Digital Commons Network^™

Serials Solutions Subject Search Report 2010-2011, Andree J. Rathemacher

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Statistics on the total number of Serials Solutions subject searches at the University of Rhode Island Libraries by month for 2010-2011. Shows how many times the A-Z full text electronic journal list (at http://zu4tq4pb5v.search.serialssolutions.com/) was browsed by specific subjects.

Immunogenic Consensus Sequence T Helper Epitopes For A Pan-Burkholderia Biodefense Vaccine, Anne S. De Groot, Matthew Ardito, Leonard Moise, Eric A. Gustafson, Denice Spero, Gloria Tejada, William Martin

Institute for Immunology and Informatics Faculty Publications

Background: Biodefense vaccines against Category B bioterror agents Burkholderia pseudomallei (BPM) and Burkholderia mallei (BM) are needed, as they are both easily accessible to terrorists and have strong weaponization potential. Burkholderia cepaciae (BC), a related pathogen, causes chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients. Since BPM, BM and BC are all intracellular bacteria, they are excellent targets for T cell-based vaccines. However, the sheer volume of available genomic data requires the aid of immunoinformatics for vaccine design. Using EpiMatrix, ClustiMer and EpiAssembler, a set of immunoinformatic vac-cine design tools, we screened the 31 available Burkholderia genomes and performed initial tests …

Heartworm In Canines: Trends In Rhode Island Shelter Populations, Kelsey L. Mckenna

Senior Honors Projects

Heartworm in Canines

Kelsey McKenna

Faculty Sponsor: Darlene Jones, DVM, Animal Science

Each year thousands of dogs in the United States become infected with heartworm, which is caused by Dirofilaria immitis. D. immitis is a parasite that is transmitted to dogs via a bite by an infected mosquito. Nine of the seventy competent mosquito species reside in Rhode Island. The true incidence of D. immitis is unknown. Current incidence maps are derived from data generated at veterinary clinics and do not include shelter dogs. The objective of this study is twofold: to determine the prevalence of D. immitis in …

The Effects Of Climate Change On Public Health And The Healthcare Provider's Role In Addressing Climate Change, Allyson J. Pfeiffer

Senior Honors Projects

“Climate change is a term that refers to major changes in temperature, rainfall, snow, or wind patterns lasting for decades or longer.  Both human-made and natural factors contribute to climate change” (EPA, p. 1, 2011).  Some examples of human-made causes of global warming include burning fossil fuels (e.g., petroleum, coal, diesel), cutting down forests, and developing land for farms, cities, and roads, because these activities all release green house gases into the atmosphere.  Green house gases are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere.  There are some greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide that occur naturally and are emitted into …

Inhibition Of Bacterial Growth And Biofilm Production By Metabolites From Hypericum Spp, S.A. Sarkisian, G.E. Henry, K.L. Laplant, D.C. Rowley

Discovery@URI

Biofilm embedded bacterial pathogens such as Staphylococcus spp., Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii are difficult to eradicate and are major sources of bacterial infections. New drugs are needed to combat these pathogens. Hypericum is a plant genus that contains species known to have antimicrobial properties. However, the specific metabolites responsible for the antimicrobial properties are not entirely known, nor have most compounds been tested as inhibitors of biofilm development. The investigation presented here tested seven secondary metabolites isolated from the species Hypericum densiflorum, Hypericum ellipticum, Hypericum prolificum and Hypericum punctatum as inhibitors of bacterial growth and biofilm production. …

Coupling Sensitive In Vitro And In Silico Techniques To Assess Cross-Reactive Cd4+ T Cells Against The Swine-Origin H1n1 Influenza Virus, Brian C. Schanen, Anne S. De Groot, Leonard Moise, Matt Ardito, Elizabeth Mcclaine, William Martin, Vaughan Wittman, William L. Warren, Donald R. Drake Iii

Institute for Immunology and Informatics Faculty Publications

The outbreak of the novel swine-origin H1N1 influenza in the spring of 2009 took epidemiologists, immunologists, and vaccinologists by surprise and galvanized a massive worldwide effort to produce millions of vaccine doses to protect against this single virus strain. Of particular concern was the apparent lack of pre-existing antibody capable of eliciting cross-protective immunity against this novel virus, which fueled fears this strain would trigger a particularly far-reaching and lethal pandemic. Given that disease caused by the swine-origin virus was far less severe than expected, we hypothesized cellular immunity to cross-conserved T cell epitopes might have played a significant role …

