Digital Commons Network^™

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Tetramic Acids As Antimicrobial Agents, Jason B. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

As bacterial infectious diseases are a major cause of morbity and mortality throughout the world, and many causative organisms are resistant to currently available antibiotics, the motivation for the development of new drugs is readily apparent. A number of natural products exhibiting antimicrobial activity possess a tetramic acid (2,4-pyrrolidinedione) functional group. As their antibacterial mechanism of action is different from that of many of the currently available antibiotics, these compounds have potential to serve as a basis for a pharmacophore in synthetic compounds. However, toxicity to eukaryotic cells is frequently a problem with currently known tetramic acids. The purpose of …

The Role Of Msa In The Global Regulation Of Virulence In Staphylococcus Aureus, Vijayaraj Nagarajan

Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen causing life threatening diseases in humans. Previously we showed that msa modulates the activity of sarA (Staphylococcal accessory regulator), which is one of a major global regulator of virulence in S. aureus. The objective of this study is to characterize the role of msa (Modulator of SarA) in the global regulation of virulence in S. aureus. Structure and function predictions were done using several computational tools and approaches to understand the nature of msa. A novel S. aureus microarray meta-database (SAMMD) was designed and developed to compare and contrast other transcriptomes with msa transcriptome. …

Characterization Of The Ompl1 Gene Of Pathogenic Leptospira Species In China And Cross-Immunogenicity Of The Ompl1 Protein, Haiyan Dong, Ye Hu, Feng Xue, Dexter Sun, David M. Ojcius, Yafei Mao, Jie Yan

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Background: The usefulness of available vaccine and serological tests for leptospirosis is limited by the low cross-reactivity of antigens from numerous serovars of pathogenic Leptospira spp. Identification of genus-specific protein antigens (GP-Ag) of Leptospira would be important for development of universal vaccines and serodiagnostic methods. OmpL1, a transmembrane porin of pathogenic leptospires, was identified as a possible GP-Ag, but its sequence diversity and immune cross-reactivity among different serovars of pathogenic leptospires remains largely unknown.

Results: PCR analysis demonstrated that the ompL1 gene existed in all 15 official Chinese standard strains as well as 163 clinical strains of pathogenic leptospires isolated …

A Fundamental Study Of The Pcr Amplification Of Gc-Rich Dna Templates, T. G. Mamedov, Elsje Pienaar, Scott E. Whitney, Joel R. Termaat, G. Carvill, R. Goliath, Anuradha Subramanian, Hendrik J. Viljoen

Hendrik J. Viljoen Publications

A theoretical analysis is presented with experimental confirmation to conclusively demonstrate the critical role that annealing plays in efficient PCR amplification of GC-rich templates. The analysis is focused on the annealing of primers at alternative binding sites (competitive annealing) and the main result is a quantitative expression of the efficiency (η) of annealing as a function of temperature (T_A), annealing period (t_A), and template composition. The optimal efficiency lies in a narrow region of T_A and t_A for GC-rich templates and a much broader region for normal GC templates. To confirm the …

In Vitro Testing Of Daptomycin Plus Rifampin Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Resistant To Rifampin, Faisal A. Khasawneh, Deborah S. Ashcraft, George A. Pankey

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To test for synergy between daptomycin (DAP) and rifampin (RIF) against RIF-resistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates. METHODS: Synergy testing using time-kill assay (TKA) was performed on 6 clinically, and genetically unique RIF-resistant MRSA isolates. The isolates were identified out of 489 (1.2%) samples collected during April 2003 to August 2006, from patients at the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America. RESULTS: Synergy testing of DAP plus RIF by TKA showed that 5 isolates were indifferent, but one isolate was antagonistic. CONCLUSION: Our in vitro study failed to demonstrate synergy between DAP plus RIF, …

Spatial Modeling Of Malaria Incidence Rates In Sistan And Baluchistan Province, Islamic Republic Of Iran, Masoud Salehi, Kazem Mohammad, Mahmud M. Farahani, Hojjat Zeraati, Keramat Nourijelyani, Farid Zayeri

