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Formation Of The Neural Tube Epithelium Basement Membrane During Secondary Neurulation In The Chick Embryo, Leslie Ann Mataya

Honors Program Theses

Neurulation, the formation of the neural tube, is an important process in the development of vertebrates. Because this organ ultimately becomes the central nervous system of the organism, the proper development of a fully-functioning neural tube is paramount to its survival. Neural tube defects, like spina bifida and anencephaly, are among the most common congenital malformations present in live human births. The prevalence of these defects is a definite concern to medicine and human health.

Intravenous Artesunate For Severe Malaria, Karl M. Hess, Jeffery A. Goad, Paul M. Arguin

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

OBJECTIVE: To review the pharmacodynamics and pharmacotherapeutic use of intravenous artesunate for the treatment of severe malaria.

DATA SOURCES: Literature was retrieved through PubMed (1999 March 2010), MEDLINE (1996 March 2010), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), using the search terms artemisinin, artesunate, malaria, and severe malaria. In addition, reference citations from publications identified were reviewed.

STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: All articles in English that were identified from the data sources were reviewed. Focus was placed on post-marketing trials examining the safety and efficacy of artesunate in comparison with other regimens.

DATA SYNTHESIS …

Synthesis, Antiviral And Contraceptive Activities Of Nucleoside-Sodium Cellulose Sulfate Acetate And Succinate Conjugates, Hitesh K. Agarwal, Anil Kumar, Gustavo F. Doncel, Keykavous Parang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Chemical conjugates between sodium cellulose sulfate (CS), displaying contraceptive and HIV-entry inhibiting properties, and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) (3′-azido-2′,3′-dideoxythymidine (AZT), 3′-fluoro-2′,3′-dideoxythymidine (FLT), or 2',3'-dideoxy-3'-thiacytidine (3TC)) were designed to simultaneously provide contraceptive and anti-HIV activity. Two linkers, acetate and succinate, were used to conjugate the nucleoside analogs with CS. The conjugates containing cellulose sulfate-acetate (CSA) (e.g., AZT-CSA and FLT-CSA) were found to be more potent than CS and other conjugates (e.g., AZT-succinate-CS, and FLT-succinate-CS). The presence of both sulfate and the acetate groups on cellulose were critical for generating maximum anti-HIV activity. In addition to showing equal potency against wild-type …

Insurance And Climate Change, Greg Munro

Faculty Journal Articles & Other Writings

This article examines insurance industry awareness of climate change and its implications, what risks it presents to insureds and insurers, what action insurers are taking to address it, and how the insurance industry could be a major force in getting the world to address climate change and mitigate its effects.

The Relationship Between Obesity And Skin And Soft Tissue Infections, Juliana Swiney

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Problem:

It is well known that our country is experiencing an obesity epidemic: 33.9% of all adults are obese (BMI>30) and 67% of adults are either overweight or obese (BMI>25). Obesity is a risk factor for several serious disease states such as, diabetes, stroke, hypertension, heart disease and some types of cancer. It also has a less well defined relationship with skin and soft tissue infections.

Although it is known that excessive weight increases the opportunity for harmful skin conditions, this relationship has not been as well studied. Some of the mechanisms that predispose obese people to …

African Renaissance? The Emerging Security Structure Of The African Union, Lensa Kwadjo

Theses & ETDs

The African Union, through its embrace of the �Responsibility to Protect� doctrine, has embarked on an ambitious peace and security agenda that allows it to intervene in crises that involve genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes. However, the institution�s lack of adequate financial and logistical capacity has made external donors necessary partners in the new emerging security structure of the African Union. By comparing how the African Union and its external donors have decided on, and implemented peacekeeping missions in Burundi, Sudan, and Somalia, this thesis seeks to gauge the progress the institution has made towards building a security …

Lyme Disease: The Surprising Debate In The 2010 Virginia House Of Delegates, Gerald C. Canaan Ii, Karah L. Gunther

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

In most every General Assembly session, there are those bills that while on the surface appear fairly innocuous-quickly take on a life of their own, generating an audible buzz in and around the General Assembly Building. The 2010 Virginia General Assembly session was no different. Amidst hallway discussions concerning the budget, gun rights, and abortion, one could also hear the distinct murmur of a completely novel topic: Lyme disease. Often associated with a small, pesky insect known as the black-legged tick, until this year, Lyme disease had not been the subject of any controversial legislation proposed in the Commonwealth of …

"Substantially Limited:" The Reproductive Rights Of Women Living With Hiv/Aids, Lisa M. Keels

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

Biology News, Winter 2010, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Biology.