Helicovax: Epitope-Based Therapeutic Helicobacter Pylori Vaccination In A Mouse Model, Steven F. Moss, Leonard Moise, Dong Soo Lee, Woojin Kim, Songhua Zhang, Jinhee Lee, Arlin B. Rogers, William Martin, Anne S. De Groot

Institute for Immunology and Informatics Faculty Publications

Helicobacter pylori is the leading cause of gastritis, peptic ulcer disease and gastric adenocarcinoma and lymphoma in humans. Due to the decreasing efficacy of anti-H. pylori antibiotic therapy in clinical practice, there is renewed interest in the development of anti-H. pylori vaccines. In this study an in silico-based approach was utilized to develop a multi-epitope DNA-prime/peptide-boost immunization strategy using informatics tools. The efficacy of this construct was then assessed as a therapeutic vaccine in a mouse model of gastric cancer induced by chronic H. pylori infection. The multi-epitope vaccine administered intranasally induced a broad immune response as determined …

Harnessing The Power Of Genomics And Immunoinformatics To Produce Improved Vaccines, Leonard Moise, Leslie Cousens, Joanna Fueyo, Anne S. De Groot

Institute for Immunology and Informatics Faculty Publications

The role of cellular immunity as a mediator of protection against disease is gaining recognition, particularly with regard to the many pathogens for which we presently lack effective vaccines. As a result, there is an ever-increasing need to understand the T-cell populations induced by vaccination and, therefore, T-cell epitopes responsible for triggering their activation. Although the characterization and harnessing of cellular immunity for vaccine development is an active area of research interest, the field still needs to rigorously define T-cell epitope specificities, above all, on a genomic level. New immunoinformatic epitope mapping tools now make it possible to identify pathogen …

One Session Of Ttm-Tailored Condom Use Feedback: A Pilot Study Among At-Risk Women In The Bronx, Colleen A. Redding, Pamela Brown-Peterside, Seth M. Noar, Joseph S. Rossi, Beryl A. Koblin

Cancer Prevention Research Center Faculty Publications

There is an urgent need to implement interventions to curb the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially HIV. Consistent condom use is an effective preventive strategy, yet especially among those at highest risk, condom use remains too low. This paper describes changes in condom use and stages of condom use over two–three months time following a single session with an interactive multimedia computer-delivered Transtheoretical Model (TTM)-tailored expert system originally designed for at-risk adolescents. The intervention provided immediate TTM-tailored feedback to diverse urban women based on their stage of condom use and other TTM variables. Previous work found this system …

Vennvax, A Dna-Prime, Peptide-Boost Multi-T-Cell Epitope Poxvirus Vaccine, Induces Protective Immunity Against Vaccinia Infection By T Cell Response Alone, Leonard Moise, R. Mark Buller, Jill Schriewer, Jinhee Lee, Sharon E. Frey, David B. Weiner, William Martin, Anne S. De Groot

Institute for Immunology and Informatics Faculty Publications

The potential for smallpox to be disseminated in a bioterror attack has prompted development of new, safer smallpox vaccination strategies. We designed and evaluated immunogenicity and efficacy of a T-cell epitope vaccine based on conserved and antigenic vaccinia/variola sequences, identified using bioinformatics and immunological methods. Vaccination in HLA transgenic mice using a DNA-prime/peptide-boost strategy elicited significant T cell responses to multiple epitopes. No antibody response pre-challenge was observed, neither against whole vaccinia antigens nor vaccine epitope peptides. Remarkably, 100% of vaccinated mice survived lethal vaccinia challenge, demonstrating that protective immunity to vaccinia does not require B cell priming.