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To identify the effect of environmental factors on malaria risk, and to visualize spatial map of malaria standard incidence rates in Sistan and Baluchistan province, Islamic Republic of Iran. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the data from 42,162 registered new malaria cases from 21 March 2001 (Iranian new year) to 21 of March 2006 were studied. To describe the statistical association between environmental factors and malaria risk, a generalized linear mixed model approach was utilized. In addition, we used the second ordered stationary Kriging, and a variogram to determine the appropriate spatial correlation structure among the malaria standard incidence …

Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor Of The Mesentery Associated With High Fever And Positive Widal Test, Camil J. Chouairy, Elie A. Bechara, Sleiman J. Gebran, Ramy H. Ghabril

Saudi Medical Journal

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is associated in 15-30% of cases with systemic symptomatology, such as prolonged fever, weight loss, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), anemia, thrombocytosis, and leukocytosis. We report the case of a 4-year-old Lebanese boy who presented with high-grade fever of long duration, and a single (unpaired) positive Widal agglutination test. Blood culture was negative. A diagnosis of typhoid fever was made. An abdominal (mesenteric) IMT was incidentally discovered, 30 days after the fever had appeared. After surgery, the fever disappeared immediately, and the ESR returned to normal. We strongly favor the possibility of a false positive Widal …

How Does A Riverine Setting Affect The Lifestyle Of Shellmound Builders In Brazil?, Sabine Eggers, C. C. Petronilho, K. Brandt, C. Jericó-Daminello, J. Filippini, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

The contact of inland and coastal prehistoric groups in Brazil is believed to have been restricted to regions with no geographical barrier, as is the case in the Ribeira de Iguape valley. The inland osteological collection from the riverine shellmound Moraes (5800–4500 BP) represents a unique opportunity to test this assumption for this region. Despite cultural similarities between riverine and coastal shellmounds, important ecological and site distribution differences are expected to impact on lifestyle. The purpose of this study is thus to document and interpret health and lifestyle indicators in Moraes in comparison to coastal shellmound groups. Specifically we test …

Acceptance Of The Clark P. Read Mentor Award: Students, Opportunity, Serendipity, And W.B. Yeats: "Education Is Not The Filling Of A Pail; It Is The Lighting Of A Fire", Donald W. Duszynski

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Transcript of the speech given by Donald W. Duszynski, of the University of New Mexico, upon acceptance of the American Society of Parasitologists' Clark P. Read Mentor Award, 2008.

Presentation Of The 2008 Asp Distinguished Service Award To William C. Campbell, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Presentation of the 2008 American Society of Parasitologists Distinguished Service Award to William C. Campbell, Dana Fellow for scientists emeriti at Drew University.

Pathological Sub-Types, Risk Factors And Outcome Of Stroke At The Nairobi Hospital, Kenya, James Jowi, Peter Mativo

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Stroke is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality the world over. Established risk factors such as arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, hyper-lipidaemia, micro-vascular rupture, male gender, age and observed co-morbities such as sickle cell disease, HIV/AIDS infection and cerebral malaria are increasingly being encountered in the tropics.

Objectives: To determine pathological sub-types, risk factors, in-hospital period prevalence and in-hospital outcome of stroke.

Design: Hospital-based retrospective study.

Setting: The Nairobi Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya.

Subjects: Patients with recorded diagnosis of stroke/cerebral vascular accident; as per WHO criteria for diagnosis of stroke, …

The Issues Of Carbon Sequestration, Francisco M. Pati, David Clay, Gregg Carlson

SDSU Extension Fact Sheets

No abstract provided.

Aminoglycosides And Syringomycin E As Fungicides Against Fusarium Graminearum In Head Blight Disease, Yukie Kawasaki

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fusarium graminearum is one of the most problematic phytopathogens in US agriculture. This fungus causes head blight, foot rot, and damping off on wheat and barley. The infection lowers the grain yield and causes contamination of the grain product with mycotoxins. Effective control measures are lacking, and new fungicides that kill F. graminearum but remain safe and economical to use are needed. Newly synthesized aminoglycosides (JL22, JL38, JL39, JL40, NEOF004, NEOF005), classic aminoglycosides (amikacin, gentamicin, kanamycin A, kanamycin B, neomycin, and ribostamycin), and a lipopeptide, syringomycin E (SRE), were studied to determine their antifungal potential to control F. graminearum. …

