Digital Commons Network^™

Hatfill V. New York Times Co.: From Watchdog To Attack Dog—Transforming The Modern Media Into “Big Brother”, William C. Ferguson Iv

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

International Adoption Laws: A Comparative Analysis, Andrew C. Brown

The International Lawyer

No abstract provided.

Vindicating The Rights Of People Living With Aids Under The Alien Tort Claims Act, Margaret B. Kwoka

Loyola University Chicago Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Socioeconomic Status, Child Health, And Future Outcomes: Lessons For Appalachia, Janet Currie

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

Appalachians are in poor health relative to other Americans. For example, the ageadjusted all cause mortality rate for Appalachian in 2006 was over 900 per 100,000 compared to a rate of 760 per 100,000 for those outside of Appalachia. This essay shows that health disparities start before birth—the incidence of low birth weight is 90 1,000 in rural Appalachia compared to 83 per 1,000 outside the U.S. These disparities continue through childhood and into adulthood. Moreover, although African Americans are generally in poorer health relative to white Americans, disparities between Appalachia and the rest of the U.S. are much greater …

Protein Intrinsic Disorder And Influenza Virulence: The 1918 H1n1 And H5n1 Viruses, Gerard Kian-Meng Goh, A. Keith Dunker, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: The 1918 H1N1 virus was a highly virulent strain that killed 20–50 million people. The cause of its virulence remains poorly understood.

Methods: Intrinsic disorder predictor PONDR® VLXT was used to compare various influenza subtypes and strains. Three-dimensional models using data from X-ray crystallographic studies annotated with disorder prediction were used to characterize the proteins.

Results: The protein of interest is hemagglutin (HA), which is a surface glycoprotein that plays a vital role in viral entry. Distinct differences between HA proteins of the virulent and non-virulent strains are seen, especially in the region near residues 68–79 of the HA2. …

X4 Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Gp120 Down-Modulates Expression And Immunogenicity Of Codelivered Antigens, Avi-Hai Hovav, Michael Santosuosso, Maytal Bivas-Benita, Andre Plair, Alex Cheng, Mazal Elnekave, Elda Righi, Tao Chen, Satoshi Kashiwagi, Michael W. Panas, Shi-Hua Xiang, Karina Furmanov, Norman L. Letvin, Mark C. Poznansky

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

In order to increase the immune breadth of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccines, strategies such

as immunization with several HIV antigens or centralized immunogens have been examined. HIV-1 gp120

protein is a major immunogen of HIV and has been routinely considered for inclusion in both present and

future AIDS vaccines. However, recent studies proposed that gp120 interferes with the generation of immune

response to codelivered antigens. Here, we investigate whether coimmunization with plasmid-encoded gp120

alters the immune response to other coadministered plasmid encoded antigens such as luciferase or ovalbumin

in a mouse model. We found that the presence of gp120 …

Identification And Characterization Of A New Kaposi’S Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Replication And Transcription Activator (Rta)- Responsive Element Involved In Rta-Mediated Transactivation, Hui-Ju Wen, Veenu Minhas, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) replication and transcription activator (RTA) is well established as a key transcriptional activator that regulates the KSHV life cycle from latency to lytic replication. It is expressed immediately after infection and activates a number of viral genes leading to virus replication. The RTA-responsive element (RRE) in the RTA target gene promoters is critical for RTA to mediate this transactivation. A number of non-conserved RREs have been identified in various RTA-responsive promoters, and AT-rich sequences have been proposed to serve as RTA targets, but no consensus RRE sequence has been identified so far. Two nonconserved RREs (RRE1 …

Use Of Average Mutual Information For Studying Changes In Hiv Populations, Khalid Sayood, Federico Hoffman, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Average mutual information (AMI) has been used in a number of applications in bioinformatics. In this paper we present its use to study genetic changes in populations; in particular populations of HIV viruses. Disease progression of HIV-1 infection in infants can be rapid resulting in death within the the first year, or slow, allowing the infant to survive beyond the first year. We study the development of rapid and slow progressing HIV population using AMI charts based on average mutual information among amino acids in the env gene from a population of 1142 clones derived from seven infants with slow …

Comparison Of Replication-Competent, First Generation, And Helper-Dependent Adenoviral Vaccines, Eric A. Weaver, Pramod N. Nehete, Stephanie S. Buchl, Julien S. Senac, Donna Palmer, Philip Ng, K. Jagannadha Sastry, Michael A. Barry