Monoamine Neurotransmitters As Substrates For Novel Tick Sulfotransferases, Homology Modeling, Molecular Docking, And Enzyme Kinetics, Emine Bihter Yalcin, Hubert Strangl, Sivakamasundari Pichu, Thomas N. Mather, Roberta S. King

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) transmit the causative agent of Lyme disease in the Northeastern United States. Current research focuses on elucidating biochemical pathways that may be disrupted to prevent pathogen transmission, thereby preventing disease. Genome screening reported transcripts coding for two putative sulfotransferases in whole tick extracts of the nymphal and larval stages. Sulfotransferases are known to sulfonate phenolic and alcoholic receptor agonists such as 17β-estradiol, thereby inactivating the receptor ligands. We used bioinformatic approaches to predict substrates for Ixosc Sult 1 and Ixosc Sult 2 and tested the predictions with biochemical assays. Homology models of 3D protein …

Constitutive Immune Function In European Starlings, Sturnus Vulgaris, Is Decreased Immediately After An Endurance Flight In A Wind Tunnel, Silke Nebel, Ulf Bauchinger, Deborah M. Buehler, Lillie A. Langlois, Michelle Boyles, Alexander R. Gerson, Edwin R. Price, Scott R. Mcwilliams, Christopher Guglielmo

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Life-history theory predicts that animals face a trade-off in energy allocation between performing strenuous exercise, such as migratory flight, and mounting an immune response. We experimentally tested this prediction by studying immune function in European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, flown in a wind tunnel. Specifically, we predicted that constitutive immune function decreases in response to training and, additionally, in response to immediate exercise. We compared constitutive immune function among three groups: (1) ‘untrained’ birds that were kept in cages and were not flown; (2) ‘trained’ birds that received flight training over a 15 day period and performed a 1-4 h …

Molecular Characterization Of Novel Sulfotransferases From The Tick, Ixodes Scapularis, Sivakamasundari Pichu, Emine Bihter Yalcin, José Mc Ribeiro, Roberta S. King, Thomas N. Mather

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Ixodes scapularis, commonly known as the blacklegged or deer tick, is the main vector of Lyme disease in the United States. Recent progress in transcriptome research has uncovered hundreds of different proteins expressed in the salivary glands of hard ticks, the majority of which have no known function, and include many novel protein families. We recently identified transcripts coding for two putative cytosolic sulfotransferases in these ticks which recognized phenolic monoamines as their substrates. In this current study, we characterize the genetic expression of these two cytosolic sulfotransferases throughout the tick life cycle as well as the …

Biofilm Production By Clinical Staphylococcus Aureus And Its Inhibition By Hypericum Metabolites, Simon Antranik Sarkisian

Open Access Master's Theses

Evolution has allowed bacteria to develop sophisticated methods of survival. One of these methods is biofilm production. Biofilms can be best described as complex bacterial communities embedded in a self-producing slime. Once bacteria form these biofilm communities, they become very difficult to treat with antibiotics. Along with biofilm production, another rising concern is antibiotic resistance. Bacterial resistance to many of our current antibiotics is sharply increasing, thereby creating a critical need to develop novel antimicrobial drugs.

The most successful strategy for the discovery of new antibacterial agents has been the study of molecules from nature. Most of our current clinical …

Serials Solutions Subject Search Report 2009-2010

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Statistics on the total number of Serials Solutions subject searches at the University of Rhode Island Libraries by month for 2009-2010. Shows how many times the A-Z full text electronic journal list (at http://zu4tq4pb5v.search.serialssolutions.com/) was browsed by specific subjects.

Acquisitions Unit Annual Report 2009-2010, Andree J. Rathemacher

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Annual report of the Acquisitions Unit, University Library, University of Rhode Island for FY10. Covers personnel, work flow, special projects, serial and monograph acquisitions, and goals for the coming year. The Acquisitions Unit was re-formed in July 2009 by the merger of the Serials Unit and the Monographic Acquisitions and Copy Cataloging (MACC) Unit. Supplemental files include data on library materials expenditures by a number of variables as well as important working documents from the year, e.g. serial titles withdrawn, subscription changes for 2010, collection comparisons with other HELIN libraries, fiscal close reports, and a list of e-resources acquired through …

Exploring Health Through The Lens Of Homelessness, Faith T. Adewusi

Senior Honors Projects

Homelessness is a serious economic, social and public health problem. Approximately 2.3 to 3.5 million people are estimated to be homeless nationwide and with the current recession, these numbers are expected to rise. Due to the lack of permanent living accommodations and limited access to healthcare, homeless people are more likely than domiciled people to suffer from a wide range of chronic health problem, ranging from diabetes to tuberculosis to mental illness. Healthcare problems can be seen as both the cause and the effect of homelessness.

