Digital Commons Network^™

Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Loci Influencing Concentrations Of Liver Enzymes In Plasma, J. C. Chambers, W. Zhang, J. Sehmi, X. Li, M. N. Wass, P. Van Der Harst, H. Holm, S. Sanna, M. Kavousi, S. E. Baumeister, L. J. Coin, G. Deng, C. Gieger, N. L. Heard-Costa, J. J. Hottenga, B. Kühnel, V. Kumar, V. Lagou, L. Liang, J. Luan, P. M. Vidal, I. Mateo Leach, P. F. O'Reilly, J. F. Peden, N. Rahmioglu, P. Soininen, E. K. Speliotes, X. Yuan, G. Thorleifsson, B. Z. Alizadeh, L. D. Atwood, I. B. Borecki, M. J. Brown

Faculty Publications

Concentrations of liver enzymes in plasma are widely used as indicators of liver disease. We carried out a genome-wide association study in 61,089 individuals, identifying 42 loci associated with concentrations of liver enzymes in plasma, of which 32 are new associations (P = 10-8 to P = 10-190). We used functional genomic approaches including metabonomic profiling and gene expression analyses to identify probable candidate genes at these regions. We identified 69 candidate genes, including genes involved in biliary transport (ATP8B1 and ABCB11), glucose, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism (FADS1, FADS2, GCKR, JMJD1C, HNF1A, MLXIPL, PNPLA3, PPP1R3B, SLC2A2 and TRIB1), glycoprotein biosynthesis …

The Remarkable Evolutionary History Of Endornaviruses, Marilyn J. Roossinck, Sead Sabanadzovic, Ryo Okada, Rodrigo A. Valverde

Faculty Publications

The family Endornaviridae contains several members from diverse hosts, including plants, fungi and oomycetes. They are found as large dsRNA elements with a nick in the coding strand. All members encode a conserved RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, but no other domain that is conserved among all members. Based on the conserved domain database comparison the various domains have different origins, indicating a highly modular evolutionary history. In some cases, domains with similar putative functions are found that are derived from different protein families, indicating convergent evolution for a required function. © 2011 SGM.

Interferons As Therapeutic Agents In Infectious Diseases, Mckenzie C. Ferguson, Scott Bergman, Cathy Santanello

Pharmacy Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

This article explains the rationale for development of interferons as therapeutic agents, and describes commercial products available today. It also provides a summary of studies that have been performed with interferons for use as exogenous biological response modifiers in viral infections. Overall, the best data exist for treatment of viral hepatitis B and C, for which interferons are a cornerstone of therapy. Although infections with human papillomavirus and common cold viruses sometimes respond favorably to interferons, their outcomes are far from ideal. Finally, the role of interferons as vaccine adjuvants is still being explored but could be promising.

Marital Status And Mortality Among Middle Age And Elderly Men And Women In Urban Shanghai, Puthiery Va, Wan-Shui Yang, Sarah Nechuta, Wong-Ho Chow, Hui Cai, Gong Yang, Shan Gao, Yu-Tang Gao, Wei Zheng, Xiao-Ou Shu, Yong-Bing Xiang

Peer Reviewed Articles

Background: Previous studies have suggested that marital status is associated with mortality, but few studies have been conducted in China where increasing aging population and divorce rates may have major impact on health and total mortality.

Methods: We examined the association of marital status with mortality using data from the Shanghai Women’s Health Study (1996–2009) and Shanghai Men’s Health Study (2002–2009), two population-based cohort studies of 74,942 women aged 40–70 years and 61,500 men aged 40–74 years at the study enrollment. Deaths were identified by biennial home visits and record linkage with the vital statistics registry. Marital status was categorized …

Extinguishing Exclusive Marketing Rights: Interpreting The Medical Innovation Prize Fund Act Of 2011, Irwin I. Park

DePaul Journal of Art, Technology & Intellectual Property Law

No abstract provided.

