Digital Commons Network^™

The Body Soviet: Propaganda, Hygiene, And The Revolutionary State, Brian K. Lapierre

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Titer-Plate Formatted Continuous Flow Thermal Reactors: Design And Performance Of A Nanoliter Reactor, Pin Chuan Chen, Daniel S. Park, Byoung Hee You, Namwon Kim, Taehyun Park, Steven A. Soper, Dimitris E. Nikitopoulos, Michael C. Murphy

Faculty Publications

Arrays of continuous flow thermal reactors were designed, configured, and fabricated in a 96-device (12 × 8) titer-plate format with overall dimensions of 120 mm × 96 mm, with each reactor confined to a 8 mm × 8 mm footprint. To demonstrate the potential, individual 20-cycle (740 nl) and 25-cycle (990 nl) reactors were used to perform the continuous flow polymerase chain reaction (CFPCR) for amplification of DNA fragments of different lengths. Since thermal isolation of the required temperature zones was essential for optimal biochemical reactions, three finite element models, executed with ANSYS (v. 11.0, Canonsburg, PA), were used to …

Host Behaviour And Exposure Risk In An Insect-Pathogen Interaction, Benjamin J. Parker, Bret D. Elderd, Greg Dwyer

Faculty Publications

1. Studies of variability in host resistance to disease generally emphasize variability in susceptibility given exposure, neglecting the possibility that hosts may vary in behaviours that affect the risk of exposure. 2. In many insects, horizontal transmission of baculoviruses occurs when larvae consume foliage contaminated by the cadavers of virus-infected conspecific larvae; so, host behaviour may have a strong effect on the risk of infection. 3. We studied variability in the behaviour of gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) larvae, which are able to detect and avoid virus-contaminated foliage. 4. Our results show that detection ability can be affected by the family …

Interaction Of Francisella Asiatica With Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus) Innate Immunity, Esteban Soto, Denise Fernandez, Ronald Thune, John P. Hawke

Faculty Publications

Members of the genus Francisella are facultative intracellular bacteria that cause important diseases in a wide variety of animals worldwide, including humans and fish. Several genes that are important for intramacrophage survival have been identified, including the iglC gene, which is found in the iglABCD operon in the Francisella sp. pathogenicity island (FPI). In the present study, we examined the interaction of wild-type Francisella asiatica and a ΔiglC mutant strain with fish serum and head kidney-derived macrophages (HKDM). Both the wild-type and the mutant strains were resistant to killing by normal and heat-inactivated sera. The wild-type F. asiatica is able …

Latin America And The Caribbean: Assessment Of The Advances In Public Health For The Achievement Of The Millennium Development Goals, Amal K. Mitra, Gisela Rodriguez-Fernandez

Faculty Publications

To improve health and economy of the world population, the United Nations has set up eight international goals, known as Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), that 192 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015. The goals include: (1) eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; (2) achieving universal primary education; (3) promoting gender equality; (4) reducing child mortality; (5) improving maternal health; (6) combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; (7) ensuring environmental sustainability; and (8) developing a global partnership for development. Having been in the midway from the 2015 deadline, the UN …

Symbiosis In Subterranean Termites: A Review Of Insights From Molecular Studies, Claudia Husseneder

Faculty Publications

The symbiotic relationship of termites and their eukaryotic and prokaryotic gut microbiota is a focal point of research because of the important roles symbionts play in termite nutrition. The use of molecular methods has recently provided valuable insights into the species diversity and the roles of microorganisms in the guts of termites. This paper provides a review of the current knowledge of symbiont species inventories, genome analysis, and gene expression in the guts of subterranean termites. Particular emphasis is given to the termite genera Reticulitermes and Coptotermes (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), because they contain pest species of global impact in their native …

Who Guidelines For Antimicrobial Treatment In Children Admitted To Hospital In An Area Of Intense Plasmodium Falciparum Transmission: Prospective Study, Behzad Nadjm, Ben Amos, George Mtove, Jan Ostermann, Semkini Chonya, Hannah Wangai, Juma Kimera, Walii Msuya, Frank Mtei, Denise Dekker, Rajabu Malahiyo, Raimos Olomi, John A. Crump, Christopher J. M. Whitty, Hugh Reyburn

Faculty Publications

Objectives To assess the performance of WHO’s “Guidelines for care at the first-referral level in developing countries” in an area of intense malaria transmission and identify bacterial infections in children with and without malaria.