The purpose of this study was to learn about the living conditions of the …

A Network-Individual-Resource Model For Hiv Prevention, Blair T. Johnson, Colleen A. Redding, Ralph J. Diclemente, Brian S. Mustanski, Brian Dodge, Paschal Sheeran, Michelle R. Warren, Rick S. Zimmerman, William A. Fisher, Mark T. Conner, Michael P. Carey, Jeffrey D. Fisher, Ronald D. Stall, Martin Fishbein

Cancer Prevention Research Center Faculty Publications

HIV is transmitted through dyadic exchanges of individuals linked in transitory or permanent networks of varying sizes. A theoretical perspective that bridges key individual level elements with important network elements can be a complementary foundation for developing and implementing HIV interventions with outcomes that are more sustainable over time and have greater dissemination potential. Toward that end, we introduce a Network-Individual-Resource (NIR) model for HIV prevention that recognizes how exchanges of resources between individuals and their networks underlies and sustains HIV-risk behaviors. Individual behavior change for HIV prevention, then, may be dependent on increasing the supportiveness of that individual’s relevant …

Synthesis, Antiviral And Contraceptive Activities Of Nucleoside–Sodium Cellulose Sulfate Acetate And Succinate Conjugates, Hitesh K. Agarwal, Anil Kumar, Gustavo F. Doncel, Keykavous Parang

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Chemical conjugates between sodium cellulose sulfate (CS), displaying contraceptive and HIV-entry inhibiting properties, and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) (3′-azido-2′,3′-dideoxythymidine (AZT), 3′-fluoro-2′,3′-dideoxythymidine (FLT), or 2′,3′-dideoxy-3′-thiacytidine (3TC)) were designed to simultaneously provide contraceptive and anti-HIV activity. Two linkers, acetate and succinate, were used to conjugate the nucleoside analogs with CS. The conjugates containing cellulose sulfate-acetate (CSA) (e.g., AZT–CSA and FLT–CSA) were found to be more potent than CS and other conjugates (e.g., AZT–succinate–CS, and FLT–succinate–CS). The presence of both sulfate and the acetate groups on cellulose were critical for generating maximum anti-HIV activity. In addition to showing equal potency against wild-type …

Risk Factors Associated With Mupirocin Resistance In Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Aisling R. Caffrey, J. Quilliam, Kerry L. Laplante

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Implementation of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) decolonisation programmes has been increasing and the emergence of mupirocin resistance has been reported. However, the patient-level risk factors associated with mupirocin resistance are not clear. In this study, independent predictors of mupirocin resistance in MRSA among Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center patients with MRSA-positive culture dates between 1 July 2004 and 30 June 2008 were identified using a frequency-matched case–control study. Forty cases (mupirocin-resistant) were matched on culture date quarter and year to 270 controls (mupirocin-susceptible). The adjusted conditional logistic regression model identified three significant independent predictors associated with mupirocin resistance in MRSA: …

Comparative Effectiveness Of Linezolid And Vancomycin Among A National Cohort Of Patients Infected With Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Aisling R. Caffrey, J. Quilliam, Kerry L. Laplante

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

While newer antibiotics play a key role in treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, knowledge of their real-world clinical impact is limited. We sought to quantify the effectiveness of linezolid compared to that of vancomycin among MRSA-infected patients. This national retrospective cohort study included adult patients admitted to all Veterans Affairs hospitals between January 2002 and June 2008, infected with MRSA, and treated with either linezolid (oral or intravenous [i.v.]) or vancomycin (i.v.). Patients were followed from their treatment initiation date until the event of interest, discharge, death, or December 2008. Utilizing propensity score methods, we estimated the treatment effects …

Research & Innovation For 2009-2010, University Of Rhode Island

Publications (Research and Economic Development)

The 2009-2010 issue of Research & Innovation, a periodical focused on research at the University of Rhode Island.

