Digital Commons Network^™

In Vitro Study Of Antibacterial Activity Of The Alga Sargassum Oligocystum From The Persian Gulf, S. Tajbakhsh, M. Pouyan, K. Zandi, P. Bahramian, K. Sartavi, M. Fouladvand, G. Asayesh, A. Barazesh

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Background and Objectives: With due attention to the development of drug-resistant bacteria, discovering of new antibacterial compounds is needed. Algae produce numerous bioactive substances which may have pharmacological properties such as antibacterial activity. The objective of this investigation was to in vitro study of antibacterial activity of brown alga Sargassum oligocystum collected along the Bushehr coast of Persian Gulf (south west of Iran). Materials and Methods: Hot water extract, cold water extract, and hot glycerin extract were prepared. The effect of the extracts were investigated on Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Staphylococcus epidermidis (ATCC 14990), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), and Escherichia …

Insecticide Resistance Development In Aedes Aegypti Upon Selection Pressure With Malathion, H. Hidayati, W.A. Nazni, H.L. Lee, Mohd Sofian-Azirun

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Bioassay test against malathion had been carried out with larval and adult stages of Aedes aegypti. The mosquitoes were under selection pressure against malathion for fortyfive consecutive generations. The rate of resistance development was measured by LC 50 and LT 50 values. The larvae and adult females, after subjection to malathion selection for 45 generations, developed high resistance level to malathion, with resistance ratio of 52.7 and 3.24 folds, respectively over control mosquitoes. Cross-resistance towards the same and different groups of insecticides was determined using the F44 and F45 malathion-selected adult females. Insecticides tested were DDT (4.0), permethrin (0.75), propoxur …

International Contribution To Nipah Virus Research 1999-2010, H. Safahieh, S.A. Sanni, A.N. Zainab

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

This study examines 462 papers on Nipah virus research published from 1999 to 2010, identifying the active authors, institutions and citations received. Data was extracted from SCI-Expanded database, (Web of Science) and analyzed using descriptive figures and tables. The results show the growth of publication is incremental up to 2010 even though the average citations received is decreasing. The ratio of authors to articles is 1330: 426. The active contributing countries are USA (41.0), Australia (19.3), Malaysia (16.0), England (6.5) and France (5.6). The productive authors are mainly affiliated to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, USA and Commonwealth …

Lack Of Association Between Rantes-28, Sdf-1 Gene Polymorphisms And Systemic Lupus Erythematosus In The Malaysian Population, L.H. Lian, B.P. Kee, H.L. Ng, K.H. Chua

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) and stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) are members of the CC- and CXC-chemokine families, respectively. Both genes have been postulated to be involved in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We analyzed position 28 of the RANTES gene promoter region, as well as the SNP observed in the 3' UTR of the SDF-1 gene at position 801, in 130 patients presenting SLE at the Malaya University Medical Centre. Screening of 130 healthy volunteer controls using RFLP was also performed. RANTES-28 polymorphism analysis showed no significant (P = 0.3520) relationship, even …

Plasmodium Knowlesi Reinfection In Human, Y.L. Lau, L.H. Tan, L.C. Chin, M.Y. Fong, M.A. Noraishah, M. Rohela

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

To the Editor: In 2004, a large number of patients infected with Plasmodium knowlesi (simian malarial species) were reported in Sarawak, Malaysia (1). P. knowlesi infection was also reported in Peninsular Malaysia (2). Here we report a case of human P. knowlesi reinfection. Phylogenetic sequence analysis shows that the first and second infections were caused by different strains of P. knowlesi.

Sequence Analysis On The Mitochondrial Coxi Gene Of Recent Clinical Isolates Of Plasmodium Knowlesi In Klang Valley, Peninsular Malaysia, Mun Yik Fong, Yee Ling Lau, Lit Chien Chin, A.M.Q. Al-Mekhlafi

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

The cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COXI) gene sequences of three recent (20072008) clinical Plasmodium knowlesi isolates from Klang Valley, peninsular Malaysia, were determined and compared with those of older (1960's) peninsular Malaysia, recent isolates from Sarawak (on Borneo Island), and an isolate from Thailand. Multiple alignment of the sequences showed that the three clinical isolates were more similar to the older peninsular Malaysia isolates than to those from Sarawak and Thailand. Phylogenetic tree based on the COXI sequences revealed three distinct clusters of P. knowlesi. The first cluster consisted of isolates from peninsular Malaysia, the second consisted of Sarawak isolates …

Simulium (Gomphostilbia) Sofiani, A New Species Of Black Fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) From Peninsular Malaysia, H. Takaoka, Mohd Sofian-Azirun, R. Hashim