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

All studies using human serotype 5 Adenovirus (Ad) vectors must address two major obstacles: safety and the presence of pre-existing neutralizing antibodies. Helper-Dependent (HD) Ads have been proposed as alternative vectors for gene therapy and vaccine development because they have an improved safety profile. To evaluate the potential of HD-Ad vaccines, we compared replication-competent (RC), first-generation (FG) and HD vectors for their ability to induce immune responses in mice. We show that RC-Ad5 and HD-Ad5 vectors generate stronger immune responses than FG-Ad5 vectors. HD-Ad5 vectors gave lower side effects than RC or FG-Ad, producing lower levels of tissue damage and …

Experiences Of African Immigrant Women Living With Hiv In The U.K.: Implications For Health Professionals, Eunice Ndirangu, Catrin Evans

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

In the U.K. immigrant women from Africa constitute an increasingly large proportion of newly diagnosed cases of HIV. A significant minority of these are refugees and asylum seekers. Very little is known about their experiences of living with HIV/AIDS, their psychosocial needs or their views of health care provision. This paper reports the results of a qualitative study that explored these issues by interviewing eight African women living with HIV in the British city of Nottingham. Women’s ability to live positively with HIV was found to be strongly shaped by their migration history, their legal status, their experience of AIDS-related …

Board-Invited Review: Porcine Mucosal Immunity Of The Gastrointestinal Tract, Thomas E. Burkey, K. A. Skjolaas, J. E. Minton

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) constitutes one of the largest immunological organs of the body. The GIT must permit absorption of nutrients while also maintaining the ability to respond appropriately to a diverse milieu of dietary and microbial antigenic components. Because of the diverse population of antigenic components within the GIT, a sophisticated mucosal immune system has evolved that relies on collaboration between the innate and adaptive arms of immunity. The collaborative, mucosal immune effort offers protection from harmful pathogens while also being tolerant of dietary antigens and normal microbial flora. Knowledge with respect to porcine mucosal immunity is important as …

Lessons Learned From Ethiopia's Trademarking And Licensing Initiative: Is The European Union's Position On Geographical Indications Really Beneficial For Developing Nations?, Mary O'Kicki

Loyola University Chicago International Law Review

No abstract provided.

Testing A Passive Tracking Index For Monitoring The Endangered Ethiopian Wolf, Paul Paul Evangelista, Richard M. Engeman, Lucy Tallents

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The endangered Ethiopian wolf is considered the rarest canid in Africa. The species faces many threats and is particularly vulnerable to diseases such as rabies. A simple, low-technology means to monitor populations would greatly facilitate conservation efforts, through early detection of population changes and behavior, and signaling a need for intervention. We tested a passive tracking index methodology, which has been a valuable tool for indexing canids and other species around the world. The method uses counts of track intrusions into plots placed in the animals’ routes of travel as the basis for calculating an index. Unlike for other species, …

Microarray Analysis Of Lymphatic Tissue Reveals Stage- Specific, Gene Expression Signatures In Hiv-1 Infection1, Qingsheng Li, Anthony J. Smith, Timothy W. Schacker, John V. Carlis, Lijie Duan, Cavan S. Reilly, Ashley T. Haase

Qingsheng Li Publications

Untreated HIV-1 infection progresses through acute and asymptomatic stages to AIDS. Although each of the three stages has well-known clinical, virologic, and immunologic characteristics, much less is known of the molecular mechanisms underlying each stage. In this study, we report lymphatic tissue microarray analyses, revealing for the first time stage-specific patterns of gene expression during HIV-1 infection. We show that although there is a common set of key genes with altered expression throughout all stages, each stage has a unique gene expression signature. The acute stage is most notably characterized by increased expression of hundreds of genes involved in immune …

Violated: Women’S Human Rights In Sub-Saharan Africa, Kathryn Birdwell Wester

Human Rights & Human Welfare

In contemporary sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), women are facing human rights abuses unparalleled elsewhere in the world. Despite the region’s diversity, its female inhabitants largely share experiences of sexual discrimination and abuse, intimate violence, political marginalization, and economic deprivation.

Finding A Cure: The Case For Regulation And Oversight Of Electronic Health Record Systems, Sharona Hoffman, Andy Podgurski

Faculty Publications

In the foreseeable future, it is likely that the familiar, paper-based patient medical files will become a thing of the past. On April 26, 24, President George W. Bush announced a plan to ensure that all Americans' health records are computerized within ten years and to establish a National Health Information Network. Many advocates are enthusiastically promoting the adoption of health information technology (HIT) and electronic health record (HER) systems as a means to improve U.S. health care.