Biological Invasions And Biocultural Diversity: Linking Ecological And Cultural Systems, Jeanine Pfeiffer, Robert Voeks

Faculty Publications

Study of the ecological and economic effects of invasive species has paralleled their progressively pervasive influence worldwide, yet their cultural impacts remain largely unexamined and therefore unrecognized. Unlike biological systems, where the ecological consequences of biological invasions are primarily negative, from an ethnoscientific standpoint, invasive species' impacts on cultural systems span a range of effects. Biological invasions affect cultural groups in myriad, often unpredictable and at times contradictory ways. This review groups case studies into a conceptual matrix suggesting three categorically different cultural impacts of invasive species. Culturally impoverishing invasive species precipitate the loss or replacement of culturally important native …

Obesity And Spatial Context In Appalachia, Roberta J. Alt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The prevalence of obesity has increased substantially over the past 30 years. Obesity is a multi-factorial disorder, which is often associated with many other significant diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, osteoarthritis and certain cancers. For these reasons, it is a complex health issue to address. The objective of this study is to identify the factors which are responsible for the spatial variation of adult obesity throughout the Appalachian region. In addition, preliminary examinations are made to identify potential associations between geographic variability in the prevalence of obesity and the characteristics of individuals and places with variable …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Application Of Ag Nanostructures, Stephen Hudson

All Dissertations

Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been used for many centuries; however their properties were not truly scrutinized until Michael Farady's investigations in the 1850's. Advances in the field of nanotechnology over the last three decades have enabled insights into the properties of materials as their dimensions are reduced to the nanoscale. The repercussions of these insights are seen in many modern applications.
In this dissertation, properties of novel nanostructures based on Ag NPs are presented and discussed. The exceptional optical properties of Ag NPs stem from the collective oscillations of the conduction electrons known as plasmon resonances. The excitation of …

Impact Of Afghan Refugees On The Infectious Disease Profile Of Pakistan: Beyond Economy, Ali Jawaid, Abdul Mueed Zafar, Syed Faisal Mahmood

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Geographical Proximity On Health Care Seeking Behaviour In Northern Oman, Ahmed Al-Mandhari, Samir Al-Adawi, Ibrahim Al-Shafaee, Mohammed, Liyam Eloul

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: Despite its impact on health policy, the relationship between geographical proximity and health care seeking has received scant attention in the medical literature. This paper aims to evaluate the relationship between geographic proximity and health care usage behaviour among patients seeking medical consultation in the northern region of Oman. Methods: During 2006- 2007, data was collected via face-to-face interviews among 428 randomized patients seeking medical consultation in various primary health care centres in the northern region of Oman. The association between geographical proximity as a reason to seek health care and other predictors was also analysed using multivariable logistic …

November 24, 2008 Reporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Evolution Of Picornaviruses: Impacts Of Recombination And Selection, Nicole Noel Lewis-Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

Picornaviruses are responsible for some of the most common and debilitating diseases affecting humans and animals worldwide. The objectives of this dissertation research were (1) estimate phylogenetic relationships among 11 picornavirus genera and within three species: foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV: Aphthovirus) which afflicts cloven-hoofed animals and human rhinovirus A and B (HRV: Enterovirus) which cause the common cold; (2) better understand the impact recombination has on genomic organization and evolution; (3) characterize where positive and purifying selection has occurred in proteins and how selection has influenced phenotype. The dissertation includes four studies. The first chapter provides an overview of the …

The Statesman, V. 52, I. 21, Stony Brook University

Stony Brook Statesman-Sucolian

v. 52, i. 21

Washington University Record, November 20, 2008

Washington University Record

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Mialome Of Ticks: An Annotated Catalogue Of Midgut Transcripts From The Hard Tick, Dermacentor Variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae), Jennifer M. Anderson, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Jesus G. Valenzuela

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Ticks are obligate blood feeders. The midgut is the first major region of the body where blood and microbes ingested with the blood meal come in contact with the tick's internal tissues. Little is known about protein expression in the digestive tract of ticks. In this study, for analysis of global gene expression during tick attachment and feeding, we generated and sequenced 1,679 random transcripts (ESTs) from cDNA libraries from the midguts of female ticks at varying stages of feeding.

