Digital Commons Network^™

Eyeballing Stroke: Blood Flow Alterations In The Eye And Visual Impairments Following Transient Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion In Adult Rats, Jea-Young Lee, Vanessa Castelli, Brooke Bonsack, Julián García-Sánchez, Chase Kingsbury, Hung Nguyen, Naoki Tajiri, Cesar V. Borlongan

Neurosurgery and Brain Repair Faculty Publications

Middle cerebral artery occlusion in rodents remains a widely used model of ischemic stroke. Recently, we reported the occurrence of retinal ischemia in animals subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion, owing in part to the circulatory juxtaposition of the ophthalmic artery to the middle cerebral artery. In this study, we examined the eye hemodynamics and visual deficits in middle cerebral artery occlusion-induced stroke rats. The brain and eye were evaluated by laser Doppler at baseline (prior to middle cerebral artery occlusion), during and after middle cerebral artery occlusion. Retinal function-relevant behavioral and histological outcomes were performed at 3 and 14 …

The Role Of Gut Microbiome Perturbation In Fatigue Induced By Repeated Stress From Chemoradiotherapy: A Proof Of Concept Study, Velda J. González-Mercado, Josué Pérez-Santiago, Debra Lyon, Israel Dilán-Pantojas, Wendy Henderson, Susan Mcmillan, Maureen Groer, Brad Kane, Sara Marrero, Elsa Pedro, Leorey N. Saligan

Nursing Faculty Publications

Objectives. The objectives of this proof of concept study were to (a) examine the temporal changes in fatigue and diversity of the gut microbiome over the course of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in adults with rectal cancers; (b) investigate whether there are differences in diversity of the gut microbiome between fatigued and nonfatigued participants at the middle and at the end of CRT; and (c) investigate whether there are differences in the relative abundance of fecal microbiota at the phylum and genus levels between fatigued and nonfatigued participants at the middle and at the end of CRT. Methods. Stool samples …

Potential Of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Alone, Or In Combination, To Treat Traumatic Brain Injury, Alison E. Willing, Mahasweta Das, Mark Howell, Shyam S. Mohapatra, Subhra Mohapatra

Neurosurgery and Brain Repair Faculty Publications

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes death and disability in the United States and around the world. The traumatic insult causes the mechanical injury of the brain and primary cellular death. While a comprehensive pathological mechanism of TBI is still lacking, the focus of the TBI research is concentrated on understanding the pathophysiology and developing suitable therapeutic approaches. Given the complexities in pathophysiology involving interconnected immunologic, inflammatory, and neurological cascades occurring after TBI, the therapies directed to a single mechanism fail in the clinical trials. This has led to the development of the paradigm of a combination therapeutic approach against TBI. …

Lack Of Resolution Sensor Drives Age-Related Cardiometabolic And Cardiorenal Defects And Impedes Inflammation-Resolution In Heart Failure, Bochra Tourki, Vasundhara Kain, Amanda B. Pullen, Paul C. Norris, Nirav Patel, Pankaj Arora, Xavier Leroy, Charles N. Serhan, Ganesh V. Halade

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Objective: Recently, we observed that the specialized proresolving mediator (SPM) entity resolvin D1 activates lipoxin A4/formyl peptide receptor 2 (ALX/FPR2), which facilitates cardiac healing and persistent inflammation is a hallmark of impaired cardiac repair in aging. Splenic leukocyte-directed SPMs are essential for the safe clearance of inflammation and cardiac repair after injury; however, the target of SPMs remains undefined in cardiac healing and repair. Methods: To define the mechanistic basis of ALX/FPR2 as a resolvin D1 target, ALX/FPR2-null mice were examined extensively. The systolic-diastolic heart function was assessed using echocardiography, leukocytes were phenotyped using flow cytometry, and SPMs were quantitated …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Racial And Ethnic Differences In Cost Of Care Conversations Among Older Adults, Kyaien Oquinn Conner, Jaqueline Wiltshire, Edlin Colato Garcia, Barbara Langland-Orban, Erica Anderson, Iraida Carrion, Amber Goodman, Ashley Goodman

Sociology Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: The rapidly growing racially diverse, aging population in the United States is presenting unique challenges for our social, economic, and healthcare systems. Rising health care costs, increased patient cost-sharing, and limited financial resources make this generation of older Americans susceptible to large medical bills or debt which disproportionally impacts older racial/ethnic minorities. Cost-of-care (CoC) conversations between patients and doctors is one recommended approach to containing health care costs and alleviating patients’ financial burden of care.