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Simulium (Gomphostilbia) sofiani sp. nov. is described on the basis of reared adult female, male, pupal and larval specimens collected from Cameron Highlands, Pahang state, Malaysia. This new species is placed in the ceylonicum species-group within the subgenus Gomphostilbia and is easily distinguished from all the related known species by the combination of the following characteristics: an elongate sensory vesicle and yellow hair tuft on the stem vein of the wing in the female, the greater number of large upper-eye facets (15 or 16 vertical columns and 15 or 16 horizontal rows) and almost entirely darkened hind basitarsus in the …

Simultaneous Detection Of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Acinetobacter Baumannii, Escherichia Coli, Klebsiella Pneumoniae And Pseudomonas Aeruginosa By Multiplex Pcr, Kwai Lin Thong, M.Y. Lai, Cindy Shuan Ju Teh, Kek Heng Chua

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

A PCR-based assay that can simultaneously detect and differentiate five different types of nosocomial bacterial pathogens was developed. Six pairs of selected primers targeting femA (132 bp) and mecA (310 bp) of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, gltA (722 bp) of Acinetobacter baumannii, phoA (903 bp) of Escherichia coli, mdh (364 bp) of Klebsiella pneumoniae and oprL (504 bp) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were used in this study. The conditions were optimized for the multiplex PCR to ensure specific amplification of the selected targets. Sensitivity and specificity tests were also carried out using a blind test approach on 50 bacterial cultures and resulted …

Synergistic Antimicrobial Activity Between Pentacyclic Triterpenoids And Antibiotics Against Staphylococcus Aureus Strains, P.Y. Chung, P. Navaratnam, L.Y. Chung

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Background: There has been considerable effort to discover plant-derived antibacterials against methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which have developed resistance to most existing antibiotics, including the last line of defence, vancomycin. Pentacyclic triterpenoid, a biologically diverse plant-derived natural product, has been reported to show anti-staphylococcal activities. The objective of this study is to evaluate the interaction between three pentacyclic triterpenoid and standard antibiotics (methicillin and vancomycin) against reference strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Methods and Results: The activity of the standard antibiotics and compounds on reference methicillin-sensitive and resistant strains of S. aureus were determined using the macrodilution broth method. …

Postgraduate Year One (Pgy1) Department Of Pharmacy Residency Program, Jessica Price Pharmd, Bcps

Department of Pharmacy

No abstract provided.

The Tipping Point: Prison Overcrowding Nationally, In West Virginia, And Recommendations For Reform, Karina Kendrick

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Distribution, Conservation And Current Status Of The Little Brown Bat(Myotis Lucifugus) In Arkansas, D. Blake Sasse, D. A. Saugey, R. W. Perry

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Purification, Characterisation And Applications Of A Cloned Staphylococcal Bacteriophage Lysin For The Control Of Multi-Drug Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Including Mrsa, Mark Fenton

Theses

The work presented in this thesis focuses on the purification, characterisation and practical applications of an anti-staphylococcal lysin (LysK) and its single-domain truncated derivative (CHAP_k) against pathogenic staphylococci including meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Both proteins were purified to greater than 90% homogeneity. Affinity chromatography was applied as the optimum method for LysK purification and ion-exchange chromatography was successfully applied to CHAP_k. The lytic spectrum of LysK was investigated by zymogram analysis where the enzyme exhibited strong activity against a range of staphylococci regardless of their origin, sequence type (ST) or antibiotic resistant profile. This analysis …

Abdullahi V. Pfizer & The Alien Tort Statute: Kicking Open A Door Left Slightly Ajar By Sosa V. Alvarez-Machain, Tiffany A. Hetland

Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Malaria Rapid Testing By Community Health Workers Is Effective And Safe For Targeting Malaria Treatment: Randomised Cross-Over Trial In Tanzania, M. Mubi, A. Janson, M. Warsame, A. Martensson, K. Kallander, M.G. Petzold, B. Ngasala, G. Maganga, L.L. Gustafsson, A. Massele, G. Tomson, Zul Premji, A. Bjorkman

Pathology, East Africa

Background: Early diagnosis and prompt, effective treatment of uncomplicated malaria is critical to prevent severe disease, death and malaria transmission. We assessed the impact of rapid malaria diagnostic tests (RDTs) by community health workers (CHWs) on provision of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) and health outcome in fever patients.