The Lincy Institute E-Health Summit: Promoting Coalitions In Technology And Health, Bo Bernhard

Policy Briefs and Reports

A prestigious stakeholder gathering is proposed which will advance technology-based “e-health” (internet, social networking, and smart phone-based) practices of community groups. This assembly - The Lincy Institute Summit - will educate community partners about the potential of e-health interventions for primary prevention of risky behavior, obtain expert stakeholder evaluations of an existing e-health prototype for gambling, and provide a powerful foundation for a community-based coalition focused on risky youth behaviors. The fellowship will provide support for summit-related costs, integration of our community partners’ prevention messages into e-health technologies, and the development of a coalition and grant applications to support the …

Photodynamic Therapy As An Adjunctive To Scaling And Root Planing In Treatment Of Chronic Periodontitis In Smokers., Mohammad S. Al-Zahrani, Obadah N. Austah

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To compare photodynamic therapy (PDT) as an adjunctive treatment of chronic periodontitis with scaling and root planing (Sc/Rp) in smokers. METHODS: This is a split-mouth, single-masked randomized controlled clinical trial conducted at the Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between May 2010 and March 2011. Fifty-four teeth with probing depth of ≥5mm at one or more periodontal sites in 20 smokers diagnosed with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis were selected. In each patient, at least one tooth was randomly assigned to Sc/Rp plus PDT (test group) and the contra-lateral tooth was assigned to Sc/Rp only (control). …

In Vitro Efficacy Of Acetohydroxyacid Synthase Inhibitors Against Clinical Strains Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Isolated From A Hospital In Beijing, China., Mei Dong, Di Wang, Ying Jiang, Li Zhao, Caie Yang, Chun Wu

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy of acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) inhibitors against Mycobacterium tuberculosis from China, including multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) strains. METHODS: In this study, the tube dilution method and Middlebrook 7H10 agar media were used to describe the in vitro efficacy of 3 AHAS inhibitors (sulfometuron methyl, monosulfuron, and monosulfuron-ester) against H37Rv and 26 clinical isolates, which include MDR-TB and XDR-TB strains, from the 309th Hospital of Chinese People9s Liberation Army (PLA 309), Beijing, China. Cytotoxity of these compounds were then evaluated using the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl]-2,5-dipheny tetrazolium bromide assay with HBE cells. All the experiments were …

Molecular Methods And Platforms For Infectious Diseases Testing: A Review Of Fda-Approved And Cleared Assays, Rajyasree Emmadi, Jerry B. Boonyaratanakornkit, Rangaraj Selvarangan, Venkatakrishna Shyamala, Barbara L. Zimmer, Laurina Williams, Bonita Bryant, Ted Schutzbank, Michele M. Schoonmaker, Jean A. Amos Wilson, Leslie Hall, Preeti Pancholi, Kathryn Bernard

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The superior sensitivity and specificity associated with the use of molecular assays has greatly improved the field of infectious disease diagnostics by providing clinicians with results that are both accurate and rapidly obtained. Herein, we review molecularly based infectious disease diagnostic tests that are Food and Drug Administration approved or cleared and commercially available in the United States as of December 31, 2010. We describe specific assays and their performance, as stated in the Food and Drug Administration's Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data or the Office of In Vitro Diagnostic Device Evaluation and Safety's decision summaries, product inserts, or …

Laboratory Diagnosis Of Clostridium Difficile Infection: Can Molecular Amplification Methods Move Us Out Of Uncertainty?, Fred C. Tenover, Ellen Jo Baron, Lance R. Peterson, David Persing

Biology Faculty Publications

The laboratory diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) continues to be challenging. Recent guidelines from professional societies in the United States note that enzyme immunoassays for toxins A and B do not have adequate sensitivity to be used alone for detecting CDI, yet the optimal method for diagnosing this infection remains unclear. Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) that target chromosomal toxin genes (usually the toxin B gene, tcdB) show high sensitivity and specificity, provide rapid results, and are amenable to both batch and on-demand testing, but these tests were not universally recommended for routine use in the recent guidelines. …

