Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

Checkup, Lehigh Valley Health Network

Checkup

No abstract provided.

The Duration Of The Effects Of Repeated Widespread Badger Culling On Cattle Tuberculosis Following The Cessation Of Culling, Helen E. Jenkins, Rosie Woodroffe, Christl A. Donnelly

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

Background: In the British Isles, control of cattle tuberculosis (TB) is hindered by persistent infection of wild badger (Meles meles) populations. A large-scale field trial—the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT)—previously showed that widespread badger culling produced modest reductions in cattle TB incidence during culling, which were offset by elevated TB risks for cattle on adjoining lands. Once culling was halted, beneficial effects inside culling areas increased, while detrimental effects on adjoining lands disappeared. However, a full assessment of the utility of badger culling requires information on the duration of culling effects.

Methodology/Principal Findings: We monitored cattle TB incidence in and …

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 …

Is Procalcitonin Valuable In The Differential Diagnosis Of Testicular Torsion And Epididymo-Orchitis, Sait Yamis, Abdullah Gedik, Hayrettin Sahin, Sabri Batun, Yusuf Nergiz, Kamuran Bircan

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of procalcitonin (PCT) in the differential diagnosis of testicular torsion and epididymo-orchitis. METHODS: This experimental study was performed in the research laboratory of Dicle University, School of Medicine, Diyarbakir, Turkey between March and June 2008. The study included 24 male rats randomized equally in 3 groups: sham, epididymo-orchitis, and torsion groups. Blood samples were obtained from all rats at the beginning of the study. After torsion and infection occurred in the testes, new blood samples were obtained for PCT measurement. Then, all the right testes of the rats were excised for histopathological evaluation. The Wilcoxon …

Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus Nonstructural Protein 1Β Modulates Host Innate Immune Response By Antagonizing Irf3 Activation, Lalit Beura, Saumendra Sarkar, Byungjoon Kwon, Sakthivel Subramaniam, Clinton J. Jones, Asit K. Pattnaik, Fernando A. Osorio

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infection of swine leads to a serious disease characterized by a delayed and defective adaptive immune response. It is hypothesized that a suboptimal innate immune response is responsible for the disease pathogenesis. In the study presented here we tested this hypothesis and identified several nonstructural proteins (NSPs) with innate immune evasion properties encoded by the PRRS viral genome. Four of the total ten PRRSV NSPs tested were found to have strong to moderate inhibitory effects on beta interferon (IFN-β) promoter activation. The strongest inhibitory effect was exhibited by NSP1 followed by, NSP2, NSP11, …

The Minor Envelope Glycoproteins Gp2a And Gp4 Of Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus Interact With The Receptor Cd163, Phani B. Das, Phat X. Dinh, Israrul H. Ansari, Marcelo De Lima, Fernando A. Osorio, Asit K. Pattnaik

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) contains the major glycoprotein, GP5, as well as three other minor glycoproteins, namely, GP2a, GP3, and GP4, on the virion envelope, all of which are required for generation of infectious virions. To study their interactions with each other and with the cellular receptor for PRRSV, we have cloned each of the viral glycoproteins and CD163 receptor in expression vectors and examined their expression and interaction with each other in transfected cells by coimmunoprecipitation (co-IP) assay using monospecific antibodies. Our results show that a strong interaction exists between the GP4 and GP5 proteins, although …

A New Species Of Trichostrongyloid In African Buffalo (Syncerus Caffer) (Artiodactyla: Bovinae) From Uganda, Eric P. Hoberg, Arthur Abrams, Patricia A. Pilitt

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Africanastrongylus giganticus n. sp. is described based on large ostertagiine nematodes occurring in the abomasum of African buffalo, Syncerus caffer, from Uganda; this represents the second species recognized in the genus. Specimens of A. giganticus are characterized by large size (15-19 mm in total length), a strongly tapering synlophe in the cervical region, and a great number of ridges at all levels of the body (maximum 72 attained in the third quarter); numbers of ridges exceed that reported among any known genera and species of the Ostertagiinae. We refer A. giganticus to this genus based on a strongly tapering …