Design Prospective study.

Setting District hospital in Muheza, northeast Tanzania.

Participants Children aged 2 months to 13 years admitted to hospital for febrile illness.

Main outcome measures Sensitivity and specificity of WHO guidelines in diagnosing invasive bacterial disease; susceptibility of isolated organisms to recommended antimicrobials.

Results Over one year, 3639 children were enrolled and 184 (5.1%) died; 2195 (60.3%) were blood slide positive for Plasmodium falciparum …

Climate Change, Environmental Justice, And Vulnerability: An Exploratory Spatial Analysis, Sacoby M. Wilson, Roland Richard, Lesley Joseph, Edith M. Williams

Faculty Publications

Research has demonstrated that vulnerable populations including disadvantaged populations of color live in areas that may place them at higher risk of exposure to social and environmental hazards. Due to climate change, these populations may experience worse health outcomes and environmental health disparities. The purpose of this project was to explore the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess areas that may be vulnerable to climate change across the United States. We employed ArcGIS 9.3 to create vulnerability scores for areas across the country that may be that may be impacted by climate change at the county level in …

Impaired Antiviral Activity Of Interferon Alpha Against Hepatitis C Virus 2a In Huh-7 Cells With A Defective Jak-Stat Pathway, Sidhartha Hazari, Partha K. Chandra, Bret Poat, Sibnarayan Datta, Robert F. Garry, Timothy P. Foster, Gus Kousoulas, Takaji Wakita, Srikanta Dash

Faculty Publications

Background. The sustained virological response to interferon-alpha (IFN-) in individuals infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 is only 50%, but is about 80% in patients infected with genotype 2-6 viruses. The molecular mechanisms explaining the differences in IFN- responsiveness between HCV 1 and other genotypes have not been elucidated. Results. Virus and host cellular factors contributing to IFN responsiveness were analyzed using a green fluorescence protein (GFP) based replication system of HCV 2a and Huh-7 cell clones that either possesses or lack a functional Jak-Stat pathway. The GFP gene was inserted into the C-terminal non-structural protein 5A of …

Six Rna Viruses And Forty-One Hosts: Viral Small Rnas And Modulation Of Small Rna Repertoires In Vertebrate And Invertebrate Systems, Poornima Parameswaran, Ella Sklan, Courtney Wilkins, Trever Burgon, Melanie A. Samuel, Rui Lu, K. Mark Ansel, Vigo Heissmeyer, Shirit Einav, William Jackson, Tammy Doukas, Suman Paranjape, Charlotta Polacek, Flavia Barreto Dos Santos, Roxana Jalili, Farbod Babrzadeh, Baback Gharizadeh, Dirk Grimm, Mark Kay, Satoshi Koike, Peter Sarnow, Mostafa Ronaghi, Shou Wei Ding, Eva Harris, Marie Chow, Michael S. Diamond, Karla Kirkegaard, Jeffrey S. Glenn, Andrew Z. Fire

Faculty Publications

We have used multiplexed high-throughput sequencing to characterize changes in small RNA populations that occur during viral infection in animal cells. Small RNA-based mechanisms such as RNA interference (RNAi) have been shown in plant and invertebrate systems to play a key role in host responses to viral infection. Although homologs of the key RNAi effector pathways are present in mammalian cells, and can launch an RNAi-mediated degradation of experimentally targeted mRNAs, any role for such responses in mammalian host-virus interactions remains to be characterized. Six different viruses were examined in 41 experimentally susceptible and resistant host systems. We identified virus-derived …