Innate And Adaptive Immunity To The Nematode Strongyloides Stercoralis In A Mouse Model., Sandra Bonne-Annee, Jessica A. Hess, David Abraham

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

Mice have been used to the study the mechanisms of protective innate and adaptive immunity to larval Strongyloides stercoralis. During primary infection, neutrophils and eosinophils are attracted by parasite components and kill the larvae by release of granule products. Eosinophils also function as antigen-presenting cells for the induction of a Th2 response. B cells produce both IgM and IgG that collaborate with neutrophils to kill worms in the adaptive immune response. Vaccine studies have identified a recombinant diagnostic antigen that induced high levels of immunity to infection with S. stercoralis in mice. These studies demonstrate that there are redundancies in …

Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease. Histiocytic Necrotizing Lymphadenitis., Jaudah A. Al-Maghrabi

Saudi Medical Journal

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD), or histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis, is a self-limited disease of complex and unclear etiology. Clinically and microscopically, it may mimic malignant lymphoma and other non-malignant diseases. Recognition of this entity is crucial, as mistaking this disease as lymphoma has major clinical consequences. Although KFD is a well-recognized entity in the literature, many clinicians and pathologists are still unaware of its existence. In this article, a review of KFD is provided with special emphasis on the pathogenesis and pathological differential diagnosis of this disease.

Awareness Of Healthcare Workers Regarding Preventive Measures Of Communicable Diseases Among Hajj Pilgrims At The Entry Point In Western Saudi Arabia., Adel S. Al-Ghamdi, Ibrahim A. Kabbash

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To determine the level of knowledge of healthcare workers (HCWs) towards preventive measures for communicable diseases among pilgrims, and to highlight the difficulties faced by HCWs in implementing preventive measures at entry point. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at King Abdulaziz International Airport Hajj Terminals in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during Hajj season from October to November 2009 including 325 healthcare workers (HCWs). Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: Difficulties reported by HCWs were refusal of vaccine, or chemoprophylaxis by some pilgrims, language barriers, and difficulties in organizing pilgrims. The different items related to meningococcal …

Chaos As Strategy, P. H. Liotta

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Aids Related Stigma In Social Relations: A Qualitative Study In Turkey, Aytul Kasapoglu, Elif Kus Saillard, Nilay Kaya, Feryal Turan

The Qualitative Report

The actual number of HIV/AIDS cases in Turkey is higher than the number of cases reported, and People Living with HIV (PLWHIV) may refrain from acknowledging their sickness or seeking help because of the stigma associated with HIV and fear of discrimination from their close friends, workmates, and even their families. In this paper we aim to explore HIV-positive people's relationships with significant others such as family members, friends, sexual partners, employers and health professionals in order to present the patients' perceptions about stigma and attitudes that lead to pro-social or anti-social behavior towards them. We carried out a qualitative …

Neuronavigation Assisted Endoscopic Sinus Surgery, Masaud Mohyuddin, Zain A Sobani, Montasir Junaid, Shehzad Ghaffar

Section of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery

In the past two decades, endoscopic sinus surgeries (ESS) have been widely advocated as a safe and effective treatment for disorders of paranasal sinuses that are refractory to medical therapy. ESS caters surgeons with two-dimensional visualization of the anatomical structures; however in scenarios where there is a close anatomical relation between the disease and delicate intracranial or intraorbital structures drastic complications can occur. Hence, endoscopic procedures had to be converted into open surgical procedures if the extent of the disease could not be visualized or cleared thoroughly. Recently however; neuronavigation systems have been combined with ESS to yield better results …

Cervical Cancer Screening Outcomes In A Refugee Population, Sarah Pickle, Md, Marc Altshuler, Md, Kevin Scott, Md, Christina Hillson, Md, R. Patrick Mcmanus, Md, Mazvita Nyamukapa, Michael Walker

Department of Family & Community Medicine Presentations and Grand Rounds

The purpose of our study was to determine the prevalence of abnormal Pap smears and high-risk HPV genotypes within our refugee population.

