on the phenotype. The most common analytic approach involves estimating, at the level of the individual genome, the underlying number of copies present at each location. Once this is completed, tests are performed to determine the association between copy number state and phenotype. An alternative approach is to carry out association testing first, between phenotype and raw intensities from the SNP array …

Skin Regeneration In Adult Axolotls: A Blueprint For Scar-Free Healing In Vertebrates, Ashley W. Seifert, James R. Monaghan, S. Randal Voss, Malcolm Maden

Biology Faculty Publications

While considerable progress has been made towards understanding the complex processes and pathways that regulate human wound healing, regenerative medicine has been unable to develop therapies that coax the natural wound environment to heal scar-free. The inability to induce perfect skin regeneration stems partly from our limited understanding of how scar-free healing occurs in a natural setting. Here we have investigated the wound repair process in adult axolotls and demonstrate that they are capable of perfectly repairing full thickness excisional wounds made on the flank. In the context of mammalian wound repair, our findings reveal a substantial reduction in hemostasis, …

G9a Interacts With Snail And Is Critical For Snail-Mediated E-Cadherin Repression In Human Breast Cancer, Chenfang Dong, Yadi Wu, Jun Yao, Yifan Wang, Yinhua Yu, Piotr G. Rychahou, B. Mark Evers, Binhua P. Zhou

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Breast cancers are highly heterogeneous but can be grouped into subtypes based on several criteria, including level of expression of certain markers. Claudin-low breast cancer (CLBC) is associated with early metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy, while gene profiling indicates it is characterized by the expression of markers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) - a phenotypic conversion linked with metastasis. Although the epigenetic program controlling the phenotypic and cellular plasticity of EMT remains unclear, one contributor may be methylation of the E-cadherin promoter, resulting in decreased E-cadherin expression, a hallmark of EMT. Indeed, reduced E-cadherin often occurs in CLBC and may contribute …

Oral Microbial Biofilm Stimulation Of Epithelial Cell Responses, Rebecca Peyyala, Sreenatha S. Kirakodu, Karen F. Novak, Jeffrey L. Ebersole

Center for Oral Health Research Faculty Publications

Oral bacterial biofilms trigger chronic inflammatory responses in the host that can result in the tissue destructive events of periodontitis. However, the characteristics of the capacity of specific host cell types to respond to these biofilms remain ill-defined. This report describes the use of a novel model of bacterial biofilms to stimulate oral epithelial cells and profile select cytokines and chemokines that contribute to the local inflammatory environment in the periodontium. Monoinfection biofilms were developed with Streptococcus sanguinis, Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus gordonii, Actinomyces naeslundii, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Porphyromonas gingivalis on rigid gas-permeable contact lenses. Biofilms, as well as planktonic cultures …

Global Ky (Spring 2012), University Of Kentucky International Center

Global Kentucky

No abstract provided.

A Non-Canonical E-Box Within The Myod Core Enhancer Is Necessary For Circadian Expression In Skeletal Muscle, Xiping Zhang, Samir P. Patel, John J. Mccarthy, Alexander G. Rabchevsky, David J. Goldhamer, Karyn A. Esser

Center for Muscle Biology Faculty Publications

The myogenic differentiation 1 (MyoD) gene is a master regulator of myogenesis. We previously reported that the expression of MyoD mRNA oscillates over 24 h in skeletal muscle and that the circadian clock transcription factors, BMAL1 (brain and muscle ARNT-like 1) and CLOCK (circadian locomotor output cycles kaput), were bound to the core enhancer (CE) of the MyoD gene in vivo. In this study, we provide in vivo and in vitro evidence that the CE is necessary for circadian expression of MyoD in adult muscle. Gel shift assays identified a conserved non-canonical E-box within the CE that …

Special Ops: Vulnerable Populations And Tobacco Treatment, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Audrey Darville

Nursing Presentations

• Reasons for Smoking among individuals with co-morbid substance use (SUD)and/or psychiatric disorders (PD)

• Smoking cessation treatment for individuals with co-morbid substance use (SUD) and/or psychiatric disorders (PD)

• Smoking among the Homeless population

Moral Judgments & International Crimes: The Disutility Of Desert, Andrew K. Woods

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

The international criminal regime exhibits many retributive features, but scholars and practitioners rarely defend the regime in purely retributive terms—that is, by reference to the inherent value of punishing the guilty. Instead, they defend it on the consequentialist grounds that it produces the best policy outcomes, such as deterrence, conflict resolution, and reconciliation. These scholars and practitioners implicitly adopt a behavioral theory known as the "utility of desert," a theory about the usefulness of appealing to people's retributive intuitions. That theory has been critically examined in domestic criminal scholarship but practically ignored in international criminal law.

This Article fills this …

Evidence-Based Medicine Versus Personalized Medicine: Are They Enemies?, Jose De Leon

Psychiatry Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Does Emotional Memory Enhancement Assist The Memory-Impaired?, Lucas S. Broster, Lee X. Blonder, Yang Jiang

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

We review recent work on emotional memory enhancement in older adults and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer dementia (AD) and evaluate the viability of incorporating emotional components into cognitive rehabilitation for these groups. First, we identify converging evidence regarding the effects of emotional valence on working memory in healthy aging. Second, we introduce work that suggests a more complex role for emotional memory enhancement in aging and identify a model capable of unifying disparate research findings. Third, we survey the neuroimaging literature for evidence of a special role for the amygdala in MCI and early AD in …

Oxidative Stress In Hpv-Driven Viral Carcinogenesis: Redox Proteomics Analysis Of Hpv-16 Dysplastic And Neoplastic Tissues, Federico De Marco, Elona Bucaj, Cesira Foppoli, Ada Fiorini, Carla Blarzino, Kozeta Filipi, Alessandra Giorgi, Maria Eugenia Schininà, Fabio Di Domenico, Raffaella Coccia, D. Allan Butterfield, Marzia Perluigi

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Genital infection by high risk Human Papillomavirus (HR-HPV), although recognized as the main etio-pathogenetic factor of cervical cancer, is not per se sufficient to induce tumour development. Oxidative stress (OS) represents an interesting and under-explored candidate as a promoting factor in HPV-initiated carcinogenesis. To gain insight into the role of OS in cervical cancer, HPV-16 positive tissues were collected from patients with invasive squamous cervical carcinoma, from patients with High Grade dysplastic HPV lesions and from patients with no clinical evidence of HPV lesions. After virological characterization, modulation of proteins involved in the redox status regulation was investigated. ERp57 and …

La Habana Y Medellín: Dos Mundos Poshumanistas Y Posapocalípticos A Través De La Neblina Del Ayer Y Rosario Tijeras, Osvaldo Di Paolo

Nomenclatura: aproximaciones a los estudios hispánicos

No abstract provided.