Effects Of Metal Compounds With Distinct Physicochemical Properties On Iron Homeostasis And Antibacterial Activity In The Lungs: Chromium And Vanadium, Mitchell D. Cohen, Maureen Sisco, Colleen Prophete, Kotaro Yoshida, Lung-Chi Chen, Judith T. Zelikoff, Jason Smee, Alvin A. Holder, Jacqueline Stormhuerner, Debbie C. Crans, Andrew J. Ghio

Faculty Publications

In situ reactions of metal ions or their compounds are important mechanisms by which particles alter lung immune responses. The authors hypothesized that major determinants of the immunomodulatory effect of any metal include its redox behavior/properties, oxidation state, and/or solubility, and that the toxicities arising from differences in physicochemical parameters are manifest, in part, via differential shifts in lung iron (Fe) homeostasis. To test the hypotheses, immunomodulatory potentials for both pentavalent vanadium (V(V); as soluble metavanadate or insoluble vanadium pentoxide) and hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI); as soluble sodium chromate or insoluble calcium chromate) were quantified in rats after inhalation (5 h/day …

Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis Detected In Amphibians From National Forests In Eastern Texas, Usa, Daniel Saenz, Brendan T. Kavanagh, Matthew Kwiatkowski

Faculty Publications

The amphibian disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd, Longcore et al. 1999), is well known as a major threat to amphibians resulting in mass die-offs and population declines throughout the world (Berger et al. 1998; Blaustein and Keisecker 2002; Daszak et al. 2003; McCallum 2005; Rachowicz et al. 2006). Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis has been detected on amphibians from sites across North America (Ouellet et al. 2005; Woodhams et al. 2008) and appears to be most prevalent in the western and the northeastern United States (Longcore et al. 2007; Schlaepfer et al. 2007). Whereas infected anurans also have …

Pharmaceutical Crops: An Overview, Shiyou Li, Wei Yuan, Peiying Yang, Mikhail Antoun, Michael Balick, Gordon Cragg

Faculty Publications

Pharmaceutical crops is an ambiguous term used by biologists and chemists for different categories of plants. We define pharmaceutical crops as those cultivated species that are used for extraction or preparation of therapeutic substances such as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), excipients used in pharmaceutical formulations, vaccines and antibodies, as well as other therapeutic proteins. Based on the type of pharmaceutical product, these crops can be classified into three distinct yet sometimes overlapping categories: crops for the production of small therapeutic molecules (STMs), large therapeutic molecules (LMTs), or standard therapeutic extracts (STEs). This review briefly discusses the relationships of pharmaceutical crops …

Brucella Species Survey In Polar Bears (Ursus Maritimus) Of Northern Alaska, Todd M. O'Hara, Darce Holcomb, Philip Elzer, Jessica Estepp, Quinesha Perry, Sue Hagius, Cassandra Kirk

Faculty Publications

We report on the presence of specific antibodies to Brucella spp. and Yersinia enterocolitica in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from northern Alaska (southern Beaufort Sea) during 2003-2006. Based on numerous known stressors (e.g., climate change and loss of sea ice habitat, contaminants), there is increased concern regarding the status of polar bears. Considering these changes, it is important to assess exposure to potentially pathogenic organisms and to improve understanding of transmission pathways. Brucella or specific antibodies to Brucella spp. has been reported in marine mammals. Various assays were used to elucidate the pathway or source of exposure (e.g., "marine" vs. …

Clinical Outcomes Of Antimicrobial Lock Solutions Used In A Treatment Modality: A Retrospective Case Series Analysis, P Brandon Bookstaver, Katherine R. Gerrald, Robert R. Moran

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial lock therapy (ALT) may be considered as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) when catheter removal is not a favorable option. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcomes associated with ALT as adjunctive treatment of CRBSI. METHODS: This was a 24-month retrospective case series analysis evaluating patients treated for more than 24 hours with ALT. The primary outcome was blood culture sterilization for 30 days posttherapy. The impact of ALT duration and time to initiation on central venous catheter (CVC) salvage were evaluated. Logistic regression modeled the association between ALT and sterilization rates, with a prespecified …