Chemical Ecology Of Animal And Human Pathogen Vectors In A Changing Global Climate, John A. Pickett, Michael A. Birkett, Sarah Y. Dewhirst, James G. Logan, Maurice O. Omolo, Baldwyn Torto, Julien Pelletier, Zainulabeuddin Syed, Walter S. Leal

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Infectious diseases affecting livestock and human health that involve vector-borne pathogens are a global problem, unrestricted by borders or boundaries, which may be exacerbated by changing global climate. Thus, the availability of effective tools for control of pathogen vectors is of the utmost importance. The aim of this article is to review, selectively, current knowledge of the chemical ecology of pathogen vectors that affect livestock and human health in the developed and developing world, based on key note lectures presented in a symposium on "The Chemical Ecology of Disease Vectors" at the 25th Annual ISCE meeting in Neuchatel, Switzerland. The …

Culturally-Adapted And Audio-Technology Assisted Hiv/Aids Awareness And Education Program In Rural Nigeria: A Cohort Study, Ighovwerha Ofotokun, Jose Nilo G. Binongo, Eli S. Rosenberg, Michael Kane, Rick Ifland, Jeffrey L. Lennox, Kirk A. Easley

Faculty Articles

Background: HIV-awareness programs tailored toward the needs of rural communities are needed. We sought to quantify change in HIV knowledge in three rural Nigerian villages following an integrated culturally adapted and technology assisted educational intervention.

Methods: A prospective 14-week cohort study was designed to compare short-term changes in HIV knowledge between seminar-based education program and a novel program, which capitalized on the rural culture of small-group oral learning and was delivered by portable digital-audio technology.

Results: Participants were mostly Moslem (99%), male (53.5%), with no formal education (55%). Baseline HIV knowledge was low (< 80% correct answers for 9 of the 10 questions). Knowledge gain was higher (p < 0.0001 for 8 of 10 questions) in the integrated culturally adapted and technology-facilitated (n = 511) compared with the seminar-based (n = 474) program.

Conclusions: Baseline HIV-awareness was low. Culturally …

Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy Of Childhood: A Fatal Complication Of Swine Flu, Muhammad Rehan Khan, Prem Kumar Maheshwari, Syed Asad Ali, Anwarul Haque

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Acute necrotizing encephalopathy of childhood (ANEC) is a rare condition characterized by the presence of multifocal symmetrical brain lesions involving mainly thalami, brainstem, cerebellum and white matter. ANEC is a serious and life threatening complication of simple viral infections. We present a case of a young child who developed this condition with classical clinical and radiological findings consistent with ANEC, secondary to swine flu (H1N1). He needed ventilatory support and had profound motor and intellectual deficit on discharge. We report this case with aim of raising awareness about this fatal complication of swine flu which has become a global health …

Participation In "Handwashing University" Promotes Proper Handwashing Techniques For Youth, Ginger Fenton, Rama Radhakrishna, Catherine Nettles Cutter

Journal of Extension

A study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the Handwashing University on teaching youth the benefits of proper handwashing. The Handwashing University is an interactive display with several successive stations through which participants move to learn necessary skills for proper handwashing. Upon completion of the Handwashing University, 87% of youth completing a program assessment survey indicated they felt handwashing was more important. The majority of youth surveyed (66.7%) indicated specific changes they would make in their handwashing behavior. Overall, results indicate participation in the Handwashing University prompts youth and their families to practice proper handwashing techniques.