Methods: The current study used focus group methodology to qualitatively explore the contextual factors that influence CoC conversations in a diverse sample of older …

Impact Of Excess Weight Gain On Risk Of Postpartum Infection In Class Iii Obesity, Courtney J. Mitchell, Lamani Adkins, Ann Tucker, Haywood Brown, Anne Siegel, Sarah Dotter-Katz

Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Objective: To assess the impact of gestational weight gain >20 pounds (more than Institute of Medicine [IOM] recommendations) on postpartum infectious morbidity in women with class III obesity.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort of term, nonanomalous singleton pregnancies with body mass index ≥40 at a single institution from 2013 to 2017. Pregnancies with multiple gestation, late entry to care, and missing weight gain data are excluded. Primary outcome is a composite of postpartum infection (endometritis, urinary tract, respiratory, and wound infection). Secondary outcomes include components of composite, wound complication, readmission, and blood transfusion. Bivariate statistics compared demographics, pregnancy complications, …

Resolvin E1 Derived From Eicosapentaenoic Acid Prevents Hyperinsulinemia And Hyperglycemia In A Host Genetic Manner, Anandita Pal, Abrar E. Al-Shaer, William Guesdon, Maria J. Torres, Michael Armstrong, Kevin Quinn, Traci Davis, Nichole Reisdorph, P. Darrell Neufer, Espen E. Spangenburg, Ian Carroll, Richard P. Bazinet, Ganesh V. Halade, Joan Clària, Saame Raza Shaikh

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

The FASEB Journal published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) has garnered attention after the success of the REDUCE-IT trial, which contradicted previous conclusions on EPA for cardiovascular disease risk. Here we first investigated EPA's preventative role on hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia. EPA ethyl esters prevented obesity-induced glucose intolerance, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperglycemia in C57BL/6J mice. Supporting NHANES analyses showed that fasting glucose levels of obese adults were inversely related to EPA intake. We next investigated how EPA improved murine hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia. EPA overturned the obesity-driven decrement in the concentration …

Decimated Little Brown Bats Show Potential For Adaptive Change, Giorgia G. Auteri, L. L. Knowles

KIP Articles

The degree to which species can rapidly adapt is key to survival in the face of climatic and other anthropogenic changes. For little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus), whose populations have experienced declines of over 90% because of the introduced fungal pathogen that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS), survival of the species may ultimately depend upon its capacity for adaptive change. Here, we present evidence of selectively driven change (adaptation), despite dramatic nonadaptive genomic shifts (genetic drift) associated with population declines. We compared the genetic makeups of wild survivors versus non-survivors of WNS, and found significant shifts in allele frequencies of genes …

Relationship Between Obesity-Induced Metabolic Abnormalities And Nutrient Intake: Sex Differences In Japanese University Students, Mayumi Yamamoto, Mausam Mehta, Akihiro Nishio, Ryo Horita, Ricardo Izurieta

Global Health Faculty Publications

Background: Preventive measures and interventions for obesity in young adults are urgently needed. However, evidence-based guidelines for interventional programs in this generation have not been established worldwide because of limited access to data on this group. To establish effective methods of obesity prevention in young adults, we analyzed the relationship between nutrient intake and obesity-related metabolic factors in each body mass index (BMI) group among Japanese university students. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed using annual health checkup data, which is conducted mandatory for all students according to the School Health and Safety Act in Japan, from Gifu University’s incoming …

Prediction Of Chronic Disease-Related Inpatient Prolonged Length Of Stay Using Machine Learning Algorithms, Hasan Symum, José Zayas-Castro

Industrial and Management Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Objectives: The study aimed to develop and compare predictive models based on supervised machine learning algorithms for predicting the prolonged length of stay (LOS) of hospitalized patients diagnosed with five different chronic conditions. Methods: An administrative claim dataset (2008–2012) of a regional network of nine hospitals in the Tampa Bay area, Florida, USA, was used to develop the prediction models. Features were extracted from the dataset using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes. Five learning algorithms, namely, decision tree C5.0, linear support vector machine (LSVM), k-nearest neighbors, random forest, and multi-layered artificial neural networks, were …