E Pluribus Unum: Data And Operations Integration In The California Criminal Justice System, W. David Ball

Faculty Publications

This Article reflects some of the insights from the Stanford Criminal Justice Center's (SCJC's) year-long project on data and operations integration in California's criminal justice system. Part I lays out some of the benefits of an integrated system as a means of illustrating why law enforcement agencies across the state are actively pursuing data integration. Part II discusses three organizational and political obstacles to creating an integrated system: defining what we mean by  the criminal justice "system," drawing boundaries of relevant networks, and resolving tensions among state and local agencies with concurrent jurisdiction. Part III then discusses three ways in …

Environmental Correlates Of Abundances Of Mosquito Species And Stages In Discarded Vehicle Tires, Donald A. Yee, Jamie M. Kneitel, Steven A. Juliano

Faculty Publications

Discarded vehicle tires are a common habitat for container mosquito larvae, although the environmental factors that may control their presence or abundance within a tire are largely unknown. We sampled discarded vehicle tires in six sites located within four counties of central Illinois during the spring and summer of 2006 to determine associations between a suite of environmental factors and community composition of container mosquitoes. Our goal was to find patterns of association between environmental factors and abundances of early and late instars. We hypothesized that environmental factors correlated with early instars would be indicative of oviposition cues, whereas environmental …

Putting The Community Back Into The ‘Community Benefit’ Standard, Jessica Wilen Berg

Faculty Publications

The responsibility of hospitals to provide charity care raises fundamental questions about the structure of the United States' health care system. There has been little concrete effort to reassess the obligations of hospitals. This Article seeks to fill that gap by proposing a novel framework for analyzing hospitals' community obligations. This new framework challenges traditional notions of individual charity care and provides a normative basis for encouraging a shift toward public health benefits.

Innovations And Barriers In Health Microinsurance, Sheila Leatherman, Lisa Jones Christensen, Jeanna Holtz

Faculty Publications

Health microinsurance (HMI) offers a promising way to mitigate the risks of disease and ill health, which are disproportionately borne by the world’s poorest citizens. Despite that HMI is a relatively new phenomenon, recent figures indicate that approximately 40 million people worldwide have some form of HMI coverage, principally in India.

The emergence of HMI programmes worldwide provides hope that the poor will receive, at a minimum, a reliable, adequate level of access to affordable healthcare. Research shows that access to HMI reduces out-of-pocket health expenses, especially for catastrophic health events, and improves access to quality health care for those …

Romantic Relationships And The Physical And Mental Health Of College Students, Scott R. Braithwaite, Raquel Delevi, Frank Fincham

Faculty Publications

This study tested the hypothesis that, analogous to married individuals, college students in committed romantic relationships experience greater well-being than single college students. In a sample of 1,621 college students, individuals in committed relationships experienced fewer mental health problems and were less likely to be overweight/obese. There were no significant differences between groups in frequency of physical health problems. Examination of 2 models suggested that being in a committed romantic relationship decreases problematic outcomes largely through a reduction in sexual partners, which in turn decreases both risky behaviors and problematic outcomes. These results are discussed in the context of how …

A Comparison Of The Wellbeing Of Orphans And Abandoned Children Ages 6–12 In Institutional And Community-Based Care Settings In 5 Less Wealthy Nations, Kathryn Whetten, Jan Ostermann, Rachel A. Whetten, Brian W. Pence, Karen O'Donnell, Lynne C. Messer, Nathan M. Thielman, The Positive Outcomes For Orphans (Pofo) Research Team

Faculty Publications

Background

Leaders are struggling to care for the estimated 143,000,000 orphans and millions more abandoned children worldwide. Global policy makers are advocating that institution-living orphans and abandoned children (OAC) be moved as quickly as possible to a residential family setting and that institutional care be used as a last resort. This analysis tests the hypothesis that institutional care for OAC aged 6–12 is associated with worse health and wellbeing than community residential care using conservative two-tail tests.

