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The Effect Of Ovine Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells On Haemonchus Contortus Larval Death In Vitro, Elizabeth Anne Shepherd

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Gastrointestinal nematode parasitism is the greatest problem facing small ruminant livestock, largely due to development of anthelmintic resistance. Of particular concern is Haemonchus contortus, a hematophagous trichostrongylid that can lead to death in lambs or immunocompromised sheep. Some breeds of sheep are resistant to Haemonchosis, e.g. St. Croix (STC) hair sheep. St. Croix sheep have well-documented resistance and have been shown to develop a robust immune response, generating a rapid cellular response to larval stages that does not occur in susceptible sheep. Studies evaluating effects of mononuclear cells, including monocytes and lymphocytes, indicate that these cells dramatically reduce motility of …

Determination Of Strain Patterns Across The Root-Stem Transition Zone In Trees, Kenneth Edward Beezley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Trees are subjected to mechanical stressors, induced via dynamic (wind) and static (gravitational) forces, and must properly acclimate during their lifespan or face premature mortality. Resource allocation as a stress response is vital for tree survival, and can include the shedding of woody parts, adaptive growth, hormonal signaling cascades, and the initiation of energy transfer mechanisms. The strain resulting from stress intercepted by the canopy and transferred throughout the tree is of significant importance, not only for tree survival, but for the safety and well-being of the human population found in close proximity. As trees age and adapt to stressors …

Interleukin-15 Overexpression Attenuates Muscle Fatigue Associated With Murine Eo771 Mammary Tumors, Joseph F. Bohlen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Severe muscle wasting and muscle dysfunction (cachexia) are considered incurable complications associated with a wide variety of chronic diseases. This loss of function and severe wasting causes an increase in fatigue in cancer patients, leading to reduced motivation for daily activities, further reducing prognosis for recovery in these patients leading to a severe increase in morbidity. Recent work from our lab suggests Interleukin-15 (IL-15) induces a pro-oxidative state in the muscle, reducing fatigue and promoting a more oxidative phenotype. One proposed mechanism behind this is the observation that IL-15 promotes mitochondrial biogenesis, lending more mitochondria for oxidative metabolic processes. Therefore, …

Implementation And Evaluation Of Teach-Back As A Pedagogical Method For Delivering Fall Prevention Education To Older Adults In An Inpatient Hospital Setting, Elizabeth Bosley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: In the United States, the most common cause of both nonfatal injuries and accidental deaths for people older than 65 is falls. In the hospital setting, 700,000 to 1,000,000 falls occur annually resulting in increased cost and reduced reimbursement. There exists a critical need to explore potential interventions for effectiveness in reducing both the incidence and severity of falls. Teach-back is a patient education methodology that is a highly recommended safety practice and may be an effective intervention to reduce patient falls in the hospital setting.;Objectives: 1) To increase the use and documentation of a validated patient education methodology …

Experiences Of Parents Of Children Adopted From Overseas: A Thematic Analysis Of Narratives, Ekaterina Anatolyevna Amarando

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Parents from the United States adopt more children from overseas than parents from any other country. There are numerous factors that play a role in the decision to adopt internationally, and most families remain highly satisfied with the adoption outcome (Adoption Institute, 2010). However, families with internationally adopted children face numerous challenges during their adoption journey, and generally report a higher utilization of professional services than biological families (Adoption Institute, 2010). In this study I utilized a qualitative research design to examine experiences of parents who adopted children from other countries. Thematic analysis of family narratives was employed to examine …

Coal Mining And The Resource Curse In The Eastern United States, Stratford Douglas, Anne Walker

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

We measure the effect of coal resource sector dependence on long run income growth using the natural experiment of coal mining in 409 U.S. counties that are selected for homogeneity. Using a panel data set (1970-2010), we find a one standard deviation increase in resource dependence is associated with an estimated 0.6 percentage point drop in annual growth rates of per capita personal income. We also measure the extent to which the resource curse operates through disincentives to education, and find significant effects, but results indicate that this education channel explains only perhaps 25% of the curse.

Economic Freedom And Participation In Physical Activity, Joshua C. Hall, Brad R. Humphreys, Jane E. Ruseski

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

Physical activity is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and influences a variety of health outcomes. A recent paper has found economic freedom to be positively associated with greater participation in physical activity in a sample of 34 European countries. We empirically investigate the relationship between economic freedom and physical activity across U.S. states. Contrary to the cross-country results, we find that states with higher levels of economic freedom have lower rates of participation in physical activity.

