Digital Commons Network^™

Gene Expression Profiling Revealed Novel Mechanism Of Action Of Taxotere And Furtulon In Prostate Cancer Cells, Yiwei Li, Maha Hussain, Sarah H. Sarkar, James Eliason, Ran Li, Fazlul H. Sarkar

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Both Taxotere and Capecitabine have shown anti-cancer activity against various cancers including prostate cancer. In combination, Taxotere plus Capecitabine has demonstrated higher anti-cancer activity in advanced breast cancers. However, the molecular mechanisms of action of Taxotere and Capecitabine have not been fully elucidated in prostate cancer.

Methods

The total RNA from PC3 and LNCaP prostate cells untreated and treated with 2 nM Taxotere, 110 μM Furtulon (active metabolite of Capecitabine), or 1 nM Taxotere plus 50 μM Furtulon for 6, 36, and 72 hours, was subjected to Affymetrix Human Genome U133A Array analysis. Real-time PCR and Western Blot …

Expression Pattern And Regulation Of Genes Differ Between Fibroblasts Of Adhesion And Normal Human Peritoneum, Ujjwal K. Rout, Ghassan M. Saed, Michael P. Diamond

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Injury to the peritoneum during surgery is followed by a healing process that frequently results in the attachment of adjacent organs by a fibrous mass, referred commonly as adhesions. Because injuries to the peritoneum during surgery are inevitable, it is imperative that we understand the mechanisms of adhesion formation to prevent its occurrence. This requires thorough understanding of the molecular sequence that results in the attachment of injured peritoneum and the development of fibrous tissue. Recent data show that fibroblasts from the injured peritoneum may play a critical role in the formation of adhesion tissues. Therefore, identifying changes …

The Relationships Between Depression And Other Outcomes Of Chronic Illness Caregiving, Pao-Feng Tsai, Mary M. Jirovec

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Many caregivers with chronically ill relatives suffer from depression. However, the relationship of depression to other outcomes of chronic caregiving remains unclear. This study tested a hypothesized model which proposed that hours of care, stressful life events, social support, age and gender would predict caregivers' outcomes through perceived caregiver stress. Depression was expected to mediate the relationship between perceived stress and outcomes of chronic caregiving (physical function, self-esteem, and marital satisfaction).

Methods

The sample for this secondary data analysis consisted of 236 and 271 subjects from the Americans' Changing Lives, Wave 1, 1986, and Wave 2, 1989, data …

Sequential Super-Stereotypy Of An Instinctive Fixed Action Pattern In Hyper-Dopaminergic Mutant Mice: A Model Of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder And Tourette's, Kent C. Berridge, J Wayne Aldridge, Kimberly R. Houchard, Xiaoxi Zhuang

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Excessive sequential stereotypy of behavioral patterns (sequential super-stereotypy) in Tourette's syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is thought to involve dysfunction in nigrostriatal dopamine systems. In sequential super-stereotypy, patients become trapped in overly rigid sequential patterns of action, language, or thought. Some instinctive behavioral patterns of animals, such as the syntactic grooming chain pattern of rodents, have sufficiently complex and stereotyped serial structure to detect potential production of overly-rigid sequential patterns. A syntactic grooming chain is a fixed action pattern that serially links up to 25 grooming movements into 4 predictable phases that follow 1 syntactic rule. New …

International Health Law, Jonathan Todres, Pamela L. Marcogliese

The International Lawyer

No abstract provided.

Communication Between Multiple Robots, Crystal Piper

Senior Seminars

No abstract provided.

A Randomized, Controlled Trial Of In-Home Drinking Water Intervention To Reduce Gastrointestinal Illness, John M. Colford, Timothy J. Wade, Sukhminder K. Sandhu, Catherine C. Wright, Sherline Lee, Susan Shaw, Kim Fox, Susan Burns, Anne Benker, M. Alan Brookhart, Mark Van Der Laan, Deborah A. Levy

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Trials have provided conflicting estimates of the risk of gastrointestinal illness attributable to tap water. To estimate this risk in an Iowa community with a well-run water utility with microbiologically challenged source water, the authors of this 2000-2002 study randomly assigned blinded volunteers to use externally identical devices (active device: 227 households with 646 persons; sham device: 229 households with 650 persons) for 6 months (cycle A). Each group then switched to the opposite device for 6 months (cycle B). The active device contained a 1-microm absolute ceramic filter and used ultraviolet light. Episodes of "highly credible gastrointestinal illness," a …