Results: Sequence analysis of the 1,679 ESTs resulted in the identification of 835 distinct transcripts, from these, a total …

Whitley Chosen To Advise U.S. Infectious Disease Agency, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of Climate Variability And Future Climate Change On Harmful Algal Blooms And Human Health, Stephanie K. Moore, Vera L. Trainer, Nathan J. Mantua, Micaela S. Parker, Edward A. Laws, Lorraine C. Backer, Lora E. Fleming

Faculty Publications

Anthropogenically-derived increases in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations have been implicated in recent climate change, and are projected to substantially impact the climate on a global scale in the future. For marine and freshwater systems, increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases are expected to increase surface temperatures, lower pH, and cause changes to vertical mixing, upwelling, precipitation, and evaporation patterns. The potential consequences of these changes for harmful algal blooms (HABs) have received relatively little attention and are not well understood. Given the apparent increase in HABs around the world and the potential for greater problems as a result of climate change …

Today - November 17, 2008, Loma Linda University

TODAY

Inside this issue:

-- Spiritual life and wholeness banquet recognizes institutional employees for faith and passion
-- Compassion in Action opens with feature on Afghanistan
-- SPH addresses reform at American Health Care Congress
-- ‘Space aliens’ invade Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital
-- School of Dentistry releases fall quarter dean’s list
-- LLU student take on AHI hospital as mission project
-- LLU trains environmental health professionals from 13 states during Oklahoma conference
-- Thanksgiving road trip features Big Sur, Carmel, and San Francisco
-- Summer research program inspires Inland Empire students to pursue health careers
-- A crisis …

Measuring Culture Change As An Evaluation Indicator: Applying Cultural Consensus Analysis To Cultural Models Of Lymphatic Filariasis In Haiti, Kelly M. Simpson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: This project explores the links between shared cultural beliefs in the illness domain, specific to lymphatic filariasis, and a support group program implemented in three Haitian towns. The purpose is to introduce an innovative approach to evaluation, the cultural model evaluation technique (CM Evaluation), as well as gain an understanding of the shifting cognitive belief structure around the cultural domain of lymphatic filariasis in the Haitian setting as associated with a support group intervention.

Method: The sample population was comprised of 241 women across three sites in Haiti: Archaie, Cabaret, and La Plaine. Data were collected from longitudinal surveys …

Access To Health Care Services: A Case Study In Hillsborough County, Florida, Jaime Nodarse

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The UpliftU® program is a long-term residential program for women and families who are homeless or at risk for homelessness. This program is one part of a larger, community-based non-profit organization serving low-income and homeless families in Hillsborough County, Florida for over 35 years. This program is not an emergency shelter program, but rather offers up to 18 months of participation in a self-sufficiency program to single women and families. The goal of the program is to prevent future homelessness for residents by helping them to reach their highest level of self-sufficiency. After volunteering at this organization for nine months, …

Improving Outcomes In Infants Of Hiv-Infected Women In A Developing Country Setting, Francine Noel, Sapna Mehta, Yuwei Zhu, Patricia De Matteis Rouzier, Abdias Marcelin, Jian R. Shi, Claudine Nolte, Linda Severe, Marie Marcelle Deschamps, Daniel W. Fitzgerald, Warren D. Johnson, Peter F. Wright, Jean W. Pape

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Since 1999 GHESKIO, a large voluntary counseling and HIV testing center in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, has had an ongoing collaboration with the Haitian Ministry of Health to reduce the rate of mother to child HIV transmission. There are limited data on the ability to administer complex regimens for reducing mother to child transmission and on risk factors for continued transmission and infant mortality within programmatic settings in developing countries.

Methods and Findings: We analyzed data from 551 infants born to HIV-infected mothers seen at GHESKIO, between 1999 and 2005. HIV-infected mothers and their infants were given “short-course” monotherapy with antiretrovirals …

Health Care Services In Transitional Somalia: Challenges And Recommendations, Mohamed Gedi Qayad

Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies

No abstract provided.