Stepping Up Grazing Management-0615pfg., Edward Barrow Rayburn

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

balancing forage supply and livestock forage demand

Surface-Based Body Shape Index And Its Relationship With All-Cause Mortality, Syed A. Rahman, Donald Adjerph

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Obesity is a global public health challenge. In the US, for instance, obesity prevalence remains high at more than one-third of the adult population, while over two-thirds are obese or overweight. Obesity is associated with various health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), depression, some forms of cancer, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, among others. The body mass index (BMI) is one of the best known measures of obesity. The BMI, however, has serious limitations, for instance, its inability to capture the distribution of lean mass and adipose tissue, which is a better predictor of diabetes and CVDs, and its …

New Fungus-Insect Symbiosis: Culturing, Molecular, And Histological Methods Determine Saprophytic Polyporales Mutualists Of Ambrosiodmus Ambrosia Beetles, Li You, David R. Simmons, Craig C. Bateman, Dylan P G Short, Matthew T. Kasson, Robert J. Rabagila, Jiri Hulcr

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Ambrosia symbiosis is an obligate, farming-like mutualism between wood-boring beetles and fungi. It evolved at least 11 times and includes many notorious invasive pests. All ambrosia beetles studied to date cultivate ascomycotan fungi: early colonizers of recently killed trees with poor wood digestion. Beetles in the widespread genus Ambrosiodmus, however, colonize decayed wood. We characterized the mycosymbionts of three Ambrosiodmus species using quantitative culturing, high-throughput metabarcoding, and histology. We determined the fungi to be within the Polyporales, closely related to Flavodon flavus. Culture-independent sequencing of Ambrosiodmus minor mycangia revealed a single operational taxonomic unit identical to the sequences from the …

Changes In Cardiovascular Health In The United States, 2003–2011, Courtney S. Pilkerton, Sarah S. Singh, Thomas K. Bias, Stephanie J. Frisbee

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, making improving cardiovascular health a key population health goal. As part of efforts to achieve this, the American Heart Association has developed the first comprehensive cardiovascular health index (CVHI). Our objective was to investigate the changes in CVHI in US states from 2003 to 2011.

Methods and Results

CVHI was examined using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data between 2003 and 2011 (odd‐numbered years). Total CVHI decreased from 3.73±0.01 in 2003 to 3.65±0.01 in 2009. The majority of states (88%) experienced a decline in CVHI and an …

Effects Of Treatment With Astragalus Membranaceus On Function Of Rat Leydig Cells, Xiaolong Jiang, Xia Cao, Yang Huang, Xiaolei Yao, Miaomiao Zhao, Yan Liu, Jinzhu Meng, Pengfei Li, Zhiyan Li, Jianbo Yao, George W. Smith, Lihua Lv

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Astragalus membranaceus (AM) is a Chinese traditional herb which has been reported to have broad positive effects on many diseases, including hepatitis, heart disease, diabetes and skin disease. AM can promote cell proliferation, increase the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and inhibit apoptosis by regulating the transcription of proto-oncogenes controlling cell death. While AM is included in some commercially available “testosterone boosting supplements”, studies directly testing ability of AM to modulate testosterone production are lacking. In the present study, we examined the effects of AM on Leydig cell function in vitro.

Methods …

Microrna-27a-3p Inhibits Melanogenesis In Mouse Skin Melanocytes By Targeting Wnt3a, Yuanyuan Zhao, Pengchao Wang, Jinzhu Meng, Dongmei Xu, Tianzhi Chen, Ruiwen Fan, Xiuju Yu, Jianbo Yao, Changsheng Dong

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an essential role in the regulation of almost all the biological processes, including melanogenesis. MiR-27a-3p is nearly six times higher in white alpaca skin compared to brown skin, which indicates that miR-27a-3p may be a candidate regulator for melanogenesis. Wnt3a plays an important role in promoting melanoblasts to differentiate into melanocytes and melanogenesis. To confirm the function of miR-27a-3p to melanogenesis in mammals, miR-27a-3p mimic, inhibitor and their negative control were transfected into mouse melanocytes. As a result, miR-27a-3p inhibits melanogenesis by repressing Wnt3a at post-transcriptional level. A significant decrease in Wnt3a luciferase activity was observed in …

Granulicatella Adiacens, An Unusual Causative Agent In Chronic Dacryocystitis, Cristy A. Ku, Blake Forcina, Paul R. Lasala, John Nguyen

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

West Virginia University

Needs Assessment Of School And Community Physical Activity Opportunities In Rural West Virginia: The Mcdowell Choices Planning Effort, Alfgeir L. Kristjansson, Eloise Elliott, Sean Bulger, Emily Jones, Andrea R. Taliaferro, William Neal

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

McDowell CHOICES (Coordinated Health Opportunities Involving Communities, Environments, and Schools) Project is a county wide endeavor aimed at increasing opportunities for physical activity (PA) in McDowell County, West Virginia (WV). A comprehensive needs-assessment laid the foundation of the project.