Biology News

Contents:

-- Greetings from the Department of Biology
-- Focus on UNI Biology Alumni
-- Let us hear from you...
-- Faculty and Staff News
-- Trip to Chicago for Darwin Bicentennial
-- Botanical Center Wins Second Place
-- Focus on UNI Biology Students
-- Student Nature Society
-- Retirements
-- You Make a Difference! Messages from our donors....
-- New Advisor for Biology
-- Biology Video
-- You Can Make a Difference!
-- Scholarships and Funding
-- Support for students or department

Association Of Esterases In Resistance To Naled And Resmethrin In The Southern House Mosquito, Culex Quinquefasciatus, Jennifer R. Gordon

LSU Master's Theses

The vector-competency and its affinity for humans make C. quinquefasciatus an important target of mosquito abatement programs. Whenever such control programs are implemented, protocols to monitor frequencies and mechanisms of resistance to the insecticides used are necessary to optimize the efficacy of the management strategy and to slow development of resistance to the insecticides used. In the current study, susceptibilities to the two adulticides used by EBRMARC (naled and resmethrin) were monitored using field-collected mosquitoes and a topical and contact bioassay, respectively. My hypothesis was that esterase-mediated enhanced metabolism conferred resistance to both insecticides in populations of C. quinquefasciatus from …

Developing A Screen To Identify Small Molecule Inhibitors That Disrupt Protein-Protein Interactions In Mycobacteria, Deborah Mai

All ETDs from UAB

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB) and infects nearly one-third of the world's population. The same TB chemotherapeutic regimen has been administered for more than 50 years, and can be improved by developing innovative methods to discover new anti-TB drugs. This work describes a newly established high-throughput screen (HTS) platform technology based on Mycobacterial-Protein Fragment Complementation (M-PFC) to identify small molecule inhibitors of protein-protein interactions in mycobacteria. M-PFC HTS employs both whole cell and target-based approaches, and offers flexibility in selecting an appropriate protein interaction target for HTS. Selectable drug targets can include interactions of essential …

Identification And Validation Of Biodosimetry Markers In Multiple Models Of Radiation Exposure, Ashley Nicole Filiano

All ETDs from UAB

Following a radiological or nuclear disaster, radiation dose assessment is imperative to minimize morbidity and mortality through rationally directed medical intervention. Current methods of retrospective dosimetry are not amenable to mass exposure scenarios and remain limited to monitoring of clinical symptoms (nausea/vomiting and lymphocyte depletion) and cytogenetic analysis. The goal of this study was to identify radiation biomarkers capable of qualitative (non-irradiated/irradiated) and quantitative (dose) assessment of radiation exposure. Initial analyses revealed 17 radiation-responsive cytokine/chemokine genes in blood samples from 6 pediatric cancer patients undergoing fractionated total body irradiation (TBI). These 17 genes were combined with 29 additional IR-inducible genes …

A Study Of Passalid Beetle Prokaryote And Yeast Gut Symbionts, Stephanie Rachelle Gross

LSU Master's Theses

Scheffersomyces stipitis (=Pichia stipitis) is a xylose-fermenting and assimilating yeast (Ascomycota: Saccharomycotina) consistently isolated from the gut of Odontotaenius disjunctus (Coleoptera: Passalidae). This filamentous yeast is often attached to the wall of the posterior hindgut of the beetle by a holdfast. Gallery walls of white-rotted wood inhabited by the beetle are lined with macerated wood and frass that includes the yeast and other microbes. Previous studies have mentioned the relationship between the passalid and this yeast; however, passalid beetles also harbor a community of prokaryotes in their guts that have not been characterized. Experiments using culturing and cloning techniques and …

Mapping The Issues: Public Health, Law And Ethics, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The field of public health is typically regarded as a positivistic pursuit and, undoubtedly, our understanding of the etiology and response to disease is heavily influenced by scientific inquiry. Public health policies, however, are shaped not only by science but also by ethical values, legal norms, and political oversight. Public Health Law and Ethics: A Reader (expanded and updated 2nd ed., 2010) probes and seeks to illuminate this complex interplay, through a careful selection of government reports, scholarly articles, and court cases together with discussion and analysis of critical problems at the interface of law, ethics, and public health. The …