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Beijing Lineage And Risk For Tuberculosis In Child Household Contacts, Peru, Chuan-Chin Huang, Alexander L. Chu, Mercedes C. Becerra, Jerome T. Galea, Roger Calderón, Carmen Contreras, Rosa Yataco, Zibiao Zhang, Leonid Lecca, Megan B. Murray

Social Work Faculty Publications

Few studies have prospectively compared the relative transmissibility and propensity to cause disease of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing strains with other human-adapted strains of the M. tuberculosis complex. We assessed the effect of Beijing strains on the risk for M. tuberculosis infection and disease progression in 9,151 household contacts of 2,223 culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients in Lima, Peru. Child contacts exposed to Beijing strains were more likely than child contacts exposed to non-Beijing strains to be infected at baseline, by 12 months of follow-up, and during follow-up. We noted an increased but nonsignificant tendency for child contacts to develop TB. …

Intriguing Plumicoles From The Common Yellowthroat (Aves: Passeriformes) On Vaca Key, Florida, Lawrence J. Hribar

Florida Field Naturalist

No abstract provided.

2020 Football Media Guide, University Of South Florida. Athletic Communications Office, Brian Siegrist, Jay D'Abramo, Tom Zebold

Football Media Guides

The media guide for the University of South Florida's (USF) 2020 football season. Included are sections on the 2020 season outlook, player biographies, coaches and staff, a 2019 season review, program records, program history, and information on USF Athletics. The Bulls finished the season with a 1-8 record.

Evidence-Based Health Solutions For Challenges Women Face During Pandemics Like Covid-19: A Systematic Review Protocol, Zhaohui Su, Shelly Wagers, Emme Lopez, Lori Ann Terjesen, Jaffar Abbas, Feng Shi, Caifeng Wang, Yuyang Cai

Criminology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Climate Change, Drug Traffickers And La Sierra Tarahumara, Daniel Weisz Argomedo

Journal of Strategic Security

The purpose of this article is to uncover the ways in which climate change will impact indigenous people in contested areas as is the case of the Tarahumara indigenous community in Northern Mexico. The case study takes place on a border that John Sullivan conceptualizes as a “hyperborder” due to the complexity and high level of both licit and illicit trade. Sullivan explains how this border region has been heavily contested as criminals exploit weak governance. After 9/11 the increase of security at the border led drug trafficking organizations to diversify into internal drug distribution which required control over micro-territories. …

Diet: A Public Health And Economic Concern, Nisuka T. Williams

USF St. Petersburg campus Honors Program Theses (Undergraduate)

The food we eat is governed and sometimes justifiably so. There are taxes and policies meant to protect consumers and children from products that hurt our health. This thesis has gathered data and analyzed if these policies are performing in favor of the desired outcome. Is a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages making a healthy difference? Does taxing and eliminating processed foods high in saturated fatty acids benefit the health of citizens? Does restricting foods marketed to children promote lower percentages of obesity in young children? The analysis run by JMP does not support that taxes on sugary beverages result in …

Targeted Graphene Quantum Dot-Based Theranostics, Yiru Qin, Shu-Feng Zhou

USF Patents

Conjugates are provided containing a graphene quantum dot, a targeting moiety, and an active agent. The conjugates can be used to provide one or more therapeutic, prophylactic, or diagnostic effects to a subject in need thereof. The subject can be a cancer patient and the active agent an anti-cancer agent. The graphene quantum dots can have an average particle size of about 1-20 nm and a monodisperse size distribution. The size distribution can have a span about 1 or less and/or a coefficient of variance of about 0.5 or less. Methods of making the conjugates are provided. The methods can …

Cancer-Related Risk Behaviors And Screening Intention Among Recreational Sport Athletes, Aldenise P. Ewing

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The recreational sports arena provides a venue for young adults to increase physical activity and engage in a socially supportive environment. These are both important ways to decrease the risk for chronic diseases. It is assumed that physically active individuals lead healthier lifestyles and are more attuned to their long-term health needs. Recreational sport athletes also engage in risks for adverse cancer outcomes through increased sun exposure, intake of unhealthy diets, and recreational tobacco and alcohol use. It was of interest to assess cancer-related risk factors, cancer knowledge, and theory of planned behavior constructs in this group.