Drug Safety Issues Focusing On Liver And Pancreas Toxicity, Thamir M. Alshammari

Open Access Dissertations

Background: Medications benefit people with diseases and medical conditions, improving many patients' lives and in some cases significantly increasing their quality of life. Despite these great benefits, medications can lead to serious adverse effects. Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are the 4^th leading cause of death, greater than major killers including pulmonary diseases, diabetes and automobile death. Not all medication groups have the same incidence in inducing diseases. Anti-infective agents - including antibacterial agents- are the most likely to induce diseases followed by cardiovascular agents and antineoplastic agents.

Objectives: Drug safety is a very important issue in patient …

Emerging Vaccine Informatics, Yongqun He, Rino Rappuoli, Anne S. De Groot, Robert T. Chen

Institute for Immunology and Informatics Faculty Publications

Vaccine informatics is an emerging research area that focuses on development and applications of bioinformatics methods that can be used to facilitate every aspect of the preclinical, clinical, and postlicensure vaccine enterprises. Many immunoinformatics algorithms and resources have been developed to predict T- and B-cell immune epitopes for epitope vaccine development and protective immunity analysis. Vaccine protein candidates are predictable in silico from genome sequences using reverse vaccinology. Systematic transcriptomics and proteomics gene expression analyses facilitate rational vaccine design and identification of gene responses that are correlates of protection in vivo. Mathematical simulations have been used to model host-pathogen interactions …

Physical And Chemical Interactions Between Marine Phytoplankton And Particle-Colonizing Bacteria, Jason Robert Graff

Open Access Dissertations

It is inherently difficult to study the direct interactions between marine microbes due to the size of the organisms and microscale environments in which they exist. Recent evidence suggests that the direct associations between marine phytoplankton and particle-colonizing bacteria can influence marine microbial community succession, microalgal primary production, toxin production by marine phytoplankton, and have potential implications for human health. The goal of this dissertation was to elucidate some of the physical and chemical mechanisms that regulate microbial interactions, particularly the colonization of phytoplankton and other marine particles by bacteria. To accomplish these goals, I used a creative and multi-disciplinary …

Use Of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors/Angiotensin Receptor Blockers And Lipid-Lowering Therapies Among Rhode Islanders With Diabetes Enrolled In Medicare Part D Plans In 2006 And 2007, Aisling R. Caffrey, Jon Kogut, Lynn Pezzullo

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Serials Unit Annual Report 2008-2009, Andree J. Rathemacher

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Annual report of the Serials Unit, University Library, University of Rhode Island. Covers personnel, work flow, subscriptions, and statistics on expenditures by a number of variables.

Serials Solutions Subject Search Report 2008-2009

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Statistics on the total number of Serials Solutions subject searches at the University of Rhode Island Libraries by month for 2008-2009. Shows how many times the A-Z full text electronic journal list (at http://zu4tq4pb5v.search.serialssolutions.com/) was browsed by specific subjects.

Purification And Characterization Of A Novel Salivary Antimicrobial Peptide From The Tick, Ixodes Scapularis, Sivakamasundari Pichu, José M.C. Ribeiro, Thomas N. Mather

Plant Sciences and Entomology Faculty Publications

A novel antimicrobial peptide was isolated from the saliva of the Lyme disease tick vector, Ixodes scapularis, henceforth designated as ISAMP (I. scapularis Antimicrobial Peptide). ISAMP was purified using a sequential method including ultra filtration, gel filtration and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. The purified peak had a molecular weight of 5.3 kDa by MALDI/TOF-MS and its amino acid sequence, determined by Edman degradation was PDxGxPxxVKAGRxPxxSI. A BLASTP search revealed that the protein is a putative 5.3 kDa secreted protein (AAM93656) from I. scapularis. The predicted protein is composed of 69 amino acids with no conserved …

Evaluating Aztreonam And Ceftazidime Pharmacodynamics With Escherichia Coli In Combination With Daptomycin, Linezolid, Or Vancomycin In An In Vitro Pharmacodynamic Model, Kerry L. Laplante, Sakoulas

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

In an in vitro pharmacodynamic model, linezolid attenuated the activity of aztreonam and ceftazidime against Escherichia coli. Conversely, synergy was detected at 24 and 48 h when daptomycin or vancomycin was added to aztreonam and ceftazidime. We conclude that significant yet underappreciated interactions may occur between gram-positive-spectrum and gram-negative-spectrum antibacterials.