Methodology

The Positive Outcomes for Orphans (POFO) study employed two-stage random sampling survey methodology in 6 sites across 5 countries to identify 1,357 …

The Amino Terminus Of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Glycoprotein K (Gk) Modulates Gb-Mediated Virus-Induced Cell Fusion And Virion Egress, Vladimir N. Chouljenko, Arun V. Iyer, Sona Chowdhury, Dmitry V. Chouljenko, Konstantin G. Kousoulas

Faculty Publications

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)-induced cell fusion is mediated by viral glycoproteins and other membrane proteins expressed on infected cell surfaces. Certain mutations in the carboxyl terminus of HSV-1 glycoprotein B (gB) and in the amino terminus of gK cause extensive virus-induced cell fusion. Although gB is known to be a fusogenic glycoprotein, the mechanism by which gK is involved in virus-induced cell fusion remains elusive. To delineate the amino-terminal domains of gK involved in virus-induced cell fusion, the recombinant viruses gKΔ31-47, gKΔ31-68, and gKΔ31-117, expressing gK carrying in-frame deletions spanning the amino terminus of gK immediately after the …

Current Substance Use Behavior Among Severely Mentally Ill Individuals Diagnosed With Hiv And Hcv, Michelle Hampton, Linda Chafetz, Carmen Portillo

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Infection with HIV and HCV is higher among severely mentally ill (SMI) individuals than the general population. The literature addressing prevention focuses primarily on sexual risk, though substance-related risk is significant. Insufficient data is available about substance use behavior in this population to formulate effective secondary prevention interventions. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was a secondary analysis of a RCT. Subjects reporting a diagnosis of HIV/HCV (reporters) were compared to non-reporters. Data were extracted from interviews that included the Addiction Severity Index (ASI). Data were analyzed using logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 275 subjects, 64(23.3%) reported a HIV/HCV diagnosis. Compared to …

Edwardsiella Ictaluri Encodes An Acid-Activated Urease That Is Required For Intracellular Replication In Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus) Macrophages, Natha J. Booth, Judith B. Beekman, Ronald L. Thune

Faculty Publications

Genomic analysis indicated that Edwardsiella ictaluri encodes a putative urease pathogenicity island containing the products of nine open reading frames, including urea and ammonium transporters. In vitro studies with wild-type E. ictaluri and a ureG::kan urease mutant strain indicated that E. ictaluri is significantly tolerant of acid conditions (pH 3.0) but that urease activity is not required for acid tolerance. Growth studies demonstrated that E. ictaluri is unable to grow at pH 5 in the absence of urea but is able to elevate the environmental pH from pH 5 to pH 7 and grow when exogenous urea is available. Substantial …

The Malawi Religion Project: Data Collection And Selected Analyses, Jimi Adams, Jenny Trinitapoli

Faculty Publications

Scholars have recently become increasingly interested in the role religion plays in the responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. Here, we present the Malawi Religion Project (MRP), which provides data to examine the relationship between religion and HIV/AIDS through surveys and in-depth interviews with denominational leaders, congregational leaders, and congregation members in three districts of rural Malawi. In the paper, we outline existing perspectives on the religionHIV/AIDS link, describe the MRP's design, implementation, and subsequent data; provide initial evidence for a series of general research hypotheses; and describe how these data can be used both to extend explorations …

Guatemala's Green Revolution: Synthetic Fertilizer, Public Health, And Economic Autonomy In The Mayan Highland, David Carey