Ct And Mri Features Following Uterine Fibroid Embolization, Sachit Verma Md, Carin F. Gonsalves Md, Oksana H. Baltarowich Md, Donald G. Mitchell Md, Anna Lev-Toaff Md, Diane Bergin Md

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is an effective treatment for symptomaticuterine fibroids. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is typically employed to evaluate the uterus following UAE for fibroid infarction, size, location change, persistent enhancement, changes in adenomyosis and uterine necrosis. Variable pattern of calcification on computed tomography (CT) can differentiate embolic particles and fibroid involution. CT following UAE may be requested because of acute pelvic pain or chest discomfort or pyrexia and/or for complications that may require treatment in acute phase. Visualization of gas in uterus and uterine vessels following UAE is an expected finding that should not be misinterpreted as a …

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - January 31, 2010, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the January 31, 2010 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents include:

• University of South Alabama Scientists Awarded $14.5 Million for Infectious Disease Research Lab
• Internationally Renowned Trauma Surgeon to Present Mitchell Endowed Lecture in Traumatology and Surgical Care
• "Surgical Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes"

Crystal Structure Of The Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Inhibitory Factor Cif Reveals Novel Active-Site Features Of An Epoxide Hydrolase Virulence Factor, Christopher D. Bahl, Christophe Morisseau, Jennifer M. Bomberger, Bruce A. Stanton, Bruce D. Hammock, George A. O'Toole, Dean R. Madden

Dartmouth Scholarship

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) inhibitory factor (Cif) is a virulence factor secreted by Pseudomonas aeruginosa that reduces the quantity of CFTR in the apical membrane of human airway epithelial cells. Initial sequence analysis suggested that Cif is an epoxide hydrolase (EH), but its sequence violates two strictly conserved EH motifs and also is compatible with other alpha/beta hydrolase family members with diverse substrate specificities. To investigate the mechanistic basis of Cif activity, we have determined its structure at 1.8-A resolution by X-ray crystallography. The catalytic triad consists of residues Asp129, His297, and Glu153, which are conserved across the …

January 25th 2010, Csusb

Coyote Chronicle (1984-)

No abstract provided.

Systemic Administration Of Antiretrovirals Prior To Exposure Prevents Rectal And Intravenous Hiv-1 Transmission In Humanized Blt Mice, Paul W. Denton, John F. Krisko, Daniel A. Powell, Melissa Mathias, Youn Tae Kwak, Francisco Martinez-Torres, Wei Zou, Deborah A. Payne, Jacob D. Estes, J. Victor Garcia

Biology Faculty Publications

Successful antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for mucosal and intravenous HIV-1 transmission could reduce new infections among targeted high-risk populations including discordant couples, injection drug users, high-risk women and men who have sex with men. Targeted antiretroviral PrEP could be particularly effective at slowing the spread of HIV-1 if a single antiretroviral combination were found to be broadly protective across multiple routes of transmission. Therefore, we designed our in vivo preclinical study to systematically investigate whether rectal and intravenous HIV-1 transmission can be blocked by antiretrovirals administered systemically prior to HIV-1 exposure. We performed these studies using a highly relevant in …

Discussion Book Gives Uab Students Insight Into Haiti Tragedy, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

A Post-Ksr Consideration Of Gene Patents: The "Obvious To Try" Standard Limits The Patentability Of Genes, Ying Pan

Marquette Law Review

There are approximately 20,000 patents involving genes. For example, “[n]ine patents have been applied for on the genes which determine your eyeball, 40 on those for your heart, and no fewer than 152 on a single grain of rice.” However, scholars and practitioners often question the scope and validity of gene patents on the grounds that genes are so essential for any being and so important to basic research that it is unethical to grant a private monopoly on them and that gene patents may hinder important research.

These arguments against gene patents generally aim to overturn court precedent or …

A Woman With Hiv Infection, Brain Abscesses, And Eosinophilia, Marcela Campo, Man K Phung, Rehan Ahmed, Paul Cantey, Henry Bishop, Tanvir K Bell, Carolyn Gardiner, Cesar A Arias

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Implicit Stereotypes On The Physical Performance In Older Adults, Gabriele R. Moriello

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore how stereotypes affect physical performance in older adults. A multigroup pretest post test design was utilized to determine whether implicit activation of positive or negative stereotypes has an effect on physical performance. Ninety six community dwelling older adults 65 years of age or older were included in the sample. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: exposure to positive stereotypes of aging, exposure to negative stereotypes of aging, or a control condition. In order to simulate how older adults are exposed to stereotypes in real world settings, participants were primed …

John Jay College Performance Goals And Targets: 2009-2010 Academic Year, John Jay College Of Criminal Justice

Reports and Publications from John Jay College

No abstract provided.