Isolation And Characterization Of Water-Soluble Fluorescent Species From Human Serum, Ashraf Hamid Elamin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lipid peroxidation (LP) proceeds by a free radical chain reaction mechanism in which molecular oxygen is incorporated into polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to yield lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH). The ultimate end-products of LP are the production of alpha, beta unsaturated aldehydes, such as acrolein, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) and malondialdehyde (MDA). These aldehydes are very reactive and exhibit facile reactivity with various biomolecules, particularly proteins, resulting in the formation of fluorescent adducts that could be useful biological marker in diseases. These fluorescent adducts typically emit light between 400 and 600 nm when excited at wavelengths ranging from 300-400 nm. Lysine residues are the …

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa 1244 Piliation: Environmental Signals And Regulation, Dana Furst

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa 1244 pili on the bacterial surface is dependent upon the growth environment. Quantitative western immunoblot analysis showed that an agar plate promoted surface expression of pili, whereas bacterial cells grown in liquid broth lacked similar appendages. Hyperexpression of the pilA gene increased piliation in broth cells but not to the extent of plate cells. Real-time RT-PCR indicated that the pilA gene has the potential to be regulated posttranscriptionally, regardless of the growth environment.

The P. aeruginosa 1244 pilin glycan and lipopolysaccharide O-antigen are synthesized via the same biosynthetic pathway. Rabbits immunized with LPS-free pili produced …

Development And Optimization Of Integrated Microwave Enhanced Extraction As A Sample Preparation Technique: Environmental, Clinical And Green Chemistry Applications, Sejal Iyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Authors describe the development of a novel technique, Integrated Microwave Extraction (IME), an enhancement for Microwave Assisted Solvent Extraction (MASE). Solvents are optimized for chemistry and microwave absorption is modified using secondary microwave absorbers enabling traditional solvent applications. The salient features of IME are its equipment integration and secondary heating technology, which are aimed at overcoming deficiencies of MASE. Comparative studies of IME with traditional extraction techniques were carried out. IME will thus prove to be a time saving method with the added advantages of being economical, safe and environmentally friendly process. The data indicates equivalent recoveries for both classes …

Middle School Teachers' Beliefs About How They Communicate Caring And Students' Perceptions Of Their Teachers' Caring Behaviors, Cynthia D. Kainaroi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was three-fold: to examine the behaviors middle school teachers use and believe communicate caring and students' perceptions of their caring behaviors; to determine if a discrepancy exists between the two; and to identify the nature of any discrepancies. Participants included 16 eighth grade teachers and 184 eighth grade students. Data were collected through the use of a teacher questionnaire and an anonymous student writing assignment. Teacher and student responses were grouped into emerging themes of caring. The methodology used in this study to analyze the results included calculating and comparing the percentage of teacher and …

Continuity In The Absence Of Declarative Memory In Patients With Moderate Dementia Of The Alzheimer's Type, Scott Frederick Kaper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The standard paradigm of research into dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT) has yielded little in the way of effective patient treatment. Recent neuroscientific advances into the understanding of implicit memory have opened up new possibilities of patient care. The ontology developed within the existentialphenomenological (EP) tradition provided the best foundation for further research in this direction, toward restoring moderately impaired DAT patients to Erikson's last normative stage of development, gerotranscendence. Drawing from the EP tradition, the idea of continuity was developed for this research. Continuity is composed of four domains: postural modality, discourse, and the patient's focal relationships …

Kidney Development In Eleutherodactylus Coqui With Relation To Edema Syndrome, Seung Yun Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vertebrates develop embryonic kidneys before the final adult kidney. Particularly for organisms with aquatic larvae such as frogs, the first embryonic kidney, the pronephros is essential for the larvae's survival. Those larvae with defective or without pronephroi exhibited pronounced edema. Edema is severe swelling of a body part as a result of fluid retention. To date, although the embryonic kidneys have been extensively studied in various model organisms, it has not been studied in Eleutherodactylus coqui. E. coqui is a direct developing frog and lacks a tadpole phase in its life cycle. I examined the kidney development in E. coqui …

Effects Of Emotional Intelligence Training On Incarcerated Adult Males Involved In Pre-Release Programming, Holly Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation summarizes a study conducted to explore the effectiveness of emotional intelligence (EI) training for adult male inmates. Acts of crime and violence cause psychological repercussions to crime victims and financial burdens on our society. Historically, those involved in the criminal justice system have strived to gather knowledge about criminal behavior in order to guide interventions. Furthermore, research on potential interventions has been encouraged in order to support evidence-based rehabilitative efforts that may ultimately impact recidivism. Emotional intelligence is a relatively new construct that may be related to social functioning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the …

Financial System In Economic Development: The Nature And Role Of A Robust Financial System In The Economic Transformation Of Uganda, Frederick Leo Nkwasibwe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Financial System in Economic Development: The Nature and Role of Robust Financial System in the Economic Transformation of Uganda is a thesis that treats the nature and role of the massive network of efficient as opposed to dysfunctional financial institutions and functions in the mobilization and allocation of financial resources for creative investment and economic transformation of Uganda.