Characterizing Adaptive Capacity To Climate Change In Developing Countries: A Case Study On Peru, Rosa Mitsumasu Heredia

Theses

Climate change is expected to impact biodiversity, global temperatures and the water cycle resulting in changes that affect communities in the social system. The capacity to adapt to such climatic fluctuations will vary across social groups, depending on the group's socio-economic and demographic characteristics. This thesis constructs a methodology that bridges existing approaches to study adaptation, providing an alternative that includes high level deterministic approaches to quantify adaptive capacity (AC) and case-by-case strategies to enhance region-specific AC. The proposed methodology consists of an exploratory model and a principal component analysis. The goal of the methodology is to create a sub-national …

Psychiatrists' Knowledge And Attitudes About The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, Carol L. Alter, M.D., Ellen S. Dickinson, M.D., Greg Miller, M.D.

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Since 1981 the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has become the primary health care issue in this nation. Psychiatrists have had a central role in caring for AIDS patients: they have been asked to evaluate and treat patients with neuropsychiatric manifestations of AIDS and emotional reactions to the illness itself, as well as to treat those who are fearful of acquiring AIDS. Numerous studies in the literature have explored the physician and lay population's knowledge and attitudes about AIDS. To date no study has addressed these issues in psychiatrists in specific (1- 9).

Most studies suggest that individuals who have …

The Murray State News, October 28, 2011, The Murray State News

Murray State University Collection

No abstract provided.

A Draft Genome Of Yersinia Pestis From Victims Of The Black Death, Kirsten I. Bos, Verena J. Schuenemann, G. Brian Golding, Hernán A. Burbano, Nicholas Waglechner, Brian K. Coombes, Joseph B. Mcphee, Sharon Dewitte, Matthias Meyer, Sarah Schmedes, James Wood, David J. D. Earn, D. Ann Herring, Peter Bauer, Hendrik N. Poinar, Johannes Krause

Faculty Publications

Technological advances in DNA recovery and sequencing have drastically expanded the scope of genetic analyses of ancient specimens to the extent that full genomic investigations are now feasible and are quickly becoming standard1. This trend has important implications for infectious disease research because genomic data from ancient microbes may help to elucidate mechanisms of pathogen evolution and adaptation for emerging and re-emerging infections. Here we report a reconstructed ancient genome of Yersinia pestis at 30-fold average coverage from Black Death victims securely dated to episodes of pestilence-associated mortality in London, England, 1348–1350. Genetic architecture and phylogenetic analysis indicate …

Role Of Exonic Variation In Chemokine Receptor Genes On Aids: Ccrl2 F167y Association With Pneumocystis Pneumonia, Ping An, Rongling Li, Ji Ming Wang, Teizo Yoshimura, Munehisa Takahashi, Ram Samudralal, Stephen J. O'Brien, John Phair, James J. Goedert, Gregory D. Kirk, Jennifer L. Troyer, Efe Sezgin, Susan Buchbinder, Sharyne Donfield, George W. Nelson, Cheryl Winkler

Biology Faculty Articles

Chromosome 3p21–22 harbors two clusters of chemokine receptor genes, several of which serve as major or minor coreceptors of HIV-1. Although the genetic association of CCR5 andCCR2 variants with HIV-1 pathogenesis is well known, the role of variation in other nearby chemokine receptor genes remain unresolved. We genotyped exonic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in chemokine receptor genes: CCR3, CCRL2, and CXCR6 (at 3p21) and CCR8 and CX3CR1 (at 3p22), the majority of which were non-synonymous. The individual SNPs were tested for their effects on disease progression and outcomes in five treatment-naïve HIV-1/AIDS natural history cohorts. In …