Methods

During the 6 month needs assessment, multiple sources of data were collected in two Town Hall Meetings (n = 80); a student online PA interest survey (n = 465); a PA and nutrition survey among 5th (10–11 years) and 8th graders (13–14 years) with questions adapted from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (n = 442, response rate …

Microrna Expression Profiles From Eggs Of Different Qualities Associated With Post-Ovulatory Ageing In Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Hao Ma, Gregory M. Weber, Mark A. Hostuttler, Hairong Wei, Lei Wang, Jianbo Yao

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Egg quality is an important aspect in rainbow trout farming. Post-ovulatory aging is one of the most important factors affecting egg quality. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are the major regulators in various biological processes and their expression profiles could serve as reliable biomarkers for various pathological and physiological conditions. The objective of this study was to identify miRNAs that are associated with egg qualities in rainbow trout using post-ovulatory aged eggs.

Results: Egg samples from females on day 1, day 7, and day 14 post-ovulation (D1PO, D7PO and D14PO), which had the fertilization rates of 91.8%, 73.4% and less than 50%, …

Cystic Fibrosis Diagnosed Via Presentation Of Intussusception In Childhood, Patrick C. Bonasso, Jason L. Turner, Richard A. Vaughan, Don K. Nakayama

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The presentation of intussusception leading to the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis is rare, with only a limited number of cases previously reported in the literature. We encountered such a case which describes a unique clinical presentation of intussusception providing a broad discussion of the disease and its pathophysiology. Although statewide screening programs have been created, cystic fibrosis can still go undiagnosed until late childhood.

Feeding Soy Protein Isolate And Oils Rich In Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Affected Mineral Balance, But Not Bone In A Rat Model Of Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease, Kaitlin H. Maditz, Brenda J. Smith, Matthew Miller, Chris Oldaker, Janet C. Tou

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a genetic disorder characterized by multiple cysts and renal failure at an early age. In children, kidney disease is often accompanied by disordered mineral metabolism, failure to achieve peak bone mass, and reduced adult height. Optimizing bone health during the growth stage may preserve against bone loss associated with early renal dysfunction in PKD. Dietary soy protein and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) have been reported to ameliorate PKD and to promote bone health. The study objective was to determine the bone effects of feeding soy protein and/or n-3 PUFAs in a rat model …

High-Resolution Genetic Mapping Of Allelic Variants Associated With Cell Wall Chemistry In Populus, Wellington Muchero, Jianjun Guo, Stephen P. Difazio, Jin-Gui Chen, Priya Ranjan, Gancho T. Slavov, Lee E. Gunter, Sara Jawdy, Anthony C. Bryan, Robert Sykes, Angela Ziebell, Jaroslav Klapste, Ilga Porth, Oleksandr Skyba, Faride Unda, Yousry A. El-Kassaby, Carl J. Douglas, Shawn D. Mansfield, Joel Martin, Wendy Schackwitz, Luke M. Evans, Olaf Czarnecki, Gerald A. Tuskan

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

QTL cloning for the discovery of genes underlying polygenic traits has historically been cumbersome in long-lived perennial plants like Populus. Linkage disequilibrium-based association mapping has been proposed as a cloning tool, and recent advances in high-throughput genotyping and whole-genome resequencing enable marker saturation to levels sufficient for association mapping with no a priori candidate gene selection. Here, multiyear and multienvironment evaluation of cell wall phenotypes was conducted in an interspecific P. trichocarpa x P. deltoides pseudo-backcross mapping pedigree and two partially overlapping populations of unrelated P. trichocarpa genotypes using pyrolysis molecular beam mass spectrometry, saccharification, and/ or traditional …

Characterization Of Shed Medicinal Leech Mucus Reveals A Diverse Microbiota, Brittany M. Ott, Allen Rickards, Lauren Gehrke, Rita V M Rio