HER systems often not only serve as record-keeping systems, but also have multiple capabilities, including drug ordering, decision support, alerts concerning patient …

Vindicating The Rights Of People Living With Aids Under The Alien Tort Claims Act, 40, Loy. U. Chi. L.J. 643 (2009), Margaret B. Kwoka

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Periodic Traveling Waves In Sirs Endemic Models, Tong Li, Yi Li, Herbert W. Hethcote

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Mathematical models are used to determine if infection wave fronts could occur by traveling geographically in a loop around a region or continent. These infection wave fronts arise by Hopf bifurcation for some spatial models for infectious disease transmission with distributed-contacts. Periodic traveling waves are shown to exist for the spatial analog of the SIRS endemic model, in which the temporary immunity is described by a delay, but they do not exist in a similar spatial SIRS endemic model without a delay. Specifically, we found that the ratio of the delay ω in the recovered class and the average infectious …

Further Decline In Nest-Box Use By Vaux's Swifts In Northeastern Oregon, Evelyn L. Bull, Charles T. Collins

Western Birds

No abstract provided.

Smoking And Second Hand Smoking In Adolescents With Chronic Kidney Disease: A Report From The Chronic Kidney Disease In Children (Ckid) Cohort Study, Abiodun Aderogba Omoloja, J. Jerry-Fluker, Alison Abraham, S. Furth, B. Warady, M. Mitsnefes

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of smoking and second hand smoking [SHS] in adolescents with CKD and their relationship to baseline parameters at enrollment in the CKiD, observational cohort study of 600 children (aged 1-16 yrs) with Schwartz estimated GFR of 30-90 ml/min/1.73m2. 239 adolescents had self-report survey data on smoking and SHS exposure: 21 [9%] subjects had “ever” smoked a cigarette. Among them, 4 were current and 17 were former smokers. Hypertension was more prevalent in those that had “ever” smoked a cigarette (42%) compared to non-smokers (9%), p

Characterization Of Multidrug Resistant Esbl-Producing Escherichia Coli Isolates From Hospitals In Malaysia, K. Lim, R. Yasin, C. Yeo, S. Puthucheary, Kwai Lin Thong

Research Publications (2006 to 2010)

The emergence of Escherichia coli that produce extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and are multidrug resistant (MDR) poses antibiotic management problems. Forty-seven E. coli isolates from various public hospitals in Malaysia were studied. All isolates were sensitive to imipenem whereas 36 were MDR (resistant to 2 or more classes of antibiotics). PCR detection using gene-specific primers showed that 87.5% of the ESBL-producing E. coli harbored the blaTEM gene. Other ESBL-encoding genes detected were blaOXA, blaSHV, and blaCTX-M. Integron-encoded integrases were detected in 55.3% of isolates, with class 1 integron-encoded intI1 integrase being the majority. Amplification and sequence analysis of the 5'CS …

Cloning And Expression Of A Vi Mimotope Of Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhi Through Nucleotide-Nucleotide Hybridization Approach.L, Kek Heng Chua, B. Kee, Kwai Lin Thong

Research Publications (2006 to 2010)

A recombinant His-Vi protein of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi was successfully constructed and cloned into an expression vector through a nucleotide-nucleotide hybridization approach. After transformation of the construct into Escherichia coli, the recombinant His-Vi protein with a size of approximately 4 kDa was successfully produced and proven by Western blot analysis. This recombinant protein can be used to detect specific anti-Vi antibody produced by typhoid patients. Overall, the His-Vi recombinant protein could serve as a potential diagnostic reagent to detect S. Typhi infection in an individual.

Effects Of Cultivation Techniques And Processing On Antimicrobial And Antioxidant Activities Of Hericium Erinaceus (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. Extracts, K.H. Wong, V. Sabaratnam, N. Abdullah, U.R. Kuppusamy, M. Naidu

Research Publications (2006 to 2010)

Hericium erinaceus, a temperate mushroom, is currently cultivated in Malaysia. As cultivation and processing conditions may affect the medicinal properties, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of locally grown H. erinaceus have been investigated. The fruitbodies that were fresh, oven-dried or freeze-dried were extracted with methanol. Their properties were compared to those exhibited by mycelium extract of the same mushroom. Various extracts of H. erinaceus inhibited the growth of pathogenic bacteria but not of the tested fungus. Mycelium extract contained the highest total phenolic content and the highest ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The fresh fruitbody extract showed the most potent 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl …

Field Effectiveness Of Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis (Bti) Against Aedes (Stegomyia) Aegypti (Linnaeus) In Ornamental Ceramic Containers With Common Aquatic Plants, C.C. Dhang, L.H. Lim, N.W. Ahmad, S. Benjamin, L.K. Weng, D.A.A. Rahim, E.S. Safian, Mohd Sofian-Azirun