The thesis suggests that a market-focused robust financial system utilizing a Rural Reach Refocus Financial Model (the 3-R Financial Model), spurs the entrepreneurial revolution, offers debt and equity financing, and enhances economic transformation. It also highlights the basic conditions for the success …

Structural And Functional Modifications Of Human Serum Albumin By Lipid Peroxidation By-Products, Amy Pollock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

By-products of lipid peroxidation, specifically alpha, beta-unsaturated aldehydes, are known to modify nucleophilic amino acid residues, including lysine residues, in proteins. The produced alpha, beta-unsaturated aldehydes are stable enough to migrate from their site of origin, therefore allowing them to come in contact with a wide range of biomolecules in the system. Human serum albumin (HSA) is the most abundant plasma protein. It contains 58 lysine residues that are distributed throughout the sequence and tertiary structure of the protein, several of which are surface exposed. The research presented herein explores the possibility that HSA provides an outlet of consumption for …

A Case Study Of The Impact Of Zero-Based Staffing And The Teacher Selection Process In The Improvement Of Academic Success Indicators In An Underachieving Elementary School In Maryland, David Reeder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This case study examined the process of zero-based staffing as a reform model for improving academic achievement at an underachieving elementary school in a county school system in Maryland. The process of zero-based staffing involved the involuntary transfer of all professional staff from the building. This study examined the zero-based process used to restructure the school, the teacher selection process, and the characteristics of the teachers selected for the school. A qualitative design methodology was employed to examine the processes through a naturalistic inquiry approach. Four semistructured interview instruments were utilized to gather data from the superintendent, principal, teachers, and …

The Role Of The Pseudomonas Aeruginosa 1244 Pilin Glycan In Virulence, Jennifer Roguskie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The pili of P. aeruginosa 1244 are involved in a post-translational modification in which an acidic carbohydrate moiety structurally similar to the lipopolysaccahride (LPS) O-antigen is covalently attached to the pilin protein. It has been shown that this associated glycan is evenly distributed over the entire surface of the pilus. Because of its prime location along the pilus, experiments were conducted to determine if the pilin glycan contributed to the virulence of P. aeruginosa. Initial studies involved the assessment of LD50 values to demonstrate that acquisition of the exoU gene increased the virulence of PA1244. Interestingly, the LD50 studies suggested …

Expresson Of The Endodermal Marker, Ecsox17, During Embryogenesis Of The Direct Developing Frog, Eleutherodactylus Coqui, Srikanth Singamsetty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the model amphibian, Xenopus laevis, the HMG box transcription factor, Sox17, is expressed throughout the vegetal region that forms the endoderm. It is both necessary and sufficient for the endoderm formation. In order to study endoderm formation in the direct developing frog, Eleutherodactylus coqui, its Sox17 orthologue EcSox17 was cloned by Sean Willamson. To look at the expression of EcSox17, I designed primers and did RT-PCR on whole embryos. EcSox17 was expressed from cleavage to hatching of free-living froglet. EcSox17 RNA was present in the ovaries, an expression which has not been reported in any other vertebrate. Whole mount …

Childhood Fire-Setting: A Contextual Understanding, Andrew Ward

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research on fire-setting has been either totally theoretical or has been based on limited contact with individuals who set the fires. This dissertation accessed fire-setting through interviews with three male adults who set fires as children. Background information was acquired from the participants to construct the context in which each instance of fire-setting occurred. The purpose of this project was to understand each individual's life as a child in relation to his fire-setting behavior.

The initial goal of this project was to gain access to the actual experience of setting a fire; however, this proved to be an elusive …

Whiteness And The Return Of The "Black Body", George Yancy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation project is to theorize and understand Black embodiment within the context of white hegemony, that is, within the context of a white racist anti-Black world. I theorize the Black body as a site of lived historicity vis-á-vis whiteness as the transcendental signified or as that which takes itself to be "unconditioned." I theorize how the Black body, under the power of the white gaze, which is linked to cultural, symbolic, and material power, undergoes what I refer to as a "phenomenological return." Examples were taken from the work of Ralph Ellsion, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B Du …

Computational Technique For Improvement Of The Position-Weight Matrices For The Dna/Protein Binding Sites, Naum I. Gershenzon, Gary D. Stormo, Ilya P. Ioshikhes