January 13, 2010 Greenmail, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

GreenMail (student newsletter through 2024)

No abstract provided.

Evidence For A "Founder Effect" Among Hiv-Infected Injection Drug Users (Idus) In Pakistan., Mohammad A. Rai, Vivek R Nerurkar, Suhail Khoja, Saeed Khan, Richard Yanagihara, Arish Rehman, Shahana U Kazmi, Syed H Ali

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: We have previously reported a HIV-1 subtype A infection in a community of injection drug users (IDUs) in Karachi, Pakistan. We now show that this infection among the IDUs may have originated from a single source. Methods: Phylogenetic analysis was performed of partial gag sequences, generated using PCR, from 26 HIV-positive IDU samples. Results: Our results showed formation of a tight monophyletic group with an intra-sequence identity of < 98% indicating a "founder effect". Our data indicate that the HIV-1 epidemic in this community of IDUs may have been transmitted by an HIV positive overseas contract worker who admitted to having contact with commercial sex workers during stay abroad. Conclusion: Specific measures need to implemented to control transmission of HIV infection in Pakistan through infected migrant workers.

Diurnal Movements And Site Fidelity Of The Florida Manatee, Trichechus Manatus Latirostris, In Fort Lauderdale, Fl., Kym Walsh

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The diurnal movements of Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) in warmwater refugia are poorly understood and these may prove critical in accurately estimating populations of these animals. Previous studies indicate that manatee populations in such refuges in Tampa Bay, FL, peak mid-day and decline towards evening when the animals leave to forage. This trend suggests that variation in the timing of aerial manatee population surveys may hamper accurate estimation of the true population size. Aerial survey counts are known to underestimate population size, yet the extent of the underestimation may be greater than expected. In this study data …

Still Time To Get H1n1 Flu Vaccine, Urges Uab's Whitley, Leader Of Infectious Diseases Society, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Exploring Science Teachers' Attitudes And Knowledge About Environmental Education In Three International Teaching Communities., Todd Campbell, W. Medina-Jerez, I. Erdogan, D. Zhang

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This study examined the similarities and differences among 171 Grade 7-12 science teachers from three different countries (54 U.S, 63 Bolivian, and 54 Turkish) with respect to their attitudes toward environmental education (EE) and instructional practices. The instrument employed explored how teachers‘ knowledge, instructional practices, decisionmaking process, and cultural features influenced their EE attitudes and praxis. The instrument, which was translated into Spanish and Turkish and then back into English, contained a personal data form that included demographic questions and a three-part questionnaire. Based on the analysis completed, significant differences were found between these three countries with respect to 1) …

Spatiotemporal Structure Of Molecular Evolution Of H5n1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses In Vietnam., Margaret A. Carrel, Michael Emch, R. Todd Jobe, Aaron Moody, Xiu-Feng Wan

CVM Publications

BACKGROUND: Vietnam is one of the countries most affected by outbreaks of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses. First identified in Vietnam in poultry in 2001 and in humans in 2004, the virus has since caused 111 cases and 56 deaths in humans. In 2003/2004 H5N1 outbreaks, nearly the entire poultry population of Vietnam was culled. Our earlier study (Wan et al., 2008, PLoS ONE, 3(10): e3462) demonstrated that there have been at least six independent H5N1 introductions into Vietnam and there were nine newly emerged reassortants from 2001 to 2007 in Vietnam. H5N1 viruses in Vietnam cluster distinctly around …

Venturing Into The "Impenetrable Jungle": How California's Expansive Public Nuisance Doctrine May Result In An Unprecedented Judgment Against The Lead Paint Industry In The Case Of County Of Santa Clara V. Atlantic Richfield Company, Matthew R. Watson

Roger Williams University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Childhood Vaccine Schedule Updated; Uab Infectious Disease Doctor On Panel, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.