Research Publications (2006 to 2010)

This study was undertaken to determine the impact of larvaciding using a Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) formulation (VectoBac WG) against Aedes aegypti larvae in earthen jars containing aquatic plants. Aquatic plants commonly used for landscaping, Pistia stratiotes (L.) (Liliopsida: Araceae) and Sagittaria sp. (Liliopsida: Alismataceae) were placed inside earthen jars filled with 50 L tap water. All earthen jars were treated with Bti formulation at 8g/1000L. Untreated jars with and without aquatic plants were also set up as controls. Fifty laboratory-bred 2nd instar larvae were introduced into each earthen jar. All earthen jars were observed daily. Number of adults emerged …

Intestinal Parasitic Infections Amongst Orang Asli (Indigenous) In Malaysia: Has Socioeconomic Development Alleviated The Problem?, Y.A.L. Lim, N. Romano, N. Colin, S.C. Chow, H.V. Smith

Research Publications (2006 to 2010)

Orang Asli are the indigenous minority peoples of peninsular Malaysia. Despite proactive socioeconomic development initiated by the Malaysian Government in upgrading the quality of life of the Orang Asli communities since 1978, they still remained poor with a current poverty rate of 76.9. Poverty exacerbates the health problems faced by these communities which include malnourishment, high incidences of infectious diseases (eg. tuberculosis, leprosy, malaria) and the perpetual problem with intestinal parasitic infections. Studies reported that the mean infection rate of intestinal parasitic infections in Orang Asli communities has reduced from 91.1 in 1978, to 64.1 in the subsequent years. Although …

Isolation And Characterization Of A Replication-Competent Molecular Clone Of An Hiv-1 Circulating Recombinant Form (Crf3301b), K.K. Tee, S. Kusagawa, X.J. Li, N. Onogi, M. Isogai, S. Hase, R. Uenishi, H.N. Liao, A. Kamarulzaman, Y. Takebe

Research Publications (2006 to 2010)

A growing number of emerging HIV-1 recombinants classified as circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) have been identified in Southeast Asia in recent years, establishing a molecular diversity of increasing complexity in the region. Here, we constructed a replication-competent HIV-1 clone for CRF3301B (designated p05MYKL045.1), a newly identified recombinant comprised of CRF01AE and subtype B. p05MYKL045.1 was reconstituted by cloning of the near full-length HIV-1 sequence from a newly-diagnosed individual presumably infected heterosexually in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The chimeric clone, which contains the 59 LTR (long terminal repeat) region of p93JP-NH1 (a previously isolated CRF01AE infectious clone), showed robust viral replication in …

Ol-009 Virulence Factors Determination And Molecular Characterisation Of Malaysian Vibrio Cholerae, C.S.J. Teh, Kwai Lin Thong

Research Publications (2006 to 2010)

No abstract provided.

Service By Health Care Providers In A Public Health Emergency: The Physican's Duty And The Law, Judith C. Ahronheim

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Host And Seasonal Effects On The Infection Dynamics Of Skrjabinoptera Phrynosoma (Ortlepp) Schulz, 1927, A Parasitic Nematode Of Horned Lizards, Kathryn Claire Hilsinger

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's Abstract: Skrjabinoptera phrynosoma (Ortlepp) Schulz, 1927 is a common parasitic nematode of horned lizards. The life cycle of S. phrynosoma was described by Lee in 1957, but has received little attention since. The present study addressed effect of season as well as host characteristics on the infection dynamics in lizard hosts. In the Alvord Basin in southeastern Oregon, S. phrynosoma were collected from Phrynosoma platyrhinos Gerard 1852 horned lizards via stomach flushes, cloaca flushes and fecal pellet collections. Parasite load variables (number of nematodes per host, length of those nematodes, and total worm burden (ΣL)) were analyzed within three …

The Application Of Social Marketing In Reducing Binge Drinking Among Female College Students: An Investigation Of A Third Level College In Cork, Fergus Murphy

Theses

Ireland has one of the highest levels of alcohol consumption in the EU, consuming 10.6 litres of pure alcohol per person in 2003, increasing to 13.4 litres in 2006. This rise in consumption has led to increases in alcohol-related harm and disease, and has resulted in more than 1,775 deaths according to the Health Research Board (Mongan et al., 2007). In general, increases in overall consumption are accompanied by a greater incidence of health and social problems. In addition to the high volume of alcohol consumed by people in Ireland, drinking occasions appear to be strongly related to heavy episodic …