This study involved …

No Change Detected In Culturable Fungal Assemblages On Cave Walls In Eastern Canada With The Introduction Of Pseudogymnoascus Destructans, Karen J. Vanderwolf, David Malloch, Donald F. Mcalpine

KIP Articles

Studies of fungi in caves have become increasingly important with the advent of white-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease caused by the invasive fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) that has killed an estimated 6.5 million North American bats. We swabbed cave walls in New Brunswick, Canada, in 2012 and 2015 to determine whether the culturable fungal assemblage on cave walls changed after the introduction of Pd and subsequent decrease in hibernating bat populations. We also compared fungal assemblages on cave walls to previous studies on the fungal assemblages of arthropods and hibernating bats in the same sites. The fungal diversity of bats …

Antarctic Deep Sea Coral And Tropical Fungal Endophyte: Novel Chemistry For Drug Discovery, Anne-Claire D. Limon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Considered the pulse controlling the biological interactions and contributing to the ecological survival of organisms, natural products have intrigued, challenged, and stimulated the scientific and non-scientific minds for millennia. Drug resistance and the lack of suitable potent drugs against neglected tropical diseases further motivate the biological activity assessment of these secondary metabolites, when possible.

This thesis describes the chemical investigation of two marine organisms and the elucidation of eight novel structures.

The study of a deep sea Antarctic coral unveils six novel terpenoid structures from three different molecular classes: sesquiterpenoid alcyopterosins, a triterpene steroid, and three prostaglandins. While mass availability …

The Progressive Transformation Of Medellín- Colombia: A Successful Case Of Women's Political Agency, María Auxiliadora González-Malabet

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Medellín, Colombia, once one of the most corrupt and violent cities in the world, is now one of the most progressive and democratic cities in South America. This transformation was due to the mobilization of women’s movements and the influx of women in the city’s executive branch. Female political agency and new urban development programs reshaped democratic practices for the citizenry. This research examines the robust association between women’s organizations, women from Compromiso Ciudanano (CC), and a solid and active civil society. The theoretical framework covers democratization, good governance, and Latin American/Indigenous Feminism. The sources include interviews, polls, news articles, …

Perceived Discrimination And Cardiovascular Outcomes In Blacks: A Secondary Data Analysis Of The Heart Score Study, Marilyn Aluoch

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the consistent reduction in morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) over the last four decades, CVD remains the leading cause of death globally. In the United States, Blacks are disproportionately affected by CVD compared to Whites. Blacks are also more likely to report incidence of perceived discrimination. Perceived discrimination has been linked to cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, hypertension (HTN), hyperlipidemia, and obesity. However, the relationship between perceived discrimination and cardiovascular outcomes such as stroke, myocardial infarction, acute ischemic syndrome, coronary revascularization, and cardiac death remains unclear. The primary goal of this study was to examine …

The Role Of Secreted Proteases In Regulating Disease Progression In Staphylococcus Aureus, Brittney D. Gimza

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is a highly successful pathogen capable of producing a wealth of virulence factors in the human host. Of note, ten extracellular proteases are produced alongside these virulence factors and play a multifaceted role during infection. They not only cleave host proteins to promote bacterial invasion, immune evasion and survival, but also control disease progression by modulating the stability of self-derived pathogenic determinants. The importance of the secreted proteases modulating virulence factor stability is evidenced by our groups previous finding that a protease-null strain has a substantially increased infectious capacity in a murine model of sepsis; resulting from the …

Health-Promoting Behaviors And Subjective Well-Being Among High School Students, Nicholas David W. Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In positive psychology, a greater emphasis is placed on the presence of indicators of both physical and mental health. This study examined the relationship between 12 health-promoting behaviors and subjective well-being (SWB; e.g., happiness) in a sample of 450 high school aged youth from five high schools in two states. Participants reported on their dietary habits, physical activity, abstinence from tobacco products, abstinence from alcohol, and sleep hygiene (i.e., 8 unique components) as well as a multidimensional assessment of SWB (i.e., life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect). It was hypothesized that increased engagement in each of the health-promoting behaviors …