Methodology/Principal Findings: Twenty-two CHWs from five villages in Kibaha District, a high-malaria transmission area in Coast Region, Tanzania, were trained to manage uncomplicated malaria using RDT aided diagnosis or clinical diagnosis (CD) only. Each CHW was randomly assigned to use either RDT or CD the first week and thereafter alternating weekly. …

The State Of Emergency Care In The Republic Of Kenya, Benjamin Wachira, Ian Martin

Family Medicine, East Africa

Approximately 580,000 km2 in size, the Republic of Kenya is as big as Botswana but only half the size of countries like South Africa, Mali, and Angola. Kenya is comprised of eight provinces: Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, and Western. The 2009 census revealed a population of over 38 million people, with a population density of approximately 66 persons per square kilometre. Majority of the population (68%) lives in rural areas, as compared with the sub-Saharan African average of approximately 62%. With a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of US $1,600 in 2010, Kenya is …

Umass Boston Open Courseware Early Education Development Core Competencies: Self Assessments, Mary Lu Love, Angi Stone-Macdonald, Anne Douglass

OER Instructor Resources

This course is designed to provide early childhood education professionals with the knowledge and skills to assess their own level in terms of the eight core competencies, across the infant-toddler, preschool and out-of-school age range.

This course was developed using ARRA funds from the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care.

This is archived material, provided by Healey Library.

Staphylococcus Aureus Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (Pvl) Alters Human Neutrophil Viability And Function, Shawna Graves

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) infections are the leading cause of community bacterial infections in the United States. Genes encoding Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) are present in most Staphylococcus aureus strains that cause CA-MRSA infections. Despite an association of PVL with the most abundant CA-MRSA strains, its role in pathogenesis--if any--remains unknown. PVL is a pore-forming toxin with specificity for myeloid cells, including polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs or neutrophils). It is widely assumed that PVL-mediated pore formation in the plasma membrane of PMNs leads ultimately to cytolysis. However, this hypothesis has not been tested and previous studies indicate that levels of PVL …

Roles Of The 15-Kda Selenoprotein (Sep15) In Redox Homeostasis And Cataract Development Revealed By The Analysis Of Sep 15 Knockout Mice, Marina V. Kasaikina, Dmitri E. Fomenko, Vyacheslav M. Labunskyy, Salil A. Lachke, Wenya Qiu, Juliet A. Moncaster, Jie Zhang, Mark W. Wojnarowicz, Sathish Kumar Natarajan, Mikalai I. Malinouski, Ulrich Schweizer, Petra A. Tsuji, Bradley A. Carlson, Richard L. Maas, Marjorie F. Lou, Lee E. Goldstein, Dolph L. Hatfield, Vadim N. Gladyshev

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The 15-kDa selenoprotein (Sep15) is a thioredoxin-like, endoplasmic reticulum-resident protein involved in the quality control of glycoprotein folding through its interaction with UDP-glucose:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase. Expression of Sep15 is regulated by dietary selenium and the unfolded protein response, but its specific function is not known. In this study, we developed and characterized Sep15 KO mice by targeted removal of exon 2 of the Sep15 gene coding for the cysteinerich UDP-glucose:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase-binding domain. These KO mice synthesized a mutant mRNA, but the shortened protein product could be detected neither in tissues nor in Sep15 KO embryonic fibroblasts. Sep15 KO mice were viable …

2011-2012 Nursing Undergraduate Student Handbook, Morehead State University. Nursing Department.

Nursing Department Publications Archive

2011-2012 Undergraduate Student Handbook of the Department of Nursing at Morehead State University.

The Impact Of Tricaine Methanesulfonate, 2-Phenoxyethanol, And Carvone-Methyl Salicylate On The Innate Immune Response Of Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Charles R. Wulff

Honors Theses

Anesthesia plays a vital role in the maintenance of aquaculture species, where it is used to minimize stress during complex handling tasks such as transport, assessment, and harvesting. However, anesthetics have been shown to suppress the innate immune response, which could impact immunity and increase risk of infection. Tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) and 2-Phenoxyethanol (2-PE) represent two of the most commonly used anesthetics in aquaculture, with R-(+)-carvone, in the form of carvone-methyl salicylate (CMS) has recently been proposed as an alternative anesthetic for food fish. These three anesthetics were used to assess the influence of anesthetics on the immune system of …

Ethical Issues In Global Health Education, David Barnard, T. Thuy Bui, Jack Chase, Evaleen Jones, Scott Loeliger, Anvar Velji, Mary T. White

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Patent Office As Biosecurity Gatekeeper: Fostering Responsible Science And Building Public Trust In Diy Science, 10 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 423 (2011), Brian J. Gorman

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

When the fields of intellectual property law and biotechnology intersect, most analysis is driven byeconomic and ethical issues. This article examines these factors, but in relation to the emerging security threat posed by biohackers, or do-it-yourself (“DIY”) scientists, who operate free from oversight and industry norms at the fringes of the biotechnology community. Public health risks are poised to grow as these citizen-scientists race for lucrative discoveries in the new frontier of syntheticbiology. This article proposes that the existing paradigm adjust accordingly to leverage regulatory compliance from the most ambitious biohackers looking to benefit from patent protection. The U.S. government …