Faculty Publications

Despite extensive literature both supporting and critiquing the Green Revolution, surprisingly little attention has been paid to synthetic fertilizers' health and environmental effects or indigenous farmers' perspectives. The introduction of agrochemicals in the mid-twentieth century was a watershed event for many Mayan farmers in Guatemala. While some Maya hailed synthetic fertilizers' immediate effectiveness as a relief from famines and migrant labor, others lamented the long-term deterioration of their public health, soil quality, and economic autonomy. Since the rising cost of agrochemicals compelled Maya to return to plantation labor in the 1970s, synthetic fertilizers simply shifted, rather than alleviated, Mayan dependency …

Reasons Why Women Do Not Initiate Breastfeeding: A Southeastern State Study, Chinelo A. Ogbuanu, Janice C. Probst, Sarah B. Laditka, Jihong Liu, Jongdeuk Baek, Saundra Glover

Faculty Publications

Purpose - Despite the increase in breastfeeding initiation and duration in the United States, only five states have met the three Healthy People 2010 breastfeeding objectives. Our objectives are to study women's self-reported reasons for not initiating breastfeeding and to determine whether these reasons vary by race/ethnicity, and other maternal and hospital support characteristics.

Methods - Data are from the 2000-2003 Arkansas Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, restricting the sample to women who did not initiate breastfeeding (unweighted n = 2,917). Reasons for not initiating breastfeeding are characterized as individual reasons, household responsibilities, and circumstances. Analyses include the χ^{2 …}

Genome Degradation In Brucella Ovis Corresponds With Narrowing Of Its Host Range And Tissue Tropism, Renee M. Tsolis, Rekha Seshadri, Renato L. Santos, Felix J. Sangari, Juan M. García Lobo, Maarten F. De Jong, Qinghu Ren, Garry Myers, Lauren M. Brinkac, William C. Nelson, Robert T. Deboy, Samuel Angiuoli, Hoda Khouri, George Dimitrov, Jeffrey R. Robinson, Stephanie Mulligan, Richard L. Walker, Philip E. Elzer, Karl A. Hassan, Ian T. Paulsen

Faculty Publications

Brucella ovis is a veterinary pathogen associated with epididymitis in sheep. Despite its genetic similarity to the zoonotic pathogens B. abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis, B. ovis does not cause zoonotic disease. Genomic analysis of the type strain ATCC25840 revealed a high percentage of pseudogenes and increased numbers of transposable elements compared to the zoonotic Brucella species, suggesting that genome degradation has occurred concomitant with narrowing of the host range of B. ovis. The absence of genomic island 2, encoding functions required for lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, as well as inactivation of genes encoding urease, nutrient uptake and utilization, and outer …

A Functional Type I Topoisomerase From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Teesta Jain, Benjamin J. Roper, Anne Grove

Faculty Publications

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes a putative topoisomerase with sequence similarity to the eukaryotic type IB topoisomerase from Vaccinia virus. Residues in the active site are conserved, notably Tyr292 which would be predicted to form the transient covalent bond to DNA. Results: The gene encoding the P. aeruginosa topoisomerase I was cloned and expressed in E. coli. The enzyme relaxes supercoiled DNA, while a mutant containing a Tyr292 to Phe substitution at the active site was found to be catalytically inert. This is consistent with the role of Tyr in forming the covalent intermediate. Like Vaccinia topoisomerase, the P. aeruginosa topoisomerase …

Religion And Hiv In Tanzania: Influence Of Religious Beliefs On Hiv Stigma, Disclosure, And Treatment Attitudes, James Zou, Yvonne Yamanaka, Muze John, Melissa Watt, Jan Ostermann, Nathan Thielman

Faculty Publications

Background

Religion shapes everyday beliefs and activities, but few studies have examined its associations with attitudes about HIV. This exploratory study in Tanzania probed associations between religious beliefs and HIV stigma, disclosure, and attitudes toward antiretroviral (ARV) treatment.

Methods

A self-administered survey was distributed to a convenience sample of parishioners (n = 438) attending Catholic, Lutheran, and Pentecostal churches in both urban and rural areas. The survey included questions about religious beliefs, opinions about HIV, and knowledge and attitudes about ARVs. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess how religion was associated with perceptions about HIV, HIV treatment, and …