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Microbial transmission through mucosal-mediated mechanisms is widespread throughout the animal kingdom. One example of this occurs with Hirudo verbana, the medicinal leech, where host attraction to shed conspecific mucus facilitates horizontal transmission of a predominant gut symbiont, the Gammaproteobacterium Aeromonas veronii. However, whether this mucus may harbor other bacteria has not been examined. Here, we characterize the microbiota of shed leech mucus through Illumina deep sequencing of the V3-V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene. Additionally, Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) typing with subsequent Sanger Sequencing of a 16S rRNA gene clone library provided qualitative confirmation of …

Whole-Body Transcriptome Of Selectively Bred, Resistant-, Control-, And Susceptible-Line Rainbow Trout Following Experimental Challenge With Flavobacterium Psychrophilum, David Marancik, Guangtu Gao, Bam Paneru, Hao Ma, Alvaro G. Hernandez, Mohamed Salem, Jianbo Yao, Yniv Palti, Gregory D. Wiens

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Genetic improvement for enhanced disease resistance in fish is an increasingly utilized approach to mitigate endemic infectious disease in aquaculture. In domesticated salmonid populations, large phenotypic variation in disease resistance has been identified but the genetic basis for altered responsiveness remains unclear. We previously reported three generations of selection and phenotypic validation of a bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) resistant line of rainbow trout, designated ARS-Fp-R. This line has higher survival after infection by either standardized laboratory challenge or natural challenge as compared to two reference lines, designated ARS-Fp-C (control) and ARS-Fp-S (susceptible). In this study, we utilized 1.1 g …

Survival Of Unstressed And Acid-, Cold-, And Starvation-Stress-Adapted Listeria Monocytogenes In Ham Extract With Hops Beta Acids And Consumer Acceptability Of Hba On Ready-To-Eat Ham, Li Wang, Cangliang Shen

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The efficacy of hops beta acids (HBA) against unstressed and stress-adapted Listeria monocytogenes in ham extract and the consumers’ acceptability of HBA on ready-to-eat (RTE) hams were investigated. Unstressed or acid-, cold-, or starvation-stress-adapted L. monocytogenes was inoculated (1.3–1.5 log CFU/mL) into 10% ham extract, without (control) or with HBA (4.44 or 10.0 µg/mL). Survival/growth of the pathogen during storage (7.2°C, 26 days) was monitored periodically. Sensory evaluation (30 participants, 9-point hedonic scale) was performed with hams dipped into 0.05, 0.11, and 0.23% HBA solution. Ham extracts without HBA supported rapid growth of unstressed and stress-adapted cells with growth rates …

Evidential Value That Exercise Improves Bmi -Score In Overweight And Obese Children And Adolescents, George A. Kelley, Kristi S. Kelley

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background. Given the cardiovascular disease (CVD) related importance of understanding the true effects of exercise on adiposity in overweight and obese children and adolescents, this study examined whether there is evidential value to rule out excessive and inappropriate reporting of statistically significant results, a major problem in the published literature, with respect to exercise-induced improvements in BMI -score among overweight and obese children and adolescents. Methods. Using data from a previous meta-analysis of 10 published studies that included 835 overweight and obese children and adolescents, a novel, recently developed approach (-curve) was used to test for evidential value and rule …

Seedling Performance Associated With Live Or Herbicide Treated Tall Fescue, Jonathan J. Halvorson, David P. Belesky, Harry W. Godwin

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Tall fescue is an important forage grass which can host systemic fungal endophytes. The association of host grass and endophyte is known to influence herbivore behavior and host plant competition for resources. Establishing legumes into existing tall fescue sods is a desirable means to acquire nitrogen and enhance the nutritive value of forage for livestock production. Competition from existing tall fescue typically must be controlled to ensure interseeding success. We used a soil-on-agar method to determine if soil from intact, living (L), or an herbicide killed (K) tall fescue sward influenced germination and seedling growth of three cultivars of tall …

In Vitro Selection Of A Single-Stranded Dna Molecular Recognition Element Against Clostridium Difficile Toxin B And Sensitive Detection In Human Fecal Matter, Ka L. Hong, Eamonn Maher, Ryan M. Williams, Letha J. Sooter

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Toxin B is one of the major virulence factors of Clostridium difficile, a bacterium that is responsible for a significant number of diarrhea cases in acute care settings. Due to the prevalence of C. difficile induced diarrhea, rapid and correct diagnosis is crucial in the disease management. In this study, we have employed a stringent in vitro selection method to identify single-stranded DNA molecular recognition elements (MRE) specific for toxin B. At the end of the 12-round selection, one MRE with high affinity  nM) for toxin B was identified. The selected MRE demonstrated low cross binding activities on negative targets: …