Animal Violence Court: A Therapeutic Jurisprudence-Based Problem-Solving Court For The Adjudication Of Animal Cruelty Cases Involving Juvenile Offenders And Animal Hoarders, Debra L. Muller-Harris

Animal Law Review

Cases involving cruelty to animals are currently handled by the traditional criminal courts. These courts, however, are not effective at punishing animal abusers or protecting animal victims. Although all states have laws criminalizing various forms of animal cruelty, the reality is that most cruelty cases are not prosecuted; even when cruelty cases are successfully prosecuted, punishments are weak. This Comment proposes the creation of an Animal Violence Court, using juvenile animal abusers and adult hoarders as ideal candidates for a pilot animal cruelty justice system. The Animal Violence Court will provide for the ongoing safety and care of animal victims, …

A Shot In The Arm: What A Modern Approach To Jacobson V. Massachusetts Means For Mandatory Vaccinations During A Public Health Emergency , Ben Horowitz

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Stat3 Is Important For The Emergence Of Human B Cells Predicted To Proliferate After Infection With Epstein-Barr Virus, Amanda Victoria Zeta De La Paz

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

STAT3 is important for the emergence of human B Cells predicted to proliferate after infection with Epstein-Barr Virus

Amanda Z. de la Paz and Sumita Bhaduri-McIntosh. Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.

Many unanswered questions surround the early changes in B cells that lead to establishment of latency and immortalization following Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Data from the Bhaduri-McIntosh lab revealed that EBV differentially infects B cells into distinct sub-populations, only one of which, those marked CD23hi CD58+ IL6-, can be predicted to proliferate as early as 3 days after exposure …

Predictive And Reactive Distribution Of Vaccines And Antivirals During Cross-Regional Pandemic Outbreaks, Andrés Uribe-Sánchez, Alex Savachkin

Industrial and Management Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

As recently pointed out by the Institute of Medicine, the existing pandemic mitigation models lack the dynamic decision support capability. We develop a large-scale simulation-driven optimization model for generating dynamic predictive distribution of vaccines and antivirals over a network of regional pandemic outbreaks. The model incorporates measures of morbidity, mortality, and social distancing, translated into the cost of lost productivity and medical expenses. The performance of the strategy is compared to that of the reactive myopic policy, using a sample outbreak in Fla, USA, with an affected population of over four millions. The comparison is implemented at different levels of …

Development Of A Viral Vaccine Vector Expressing A P. Falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein Domain To Target Severe Malaria, Sara Eve Crager

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

There are an estimated 300-500 million cases of malaria every year, resulting in approximately 2 million deaths. Malaria mortality occurs primarily in children under the age of five, and is resultant from the development of severe malaria. Attempts to control P. falciparum malaria face rapidly escalating levels of resistance on two fronts: the parasite to anti-malarial drugs, and the mosquito vector to insecticides. Despite current prevention efforts, the global incidence of malaria continues to rise and there is a clear and urgent need for a malaria vaccine. Malaria vaccine efforts thus far have been largely unsuccessful in eliciting robust and …

Low Uptake Of Intermittent Preventive Treatment Of Malaria In Hiv-Infected Pregnant Women At An Urban Hospital In Accra, Ghana, Grace Wanjiku

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

Objectives: The clinical course and complications of malaria during pregnancy are exacerbated in HIV-positive women. Furthermore, malaria during pregnancy may increase the risk of mother to child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. We assessed the uptake of WHO recommended intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) for malaria and insecticide treated bed nets (ITN) during pregnancy among HIV-negative and HIV-positive pregnant women in a malaria endemic area.

Methods: A cross sectional study of 151 women (96 HIV-negative and 55 HIV-positive) receiving antenatal and HIV care at an urban district hospital in Accra, Ghana from July to August, 2008. The women were interviewed to obtain …

A Multiple Additive Regression Tree Analysis Of Three Exposure Measures During Hurricane Katrina, Andrew Curtis, Bin Li, Brian D. Marx, Jacqueline W. Mills, John Pine

Faculty Publications

This paper analyses structural and personal exposure to Hurricane Katrina. Structural exposure is measured by flood height and building damage; personal exposure is measured by the locations of 911 calls made during the response. Using these variables, this paper characterises the geography of exposure and also demonstrates the utility of a robust analytical approach in understanding health-related challenges to disadvantaged populations during recovery. Analysis is conducted using a contemporary statistical approach, a multiple additive regression tree (MART), which displays considerable improvement over traditional regression analysis. By using MART, the percentage of improvement in R-squares over standard multiple linear regression ranges …