A 2-Step Approach To Myeloablative Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplantation: A Phase 1/2 Trial Performed With Optimized T-Cell Dosing., Dolores Gross, Matthew Carabasi, Joanne Filicko-O'Hara, Margaret Kasner, John L Wagner, Beth Colombe, Patricia Cornett Farley, William O'Hara, Phyllis Flomenberg, Maria Werner-Wasik, Janet Brunner, Bijoyesh Mookerjee, Terry Hyslop, Mark Weiss, Neal Flomenberg

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Studies of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have identified threshold doses of T cells below which severe GVHD is usually absent. However, little is known regarding optimal T-cell dosing as it relates to engraftment, immune reconstitution, and relapse. To begin to address this question, we developed a 2-step myeloablative approach to haploidentical HSCT in which 27 patients conditioned with total body irradiation (TBI) were given a fixed dose of donor T cells (HSCT step 1), followed by cyclophosphamide (CY) for T-cell tolerization. A CD34-selected HSC product (HSCT step 2) was infused after CY. A dose of 2 × 10(8)/kg …

Dengue Fever In Tegucigalpa, Honduras: Use Of The Explanatory Model In A Sample Of Urban Neighborhoods To Contextualize And Define Dengue Fever Among Community Participants, Jose Enrique Hasemann

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project elucidated the explanatory model of dengue fever held by members of urban communities in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The study was conducted over a four-month period from May-August of 2011, and it was divided into two stages. The first stage of the project consisted of volunteer participation with dengue fever surveillance brigades in the three communities with the highest incidence of dengue fever during the beginning of 2011. This initial stage employed participant observation as its research method. The second stage was conducted in a different community within Tegucigalpa. The primary research methods employed during the second stage of the …

4.505 Drug-Free Schools And Communities Policy

4.500 Health and Safety (Human Resources)

No abstract provided.

Flier, Xavier Cortada's Sequentia: Art And Science Together, October 20, 2011, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg. Nelson Poynter Memorial Library

Poynter Library Events

Flier for a talk and art exhibition by Xavier Cortada in honor of the 10th anniversary of sequencing the human genome. The talk was to be held at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg's Nelson Poynter Memorial Library.

Extending The Progressive Tradition To Poor Countries: The Role Of Universities And Colleges, Shiko Gathuo

Higher Learning Research Communications

American universities and colleges have always been a bastion of liberalism and progressive thought. Historically, the academic community has supported social justice issues, given a voice to the poor, minorities and the disadvantaged, and brought to light subjects that are considered taboo elsewhere. Indeed, many social movements have either started in American universities or been energized by the actions of university students and faculty, and often with the support of university administrations. Yet, when it comes to dealing with global issues that affect poor nations, universities have not always acted as change agents. In some cases, universities have to been …

Immunization With The Recombinant Antigen Ss-Ir Induces Protective Immunity To Infection With Strongyloides Stercoralis In Mice., David Abraham, Jessica A. Hess, Rojelio Mejia, Thomas J. Nolan, James B. Lok, Sara Lustigman, Thomas B. Nutman

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

Human intestinal infections with the nematode Strongyloides stercoralis remain a significant problem worldwide and a vaccine would be a useful addition to the tools available to prevent and control this infection. The goal of this study was to test single antigens for their efficacy in a vaccine against S. stercoralis larvae in mice. Alum was used as the adjuvant in these studies and antigens selected for analysis were either recognized by protective human IgG (Ss-TMY-1, Ss-EAT-6, and Ss-LEC-5) or were known to be highly immunogenic in humans (Ss-NIE-1 and Ss-IR). Only mice immunized with the Ss-IR antigen demonstrated a significant …

Court Of Appeals Of New York: Wooley V. New York State Department Of Correctional Services, Joseph Leocata

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Review: Reducing Adolescent Sexual Risk: A Theoretical Guide For Developing And Adapting Curriculum-Based Programs, Ralph J. Diclemente

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

A review of Reducing Adolescent Sexual Risk: A Theoretical Guide for Developing and Adapting Curriculum-Based Programs by Douglas Kirby.