Adaptation To The Health Consequences Of Climate Change As A Potential Influence On Public Health Law And Policy: From Preparedness To Resilience, Lindsay F. Wiley

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Because the health effects of climate change are likely to be significant and far-reaching, a key component of climate change adaptation will be our public health infrastructure. Perhaps counter-intuitively, recent emphasis in public health law on preparedness for extraordinary events may be to the detriment of our ability to cope with the health impacts of climate change. While existing emergency preparedness law will necessarily be an important backdrop for health-focused climate change adaptation efforts (especially with regard to natural disasters and infectious disease outbreaks), the focus on emergency preparedness in recent years does not necessarily situate us well for handling …

Pregnancy, Work, And The Promise Of Equal Citizenship, Joanna L. Grossman

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Training Service Providers Increases Tb Screening In Postnatal Care, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This document summarizes a Population Council operations research project undertaken in collaboration with the Kenya Ministry of Health to develop and pilot-test an intervention to improve TB screening, case detection, treatment, and care among postnatal clients. The intervention demonstrated that it is feasible to use postnatal care services as a platform to increase TB screening and case detection. Training providers, giving them job-aids, and strengthening client flow within the facility also improved the overall quality of care that the clients received. The actual number of cases of TB detected was extremely low, however; thus the report recommends that the Ministry …

Introducing And Pilot-Testing The National Guidelines On Integrating The Management Of Stis/Rtis Into Reproductive Health Settings In Kenya, Wilson Liambila, Saiqa Mullick, Ian Askew, Nathalie Broutet, Bartilol Kigen, Cosmas Mutunga, Daniel Sande, Nimrod Garama, Benjamin Tsofa, Christine Awuor, Ibrahim Mohammed

Reproductive Health

This report evaluated a project in ten Kenyan health facilities. It examined the feasibility, acceptability and effect of introducing reproductive tract infection and sexually transmitted infection (RTI/STI) guidelines on the quality of care provided, and the incremental costs of integrating these services into existing reproductive health (RH) services; it also disseminated the results and lessons learnt within Kenya. Overall, the results showed that integration of activities to screen for and manage STIs/RTIs into RH services is feasible, acceptable to clients and providers, and effective in improving the range and quality of services offered to clients.

Perceptions Of Company Officer Competency By Firefighters And Company Officers Of Norfolk Fire-Rescue, Paul Savage

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to compare the perceptions of Norfolk Fire-Rescue firefighters, Lieutenants, and Captains of the level of competency of Norfolk Fire-Rescue company officers as prescribed by NFPA Standard 1021.

Exomedicine Synthesis Paper, Rita Briggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A report by Rita Briggs titled "Exomedicine Synthesis Paper" from 2010.

Weather And Climate Information For Tourism, Christopher J. Lemieux, D.J. Scott

Geography and Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

The tourism sector is one of the largest and fastest growing global industries and is a significant contributor to national and local economies around the world. The interface between climate and tourism is multifaceted and complex, as climate represents both a vital resource to be exploited and an important limiting factor that poses risks to be managed by the tourism industry and tourists alike. All tourism destinations and operators are climate-sensitive to a degree and climate is a key influence on travel planning and the travel experience. This chapter provides a synopsis of the capacities and needs for climate services …

Measuring Mental Health Following The 6-Year American Invasion Of Iraq. A General Health Questionnaire Analysis Of Iraqi Medical And Dentistry Students, Marwan S. Al-Nimer

Neurosciences

OBJECTIVE: To explore the current psychological problems among Iraqi medical and dentistry students using a General Health Questionnaire after 6 years of armed conflicts. METHODS: This study was carried out in the Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Al-Mustansiriya University, Baghdad, Iraq from January to May 2009. A total of 440 medical and dentistry students were asked to complete the 12-item (GHQ-12) and 30-item (GHQ-30) General Health Questionnaire-Arabic version to measure the level of their psychological distress. The analysis of this cross-sectional study is based on a voluntary self-rating questionnaire survey of the assessment of common mental problems. RESULTS: Based …

Post-Stroke Depression And Hospital Admission. Post-Stroke Depression And Hospital Admission, Farhad Iranmanesh