Cactus-Based Mucilage As A Natural Dispersant For Crude Oil Spills, Fei Guo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Oil spills are a critical threat to the marine environment, and the spilled oil as a source of pollution can have long-term adverse effects on the marine ecosystem. Traditional mechanical clean-up operations have apparent advantages for dealing with small and medium-scale oil spills. For large-scale oil spills, dispersants are a practical and minimally influential approach to the environment. As the dispersant components are iteratively updated, dispersants become more efficient and safer. However, the toxicity of the dispersants remains a significant impediment to their application. An efficient and non-toxic dispersant is increasingly becoming a requirement.

The cactus mucilage extracts studied in …

The Adaptations Of The Sulfur-Oxidizing, Gammaproteobacterium "Candidatus Endoriftia Persephone", Endosymbiont Of The Giant Tubeworm Riftia Pachyptila, To Hydrothermal Vent Habitat Heterogeneity, Juliana M. Leonard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The siboglinid tubeworm Riftia pachyptila is a dominant member of the deep-sea megafauna where seawater and hydrothermal vent (HTV) effluent interface and mix. It is one of the fastest growing invertebrates on land or in the sea. It does not have a digestive tract (e.g. mouth, gut, or anus), and is completely dependent on its sulfur-oxidizing endosymbiont, the Gammaproteobacterium “Candidatus Endoriftia persephone” for its nutritional requirements. This association was the first and is the most well studied among chemolithoautotrophic symbioses. “Ca. E. persephone” is a chemolithoautotrophic bacterium that oxidizes sulfide as an electron donor for energy, reduces oxygen as a …

Reducing Underrepresentation: Promising Practices In Florida, Catherine A. Mullins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I examined representation rates of gifted students from diverse backgrounds in Florida county school districts. Florida state legislation governing gifted student education allows for alternative identification methods to be used for students from underrepresented groups if plans for such identification are approved by the Florida Department of Education; however, this option, informally referred to as “Plan B” after subsection B of the legislation governing gifted services, is not a requirement that districts must follow. Consequently, there are large differences in the ways districts identify underrepresented students for gifted services. State legislation identifies underrepresented populations as students with …

Engineering Career Academies: A Comparison Of Middle School Student Academic Performance, Jakub D. Prokop

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A quasi-experimental study tested an integrated curriculum design in two career academies with engineering themes at the middle school level. Teachers in the engineering career academies, using the National Standards of Practice, implemented cross curricular units to middle school student cohorts. Participant cohorts ranged in sample sizes (n = 79, 155, 237, and 232) during the four years of analysis. Constructivism was used as a framework for the study and supported by integrated curriculum units. This study examined middle school students’ performance in reading and mathematics on state assessments of students in the engineering career academies to students not enrolled …

“We Can Learn Some Things From Them, But They Can Learn Some Things From Us Too”: Intergenerational Perceptions Of Shared Infant Feeding Information, Alexis L. Woods Barr

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Breastfeeding is associated with unparalleled benefits for infants, mothers, families and society. In light of the breastfeeding disparities and health disparities experienced by the African American community, their women and children stand to gain the most from breastfeeding practices compared to other first-food feeding methods. Moreover, African American mothers are constantly exposed to messages, images, and stereotypes about motherhood (from multiple channels of communication) which influences their infant feeding practices. Many of these exposures send mixed messages and tend to be cultural contradictions of Black motherhood. What complicates this issue is the shortage of research that investigates the intergenerational infant …

“Man Plans But Ultimately, God Decides”: A Phenomenological Investigation Of The Contextual Family Planning Beliefs Of Recently Resettled Congolese Refugee Women In West Central Florida., Linda Bomboka Wilson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Existent demographic changes in the United States are largely a result of the current international refugee crisis. Within the past three years, there has been an influx of refugees who were affected by the wars in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Congolese refugees were the highest number of all refugee groups to arrive in the United States in Fiscal Years 2016-2018, yet little is known about their lived experiences, particularly as they apply to reproductive health and family planning in general. Congolese refugee women who resettle in the United States are unique because many lived in refugee camps for …