Physics Faculty Publications

Position-weight matrices (PWMs) are broadly used to locate transcription factor binding sites in DNA sequences. The majority of existing PWMs provide a low level of both sensitivity and specificity. We present a new computational algorithm, a modification of the Staden–Bucher approach, that improves the PWM. We applied the proposed technique on the PWM of the GC-box, binding site for Sp1. The comparison of old and new PWMs shows that the latter increase both sensitivity and specificity. The statistical parameters of GC-box distribution in promoter regions and in the human genome, as well as in each chromosome, are presented. The majority …

Effect Of Genetic Variation On The Formation Of Hepatocarcinogenic Metabolites Of Trichloroethylene Using Chloral Hydrate Studies (An Interdisciplinary Approach), Apryl Bronley-Delancey

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is listed with the EPA as a suspected human carcinogen and is ubiquitous in the environment (US EPA 1992). Chloral hydrate (CH) is a sedative drug and a cytochrome P450 (CYP 450)-derived metabolite of TCE (Klaassen 2001). Chloral hydrate is metabolized in the liver to the rodent hepatocarcinogen trichloroacetate (TCA) by aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), and to the non-carcinogenic metabolite trichloroethanol (TCEOH) by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) (Klaassen 2001). Both ALDH and ADH are polymorphic in humans which can presumably predict the disposition of chloral hydrate into the carcinogenic vs. non-carcinogenic pathways. The likelihood is then raised that subpopulations of …

What Is The Safety And Efficacy Of Biobrane Versus Silver Sulfadiazine In The Treatment Of Low Body Surface Area Partial-Thickness Burns?, Gregory Wanner

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: To determine how the synthetic skin substitute Biobrane compares to silver sulfadiazine (SSD, silvadine) in the treatment of patients with low body surface area partial thickness burns.

The Impact Of The Variability Hypothesis On Margaret F. Washburn's And Mary W. Calkins' Parodoxical Relations With Faculty In Their Graduate Programs, Ginger Hudson, Ann N. Elliott

Modern Psychological Studies

This paper offers a possible explanation for the paradoxical relations for two of psychology's 19th century female pioneers with faculty members in their graduate programs: Margaret F Washburn and James M. Cattell at Columbia University; and Mary W. Calkins and Hugo Munsterberg at Harvard University. Cattell's and Munsterberg's strong support and advocacy for these female graduate students appear contradictory to their general beliefs regarding women's intellectual capacities and pursuit of higher education. However, it is suggested that their views were, in fact, consistent with the variability hypothesis, which drew a sharp distinction between "average" and "exceptional" women. It is further …

Quantification And Prediction Of Stream Dryness In The Interior Highlands, Justin M. Homan, Nicholas M. Girondo, Charles J. Gagen

Faculty Publications - Biological Sciences

Although ecological studies have noted streams drying in the Interior Highlands, published measurements of streambed dryness are lacking. Clearly, stream drying has the potential to affect benthic macroinvertebrate and fish communities. In 2003, we initiated an assessment of streambed dryness for three streams in the Ouachita Mountains representative of the Central Hills, Ridges, and Valleys. In the following summer, we applied the approach to 15 similar size watersheds in three distinct ecoregions of the Interior Highlands: Ouachita Mountains-Athens Plateau, Ozark Highlands-Springfield Plateau, and Lower Boston Mountains. Repeated dryness measurements were recorded in each stream and correlated to nearby USGS stream …

Anthropology Discipline Assessment Results Report 2004-2005, Anthropology Discipline

Assessment of Student Learning Reports

No abstract provided.

Changes In Groundwater Quality In A Conduit-Flow-Dominated Karst Aquifer As A Result Of Best Management Practices, James C. Currens

Report of Investigations--KGS

Water quality in the Pleasant Grove Spring karst groundwater basin was monitored to determine the effectiveness of best management practices (BMP’s) implemented through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Water Quality Incentive Program (WQIP). The project was divided into three phases. Phase I, beginning in August 1990, was the initial reconnaissance of the hydrogeology and water quality of the basin. Phase II, beginning in October 1993, monitored the water quality for 1 year prior to BMP implementation. This phase was followed by a 1-year interim extension, which continued the monitoring. Phase III monitored the water quality during and following BMP implementation. …

First Verifiable Records Of Blue-Winged Warbler And Magnolia Warbler Wintering In Florida, Bill Pranty, Tom Hince, Mark Berney

Florida Field Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Altered Hydrology On The Breeding Ecology Of The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow And Bachman’S Sparrow, Dustin W. Perkins, Peter D. Vickery

Florida Field Naturalist

No abstract provided.