Oral Health In A Sample Of Pregnant Women From Northern Appalachia (2011–2015), Katherine Neiswanger, Daniel W. Mcneil, Betsy Foxman, Manika Govil, Margaret E. Cooper, Robert J. Weyant, John R. Shaffer, Richard J. Crout, Hyagriv N. Simhan, Scott R. Beach, Stella Chapman, Jayme G. Zovko, Linda J. Brown, Stephen J. Strotmeyer, Jennifer L. Maurer, Mary L. Marazita

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background. Chronic poor oral health has a high prevalence in Appalachia, a large region in the eastern USA. The Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia (COHRA) has been enrolling pregnant women and their babies since 2011 in the COHRA2 study of genetic, microbial, and environmental factors involved in oral health in Northern Appalachia. Methods. The COHRA2 protocol is presented in detail, including inclusion criteria (healthy, adult, pregnant, US Caucasian, English speaking, and nonimmunocompromised women), recruiting (two sites: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, USA), assessments (demographic, medical, dental, psychosocial/behavioral, and oral microbial samples and DNA), timelines (longitudinal from pregnancy to …

Cerium Dioxide Nanoparticle Exposure Improves Microvascular Dysfunction And Reduces Oxidative Stress In Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats, Valerie C. Minarchick, Phoebe A. Stapleton, Edward M. Sabolsky, Timothy R. Nurkiewicz

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The elevated production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the vascular wall is associated with cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension. This increase in oxidative stress contributes to various mechanisms of vascular dysfunction, such as decreased nitric oxide bioavailability. Therefore, anti-oxidants are being researched to decrease the high levels of ROS, which could improve the microvascular dysfunction associated with various cardiovascular diseases. From a therapeutic perspective, cerium dioxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NP) hold great anti-oxidant potential, but their in vivo activity is unclear. Due to this potential anti-oxidant action, we hypothesize that injected CeO2 NP would decrease microvascular dysfunction and oxidative stress …

Egislation, Maternal Healthcare, Fertility, Female Literacy, Sanitation, Violence Against Women And Maternal Deaths: A Natural Experiment In 32 Mexican States, Elard Koch, Monique Chireau, Fernando Pilego, Joseph Stanford, Sebastian Haddad, Byron Calhoun, Paula Aracena, Miguel Bravo, Sebastian Garcia, John Thorp

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Objective To test whether there is an association between abortion legislation and maternal mortality outcomes after controlling for other factors thought to influence maternal health.

Design Population-based natural experiment.

Setting and data sources Official maternal mortality data from 32 federal states of Mexico between 2002 and 2011.

Main outcomes Maternal mortality ratio (MMR), MMR with any abortive outcome (MMRAO) and induced abortion mortality ratio (iAMR).

Independent variables Abortion legislation grouped as less (n=18) or more permissive (n=14); constitutional amendment protecting the unborn (n=17); skilled attendance at birth; all-abortion hospitalisation ratio; low birth weight rate; contraceptive use; total fertility rates (TFR); …

Transcriptome Assembly, Gene Annotation And Tissue Gene Expression Atlas Of The Rainbow Trout, Mohamed Salem, Bam Paneru, Rafet Al-Tobasei, Fatima Abdouni, Gary H. Thorgaard, Caird E. Rexroad, Jianbo Yao

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Efforts to obtain a comprehensive genome sequence for rainbow trout are ongoing and will be complemented by transcriptome information that will enhance genome assembly and annotation. Previously, transcriptome reference sequences were reported using data from different sources. Although the previous work added a great wealth of sequences, a complete and well-annotated transcriptome is still needed. In addition, gene expression in different tissues was not completely addressed in the previous studies. In this study, non-normalized cDNA libraries were sequenced from 13 different tissues of a single doubled haploid rainbow trout from the same source used for the rainbow trout genome sequence. …

Children, Sealants, And Guardians Who Smoke: Trends In Nhanes 2001-2002 To 2010-2012, R Constance Wiener

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Objective: There are many factors influencing dental behavior. The relationship of smokers who smoked inside the home toward preventive care (measured as dental sealant placement) of the children living in their homes is examined in this study. Methods: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys in 2001-2002 and in 2011-2012 were analyzed. Data included the variables of someone smoking inside the home, dental sealant placement in children ages 6-less than 20 years, and sociodemographic data. The data were obtained from a dental examination and a home interview. Results: There were 3,352 eligible participants in 2001-2002 and 2,374 in …