Neurosciences

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of post stroke depression and its association with hospital admission conditions. METHODS: In this case-control study, 120 patients with ischemic cerebral stroke from Aliebne-Abitaleb Hospital, Rafsanjan, Iran, during 2004-2006 were evaluated. Sixty patients were hospitalized near very ill patients (including patients with delirium, decreased consciousness, stupor, coma, sphincteric disorders, ingestion disorder with nasogastric tube insertion, and deceased patients) (cases), and 60 were admitted not adjacent to ill patients (controls). All patients were matched for stroke risk factors and location and size of lesion, and all were admitted to hospital for at least one week. Depression …

Prognostic Factors Of Neurological Sequel In Adult Patients With Tuberculous Meningitis, Filiz Pehlivanoglu, Kadriye K. Yasar, Gonul Sengoz

Neurosciences

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the predictors of neurological sequel in tuberculous meningitis (TBM). METHODS: This study was carried out at the Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Haseki Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey, between January 1998 and March 2009. Neurological sequels at 6 months of 160 adult patients with TBM who had been followed up were assessed retrospectively. The prognostic role of various demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiological findings on admission, in prediction of neurological sequel development, were studied using a multivariate logistic regression. Clinical and therapeutic outcomes at 6 months were determined using a modified Barthel Index. RESULTS: …

Unusual Appearance Of A Cerebral Hydatid Cyst As A Hemorrhagic Infarct, Ali H. Kanj, Youssef H. Fares, Raafat R. Yehya, Feyrouz F. Hamzeh

Neurosciences

We herein present a 32-year-old Lebanese woman with a history of cardiac hydatid cyst presenting with headache, confusion, and right arm clumsiness. A CT of the head showed hemorrhagic infarct of the left fronto-parietal lobe. Eleven months later, the subsequent development of hydatid cysts within the necrotic area of the infracted hemisphere suggested a cerebral hydatid embolism of cardiac origin. In patients with a positive history of hydatid disease, hydatid embolism should be considered in the differential diagnosis of stroke in young patients.

Antimicrobial Activity Of Tigecycline Against Bacterial Isolates From Intensive Care Units In A Teaching Hospital In Central Saudi Arabia, Ali M. Somily, Abdulaziz S. Al-Khattaf, Abdelmageed M. Kambal

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To test the activity of tigecycline against bacterial isolates including multi-drug resistant (MDR) gram negative and gram positive organisms from intensive care patients. METHODS: Clinically significant gram positive and MDR gram negative isolates from specimens of patients in the intensive care units of King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arbia between November 1, 2006 and December 31, 2008 were tested against tigecycline by disc diffusion (DD) method. In some isolates, the minimal inhibitory concentration was carried out by E-test method. Some of the gram negative isolates, and gram positive isolates were tested using both methods. The …

Brain Abscess Due To Haemophilus Aphrophilus, Ediz E. Tutuncu, Irfan Sencan, Aybala F. Altay, Yunus Gurbuz

Neurosciences

No abstract provided.

Syphilitic Arteritis Involving The Origin Of The Cervical Internal Carotid Artery, Noufa F. Al-Shammari, Ahmed H. El-Beltagi, Sayed A. Al-Far, Yasser M. Abdel-Raouf

Neurosciences

We report a case of meningovascular syphilis in a young adult woman presenting with left hemiparesis due to near occlusion of proximal cervical internal carotid with subacute middle cerebral artery territory infarction. Diagnosis was made on the basis of positive serum, and spinal fluid serology for syphilis, carotid Doppler, and magnetic resonance angiography, as well as improvement after intravenous penicillin therapy. In this case report, the imaging findings were described and related literature was reviewed.

Disseminated Tuberculosis Complicated With Tuberculous Meningitis, Miliary Tuberculosis, And Thoracal Bone Fracture While Investigating A Cervical Lymphadenopathy. Tuberculosis: A Hidden Enemy?, Selda Aslan, Serda Gulsun, Basak Atalay

Neurosciences

No abstract provided.

Central Nervous System Aspergillosis In An Immunocompetent Patient, Abbasali Javadi, Behrooz Ataei, Navid Koleini, Masih Saboori

Neurosciences

A 12-year-old girl was admitted to the Emergency Department with seizures and headache for 2 months. A CT scan and MRI showed a mass in the right frontal lobe with obvious mass effect. Surgery was carried out, and the resultant pathology was found to be aspergillosis. This study reports aspergillosis in an immunocompetent host following recurrent fungal otitis media. Although this condition is rare, it should be considered in patients with a history of fungal infections.